Will Fender still have the MIM basses?

[tim68]

I'm just seeing so much misinformation in this post.

The pots are not "cheap Chinese pot-metal", and are the exact same pots that have been used in the Mexican Standards for at least the past few years. The pots are Korean made Jin Sung. Yes, I actually took my bass apart, and looked at them. I still have pictures from 2015- 2016, where I had disassembled a fairly new (at that time) MIM P bass, and the pots are identical. I have been seeing these Jin Sung pots for at least the past few years. Did MIM Standards come stock with CTS pots at one point? Maybe they did, but the switch to the Korean pots happened several years ago, and not just recently, to "cheapen out" the revamped line.

MIM Standard pickguards have always been white (parchment, actually). Still are.

As far as the supposed nut issues..again.. mine is perfect. Maybe I got lucky....?

Basic construction of this bass, wiring, etc, is identical to the "old" Standards. Nothing looks or feels cheaper, by any means. At least not in reference to MIM Standards of the past few years.

I just think it's kind of a shame to make your mind up about something, based on what is likely a complete load of BS.
Try it yourself. Catch some real hands-on reviews... then decide.

 

[klejst]

Everything is going up in price...however it's all in how you present it...err...mask/hide the increases.

 

[clickclack]

Who names these?! I always see a funny meeting scene going on.
One begins the presentation with a serious face, "we spent this much resources on the research of the idea that if we call it frickin' PLAYER, we'll sell 2.3% more units to people between the ages of 16 and 26". Then another one confirms "what a brilliant idea, they play it right? What can be a better name to call an instrument PLAYER?! I love it!"
Then another guy adds that by giving the cheaper model a silly name, they'd sell higher priced models 20% more and even ask for more because they won't have the silly name. FFS...

 

[4sight]

CTS pots have only been used in the higher end MIM stuff - the Classic Series 70s Jazz for example.

I don't get the fuss really, they've rebranded the Standard line, added better pickups and some nice finish choices. Yes, the price has increased.

And I love the "reinventing the wheel" jibe that always rears its head. Every time Fender stray from the P, J & PJ formula too much, everyone complains and no one buys them

We're fortunate to live in a world with plenty of alternatives, if you don't like what Fender are doing, buy something else.

 

[Nikoubis]

What was wrong with Fender Standard?

The pickups. Thankfully they changed these.

 

[honeyiscool]

Just curious how many Squier Standards you played, they were discontinued back in 2010, and the entire electronics were marginal at best … the Squier Standard J's used the same size neck and bridge pups, and were even inferior to the same size pups (from Cort) that Fender was putting in the pre-'01 MIM Standards, and the Precision Standards were actually PJ's, again with very marginal pups … neither of these were anywhere near the performance/quality the Squier Vintage Modified or Classic Vibe pups offered … let alone the ceramic magnet pups offered on the post '02 MIM Standards …

JMHO's .. as always

Oh yeah, I do suppose I wasn't talking about Squier Standard basses. The Strats got upgraded to relatively nice pickups at some point. They were slightly less vintage correct than Vintage Modified but play and sound pretty good, actually. CBS headstock, 2-point vibrato, 22 frets, Alnico pickups, etc.

 

[soulman969]

Do you think this could be a result of all the trade stuff that is happening? You know Squier dicontinued a lot of its Classic Vibe basses, which were made in China.

Just the CV Jazz and that may have had to do with the higher costs due to it's rosewood board.

Fender seems to thing $400 is an ideal price point for the CV Basses and my guess is in order to keep offering it they would have had to increase it's price to $449-$479 so they opted to replace it with new models with active electronics.

As for the MIM Series the Players Series are simply an upgrade of those and still made in Mexico. They follow Fenders typical approach to offering some upgrades along with a bump in pricing.

 

[soulman969]

The Player Series looks nice; I like the idea of a more "back to roots" series of basses at a moderate price. I wish they aged the maple fretboards a bit to give them a more vintage look, and Pau Ferro does not look vintage. I heard a YouTube video with the P-Bass and the new pickups sound pretty good. Weren't all of the Player Series basses passive? Maybe they will release active basses under a different series
name.

They have under the Squier brand.

 

[soulman969]

I think it's more because the price to value ratio on the CV series was a little too good. Especially after word got out. That led to a lot of non-Fender players who were sitting on the fence about adding a PB to their collection to start looking at the Squier Classic Vibe series. And that couldn't have been too good for the MIMs or MIAs. Get yourself a CV and optionally put a top quality pickup in it, and it'll easily hold its own against a Fender. And for about a grand less.

Amen. CV Jazz and Matt Freeman Precision with Bill Lawrence/Wilde Pickups and Babicz FCH Bridges. Far better than any stock MIM Std. or new Players Series model and less costly as well.

 

[Pendulous]

As far as the anonymous account from the big store employee... well, internet.

Really? The guy posted proof with the ones left they hadn't sent back. Others are talking about being cut on poor fret bars. Surely a brand new instrument shouldn't have issues out of the box? Even some of the advertising photos show the nut issue. I get being skeptical but sometimes it veers into old curmudgeon territory.

 

[wmmj]

I'm checking listings over here in Japan... available later this month... and the Tidepool (blue) and Sage Green Jaguar PJ's look pretty cool and are reasonably priced... this is not good....

 

[Humberto Silva]

So, you are saying that it's better to buy any still in stock standard mexico jazz bass and a pair of new
Fender V-Mod Jazz Bass Pickup Set to replace the stock pick ups, than to buy a new Player series?

