Lots of people commenting here have missed the point.... This is great, it's the Top Gear for guitars. Personally, I love all the messing around, talking gibberish and the relaxed nature. The way they just fumble along, crack jokes, and just talk about the gear in a general way. There are plenty of 'bland' bass videos on TH-cam for those viewers that want 'technical data'.
Well said! "Top Gear for guitars"...I agree. There are plenty of more technical reviews out there , but they lack the chemistry and charisma of the Andertons crew. They do it in a way that makes you feel like you're just hanging out with a couple friends.
and yet Tiger probably uses the best clubs he can buy. SRV could have sounded great on a Squire, yet he played a pre CBS Strat. Jaco played a pre CBS Jazz bass. I see your point but the best players attack it from every angle.
Not really a joke , I've taken the necks off plenty of Fenders and you will find alot of Spanish surnames on the inspection/production stickers on the back of the neck base. BTW Fender USA Fullerton and now Corona employed/employs quite a lot of Americans of Mexican ancestry.
"The Mexican bridge is kinda more flymsier." Have a look on my P Bass, born in 1964. I bought the axe in 1979. It has got the exact same bridge that the MiM 50's Classic P has, I bought used last year. To be honest, 10 of 12 basses I have I have bought used. Aaaah, maybe you don't know this, but Fender produces all of his necks and bodys in Corona, ships them to Ensenada, Mexico, where the MiM basses are assembled. You choose between a Bass, built in Mexico by Mexicans, and a Bass, built in the USA by Mexicans. I can't find anything degrading on my MiM Precision 50's Classic, and I have tested some MiUSA basses in some music shops. So you do what ever floats your boat.
@@shea086 I agree. When most people buy an old Fender bass and they add says "pickups upgraded to EMG, Dimarzio, Syemour Duncan" etc... then it says they no longer have the original pickup and you notice it knocks $1000 of the value.
Fenders absolutely hold up. I'm convinced that it's not nostalgia or just the fact that we grew up with classic records hearing that sound. I've been all around the block with a lot of different brands, most of which are considered nicer than pedestrian Fender: Rickenbacker, Warwick, EBMM, Pedulla, and some custom stuff. The one I keep coming back to is my Fender P. It's simply "correct" in a way that the others are not. Nothing is overthought to the point of introducing problems. It doesn't need what other basses call "versatility" because its sound is perfect whereas theirs are not. It's the best sounding, best playing, most reliable, and lowest maintenance bass I've ever owned. Fenders are the sharks of the bass world - they don't change because they don't need to.
Agree with you. And I never understood the argument of "versatility" in a bass. They can have their zillion tonal options, I find the one sound a P bass has to be more versatile in every style of music than all the other tonal options combined.
The very first precision that came out in 1951 was essentially a telecaster style neck with a double cutaway body and one single coil. In 1968, the CBS-owned Fender re-issued the original '51-'56 style bass with the Telecaster bass. They are super cool instruments.
The US bass sounded more lively, but almost too lively, and overall there wasn't much in it. Let's face it, a lot of it is about the romance of a owning a 'US-made' instrument rather than owning something that will make you sound noticeably better.
Most bassist prefer a darker tone . Especially for p basses they want their tone knob down. I think it sounds terrible but he’s not wrong, if you get a pbass, you’re not getting it to cut through with a ton of high end spank, p basses are famous for sitting in the mix and not getting in the way of guitar
I just purchased a MIM Player Series P Bass. I didn’t want a squire but didn’t want to spend the money on the American. I’ve heard from plenty of people that the one I chose will last a lifetime!
As for the durability of the bridges, the previous owner of my bass gigged with it for 20 years and it's still fine. Everything still works and feels sturdy enough to me...
I have tried all of the new P basses. The American, Japanese etc. the Mexican PBass is by far the best as far as tone. I don’t care about all the extra little more expensive bits and pieces and I don’t care about resale. I’m a working bass player(30 years) i play 3-4 nights a week and the Mexican PBass is the best PBass made, now. I have two. They are identical white with a black pick guard. One has a Rosewood neck with flat wounds and one has a maple neck with round rounds. I need to no other.
@@selimyenahc3184 what he is trying to say here is their is a law of diminishing returns You can buy a Mexican bass and do upgrades and your still ahead as far as your pocket goes.
Good review. Thanks. Interesting discussion about fittings/hardware. The classic vintage basses would have had fittings like the Mexican, rather than the modern USA instrument. My '72 Jazz (original, not a re-issue) has the flimsy BBOT (bent bit of tin) bridge, which still works fine after 50 odd years (I tried a Badass and went back to the BBOT because the Badass robbed the instrument of too much warmth). I do prefer the USA P Bass in this video, but the difference isn't enormous and a pickup change to the Mex might well narrow things down a lot. I bought a Mex' P Bass Special recently and am very happy with it.
Amusing that, 10 minutes in, they have established that the Mexican bass sounds as good as the US bass, and Rob has to spend the rest of the video desperately trying to find reasons why a punter would pay twice as much for the US bass. Ever the salesman!
Bill DelGuidice You never ever forget the Fender is owner by Fender Mexico same trainning, same machines same Woods and both made in the California one Mex one US and add some important thing Mexican Craftsman Made things to get longer thought the years and Asían pretty good ones but not for long last
*@Augie Doggie* `````````````````````````` This is exactly why I don't buy "American" made products, "American" grown food etc... Ever since I discovered *Godin Guitars* (100% made in Canada, out of native Canadian wood) I won't even look at things that are related to those *over-rated & overpriced F..... & G.....* made who knows where, by some anonymous, underpaid workers, out of illegally harvested woods. *Buy 100% Canadian (!!!)* is my motto of every day...
I don't know I went back and forth between a MIM and an AS and i could not deny the AS just sounded a lot better to me. I desperately wanted to like the MIM because that meant I could have bought it right there and then. But I told my wife we got a couple months more saving to do because I'm getting the American Standard. I put a deposit on it and they put it away for me, a couple months later i picked it up and never looked back. I don't care if people think I'm a snob or got ripped off. I love this bass for me. I can feel the difference and hear the difference.
Kev G. To me the sound difference between the basses is even more subtle than with guitars. I'm recording on a rather cheap bass (I'm a guitarist in the first place) and I am very happy with the results. The only thing I dont like about it, is that it is VERY heavy (if you want good but cheap wood, its gonna be heavy), but as I'm not gigging with it I don't care.
Very good review/comparison. Lee you're doing great reviews and interviews. Asking the right question, setting everything up to make the guests feel relaxed and at home. Well done !!!
Thank you for the "All About the Bass" videos! I'm a long time guitarist who recently got a bass for fun (Squire Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass) and have watched all the bass videos on this channel, keep them coming!
That Mexican one had a better setup. less buzz and rattle. I still think the hardware on the USA model is superior quality. In the end it comes down to your budget and how much of an aficionado you are. Personally I buy Fender USA just 'because' - call me a traditionalist I guess. I got a 2016 in sunburst and the grain was quite nice to look at as well.
got a mexican p-bass for almost 15 years now and it sounds just great. Hardware was never a problem. In fact the plain basic machine heads performed really well. It barely gets out of tune. Indeed the american version sounds a bit more subtle. But in my opinion it is not worth twice. I guess a challenging comparisson would be some good squier model vs. the mexican one.
