American Professional Prices Compared to Player

[thegummy]

7 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

Depends how the product is costed though doesn't it and what assumptions are made over how many want shipping vs how many don't. Maybe she loses out every time she ships? But you don't know that your default is to resort to talk of being ripped off without thinking. 

Well I'm only going by what you said, not anything else about that specific person.

If someone has worked out a cost for the product itself then found out how much the shipping cost is but then decides to just add that on to the price anyway then anyone who doesn't get it delivered is paying for something they're not getting.

[thegummy]

6 hours ago, skej21 said:

There’s no pleasing some people. It’s like complaining your new car comes with tyres as part of a ‘bundle’ when 1 in 50 customers kept a perfectly good set in the garage from the old car...

Appreciate the specs tables so thanks for that.

No need to get silly though.

[uk_lefty]

8 hours ago, thegummy said:

Well I'm only going by what you said, not anything else about that specific person.

If someone has worked out a cost for the product itself then found out how much the shipping cost is but then decides to just add that on to the price anyway then anyone who doesn't get it delivered is paying for something they're not getting.

If you're happy for people to collect them from your home of course. Anyhow, enough has been said and our opinions differ. As I said first off I completely understand it from the other perspective but for me the context of a premium product changes things.

Anyhow I'd love to hear more about the US and MIM Fenders as I am seriously considering pushing the button this summer. 

[grenadillabama]

On 26/06/2020 at 09:37, uk_lefty said:

Indeed. Why buy a bass when there's trees all along my road? Charging for wood is a rip off. 

where are the Fender trees cut down anyway ? how many trees want to be cut down ? I planted a maple tree but I probably owe our planet a lot more ...The cheaper Player is my fav. 

Edited July 3, 2020 by grenadillabama
back on the subject

[thegummy]

7 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

If you're happy for people to collect them from your home of course. Anyhow, enough has been said and our opinions differ. As I said first off I completely understand it from the other perspective but for me the context of a premium product changes things.

Anyhow I'd love to hear more about the US and MIM Fenders as I am seriously considering pushing the button this summer. 

Good point, the thread got a bit side tracked.

At the moment it's a difficult one for me cause the Pro is definitely better across most of the board but it's just that the price is so much higher that I'm like come on Fender.

If it was a grand I'd easily justify it.

[Burns-bass]

4 minutes ago, thegummy said:

Good point, the thread got a bit side tracked.

At the moment it's a difficult one for me cause the Pro is definitely better across most of the board but it's just that the price is so much higher that I'm like come on Fender.

If it was a grand I'd easily justify it.

If you’re worried about the price then get a Player series and upgrade the bits that need doing (if you feel they need doing!)

The Player basses are just fantastic and not worth getting into debt for or regretting your purchase.

I’d suggest buying in a shop. Last time I got a generous discount on a case and a new set of strings (and the factory strings are rubbish!).

 

[thegummy]

26 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

If you’re worried about the price then get a Player series and upgrade the bits that need doing (if you feel they need doing!)

The Player basses are just fantastic and not worth getting into debt for or regretting your purchase.

I’d suggest buying in a shop. Last time I got a generous discount on a case and a new set of strings (and the factory strings are rubbish!).

 

Don't get me started on cases

I think that if the only differences were the specs on paper I'd defo go with the Player but it's the other things that aren't "specs" that leave me undecided.

[skej21]

18 hours ago, thegummy said:

No need to get silly though.

Says the guy wanting a huge global corporation to change their entire business model to save you a few quid? Come on dude, have a sense of humour!

[Nebadon2000]

5 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

(and the factory strings are rubbish!).

All Fenders MIM or MIA including Ultra's and Custom shop come with Fender Super Bass 7250M 45-105 strings. They may not be everyone's 'cup of tea' but far from rubbish. All You Tube sound samples from Fender and Retail stores using them wouldn't be smart to market good to great basses with 'Rubbish Factory strings'. What Factory strings are you referring to, maybe there was a time they used inferior string on MIM basses? 

[afterimage]

The reality is   now poor  exchange rates making the pro way too expensive I would look for discounted one 

Or second user 

[Burns-bass]

2 hours ago, Nebadon2000 said:

All Fenders MIM or MIA including Ultra's and Custom shop come with Fender Super Bass 7250M 45-105 strings. They may not be everyone's 'cup of tea' but far from rubbish. All You Tube sound samples from Fender and Retail stores using them wouldn't be smart to market good to great basses with 'Rubbish Factory strings'. What Factory strings are you referring to, maybe there was a time they used inferior string on MIM basses? 

It’s personal preference of course, but I have found all Fender bass strings to be inferior quality when compared to D’addario strings.

I’ve bought US, Japanese and Mexican Fenders new and always found the stock strings to be lacking. 
 

Perhaps I’m a snob but I’ll always change stock strings to my preferred strings as soon as I buy an instrument - whether second hand or new.

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, Burns-bass said:

It’s personal preference of course, but I have found all Fender bass strings to be inferior quality when compared to D’addario strings.

I’ve bought US, Japanese and Mexican Fenders new and always found the stock strings to be lacking. 
 

Perhaps I’m a snob but I’ll always change stock strings to my preferred strings as soon as I buy an instrument - whether second hand or new.

Pretty much the same, not keen on Fender bass strings, though do like their guitar strings.

