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Mexican Fenders


Hobbayne

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I have a Nate Mendel which is fantastic. However, I am thinking of getting another Mexican P Bass as a back up.

I seem to recall that Mexican made Fenders suffered a bit from poor build quality back in the day and were not all that great.

What are the new ones like these days??

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My most recent purchase was a MiM standard Jazz, and it is a very good instrument. Decent value in my opinion. I've had it two weeks and it's already don a week in a recording studio and a couple of gigs. If I needed another, I wouldn't hesitate to get one from the same stable. My other Jazz os also a MiM, but is a classic 60s, which costs nearly twice as much. I also have a MiM Classic 50s Precision, again, a very well made and good sounding instrument, which is unfortunately for sale as I have too many Precisions!

 

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I love Mexican Fenders.

I've got a 2016 an MiM Precision Deluxe and 2 Mexi guitars, one from c2001, the other brand new last year.

They are all superb instruments.

My next purchase, if they are still around in 12 months time, may well be an MiM 70s Jazz.

 I think there was a period from the mid 2000s up to about 2010ish when they had a slightly dodgy reputation, but having never knowingly played one from that era I can't say whether that reputation was justified.

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I was thinking of buying a USA elite Precision but the only P/J my local Guitar Guitar had in stock was a Mexican P bass Deluxe. I tried it and was blown away with the sound and playability. 

 

I had to ask myself why would I want to pay another £1,000, for a US version, when the MiM version is so good?

 

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4 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

Well, I have ordered myself one of these. Loving the colour.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_std_precision_bass_mn_lpb_2011.htm

I daresay it will be unplayable straight out of the box, still it will keep me busy setting it up while snowed in again! xD

That`s a really nice colour - put tort on there and it`s in Steve Harris territory. I`m confident you`ll be more than happy with it. Like spongebob says, there isn`t a world of difference between the US and MIM - hi-mass bridge, string through body, better tuners and graphite rods in the neck being the main, but as to playability and sound, well the MIMs are much nearer the US than the price difference would suggest.

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4 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

Well, I have ordered myself one of these. Loving the colour.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_std_precision_bass_mn_lpb_2011.htm

I daresay it will be unplayable straight out of the box, still it will keep me busy setting it up while snowed in again! xD

I think you may be surprised. The Mexican P bass Deluxe, I played in Guitar Guitar, was right out of the cardboard box (I was there when the assistant cut it open) and it was set up perfectly, with a really low action.

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4 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

Well, I have ordered myself one of these. Loving the colour.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_std_precision_bass_mn_lpb_2011.htm

I daresay it will be unplayable straight out of the box, still it will keep me busy setting it up while snowed in again! xD

Get a custom made claret coloured mirror plate and you are VERY much in 'Arry territory.

PS, don't tell anybody, but amongst some of my Mex Fenders is a Geddy, which I far prefer to the Japan ones I've played. Cos it's as good to play as any of them AND IT'S LIGHTER THAN ALL OF THEM!!:ph34r:

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18 minutes ago, karlfer said:

Get a custom made claret coloured mirror plate and you are VERY much in 'Arry territory.

PS, don't tell anybody, but amongst some of my Mex Fenders is a Geddy, which I far prefer to the Japan ones I've played. Cos it's as good to play as any of them AND IT'S LIGHTER THAN ALL OF THEM!!:ph34r:

True. Few years back I had a couple of Geddy's at different times - first the MIJ, later the MIM (both came with the BA2 bridges). I fully agree - the MIM was a far better instrument, it played and sounded amazingly well. Like an idiot, I sold it.....every time I see some photos  of me gigging it, I regret it all over again! 

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6 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

I daresay it will be unplayable straight out of the box, still it will keep me busy setting it up while snowed in again! xD

Based on my very recent experience, probably yes.  Earlier this week I collected a brand new Nate Mendel in a factory sealed box as a warranty replacement. (Long story, don't ask)

The action was so high that, to me, it was almost unplayable straight out of the box.  It took a lot of trussrod adjustment to make the relief acceptable.  I don't believe that it had been touched.  After a change of strings to a new set of Sadowsky Blue Label Flats and very careful adjustment it now plays really well, feels very nice and sounds great.  No dodgy frets, no dead spots, just very well made.

My only criticism, and it's very minor, is that the pickups are an interference fit in the pickguard which is obviously fitted first so you need to take out the two outer pick-up screws and lever off the pickguard in order to remove it and get to the trussrod.  The first job was therefore some careful fettling of the pickguard cutouts so it can be removed and replaced easily. 

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I've got a Mexican Jazz from the mid 90's, probably one of the worst periods for MIMs. It's a great bass. I don't need to keep it but I do, it gets used most gigs. Ok, I've upgraded it a lot but the neck is great, the feel is there... So if the modern ones are as much better as everyone says then you can't fail.

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On 16/03/2018 at 17:20, Cato said:

 

 I think there was a period from the mid 2000s up to about 2010ish when they had a slightly dodgy reputation, but having never knowingly played one from that era I can't say whether that reputation was justified.

I have, and I think they were steadily getting better from about 2005 - mid-to-late 90s was a bit duff, but then I owned Leigh Gordon's late 90s model (Morcheeba) and it was at least "okay" quality even then.  I think they got an undeservedly bad press since 2000.

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I bought a new MIM Jazz bass yesterday & its a great instrument,it badly needed a setup but once done it plays very nicely indeed.

I played it back to back against an American standard Jazz & although the US one was definitely better the Mex isn't far behind it.

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1 hour ago, artisan said:

I bought a new MIM Jazz bass yesterday & its a great instrument,it badly needed a setup but once done it plays very nicely indeed.

I played it back to back against an American standard Jazz & although the US one was definitely better the Mex isn't far behind it.

That`s pretty much it for me, in fact I`ve decided to keep both my MIMs and use those as my gigging basses, keeping just the one US Standard for home use and recording.

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14 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

That`s pretty much it for me, in fact I`ve decided to keep both my MIMs and use those as my gigging basses, keeping just the one US Standard for home use and recording.

I'm thinking of putting a set of quarter pounders in my Mex & using that for gigs at the more "lively" venues we play at as I do worry about my lovely G&L JB getting nicked or damaged.

 

Edited by artisan
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My MIM Jazz is currently my number one. It's a workhorse, sounds how I want it to sound and (with the additional of a black scratchplate) - looks how I want it to look. Stock it's perfectly fine, though I do have some idea on how to trick it out if I can be bothered - graphite neck, engraved control plate etc. Compared it with the more expensive Deluxe Active in the shop and the Deluxe didn't click with me at all. The Standard, it was instantly there as soon as I picked it up. I just wanted something passive and as straightforward as I could get. Good value for money too.

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I think it's easy to get carried away with how they reinvent the wheel. If you think, in bass terms, how simple the P and J bass is. I wouldn't have thought that precious metal for the tuners and exotic wood fretboards were part of the original designs!

It's taken me years and lots of wasted money to realise that the difference is minimal that these changes make. Not minimal to the pocket though! 

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