Sounds punchier - the American sounds more resonant. Maybe its my imagination, but I feel like the actual wood of the instrument has greater representation in the American Standard's (now professional) tone.
I think the low-end tone is the only discernable difference between these two basses; and, I have a hunch that the tonal difference comes down to how high the low end of the pickup is set. You'll notice the American pickup is set much lower from the E string than the Mexican. Just my 2 cents.
If you've ever had trouble getting bass to sit right in a mix, you know why the American p-bass is worth it. But, yeah, for gigging it just makes since you use a Mexi. Costs less, looks great, plays great, sounds great..and you wont have a heart attack every time you accidentally bang it up against something
I absolutely do not mind all the chatter, BUT it would be so much more helpful to have the comparisons back to back with discussion afterward. All the talk between basses made me forget the details of what I had just heard. Nevertheless, thanks for doing this comparison! It's currently helping me decide on a purchase.
I think the main difference between the Mex and USA P bass is basically colour choices, fender headstock logo, strung through body and tuners. Oh and USA come with a modded hardcase and all the new Mexican made fenders come with pau ferro fretboards instead of rosewood that’s all it is, I’d always go for a Mexican p bass scott Devine is fine with his Mexican p basses (yes he has a custom shop one too but that’s not his main one), Adam Neely is always with his black fender p bass and Michael league plays Mexican made fender p basses as well as some older American basses. If you want to treat yourself buy a p bass and with the spare change get some nice pedals or even a nice amp. If you want to waste money buy American made. Just my opinion
A vibrating steel string in the proximity of a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet changes the magnetic field in said coil and thus produces a current. A bass guitar pickup IS NOT responding to changes in sound pressure level, it is responding to changes in magnetic flux. As such, a difference in pain on a solid hunk of wood is not going to produce a change in sound quality unless that change has to do with confirmation bias because you think a red bass sounds better than say, a green bass. In a double blind listening test, if you took two identical models and used different paint on both, nobody would be able to tell the difference. What will make a difference is mass. A lighter body won't have as much sustain as it loses energy through the vibrating body. Note that I'm not saying more or less mass translates to a better, or worse sound, just that it makes a difference. Now, if we're talking about an acoustic guitar it's a different story because the point of an acoustic guitar is for the bridge and sound pressure to couple with the body and resonate. Paint an acoustic guitar and you'll probably hear a difference in sound quality... but a 13 pound hunk of solid wood... nope. No difference in sound. The biggest difference in sound is going to come from the pickup design, the pickup placement, the overall mass of the body, the choice of strings, the electronics, but most significantly, the person playing it.
the MIM basses are cnc'd in the plant in Mexico. Also...I purchased a MIM P Bass in 2000 (red just like the one in this video) and sadly all the saddle screws on the bridge would fall out while playing. It was really weird. I ended up returning it and picking up a J Bass instead (which I no longer have). That said, I love the tone of the P bass, but I've never really enjoyed playing them for some reason. I'm a J bass guy...just purchased a MIM J and it's pretty fantastic.
Throwing one in for the MIMs here. I got the 50s reissue, red one. Threw a brown tortoise pickguard on it. Neck feels godly (especially after you rub in some wax/oil). BEAUTIFUL finish on the body and neck. The sound goes from a Jamerson-like soulful bass to punkish AF feel with the tone all the way up. The American & MIJ '62 reissues are excellent but I couldn't tell a significant difference (especially after I set it up, mine felt better...)
+klaymeister Mexican Fender basses are very good value and with a few changes like pickup they are awesome. American ones are more for people that dont want to mess around and just go out of the box.
George Hypotenuse and the Triangles I suggest you get a Kala U-Bass they sound really great and honestly they are not half bad for a couple of rock tunes.
I don't know if it could be due to a difference in string age or brand (wish that was addressed) but to me the American seems to have more articulation and definition tone wise. It's very subtle.
I have to say I have the P Bass from mexico and it plays and sound solid. I play it on all my records here at the studio, I say if it sounds and plays well go with it.
Maybe you did cover this in the video, but I skimmed it because there's 4 minutes of content squeezed into half an hour ;) They did this video but actually don't know jack about the basses. They didn't mention the american bass has carbon stiffener rods in the neck but the mexican doesn't. The classic fender basses all had the same bridge that now comes with the mexican bass and it was great for james jamerson and jaco. It's said by some that a high mass bridge gives "more sustain" at the expense of less "wood tone". Not sure if that's true. I just picked up a used american made jazz bass FSR and one thing I notice is that I had to max out the truss rod adjustment and still have too much relief in the neck so I'll have to take it in and have it looked at and hopefully a washer will take care of it. I have several mexican J basses that work great and the necks seem more stable. They do have the ever present dead spot around D on the G string. The american bass has no dead spots. One mexican J bass also had sub-par fret work with one very bad fret that is high and causes fret-out. The other mexican I got used at a thrift shop and it looked almost like it had been in a flood! The frets were badly worn so I pulled them out Jaco style to make a fretless. As far as bridge, pots, nut etc, these can all be changed out and still cost way less than the difference between american and mexican. There's nothing wrong with the pots though, and those components wear out eventually anyway. I wish these guys focused more on the pickups and what exactly the differences are. The J bass mexi pickups I got were ceramic and sounded harsh and brittle to my ears. Then again I've heard youtube recordings of mexi jazz basses that sound outstanding. It makes no sense to use inferior components that don't really cost any less to make (pots, bridge, tuning machines, pickups). Think about it. It costs more to have multiple components and suppliers. Even if they do cost more, it's only a small fraction of the price. The big cost is american workers who are no more skilled than mexicans or chinese or koreans. This was proven by the higher quality of japanese guitars. Fender just has to make some differences for the american instruments to justify the price point. Most of it is production cost and mark up.
Interesting how in the TH-cam comment section, people tend to argue against buying the American instruments, but in Bass forums (though they suggest that the MIM is a worthy instrument) they suggest that buying the American alternative is a worthwhile endeavor if you can afford it.
I'm coming from guitars and my Tele's & Strat's are all MIM and I love them the playability and sound are good so I wouldn't be opposed to giving a MIM bass a go
I own two America Fender Jazz basses... one a Master Built (Dennis Galuzka), one 75th Anniversary Commemorative Jazz... as well as a US Made Spector NS4, a British made Wal MK1 (my pride and joy) and a US Made Alembic MK4... no substitute for avoiding cheap Chinese and other 3rd world labor market gear for improving your playing and inspiring you to play better...
I recently played a deluxe p 50 reissue at sam ash. Well made, and comfortable, but, I did notice the maple gloss fret board finish looked very thick. Idk what they used on the wood, but it looked almost like a layer of glass. I thought is that a good looking finish, but will the wood breath under all that? I'd like to see fender do thinner finishes or even Tru oil or linseed for that wood look, but not "caked" on. Also that build up does add weight, even If it a few ounces. The woodworker inside me was a bit unimpressed, although I loved the bass otherwise
USA for me. More even across the tonal spectrum, and has a bit more backbone to the sound. But swap the stock pickups for those Custom Shop 62s that come in US Standards and they`re not too far away, though the US ones still have more oomph.