[grenadillabama]

I have gone back to stainless D'Addario - more bite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Geek99]

On 26/06/2020 at 12:42, uk_lefty said:

I do understand where you're coming from, and if it was about the Squier range or MIM range I'd be agreeing because of the proportion of the total cost that the case would make up, it would be a big difference to add or remove it. I'm just saying it's a premium product so I'd personally expect it. But maybe if you didn't want it you could do a deal with the shop for them to sell it as separate and knock off some cash for you, or flog it on here or ebay. Luckily it's a decent quality case and not just a tatty gig bag. 

Anyway, Mex vs US? I'm considering a Player Jazz soon but would only be able to compare it to MIJ having never had the luxury of owning a US Fender and from what I'm reading here I think I'd save the 1000 myself. 

I’ve owned both and there is a difference in feel, however I genuinely do not believe it to be worth £1000. This is compounded when people are saying that the two sets of pups sound similar tonally  

[Geek99]

I’ve always said that Japanese is the decent middle ground but equally mex is good enough for most people. 

[uk_lefty]

1 hour ago, Geek99 said:

I’ve always said that Japanese is the decent middle ground but equally mex is good enough for most people. 

Agreed. I think MIM basses had a bad reputation around the 90s but there were still some good ones and it seems now that all round quality is a lot higher, particularly in the last five years or so. If you're buying it to play rather than for resale value etc then MIM would be a good solid instrument. 

[la bam]

36 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

If you're buying it to play rather than for resale value etc then MIM would be a good solid instrument. 

Agreed. With the Player for £650 you're getting a great quality, great looking, great sounding, solid, work horse of a bass. Not as refined or luxurious as the top of the line US ones, but it's not meant to be. 

In all honesty, in my playing career it's been fender, then replaced with much cheaper basses that I try and justify as being just as good, then a fender again because they weren't. Repeat.

They do have that magic ingredient, where they sit in the mix without any effort or drastic eq adjustment needed, whichever one you choose.

[Storky]

On 24/06/2020 at 14:39, gjones said:

I played the Mex Deluxe Precision and really liked it. I ended up buying the USA Elite Precision at £1,000 more (I was flush at the time and had never owned a USA bass before). It's a lovely bass but not really any better than the Mex version. Both are great and incredibly versatile.

I tried both elite and mex deluxe jazz basses. I went for the mex as couldn’t justify price difference for two very similar sounding/feeling basses. Although the finish was nicer on the US, the sound was only slightly better. Still want the US version though in that “Texas Tea” colour!

[jezzaboy]

The point regarding the case takes me back say 10 years or so. When you bought a Mexican Standard you got a gig bag with it, it might not have been the best gig bag but all the same for £350 all in you still had something to carry it home in.

Fast forward to today, you pay £650 and get sod all bag.

If they stopped offering a case with the US models, it wouldn`t be long before you were paying the same price if not more with sod all case. And we would be sitting here saying "remember the days when you used to get a case with a US P bass."

[Gareth Hughes]

I’ve just bought a new Player Precision with a maple board, arrived a few days ago. I’m more than impressed, not having ever been wowed by anything MIM before. To put it in context - my other Precision is an early 2000’s MIJ, and I have a MIJ Mustang, ‘75 Reissue Jazz and a 2009 US American Standard Jazz 5.

Genuinely, the Player is better put together than the US Jazz or the MIJ Precision. Both those basses sound, and feel, wonderful to me, but they took a lot of work to get there. This Player needed a truss rod tweak and the bridge lowered, but that’s just personal preference, so all in - sound and playability of the MIM Player is more than good. Satin neck feels great, body is light weight, finish is perfect, strings are ok but again that’s a personal thing. Am I happy? Hell yes. Would I spend more on the higher end Fenders? Not again.

[thegummy]

Does anyone know if the basses are same as the guitars with regards that the American ones have a rounded fretboard edge while the Mexican ones don't?

[Geek99]

It’s not hard to do it yourself

[Lozz196]

39 minutes ago, thegummy said:

Does anyone know if the basses are same as the guitars with regards that the American ones have a rounded fretboard edge while the Mexican ones don't?

From recall of mine I don’t think they do have, but whilst not rounded the edges were in no way “edgey” for want of a better word, it was a very comfortable neck to play.

[luckman67]

Another vote for the American made Fenders

When I bought my 2014 Am Std new unseen & untried it was a big risk at the time, but now I use it as a bench mark.Everything from the lightweight body, great feeling neck and good quality hardware & pickups, made it worth what I paid at the time which IIRC was around £1171. If  I was lucky enough to be able to get another Precision it would be a secondhand USA model. The only things I have added are straplocks and flatwounds.

The cases on the new Pro range are very nice I would like to buy one but the, case that my Am.Std isn't that bad and all the case candy is still there unused. 

 

Edited June 28, 2020 by luckman67

[thegummy]

2 hours ago, Geek99 said:

It’s not hard to do it yourself

It is actually, contrary to what some people believe.

Some people run something up and down it to squash the edges in - this isn't the same thing and I wouldn't do that to an instrument.

To actually round it once it's finished, you'd have to file each section between each fret, re-finish it (or leave the edges unfinished) and even then it would be wonky at the frets. Would take a lot of work and still wouldn't be like if it was rounded before it was fretted and finished.

Trust me, I spent a lot of time researching the possibility of doing it to try and avoid spending £550 on an American Strat neck.