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Which Fender Made Bass Is Better?

#61
Man I still remember in the 80s I was a kid and bought my first guitar - a MIJ telecaster in natural with a black pick guard. I was obsessed that it wasn't an American Fender that after about 5 years I traded it to a friend with cash towards a 1979 Gibson ES-335 that had been modded to death (ie it is a player with little vintage value even today - even though I brought it back to basically all original plus some Bare Knuckles).

There is no doubt he got the better end of that deal. That Tele was soooooooo sweet.
 
#62
GK Growl said:
This is subjective. There is no "better" because everyone has a different idea of what better is. Don't assume that country of origin or price automatically means better. What is your budget? If you're going Fender/Squier, have you at least narrowed it down to a type (Precision, Jazz, PJ, etc.)?
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I disagree. Better sometimes is just *better*.

There are folks on this list who insist that their Squier "Affinity" bass is every bit as good as a MIA bass - but they are wrong.

To the OPs original question: It depends on your budget. If you have the money, get a used MIA Fender. If not, get what you can afford.
 
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#63
SanDiegoHarry said:
I disagree. Better sometimes is just *better*.

There are folks on this list who insist that their Squier "Affinity" bass is every bit as good as a MIA bass - but they are wrong.

To the OPs original question: It depends on your budget. If you have the money, get a used MIA Fender. If not, get what you can afford.
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Yes...but who defines "better"? Slapping a Made in USA sticker on something doesn't make it "better". Your brain only interprets that. Go watch some YouTube videos of blind tests. There are some professional gear reviewers who couldn't tell the difference between a Custom Shop Tele and a Classic Vibe without using their eyes.

Are Squier Affinity basses as good as the MIAs? No. Are MIAs the cream of the crop? That's debatable, but probably No.
 
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#64
awilkie84 said:
Yes...but who defines "better"? Slapping a Made in USA sticker on something doesn't make it "better". Your brain only interprets that. Go watch some YouTube videos of blind tests. There are some professional gear reviewers who couldn't tell the difference between a Custom Shop Tele and a Classic Vibe without using their eyes.

Are Squier Affinity basses as good as the MIAs? No. Are MIAs the cream of the crop? That's debatable, but probably No.
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I agree - but I do not agree with the whole "It's all good, brah" mentality with things. If we are looking at the wide variety of Fender badged instruments sold, some really stink, some are really great and most are in-between. I do think we can safely say that most MIA Fenders are better than most MIM, MIK or MIJ basses, and most MIM, MIK or MIJ basses are better than the MIC basses.

As for "Squier", they run such a strange gamut that it's impossible to tell which are which, save that none are as good as an MIA Fender.

Of course, that's all my opinion.
 
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#65
SanDiegoHarry said:
I agree - but I do not agree with the whole "It's all good, brah" mentality with things. If we are looking at the wide variety of Fender badged instruments sold, some really stink, some are really great and most are in-between. I do think we can safely say that most MIA Fenders are better than most MIM, MIK or MIJ basses, and most MIM, MIK or MIJ basses are better than the MIC basses.

As for "Squier", they run such a strange gamut that it's impossible to tell which are which, save that none are as good as an MIA Fender.

Of course, that's all my opinion.
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Given that the MIC guitars/basses for Squier are their upper level Classic Vibe series (which get AMAZING reviews, mind you)...I'll have to disagree again. Also, as stated above, if the pros can't tell a Chinese Fender from a Custom Shop without reading the decal...there are definitely some that could be better than an MIA. There are also 80s CIJ Squiers that are arguably better than anything the MIA plant has been putting out. And it's not impossible to tell which Squier is which. The SNs help with that.
 
#66
Its true.. the one "fender" i've had longer than any other, because it sounds and feels so good is a sunburst Geddy Lee Model with Duncan SJB 1 Pickups and an All Parts Fender Licensed 70s Block Maple Neck (Basically all Japan Made except for the Pickups).. This bass is my main go to.. It rips, even over my 82' Fullerton Reissue Jazz (American -- and pretty heavy). IF you can, Play it first.
 
#67
L. L. Elwood said:
Its true.. the one "fender" i've had longer than any other, because it sounds and feels so good is a sunburst Geddy Lee Model with Duncan SJB 1 Pickups and an All Parts Fender Licensed 70s Block Maple Neck (Basically all Japan Made except for the Pickups).. This bass is my main go to.. It rips, even over my 82' Fullerton Reissue Jazz (American -- and pretty heavy). IF you can, Play it first.
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Oh, I've certainly played some off-shored Fenders that were WAY better than my '77 USA J-Bass (which was a flaming POS); I guess that's why this is a tricky question.

That said, were I buying *new* and buying *today*, I'd get an MIA. A new P-Bass Deluxe, in fact. Those are the coolest thing Fender has made in years, if you ask me.
 
#68
SanDiegoHarry said:
Oh, I've certainly played some off-shored Fenders that were WAY better than my '77 USA J-Bass (which was a flaming POS); I guess that's why this is a tricky question.