Actually, the headstock/sided trussrod adjustement IS better than the traditionnal one, just get a longer allen key and you do not have to move the strings over the nut. The best trussrod adjutment is the one first seen on the music man's instruments (the little wheel on the base ofthe neck)
I ended up in between the Mexican and American when I got my Jazz Bass. I bought a Mexican Jazz with vintage 60's American pickups and a nitro finish with tweed hard case and it cost in between the regular Mexican and American standard. I'm very happy with the compromise :)
Did I say pickups? Pickups, Pickups, Pickups, will make the Mexican bass sound like the American bass. American gives you higher quality of woods, hardware and will only make a subtle difference in sound compared to the pickups. That subtle difference is when you record with a great microphone and one not as good but both still sound good, but when you hear that little nuance in midrange or whatever frequency that you cant get out of your recording without damaging the voice of the instrument, is what makes you spend money and buy the pro product the first time. It's an investment that you will have for a lifetime.
How about a "Fender vs other brand's tweaked/improved Fender designs" ? Also this episode would have been a good opportunity to throw in the flatwound strings option.
If your main concerns between the two are the hardware and electronics you can replace those items on the Mexican for far less than the increase in price on the American.
Nathan King, now it makes sense. I watched the Jazz Bass video and kept thinking he reminds me of Mark King. Really enjoy Nathan's guitar playing and vocals with Level 42!
To me the differences that matter are the fact that the US bass has a string through bridge which should increase vibration transference between the strings and the body to enhance the sound, the truss rod adjustment point making maintenance easier on the US bass (probably a 1 time per year thing) and the better quality pickup. If it wasn't the fact that the bridge was a string through as opposed to a more standard model I would simply say buy the Mexico model and change the bridge/pickup combo to get the same sound and save money. Unfortunately with the bridge on the US bass being a string through design that becomes more complicated as many people will hesitate before drilling holes through their nice new bass.
I owned the Mexican version first and later got the American. The mexican one I had was as nice as it could ever get but it still never had the definition of tone and intonation that I get from the American. I noticed the plastic film is still on the American version in the video and when I got mine it was on there as well. I owned mine for about a week before I finally took that plastic off and it then completely made the bass sound incredibly better. Before I peeled that plastic off I didn't notice as much of a difference between the two and thought the tone was a little bit better but it didn't give me as much output as I thought it should but that totally changed when that plastic was removed. I never thought that piece of plastic film could make such a difference (Just like these guys in the video didn't) but it does!!!! Since Anderton's is a store I can understand why you always want to leave that stuff on there until someone buys it but from my experience, take that plastic off as soon as you get it home so you get the full experience of the American Precision Bass. Since then, I took that Mexican P Bass, a Mexican Ash Jazz Bass FSR, a Mexican Fretless Jazz Bass and a Chinese Modern Player Jaguar Bass and traded them in for one American Standard Jazz Bass. These were all nice instruments with good set-ups but the American versions are a sincere upgrade. The differences are very subtle but if your musical ear is very picky to nuance as mine is the American Standard versions of the instruments will make playing funner and more enjoyable. Now I understand why a guy like John Paul Jones stuck with the same original American Fender for so long. Trust me, once you have the real one your fingers and ears will thank you daily!!!!
Hey guys, This video so helpful. So much so I finally made a decision ordered the Fender Mexican Standard P Bass from you guys. Great content! Can’t wait for it to arrive. Thanks
The MIM Fender PJ Deluxe has a high mass Badass type bridge. and runs 899$ U.S. The Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass goes for 1,499$ U.S. Could you do a comparison video, please ?
nobody talks about the stability of the bass? Nobody plays the instrument standing up? I have a MIM p bass and falls on its head, and I have played an american one and it stays perfectly still which makes it much easier to play (sorry for my english I'm from Argentina)
The Mexican Fender is a really good instrument. To be honest, I think the sound is not much different than the American Fender. However, the detail of the hardware was different. I am using a Mexican Fender standard pbass, the sound is really good, but I had problems with wiring and knobs. It was a problem that did not happen in the US Fender. It took me a lot of time, money and effort to fix it. It is a personal choice whether to pay more than double the price for these details. But I think the reason the instruments are expensive is not only the sound but also the other, the difference is quite large and worth paying.
Like when the Mexican bass was being played with the pick there was this clicking sound that wasn't present in the American bass. I assume this has to do with the bridge. In ordered in order to get a clicking sound from the American bass you you would have to play with harder.
Honestly... the only reason i have an American standard pbass.... it was on sale from the rental section of my local guitar store. It was set up beautifully by the guitar tech. And it was just the right price for me at the time. If it wasn't for any of that happening... i would've been perfectly fine with a mim pbass. The Mexican stuff is actually pretty good now. I played a 50's reissue mim pbass. It played and sounded beautifully.
Great one guys...... I was wondering whether factory or You angled the pickups? Always bought used P basses, never new, and on every and each one of them PUPs were flat to the wood surface, so I just investigated the trick online and decided to apply it on my P bass.... Same goes but as factory setting on Strat with vintage single coils.
Weird question. If somebody buys a mexican standard p bass then switches out all the hardware and pickups with ones from an american standard, would you get the American Standard tone? If so, and your willing to do the work, that could problobly save a few hundred.
+BetaHeta Productions you can start with that cheap ass bridge, the bridge... it moves around when you play, and it also rattles, if you can replace that with a badass bass 2 bridge you're golden, or an omega bass bridge works too, oh and you need to replace the truss rod because the american standard has a posiflex reinforced truss rod which it is more stable when switching between cold and hot VS the mexican truss rod which gives up so easily in my opinion, other then those problems i would go for the american standard, people ask me why have you chosen the american? well i say to be honest with you the mexican and american sound the same to me, no tonal difference whatsoever but i prefer a posiflex truss rod on my guitars to keep it stable, and for me to get a mexican p bass and then strip out it's truss rod ad put the posiflex one in is a pain in the ass and NOT CHEAP so i say american all the way cheers
+Ernesto Lone Wolf I definitely agree with you on the truss rod. I brought an American P in the US earlier this year. Took it on multiple flights from hot Arizona back to Australia (where the tuning pegs were slightly frosted when I checked it after landing). It definitely held up well and I didn't even need to adjust the neck! The temperature in the cargo hold on the flight was many degrees below freezing
In my opinion/experience, and I've had a lot of £200 - £500 instruments and a few £1000 - £3000 instruments stability and longativity have never been much if any of an issue. my Mexican P Bass is bang in tune after months of not touching it/different temps. a lot of it comes down to actual finnish. fret finnish. hand finnishing and the pickup quality. feels better new an american fender or Gibson. wood quality.... makes very little difference! the type of wood is most important and usually the foreign or american use the same. as long as its dried out and resonant its all good. Hardware. Pickups make the biggest tonal difference. I'd say 70-80% the expensive guitars/basses are always a good choice. they will retain their value and be great from the get go. I don't disscourage getting them however. if your like me and are good with working with wood. customising guitars. go for the cheaper version every time. learn how to fret level/dress. learn how to apply a nitro finnish. learn how to solder. My mexican P bass is currently in bits, poly stripped off, "oxblood" nitro finnish applied, jazz pickup cavity routed slanted in the position I want, and all new hardware on order. new wiring, good pickups, high mass GOTOH Bridge, graph tec nut, new scratchplate. frets re dressed, fretboard sides rolled, headstock reshaped. all cheaper than the american counterpart. and when finnished should be a lot better. or more well suted to me. if your brave and like fixing things go for it. get the cheaper one. upgrade /re spec it. the downside is usually it costs more for Tools!!!!!!!!! you need a LOT of tools. tools you wouldent thing you need. but if you have them or buy them you have them to do other future guitars up, saving more money. its fun(mostly!!) and gives your axe a personal touch. or you could just be simple and swap the pickups out. maybe smooth the frets a bit.