Edit. In Europe:

Standard jazz MIM, 599€ V-Mod pick ups 102€: Total, 701€
New Player Series Jazz bass MiM: 699€

 

[Nikoubis]

So, you are saying that it's better to buy any still in stock standard mexico jazz bass and a pair of new
Fender V-Mod Jazz Bass Pickup Set to replace the stock pick ups, than to buy a new Player series?

Edit. In Europe:

Standard jazz MIM, 599€ V-Mod pick ups 102€: Total, 701€
New Player Series Jazz bass MiM: 699€

If you don't care about the headstock and the name on it, there are probably even better value-for-money platforms to put good pickups on.

However, given that the price increase on the MIM fenders was more or less inevitable given the recent trends, the fact that at least they come with better stock pickups is welcome, isn't it?

 

[40Hz]

Amen. CV Jazz and Matt Freeman Precision with Bill Lawrence/Wilde Pickups and Babicz FCH Bridges. Far better than any stock MIM Std. or new Players Series model and less costly as well.

Yes indeed.

I've got a Matt Freeman I've since modded with an Aguilar AG-4P-60 pickup and a new pickguard just because. Everything else is stock. I'll put that up against any Precision I've ever owned or played. It also has the best playing neck of any PB I've ever played.

 

[soulman969]

Yes indeed.

I've got a Matt Freeman I've since modded with an Aguilar AG-4P-60 pickup and a new pickguard just because. Everything else is stock. I'll put that up against any Precision I've ever owned or played. It also has the best playing neck of any PB I've ever played.

Same here. If I could buy just that neck it would be on my Jazz in a NY minute. I thought I read somewhere that the profile came from an early '70s PBass Fender only made for a year or so but I could be wrong about that too. In any event is the nicest playing PBass neck I've ever had and the FCH bridge is a difference maker too.

Anyway, both a very solid basses and as good as any MIA I've owned and there have been many including a '63 PBass and a '66 Jazz. I don't get the criticism of basswood either. Tonally it's fine and if I'm not mistaken $2000 Bongos are also basswood along with quite a few others. It's not great for transparent finishes but mine aren't and both are in near flawless condition even after gigging them for years. The Jazz is about 10 years old.

 

[40Hz]

I don't get the criticism of basswood either.

Makes two of us.

I used to be a tone wood believer. But then I really started listening and did my own research and came to the conclusion that any effect the wood might have on a solidbody was extremely minor compared to the huge tonal differences you could get by changing strings, pickups, or the EQ settings on your amp. And even if it did make a huge difference, since no two pieces of wood are identical, there's no way you can exactly duplicate a bass anyway. So that's when I realized there's little point in focusing on the wood except when thinking about weight. Some basses are going to sound better than others regardless of the wood used in their construction. So rather than rely on unsupported claims about wood species affecting tone, you're far better off just going with what your ears tell you and buy gear that sounds good and stop worrying about it.

Same thing goes for high mass bridges. I now look at those more as something nice to have rather than essential. Ears again.

 

[soulman969]

Makes two of us.

I used to be a tone wood believer. But then I really started listening and did my own research and came to the conclusion that any effect the wood might have on a solidbody was extremely minor compared to the huge tonal differences you could get by changing strings, pickups, or the EQ settings on your amp. And even if it did make a huge difference, since no two pieces of wood are identical, there's no way you can exactly duplicate a bass anyway. So that's when I realized there's little point in focusing on the wood except when thinking about weight. Some basses are going to sound better than others regardless of the wood used in their construction. So rather than rely on unsupported claims about wood species affecting tone, you're far better off just going with what your ears tell you and buy gear that sounds good and stop worrying about it.

Same thing goes for high mass bridges. I now look at those more as something nice to have rather than essential. Ears again.

LOL The tonewood debates in the guitar forums are fierce and endless. Even when well respected custom builders chime in saying even they can't predict a precise outcome until the guitar or bass is finished some will still debate that. Fifty years ago we didn't care what wood it was made of. Just plug that sucker in and play.

The FCH bridges are made of aircraft aluminum and weigh 3 1/2 ounces. So much for needing a heavy metal, high mass, ballast to anchor your strings. So much of what we've been told and sold on by marketers is just dead wrong.

 

[bassliner50]

Hi guys, Can anyone tell me the difference between ceramic and alnico pickups. Better, worse, different flavor?

I thought every standard pickup on the MIM P's were abismal. Sounded like S**T. They use ceramic magnets. I replaced every pick up I owned (MIM P) to Fender Original '62 or Duncan SPB-1 Both alnico 5 design. Big big improvements to my ear and judgement. By the way alnico is a magnetic material made of Aluminum, nickle and cobalt. Ceramic, I am unsure of. Some baked compound maybe?

 

[garp]

Ceramic, I am unsure of. Some baked compound maybe?

Iron oxide. Yes – rust!

 

[petrus61]

I thought every standard pickup on the MIM P's were abismal. Sounded like S**T. They use ceramic magnets. I replaced every pick up I owned (MIM P) to Fender Original '62 or Duncan SPB-1 Both alnico 5 design. Big big improvements to my ear and judgement. By the way alnico is a magnetic material made of Aluminum, nickle and cobalt. Ceramic, I am unsure of. Some baked compound maybe?

Yes, totally different design. The MIM standard pups had more in common with DiMarzio Model P's than anything else. Magnetic ceramic slugs glued to stainless steel poles, as opposed to just the winding around the more traditional magnetized AlNiCo rods you see in classic P pickups. They are hot, with an aggressive sound. Squier VM and CV pickups are actually closer in design than the Standards have ever been.