That said, were I buying *new* and buying *today*, I'd get an MIA. A new P-Bass Deluxe, in fact. Those are the coolest thing Fender has made in years, if you ask me.
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Bang for my buck, I'd get the MIM Classic Series Nitro finished P-bass. :D Black & maple w/ gold guard. ^_^
 
#69
ALLOW FOR MAGIC

It goes way beyond Fender (Sorry OP) but I happen to believe that there are magical instruments in each and every brand, category and country of origin.

My experience is this: Sometimes you pick up a bass - regardless of brand, category or country of origin - and it just has that special "it". It speaks to you in a different way than the other basses you play that day. In some inexplicable but REAL way - that bass holds a special magic for you. Randomly pick and read a few of the descriptions in the NBD threads - nearly all of them point to the "magic" in their precious find.

It's probably pretty rare - is it one out of twenty? One out of fifty? How often do they make the right "guess" on the wood so that all the various species work in concert to PERFECTLY accentuate the whole. How do you do that? You can't eyeball the wood and tell anything about how it will eventually sound. I certainly don't claim to know how this can happen - but what I DO know is that when the fit and finish is good - and the body wood is exactly right - and it is coupled with a neck and fingerboard that is a perfectly resonant fit - magic happens. Somehow the builder makes the right guess - and it emerges - the perfect magical beast - no dead spots, the neck is carved perfectly, and fits your hand like you were born holding it. Somehow it feels different that all the other necks, although if you measured it - it likely would be the same as the others. It's ALIVE.

It is a shame that our pre-conceived notions about price and quality can get in the way of experiencing magic. It may be implanted in your DNA that MIJ basses are inferior to MIA basses, and that DNA may prevent you from experiencing a magical MIJ bass. Or maybe you have a certain prejudice against the idea of a MIM - when I am certain there are scores of magical MIM's. Additionally, if you consider "Squiers" inferior - your short-sightedness will prevent you from ever experiencing a Squier that is magical and - oh yes - they exist.

It all seems like such a shame to me - life is short.....

Do yourself a favor.

Allow for magic.

BassHappy
www.innertainment.net
 
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#71
BigMarc said:
I have lots of different basses, and my two top favorites are BOTH FENDER. My top fav is the Fender P Bass American Deluxe, the next is my 80's p bass Lyte, which was made in Japan. Both AWESOME, and Baddass Basses. It really comes down to what you like, sound and features. Go to a shop and try them all!
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Over the years I have owned a total of 7 Fender basses. My first one was back in the 80's, before I discovered the interwebs and the wealth of (mis)information at my disposal. I have no details other than the fact that it was really really cool and it got stolen. I'll assume it was made in the US.

Since then I've had
  • 2 Marcus Miller Jazz Basses. Made in Japan. Very nice basses
  • An MIM Jazz with a Precision neck. Put a bound and blocked jazz bass neck on it plus new pickups and an Audere preamp. It was badass, but I'd still rate both Marcus Millers above it.
  • Another MIM jazz (the source of the neck for the previous MIM)
  • A Franken-P that my youngest son plays now. Has the neck from the first MIM Jazz that I mentioned
  • Just picked up an American Deluxe Precision V a couple weeks ago. It is by far the best of all the Fenders I have ever played or owned.
For giggles and grins, my son also has a Squier VM Jazz fretless. Not sure if that is an Indonesian built or Korean built.

The AmDlxP5 just feels better built than any of the others, at least what I can recall of them. I can only compare directly to my sons' basses (the Franken-P and the Squier). But I still have some of the basses that I had when I had the Miller Sigs and I feel that this new AmDlxP5 feels closer to the quality of those basses than the Miller Sigs did. And I can get some tones I really like with it. I had never been able to say that before about any Precision bass except 4-string P Deluxe basses. That's what sent me on a mission to find the elusive 5-string P Deluxe.
 
#72
Jaco D said:
Neither. The best Fender-made bass is the one that:

1. Sounds the best to you.
2. Plays the best to you.
3. Costs the best to your wallet.

Where (and when) that bass was made is irrelevant. Likewise, what others say is also irrelevant as what sounds best, plays best, and costs the best to them may not be the same to you.
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I have two road worn Jazzes (MIM), two vintage P-basses, and a CS Jazz. The cheapest was my 1955 P-bass, which I got for $240 in 1973, LOL! But seriously, I dig them all.

The "sounds, plays, costs" advice above is right on.
 
#74
mellowinman said:
I can't believe we left out the obvious question.

What is the best Fender for metal?
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And the obvious answer to the obvious question is.....


a metal fender

2009-ferrari-california-fender-vent-and-wheel-photo-441854-s-1280x782.jpg
 
#75
I own both, a MIA and a MIM fender Precision. The american standard just plays better, feels better sounds better, looks better. The overall quality is better. The MIM is not bad at all, but if you can afford it, buy an american standard. It is totally worth it.

But, on the other hand, I owned a MIA jazz bass, which was not satisfactory. I sold it after just a few months.
 
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#77
These days they're all pretty good quality, and I've owned Fenders and Squiers from all those countries, plus the "others," as in Korea, Japan and USA. Try some out is the best way. Great deals on used MIM Fenders in my neck of the woods.

If you're on a tight budget and you want really good quality, though, find yourself an old USA Peavey.
 

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