I have no desire to own any fender Instrument since the classic vibe pbass. It's very good and it's been time tested with me and I just can't justify buying another one that would be way more expensive because I love the feel of it and I got it for a fraction of a USA made. I own a much nicer and obviously more expensive G&L, but Fender as a brand just seems off on the quality to pricing ratio. I'd take a G&L over fender anyday, they are just evolved versions of Leo's original designs.
For me personally (being from US) and I know the $$$ goes to an American company either one chosen, still lean more to the "real deal". My strats are American made and pretty much always will be. I owned a Mexi tele for a few months but it definitely was lower grade and sold it.
I feel like with the American when you had the tone rolled off vs halfway up I could hear a difference. With the MIM I could only hear the difference between all the way off and all the way on. That said, I keep everything all the way up always. Best controls I ever had on a bass was on my Gibson Blackbird. Just a 2 way toggle for On/Off. Too bad the bass sucked otherwise. I thought it might be nice to have something other than my Spector. I was wrong.
I'll get back talk for this, but according to my ears, the American sounded better. Not by a lot, but enough that I could tell. Plus, the string through feature is fantastic, and in my experience, I only have to tune my American standard p bass once a month maybe, whereas when I had a Mexican standard, I had to tune much more often. This especially speaks a lot because I live in Michigan, where the weather changes every few hours. We just had a snow storm in April. My bass was slightly sharp. If it was Mexican, it would be a step higher XD
didn’t want to spend 1500 euros for an american fender, that’s why i purchased an fgn neo p. fit, finish, sound is flawless, and it costs around 900-1000 euros.
I have the Fender Roger Water series p bass. I hope to watch this bass will get the review and comparison with other Mexican and American P basses. It's a request to you guys. Many Thanks. :)
I am an Indonesian, living in Jakarta, not the biggest jazz fan, but from my point of view, Java Jazz is not a jazz event. More than half of the people that came to the event only came just for the sake of posting their existence in a "jazz" event to their social media. (I have no idea why people in Indonesia think that being a jazz fan is cool that you have to be so pretentious about it.) And to keep them entertained, (because apparently for some people jazz is confusing and too abstract), the promoters had this strategy to mixed in the jazz artist with the pop artists. Which also attributes to some of the disappointment of the true jazz fans. (that is from what I heard, apart from lousy sound that the rental provides and a quite expensive entrance ticket) Now, to me it was very humble of Level 42 to had come, slappa da bass, reach out to their fans and show to the crowds that they are a very down to earth guys that can hang with other artists that are not as "jazzy" as them. It is so sad to be born and live in a country where not every particular genre of music is being appreciated and treated equally.
To be honest, the P-Bass sits in the mix well enough for a lot of genres, that most sound technicians know what to do with it. It plays well enough for most people to get it.
The American sounds much richer and way more balanced. The MIM telecasters are really good though. I actually prefer MIM telecasters (as far as tele guitars go) but the American P bass is immaculate
I have played all three p-basses: Mexican, Japan and USA. In terms of feel, quality and sound the Mexican isn't even close. The Japanese is better, but the USA gets everything right. I own a Japanese and USA. Japanese is spare.
I've had both recently. They're both perfectly adequate, nice basses in fact. But you will notice a good jump in quality with the American made. It is noticeable while simply holding it, and of course also while playing and hearing it. But it's not a huge difference. You can get the nicer sound out of the Mexican by just upgrading the pickups, and BAM. Just go by your budget, and level of experience.
+godfatherNYC You forgot the posiflex truss rod in harsh weather conditions mate, when people tlel me what's your preference in mexican or american, i say american, and it's not because of the tone, in fact squier mexican and american sound bloody same to me, is the hardware im interested in string thru, with possiflex truss rods, light weight tuners with a nice EGO BOOST of having a fender custom shop pickup right in there and of course the Name USA and if that doesn't justify the price jump then im sorry but i just like the american more, oh dear i forgot to talk about the bridge, you see the mexican bridge has a bridge that if you play like me (hard) the bridge starts to rattle and move on and about which throws off tuning and intonation stability, and it's made worse with gravitational force. With the string thru design bridge on the american standard this will not be the case because if the strings go thru the body if the strings slip they have nowhere to go because it's hugged tightly towards the body of the guitar + gravity is now with you not against you I have been the player of both a mexican and american with the mexican being the first bass i quickly learned why it was a few hundred bucks down, if you see no difference then good for you but for me is as clear as night and day
+Ernesto Lone Wolf Excellent points. I may have really oversimplified everything. I agree with you, and want to get an American one again soon. (I do have a really nice Rickenbacker that I love.) But I simply HAD to have a Fender Dee Dee Ramone model, as he's my all time favorite musician and bassist. And that's a Mexican made one unfortunately. It's certainly decent, but the American Standard Precision I sold in order to get it was much better overall.
godfatherNYC :O the Dee Dee ramone? i love that bass!! sadly i missed out on it i don't think they make them no more, don't worry man im pretty sure if you still keep that bass couple years down the road is bound to get some notice, i mean c'mon a Dee Dee Ramone precision bass is not everytime you see one of those around, don't worry about it man just replace the bridge with a fatter and stable one and that bass is as good as golden, my main problem with mexico basses is that rattly good for nothing splitting saddle bridge. Hopefully is bound to go up in value ;) Cheers
You only really play a p-bass fingerstyle in the pickup position. It was cool when fender at least gave you a thumbrest to switch up to the neck position.
a huge difference between these two guitars is RESALE value, provided you dont excessively abuse usa fender p bass, it is an investment, the mexican fender p bass is a fundamentally different resale experience, it might even be argued that the american guitar ends up being less expensive
Thats the problem isn't it? The only reason i would go american is because it would be easier and more lucrative to resell if i ever had to. The market is oversaturated with MIM's and people still ask too much for them because of the name on the headstock.
But for most of us (beginners, mediocre and wannabe) it is how the guitar plays that is very important. Players as good as Nathan can get an excellent sound out of a plank of wood strung with knicker elastic.
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I only buy the Mexican Fenders because the price is reasonable and they play fantastic.
+Michael Kingston I also have MIM J bass. But I played a American Delux Jazz V which really broke my heart and eyes sunk in tears!
I have to agree. What really drew me to the MIM (like the one in the video) was the finish on the neck. Feels great!
Jokes on you, I buy made in Japan
Lots of people commenting here have missed the point.... This is great, it's the Top Gear for guitars. Personally, I love all the messing around, talking gibberish and the relaxed nature. The way they just fumble along, crack jokes, and just talk about the gear in a general way.
There are plenty of 'bland' bass videos on TH-cam for those viewers that want 'technical data'.
Well said! "Top Gear for guitars"...I agree. There are plenty of more technical reviews out there , but they lack the chemistry and charisma of the Andertons crew. They do it in a way that makes you feel like you're just hanging out with a couple friends.
