MIM P-Basses

[DGBass]

So, I had an epiphany of sorts at a gig on Saturday. I was using my MIM Fender Player P-bass ( polar white with maple neck) through my GK rig and realised it sounded as good and played just as well if not better than my USA Standard P-bass. I've been playing the USA standard for 25 years and apart from it being the only P-bass ive ever owned until the MIM appeared on my radar, the USA Standard is a phenomonal bass and no mistake. However the MIM has certain advantages. It's way lighter for starters. 3.19kg as opposed to 3.98kg for the USA. The modern MIM neck profile is considerably slimmer than the late 90s plank on the USA Standard. Both basses have their merits and de-merits and I love them both for what they can deliver. Rosewood chunkiness versus maple slimmness. However there is a certain smugness I feel when playing the MIM knowing its lighter, sounds as good and cost less than half of the retail cost of  a USA P-bass.  This thread is for owners of a USA P-Bass and a MIM P-bass. How do you rate both of them and do you have a preference for using your MIM or your USA/American Standard in certain scenarios and why? Feel free to share your pics of USA Standard versus MIM bass. 😁

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by DGBass

[dmc79]

5 hours ago, DGBass said:

However the MIM has certain advantages. It's way lighter for starters. 3.19kg as opposed to 3.98kg for the USA

 

The current crop of Mexican Player P basses is fantastic. The perceived gap in quality between Mexican and USA made Fenders has closed over the years, to the point where I'm really not sure what the USA models offer on top of the Mexican ones to justify the big price difference. The Players are fantastic value for money, both new and used. 

 

I'm curious what scales you are using for the stated weights. 3.19 Kg (7.03 lbs) especially seems unrealistic for even the Player bass, and 3.98 Kg (8.77 lbs) the same for a USA bass, at least from ones I've had. My 2021 Player is 3.9Kg (8lb 6oz) and another from the same year I had was 3.7Kg (8lb 2oz). All the USA P basses I've had (2003-2008), have weighed 4.1-4.2 Kg, but I think the 2012-2016 Am Stds & 2017 onwards Am Pros are generally lighter than that. 

Edited July 4, 2023 by dmc79

[Lozz196]

I think that the post 2012 MIM Standards and the Players are very good basses. I`d say the Players are better due to the pickups, the ones in the pre-Players often sounded harsh to me whereas the ones in the Players much less so. I`m in agreement that the gap between the MIM and US is much less than it used to be, I had a Player as my backup/overseas bass and whenever I used it at no point did I think I was playing a lesser bass, just a slightly different one due to the thinner neck dimensions.  

[northcountrybob]

I'd like to try some Player P's and J's at some point. Last time I really went hunting for a P Bass was because I'd been asked to cover Bass duties for a friends band from overseas coming to do a EU tour. I had the money for a MIM or Standard. Played a few. Picked up a Matt Freeman Squier and thought it sounded and felt the best, so I ended up taking that over all the half dozen or so other P Basses I tried. I still have it. Still sounds ace. Last tour I did in the US I borrowed an older MIM P Bass and I really struggled with the sound of it which was surprising. 

 

It's nice to see that the Players are rated highly amongst people with a bit more experience than I. Fender does seem to discontinue things that end up having too much "bang for buck" pretty sharpish though. Maybe that's why their product lines have changed up a few times in the past few years, to confuse things a bit!  

[DGBass]

7 hours ago, dmc79 said:

I'm curious what scales you are using for the stated weights

just regular Salter digital scales. I weighed an 80s Sunn Mustang ( more or less a Fender p-bass copy made by Fender for Sunn) the other day to compare and it tipped the same scales at 4.7kg. It was inordinately heavy, and noticeably so compared to even my USA bass. I think one of the reasons I've come to like my current MIM is because it does feel very light. Usually with the USA bass i'm beginning to stoop after a 3 hour covers band gig. Not so with the MIM, it also feels more balanced than the USA.  The maple neck on my MIM replaced the original Pau Ferro neck and the maple neck was also less weighty. Not sure what the body is made of. It's a 2018 model.

[Supernaut]

The Squier 40th Anniversary Precision I purchased last year is one of the best playing and sounding Ps I've ever had. 
 

I was comparing it in the shop, side by side, with Fender CS models. The Squier blew them away. 

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

The Squier 40th Anniversary Precision I purchased last year is one of the best playing and sounding Ps I've ever had. 
 

