Upgraded Mexi vs Stock American Fender

[shoulderpet]

On 28/07/2021 at 20:00, Velarian said:

I have a 2008 AM P-bass with an S1 circuit. Whilst the S1 switch is rather pointless as it just makes it sound thinner, not what you want from a P-bass, the answer is simply ignore it and leave it disabled. It will still be the same as a standard passive circuit. If it really bothered you, you could swap it out for one of @KiOgon’s passive wiring looms for not a lot of money. 

I have a series/parallel switch (which is what the S1 is) on a P bass and imo the secret is to use it with a hot pickup, I use it with a Duncan SPB-2 which has a DC resistance of 22k and the parallel option actually sounds pretty good

[CookPassBabtridge]

Lots of good advice and options here that you may not have otherwise considered. Going back to the original question of upgraded MIM vs MIA, there’s not much point buying a Mexican and just upgrading it straight away. If you can afford it you may as well just go straight to an American.

 

That being said, I’m currently on the market for a Fender P - I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford a MIA but will likely go MIM. Partly to save a few pennies for something else, but also because I want something to practice my much neglected pick technique on and chuck around a bit without constantly needing to tinker with my EQ etc. So context of what you’re using it for is important and whether in your own mind the extra investment is justified.

[Moving Pictures]

I also don’t agree with modding the MIM bass right away. I’ve always found that living with a bass for a while helps decide which upgrades, if any, are required. The MIMs are actually pretty good and may surprise you. Personally I would go for the MIA based on the fact it ticks most of your boxes. Otherwise look at some of the alternatives suggested here. I’m very curious to see what you end up with.