Thank god someone gets it 🙏
Finally a bass video!! now do more please ;)
+Classic Bass There are more in the All About The Bass playlist and more coming. Thank you for watching.
Tiger Woods said 10,000 holes of golf is what made him great. Not the clubs. Both basses are good, but the player makes them great. Practice.
That is, spot. ON.
you are right, need to buy more bass!
and yet Tiger probably uses the best clubs he can buy. SRV could have sounded great on a Squire, yet he played a pre CBS Strat. Jaco played a pre CBS Jazz bass. I see your point but the best players attack it from every angle.
Buying an American gives the player a relic, but these new Mexican Fenders will give players everything they need on a practical basis.
The joke here is "Mexican bass / guitars are made in Mexico by Mexicans. American bass / guitars are made in America by Mexicans."
+Thom Grogan Then you realise it isn't a joke >.
+Thom Grogan So you'll vote Donald Trump?
+Thom Grogan the funny thing is that the mexicans still make the guitars in america!!!!!!!!
Not really a joke , I've taken the necks off plenty of Fenders and you will find alot of Spanish surnames on the inspection/production stickers on the back of the neck base. BTW Fender USA Fullerton and now Corona employed/employs quite a lot of Americans of Mexican ancestry.
what matters is the equipment. with the right tools everyone can do it
"The Mexican bridge is kinda more flymsier."
Have a look on my P Bass, born in 1964. I bought the axe in 1979. It has got the exact same bridge that the MiM 50's Classic P has, I bought used last year.
To be honest, 10 of 12 basses I have I have bought used.
Aaaah, maybe you don't know this, but Fender produces all of his necks and bodys in Corona, ships them to Ensenada, Mexico, where the MiM basses are assembled.
You choose between a Bass, built in Mexico by Mexicans, and a Bass, built in the USA by Mexicans.
I can't find anything degrading on my MiM Precision 50's Classic, and I have tested some MiUSA basses in some music shops.
So you do what ever floats your boat.
Got my first P Bass in 1968--it was a 62 model.I used to play it with the tone rolled all the way off into an 18" Selmer Goliath. I was in heaven.
Buy the Mexican bass, buy a high mass bridge, put in a set of EMG pickups and save $500
There you go
Why change the Pickups. That's why most people buy Fender basses.
@@shea086 I agree. When most people buy an old Fender bass and they add says "pickups upgraded to EMG, Dimarzio, Syemour Duncan" etc... then it says they no longer have the original pickup and you notice it knocks $1000 of the value.
it's the wood that is usually better on the MIA
@@shea086 To make the Mex bass equivalent to the American
Fenders absolutely hold up. I'm convinced that it's not nostalgia or just the fact that we grew up with classic records hearing that sound. I've been all around the block with a lot of different brands, most of which are considered nicer than pedestrian Fender: Rickenbacker, Warwick, EBMM, Pedulla, and some custom stuff. The one I keep coming back to is my Fender P. It's simply "correct" in a way that the others are not. Nothing is overthought to the point of introducing problems. It doesn't need what other basses call "versatility" because its sound is perfect whereas theirs are not. It's the best sounding, best playing, most reliable, and lowest maintenance bass I've ever owned. Fenders are the sharks of the bass world - they don't change because they don't need to.
Agree with you. And I never understood the argument of "versatility" in a bass. They can have their zillion tonal options, I find the one sound a P bass has to be more versatile in every style of music than all the other tonal options combined.
The very first precision that came out in 1951 was essentially a telecaster style neck with a double cutaway body and one single coil. In 1968, the CBS-owned Fender re-issued the original '51-'56 style bass with the Telecaster bass. They are super cool instruments.
The US bass sounded more lively, but almost too lively, and overall there wasn't much in it.
Let's face it, a lot of it is about the romance of a owning a 'US-made' instrument rather than owning something that will make you sound noticeably better.
hammondsphoto nope, that "lively" and bright sound will even out and sound in a mix with the band, better than an mim imo. I use a mim jazz btw.
Nah, that’s just an excuse not to drop twice as much on a real one.
Most bassist prefer a darker tone . Especially for p basses they want their tone knob down. I think it sounds terrible but he’s not wrong, if you get a pbass, you’re not getting it to cut through with a ton of high end spank, p basses are famous for sitting in the mix and not getting in the way of guitar
@@p90Killah Use EQ or new strings. For 150 you can put on some EMGs and still be way in front.
I just purchased a MIM Player Series P Bass. I didn’t want a squire but didn’t want to spend the money on the American. I’ve heard from plenty of people that the one I chose will last a lifetime!
go for mexico. best price and quality. You can always upgrade the pickup in the future (among other things...)
As for the durability of the bridges, the previous owner of my bass gigged with it for 20 years and it's still fine. Everything still works and feels sturdy enough to me...
I have tried all of the new P basses. The American, Japanese etc. the Mexican PBass is by far the best as far as tone. I don’t care about all the extra little more expensive bits and pieces and I don’t care about resale. I’m a working bass player(30 years) i play 3-4 nights a week and the Mexican PBass is the best PBass made, now. I have two. They are identical white with a black pick guard. One has a Rosewood neck with flat wounds and one has a maple neck with round rounds. I need to no other.
That’s like saying an Epiphone Les Paul is better than Gibson... nah. Not even close.
@@selimyenahc3184 what he is trying to say here is their is a law of diminishing returns You can buy a Mexican bass and do upgrades and your still ahead as far as your pocket goes.
@@michaelgalanos981 it’s the pickups bro
@@selimyenahc3184 I agree ☝️ the work done on the body these days is very similar
Good review. Thanks. Interesting discussion about fittings/hardware. The classic vintage basses would have had fittings like the Mexican, rather than the modern USA instrument. My '72 Jazz (original, not a re-issue) has the flimsy BBOT (bent bit of tin) bridge, which still works fine after 50 odd years (I tried a Badass and went back to the BBOT because the Badass robbed the instrument of too much warmth). I do prefer the USA P Bass in this video, but the difference isn't enormous and a pickup change to the Mex might well narrow things down a lot. I bought a Mex' P Bass Special recently and am very happy with it.
I love these, every video Andersons produces are consistently awesome !
Amusing that, 10 minutes in, they have established that the Mexican bass sounds as good as the US bass, and Rob has to spend the rest of the video desperately trying to find reasons why a punter would pay twice as much for the US bass. Ever the salesman!
+Alasdair George: Or even Lee! Oops.
So true here. haha. They had no idea what the differences were so they filled the video with gibberish and jokes.
Bill DelGuidice You never ever forget the Fender is owner by Fender Mexico same trainning, same machines same Woods and both made in the California one Mex one US and add some important thing Mexican Craftsman Made things to get longer thought the years and Asían pretty good ones but not for long last
The best reason to buy American for me is that I always sleep better knowing that my neighbor has a job to go to every day.
*@Augie Doggie*
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This is exactly why I don't buy "American" made products, "American" grown food etc... Ever since I discovered *Godin Guitars* (100% made in Canada, out of native Canadian wood) I won't even look at things that are related to those *over-rated & overpriced F..... & G.....* made who knows where, by some anonymous, underpaid workers, out of illegally harvested woods. *Buy 100% Canadian (!!!)* is my motto of every day...