I was comparing it in the shop, side by side, with Fender CS models. The Squier blew them away. 

 

By Internet logic, that automatically means that all Squier 40th Anniversary models blow all Fender CS models out of the water, because reasons!

 

[Geek99]

Popcorn time 🍿 

With some old chestnuts 🌰 thrown in 

[Geek99]

I’d never pay extra for a U.S. 

[Machines]

My 2005 MIM has a Nordstrand NP4 in it, it plays really nicely and I can't see any reward to spending an extra £500 on a USA.

[theplumber]

I recently had two Made in Mexico 50s type basses. One was a Vintera and the other the classic series. Both the same guitar,different name! I had to sell them as after a while I discovered I did not like the width of the neck. Fit and finish on both spot on. Soundwise really good! I had sold a Fender Player series p bass to fund one of the guitars. To be honest I could have kept it but have no room for many guitars! (I know,kick the lad out!!) Anyway I needed to fill the P bass gap and was just about to buy another Player series off Gumtree when I spotted a Squier Vintage Vibe 60s P bass in white! I had heard that these are really great guitars but as usual thought...beginners bass....not for me! Maybe even a bit of snobbery. Why buy a Squier when I can get a Fender! I looked at some second hand USA Fenders,then the player bass,then the Squier came up at a tad over £200 second hand in A1 condition! Decided to take a punt on it. As soon as I picked it up and played it I knew that the folk online had been right! It does feel,look,play and sound better than the Player series! Feels like my first P bass an early 70s thing long gone! Not for everyone but will know after a couple of gigs how I feel about it but for now...yes deffo worth a look at !

[Paolo85]

7 minutes ago, theplumber said:

I recently had two Made in Mexico 50s type basses. One was a Vintera and the other the classic series. Both the same guitar,different name! I had to sell them as after a while I discovered I did not like the width of the neck. Fit and finish on both spot on. Soundwise really good! I had sold a Fender Player series p bass to fund one of the guitars. To be honest I could have kept it but have no room for many guitars! (I know,kick the lad out!!) Anyway I needed to fill the P bass gap and was just about to buy another Player series off Gumtree when I spotted a Squier Vintage Vibe 60s P bass in white! I had heard that these are really great guitars but as usual thought...beginners bass....not for me! Maybe even a bit of snobbery. Why buy a Squier when I can get a Fender! I looked at some second hand USA Fenders,then the player bass,then the Squier came up at a tad over £200 second hand in A1 condition! Decided to take a punt on it. As soon as I picked it up and played it I knew that the folk online had been right! It does feel,look,play and sound better than the Player series! Feels like my first P bass an early 70s thing long gone! Not for everyone but will know after a couple of gigs how I feel about it but for now...yes deffo worth a look at !

I did try in a shop a Fender Player and a Squier CV 60 and, while I was not sure 100%, I also was inclined to say that the Squier sounded better. I did prefer the Fender neck though. The Squier's was thicker. But that's by no mean a defect just a choice. I believe Squier CV 70s are thinner.

However, I thought than none of the two basses felt and sounded as well as my two Squier Affinity with Tonerider pickups, strings of my choice, setup to my liking and high-quality lightweight tuners. That was a great GAS-reducing experience.

[theplumber]

2 minutes ago, Paolo85 said:

I did try in a shop a Fender Player and a Squier CV 60 and, while I was not sure 100%, I also was inclined to say that the Squier sounded better. I did prefer the Fender neck though. The Squier's was thicker. But that's by no mean a defect just a choice. I believe Squier CV 70s are thinner.

However, I thought than none of the two basses felt and sounded as well as my two Squier Affinity with Tonerider pickups, strings of my choice, setup to my liking and high-quality lightweight tuners. That was a great GAS-reducing experience.

Agreed. I have used Toneriders on a couple of guitars and head to head with some decent guitars held their own..in fact sounded better than the Fender stock pickups in my Vintera. Maybe better isn't the word but louder and clearer. As for Squiers...well as we all know by now some are great and some not so! I don't need a status symbol...in fact I don't need a Status!! But a decent playing and gigging guitar that doesn't cost a fortune and gets the job done!

[Lozz196]

Toneriders sound very close to the Fender Custom Shop 62s that came in the US Standards of 2013-16 but at a fraction of the price. 