I actually liked the sound of the mexican more...
Many famous musicians even agree that it does sound better. You're the player so your opinion matters most.
I don't know I went back and forth between a MIM and an AS and i could not deny the AS just sounded a lot better to me. I desperately wanted to like the MIM because that meant I could have bought it right there and then. But I told my wife we got a couple months more saving to do because I'm getting the American Standard. I put a deposit on it and they put it away for me, a couple months later i picked it up and never looked back. I don't care if people think I'm a snob or got ripped off. I love this bass for me. I can feel the difference and hear the difference.
Kev G. To me the sound difference between the basses is even more subtle than with guitars. I'm recording on a rather cheap bass (I'm a guitarist in the first place) and I am very happy with the results. The only thing I dont like about it, is that it is VERY heavy (if you want good but cheap wood, its gonna be heavy), but as I'm not gigging with it I don't care.
To my ear (with decidedly less than top-notch speakers) the American has more mid "crunch" to it, while the Mexican is a warmer sound.
flightofthewalrus If we all thought the same bass sounded best all the time, there'd be only one choice available before long!
Very good review/comparison. Lee you're doing great reviews and interviews. Asking the right question, setting everything up to make the guests feel relaxed and at home. Well done !!!
Thank you for the "All About the Bass" videos! I'm a long time guitarist who recently got a bass for fun (Squire Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass) and have watched all the bass videos on this channel, keep them coming!
That Mexican one had a better setup. less buzz and rattle. I still think the hardware on the USA model is superior quality. In the end it comes down to your budget and how much of an aficionado you are. Personally I buy Fender USA just 'because' - call me a traditionalist I guess. I got a 2016 in sunburst and the grain was quite nice to look at as well.
got a mexican p-bass for almost 15 years now and it sounds just great. Hardware was never a problem. In fact the plain basic machine heads performed really well. It barely gets out of tune. Indeed the american version sounds a bit more subtle. But in my opinion it is not worth twice. I guess a challenging comparisson would be some good squier model vs. the mexican one.
Is it Me?... Or the Mexican Bass sounds much more dark and punchy?
TheDavoFloresChannel saunds af danck and punchier man
Sounds punchier - the American sounds more resonant. Maybe its my imagination, but I feel like the actual wood of the instrument has greater representation in the American Standard's (now professional) tone.
I think the low-end tone is the only discernable difference between these two basses; and, I have a hunch that the tonal difference comes down to how high the low end of the pickup is set. You'll notice the American pickup is set much lower from the E string than the Mexican. Just my 2 cents.
Like a Mexican prison
Some determinable difference in fret work, body finish, and even details like pickup attachment to the body for MX made. I still bought one
If you've ever had trouble getting bass to sit right in a mix, you know why the American p-bass is worth it. But, yeah, for gigging it just makes since you use a Mexi. Costs less, looks great, plays great, sounds great..and you wont have a heart attack every time you accidentally bang it up against something
You guys need to compare the fender jazz bass and G&L JB and fender pbass and G&L LB-100
I absolutely do not mind all the chatter, BUT it would be so much more helpful to have the comparisons back to back with discussion afterward. All the talk between basses made me forget the details of what I had just heard. Nevertheless, thanks for doing this comparison! It's currently helping me decide on a purchase.
I think the main difference between the Mex and USA P bass is basically colour choices, fender headstock logo, strung through body and tuners. Oh and USA come with a modded hardcase and all the new Mexican made fenders come with pau ferro fretboards instead of rosewood that’s all it is, I’d always go for a Mexican p bass scott Devine is fine with his Mexican p basses (yes he has a custom shop one too but that’s not his main one), Adam Neely is always with his black fender p bass and Michael league plays Mexican made fender p basses as well as some older American basses. If you want to treat yourself buy a p bass and with the spare change get some nice pedals or even a nice amp. If you want to waste money buy American made. Just my opinion
Facts
A vibrating steel string in the proximity of a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet changes the magnetic field in said coil and thus produces a current. A bass guitar pickup IS NOT responding to changes in sound pressure level, it is responding to changes in magnetic flux. As such, a difference in pain on a solid hunk of wood is not going to produce a change in sound quality unless that change has to do with confirmation bias because you think a red bass sounds better than say, a green bass. In a double blind listening test, if you took two identical models and used different paint on both, nobody would be able to tell the difference.
What will make a difference is mass. A lighter body won't have as much sustain as it loses energy through the vibrating body. Note that I'm not saying more or less mass translates to a better, or worse sound, just that it makes a difference. Now, if we're talking about an acoustic guitar it's a different story because the point of an acoustic guitar is for the bridge and sound pressure to couple with the body and resonate. Paint an acoustic guitar and you'll probably hear a difference in sound quality... but a 13 pound hunk of solid wood... nope. No difference in sound. The biggest difference in sound is going to come from the pickup design, the pickup placement, the overall mass of the body, the choice of strings, the electronics, but most significantly, the person playing it.
the MIM basses are cnc'd in the plant in Mexico.
Also...I purchased a MIM P Bass in 2000 (red just like the one in this video) and sadly all the saddle screws on the bridge would fall out while playing. It was really weird. I ended up returning it and picking up a J Bass instead (which I no longer have). That said, I love the tone of the P bass, but I've never really enjoyed playing them for some reason. I'm a J bass guy...just purchased a MIM J and it's pretty fantastic.
Throwing one in for the MIMs here. I got the 50s reissue, red one. Threw a brown tortoise pickguard on it. Neck feels godly (especially after you rub in some wax/oil). BEAUTIFUL finish on the body and neck. The sound goes from a Jamerson-like soulful bass to punkish AF feel with the tone all the way up. The American & MIJ '62 reissues are excellent but I couldn't tell a significant difference (especially after I set it up, mine felt better...)
American is hotter / louder. that can be fixed by an after market pickup in the Mexican and you come out cheaper.
+klaymeister Mexican Fender basses are very good value and with a few changes like pickup they are awesome. American ones are more for people that dont want to mess around and just go out of the box.
+klaymeister I wouldn't say that's an advantage though. If you want something bright and spanky get a jazz bass.
+George Hypotenuse and the Triangles And what if I want a bright and spanky p-bass?
bremsnix And what if I want to play rock bass on an ukulele?
George Hypotenuse and the Triangles I suggest you get a Kala U-Bass they sound really great and honestly they are not half bad for a couple of rock tunes.
I don't know if it could be due to a difference in string age or brand (wish that was addressed) but to me the American seems to have more articulation and definition tone wise. It's very subtle.
I have to say I have the P Bass from mexico and it plays and sound solid. I play it on all my records here at the studio, I say if it sounds and plays well go with it.
Maybe you did cover this in the video, but I skimmed it because there's 4 minutes of content squeezed into half an hour ;) They did this video but actually don't know jack about the basses. They didn't mention the american bass has carbon stiffener rods in the neck but the mexican doesn't. The classic fender basses all had the same bridge that now comes with the mexican bass and it was great for james jamerson and jaco. It's said by some that a high mass bridge gives "more sustain" at the expense of less "wood tone". Not sure if that's true. I just picked up a used american made jazz bass FSR and one thing I notice is that I had to max out the truss rod adjustment and still have too much relief in the neck so I'll have to take it in and have it looked at and hopefully a washer will take care of it. I have several mexican J basses that work great and the necks seem more stable. They do have the ever present dead spot around D on the G string. The american bass has no dead spots. One mexican J bass also had sub-par fret work with one very bad fret that is high and causes fret-out. The other mexican I got used at a thrift shop and it looked almost like it had been in a flood! The frets were badly worn so I pulled them out Jaco style to make a fretless. As far as bridge, pots, nut etc, these can all be changed out and still cost way less than the difference between american and mexican. There's nothing wrong with the pots though, and those components wear out eventually anyway. I wish these guys focused more on the pickups and what exactly the differences are. The J bass mexi pickups I got were ceramic and sounded harsh and brittle to my ears. Then again I've heard youtube recordings of mexi jazz basses that sound outstanding. It makes no sense to use inferior components that don't really cost any less to make (pots, bridge, tuning machines, pickups). Think about it. It costs more to have multiple components and suppliers. Even if they do cost more, it's only a small fraction of the price. The big cost is american workers who are no more skilled than mexicans or chinese or koreans. This was proven by the higher quality of japanese guitars. Fender just has to make some differences for the american instruments to justify the price point. Most of it is production cost and mark up.
Interesting how in the TH-cam comment section, people tend to argue against buying the American instruments, but in Bass forums (though they suggest that the MIM is a worthy instrument) they suggest that buying the American alternative is a worthwhile endeavor if you can afford it.
I'm coming from guitars and my Tele's & Strat's are all MIM and I love them the playability and sound are good so I wouldn't be opposed to giving a MIM bass a go
I own two America Fender Jazz basses... one a Master Built (Dennis Galuzka), one 75th Anniversary Commemorative Jazz... as well as a US Made Spector NS4, a British made Wal MK1 (my pride and joy) and a US Made Alembic MK4... no substitute for avoiding cheap Chinese and other 3rd world labor market gear for improving your playing and inspiring you to play better...
I recently played a deluxe p 50 reissue at sam ash.
Well made, and comfortable, but, I did notice the maple gloss fret board finish looked very thick. Idk what they used on the wood, but it looked almost like a layer of glass. I thought is that a good looking finish, but will the wood breath under all that? I'd like to see fender do thinner finishes or even Tru oil or linseed for that wood look, but not "caked" on.
Also that build up does add weight, even If it a few ounces. The woodworker inside me was a bit unimpressed, although I loved the bass otherwise
USA for me. More even across the tonal spectrum, and has a bit more backbone to the sound. But swap the stock pickups for those Custom Shop 62s that come in US Standards and they`re not too far away, though the US ones still have more oomph.
the bridge realy makes a difference but it is just a question of personal taste not of a "better" sound
Actually, the headstock/sided trussrod adjustement IS better than the traditionnal one, just get a longer allen key and you do not have to move the strings over the nut. The best trussrod adjutment is the one first seen on the music man's instruments (the little wheel on the base ofthe neck)
I ended up in between the Mexican and American when I got my Jazz Bass. I bought a Mexican Jazz with vintage 60's American pickups and a nitro finish with tweed hard case and it cost in between the regular Mexican and American standard. I'm very happy with the compromise :)
Did I say pickups? Pickups, Pickups, Pickups, will make the Mexican bass sound like the American bass. American gives you higher quality of woods, hardware and will only make a subtle difference in sound compared to the pickups. That subtle difference is when you record with a great microphone and one not as good but both still sound good, but when you hear that little nuance in midrange or whatever frequency that you cant get out of your recording without damaging the voice of the instrument, is what makes you spend money and buy the pro product the first time. It's an investment that you will have for a lifetime.
Excellent discussion about the merits and comparison of the two basses. Thanks!
How about a "Fender vs other brand's tweaked/improved Fender designs" ?
Also this episode would have been a good opportunity to throw in the flatwound strings option.
If your main concerns between the two are the hardware and electronics you can replace those items on the Mexican for far less than the increase in price on the American.
Are you guys thinking about doing a bass-equivalent to "Sounds Like"? I was just wondering if I should pitch Motorhead on the next one of those ;-)
The great Nathan King!! I saw him in Buenos Aires, in the Coliseo theatre in 2016 with Level 42. Love all of them!
@@malcolmlarri8236 I know!! Mark is the original bass and singer of L42. Nathan is the actual guitar.
the pickups on the american made are much better IMO. would love to see a video on the Fender Dimension Bass deluxe
Great video as always guys! Any chance of a demo with some Frost basslines?
What about the American Special Fender precision ?
Nathan King, now it makes sense. I watched the Jazz Bass video and kept thinking he reminds me of Mark King. Really enjoy Nathan's guitar playing and vocals with Level 42!
To me the differences that matter are the fact that the US bass has a string through bridge which should increase vibration transference between the strings and the body to enhance the sound, the truss rod adjustment point making maintenance easier on the US bass (probably a 1 time per year thing) and the better quality pickup.
If it wasn't the fact that the bridge was a string through as opposed to a more standard model I would simply say buy the Mexico model and change the bridge/pickup combo to get the same sound and save money. Unfortunately with the bridge on the US bass being a string through design that becomes more complicated as many people will hesitate before drilling holes through their nice new bass.
I owned the Mexican version first and later got the American. The mexican one I had was as nice as it could ever get but it still never had the definition of tone and intonation that I get from the American. I noticed the plastic film is still on the American version in the video and when I got mine it was on there as well. I owned mine for about a week before I finally took that plastic off and it then completely made the bass sound incredibly better. Before I peeled that plastic off I didn't notice as much of a difference between the two and thought the tone was a little bit better but it didn't give me as much output as I thought it should but that totally changed when that plastic was removed. I never thought that piece of plastic film could make such a difference (Just like these guys in the video didn't) but it does!!!! Since Anderton's is a store I can understand why you always want to leave that stuff on there until someone buys it but from my experience, take that plastic off as soon as you get it home so you get the full experience of the American Precision Bass.
Since then, I took that Mexican P Bass, a Mexican Ash Jazz Bass FSR, a Mexican Fretless Jazz Bass and a Chinese Modern Player Jaguar Bass and traded them in for one American Standard Jazz Bass. These were all nice instruments with good set-ups but the American versions are a sincere upgrade. The differences are very subtle but if your musical ear is very picky to nuance as mine is the American Standard versions of the instruments will make playing funner and more enjoyable.
Now I understand why a guy like John Paul Jones stuck with the same original American Fender for so long. Trust me, once you have the real one your fingers and ears will thank you daily!!!!
Hey guys, This video so helpful. So much so I finally made a decision ordered the Fender Mexican Standard P Bass from you guys.
Great content! Can’t wait for it to arrive. Thanks
The MIM Fender PJ Deluxe has a high mass Badass type bridge. and runs 899$ U.S.
The Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass goes for 1,499$ U.S.
Could you do a comparison video, please ?
nobody talks about the stability of the bass? Nobody plays the instrument standing up? I have a MIM p bass and falls on its head, and I have played an american one and it stays perfectly still which makes it much easier to play (sorry for my english I'm from Argentina)
The Mexican Fender is a really good instrument. To be honest, I think the sound is not much different than the American Fender. However, the detail of the hardware was different. I am using a Mexican Fender standard pbass, the sound is really good, but I had problems with wiring and knobs. It was a problem that did not happen in the US Fender. It took me a lot of time, money and effort to fix it. It is a personal choice whether to pay more than double the price for these details. But I think the reason the instruments are expensive is not only the sound but also the other, the difference is quite large and worth paying.