[Paolo85]

1 minute ago, theplumber said:

Agreed. I have used Toneriders on a couple of guitars and head to head with some decent guitars held their own..in fact sounded better than the Fender stock pickups in my Vintera. Maybe better isn't the word but louder and clearer. As for Squiers...well as we all know by now some are great and some not so! I don't need a status symbol...in fact I don't need a Status!! But a decent playing and gigging guitar that doesn't cost a fortune and gets the job done!

I have at home a pickup from a Fender Classic 50s. I may be very wrong but I believe that was the "predecessor" of the Vintera. It is a great pickup but at the end of the day the Fender pickup is in a drawer and the Tonerider is in my bass (rigt now I am down to just one fretted P bass 😭 ). Like you, I would not say the Tonerider is better. Just works better for me at this moment.

[Riverbassman65]

On 03/07/2023 at 20:54, DGBass said:

So, I had an epiphany of sorts at a gig on Saturday. I was using my MIM Fender Player P-bass ( polar white with maple neck) through my GK rig and realised it sounded as good and played just as well if not better than my USA Standard P-bass. I've been playing the USA standard for 25 years and apart from it being the only P-bass ive ever owned until the MIM appeared on my radar, the USA Standard is a phenomonal bass and no mistake. However the MIM has certain advantages. It's way lighter for starters. 3.19kg as opposed to 3.98kg for the USA. The modern MIM neck profile is considerably slimmer than the late 90s plank on the USA Standard. Both basses have their merits and de-merits and I love them both for what they can deliver. Rosewood chunkiness versus maple slimmness. However there is a certain smugness I feel when playing the MIM knowing its lighter, sounds as good and cost less than half of the retail cost of  a USA P-bass.  This thread is for owners of a USA P-Bass and a MIM P-bass. How do you rate both of them and do you have a preference for using your MIM or your USA/American Standard in certain scenarios and why? Feel free to share your pics of USA Standard versus MIM bass. 😁

 

 

 

You really want to feel smug… get one of the Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage P basses.  Absolutely killer looks(Dakota Red), fit, finish, a neck that is amazing, and sounds fantastic! Plus super light. Mine is 3.12 kg

[Stub Mandrel]

24 minutes ago, Riverbassman65 said:

You really want to feel smug… get one of the Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage P basses.  Absolutely killer looks(Dakota Red), fit, finish, a neck that is amazing, and sounds fantastic! Plus super light. Mine is 3.12 kg

 

This.

[DGBass]

1 hour ago, Riverbassman65 said:

You really want to feel smug… get one of the Squier 40th Anniversary Vintage P basses.

Lovely basses and I don't doubt the smugness factor will be pretty high when comparing to MIMs or Corona standards. When it comes to MIMs, Squiers, and Standards there are actually so many useable and interesting variations/finishes to choose from these days. If it wasn't for powerful force that prevents me from suffering too much G.A.S. and being a lot more selective when choosing a bass, i'd more than likely own or have gone through way more basses than I have on The Quest that lots of bass players do.🙂 3.12kg, now thats lightweight for any P. 

[Ed_S]

Having had a few of each over the years, there's just something about the finish on the back of the neck of every USA Fender which I like markedly more than that on any Squier / MIM / MIJ I've owned or tried. That's the main element which sets them apart for me, and whilst I've had MIMs with noticeably better fit and finish than USAs, and a Squier that sounded better in isolation than maybe any other P I've heard at any price, given that as soon as they're in a mix the sound is so negligibly different, it has to come down to the feel. Of course, different people prioritise different aspects of the same selection of items and make their choices accordingly, and I'd never say somebody was wrong for preferring a MIM or a Squier - they all get the job done.

[merello]

Still to do a NBD thread (may never happen1) but I bought a Player MIM Black/Maple P bass. GG had it as a demo at £649, took a punt by trading in my Spector Legend (actually a very versatile and great sounding bass) and a G n L Tribute Tele (regrets already!). But.....I either had to have heroin or a P-bass!

 

Balances well, stays in tune and has the thump and growl that was required for a short gig. Rolled volume off slightly and put tone way down before rolling back to around 15% treble. Was intending using my EHX Big Muff for Uptown Funk but decided against as the bass handled it well.

One day I'll do a thread but very pleased with it.

[Geek99]

On 04/07/2023 at 21:34, Paolo85 said:

I have at home a pickup from a Fender Classic 50s. I may be very wrong but I believe that was the "predecessor" of the Vintera. 

You are correct, and I agree that  they have very good pups @Lozz196

I very, very nearly bought a classic 50s