Like when the Mexican bass was being played with the pick there was this clicking sound that wasn't present in the American bass. I assume this has to do with the bridge. In ordered in order to get a clicking sound from the American bass you you would have to play with harder.
can you do a video about which bass guitar is better? Ibanez or Fender?
Wow the tone difference is much more than I was sorta expecting or from what I always hear or read from comments.
Honestly... the only reason i have an American standard pbass.... it was on sale from the rental section of my local guitar store. It was set up beautifully by the guitar tech. And it was just the right price for me at the time. If it wasn't for any of that happening... i would've been perfectly fine with a mim pbass. The Mexican stuff is actually pretty good now. I played a 50's reissue mim pbass. It played and sounded beautifully.
Great one guys...... I was wondering whether factory or You angled the pickups? Always bought used P basses, never new, and on every and each one of them PUPs were flat to the wood surface, so I just investigated the trick online and decided to apply it on my P bass.... Same goes but as factory setting on Strat with vintage single coils.
These are absolutely great videos !
Weird question. If somebody buys a mexican standard p bass then switches out all the hardware and pickups with ones from an american standard, would you get the American Standard tone? If so, and your willing to do the work, that could problobly save a few hundred.
+BetaHeta Productions you can start with that cheap ass bridge, the bridge... it moves around when you play, and it also rattles, if you can replace that with a badass bass 2 bridge you're golden, or an omega bass bridge works too, oh and you need to replace the truss rod because the american standard has a posiflex reinforced truss rod which it is more stable when switching between cold and hot VS the mexican truss rod which gives up so easily in my opinion, other then those problems i would go for the american standard, people ask me why have you chosen the american? well i say to be honest with you the mexican and american sound the same to me, no tonal difference whatsoever but i prefer a posiflex truss rod on my guitars to keep it stable, and for me to get a mexican p bass and then strip out it's truss rod ad put the posiflex one in is a pain in the ass and NOT CHEAP so i say american all the way cheers
Ernesto Lone Wolf thanks for the input
+Ernesto Lone Wolf I definitely agree with you on the truss rod. I brought an American P in the US earlier this year. Took it on multiple flights from hot Arizona back to Australia (where the tuning pegs were slightly frosted when I checked it after landing). It definitely held up well and I didn't even need to adjust the neck! The temperature in the cargo hold on the flight was many degrees below freezing
yes. if you are on a budget you can do the same with even a cheap pawn Affinity, as long as the neck is in good shape.
In my opinion/experience, and I've had a lot of £200 - £500 instruments and a few £1000 - £3000 instruments
stability and longativity have never been much if any of an issue. my Mexican P Bass is bang in tune after months of not touching it/different temps.
a lot of it comes down to actual finnish. fret finnish. hand finnishing and the pickup quality. feels better new an american fender or Gibson.
wood quality.... makes very little difference! the type of wood is most important and usually the foreign or american use the same. as long as its dried out and resonant its all good.
Hardware. Pickups make the biggest tonal difference. I'd say 70-80%
the expensive guitars/basses are always a good choice. they will retain their value and be great from the get go.
I don't disscourage getting them
however.
if your like me and are good with working with wood. customising guitars.
go for the cheaper version every time.
learn how to fret level/dress.
learn how to apply a nitro finnish.
learn how to solder.
My mexican P bass is currently in bits, poly stripped off, "oxblood" nitro finnish applied, jazz pickup cavity routed slanted in the position I want, and all new hardware on order. new wiring, good pickups, high mass GOTOH Bridge, graph tec nut, new scratchplate.
frets re dressed, fretboard sides rolled, headstock reshaped.
all cheaper than the american counterpart. and when finnished should be a lot better. or more well suted to me.
if your brave and like fixing things go for it. get the cheaper one. upgrade /re spec it.
the downside is usually it costs more for Tools!!!!!!!!! you need a LOT of tools. tools you wouldent thing you need.
but if you have them or buy them you have them to do other future guitars up, saving more money.
its fun(mostly!!) and gives your axe a personal touch.
or you could just be simple and swap the pickups out. maybe smooth the frets a bit.
Give us a shorter clip with the core info: pickups, bridge, woods, and a proper one2one comparison, pls!!!
Who's the Level 42 bassist you speak off? I wonder if nathan knows
I have no desire to own any fender Instrument since the classic vibe pbass. It's very good and it's been time tested with me and I just can't justify buying another one that would be way more expensive because I love the feel of it and I got it for a fraction of a USA made. I own a much nicer and obviously more expensive G&L, but Fender as a brand just seems off on the quality to pricing ratio. I'd take a G&L over fender anyday, they are just evolved versions of Leo's original designs.
For me personally (being from US) and I know the $$$ goes to an American company either one chosen, still lean more to the "real deal". My strats are American made and pretty much always will be. I owned a Mexi tele for a few months but it definitely was lower grade and sold it.
Is there a reason that Lee and Nathan are not allowed to mention Mark King? And is Nathan related to Mark?
I feel like with the American when you had the tone rolled off vs halfway up I could hear a difference. With the MIM I could only hear the difference between all the way off and all the way on. That said, I keep everything all the way up always. Best controls I ever had on a bass was on my Gibson Blackbird. Just a 2 way toggle for On/Off. Too bad the bass sucked otherwise. I thought it might be nice to have something other than my Spector. I was wrong.
I'll get back talk for this, but according to my ears, the American sounded better. Not by a lot, but enough that I could tell. Plus, the string through feature is fantastic, and in my experience, I only have to tune my American standard p bass once a month maybe, whereas when I had a Mexican standard, I had to tune much more often. This especially speaks a lot because I live in Michigan, where the weather changes every few hours. We just had a snow storm in April. My bass was slightly sharp. If it was Mexican, it would be a step higher XD
didn’t want to spend 1500 euros for an american fender, that’s why i purchased an fgn neo p. fit, finish, sound is flawless, and it costs around 900-1000 euros.
Where's the Anderton/Chapman bass?
by the way, just for mentioning John Deacon you just earned a sub... thank you.
I have the Fender Roger Water series p bass. I hope to watch this bass will get the review and comparison with other Mexican and American P basses. It's a request to you guys. Many Thanks. :)
the difference between the mim bass and the mia bass is that trump is going to send the mim bass back to mexico (tbh i favor the mexican bass)
Sure that'll happen, as soon as Trump and Ivanka, stop making everything they sell in China.
Is the MIM in the video the newer fender player series?
how well does the mexican bass balance whan stood up with a strap ?
I am an Indonesian, living in Jakarta, not the biggest jazz fan, but from my point of view, Java Jazz is not a jazz event. More than half of the people that came to the event only came just for the sake of posting their existence in a "jazz" event to their social media. (I have no idea why people in Indonesia think that being a jazz fan is cool that you have to be so pretentious about it.)
And to keep them entertained, (because apparently for some people jazz is confusing and too abstract), the promoters had this strategy to mixed in the jazz artist with the pop artists. Which also attributes to some of the disappointment of the true jazz fans. (that is from what I heard, apart from lousy sound that the rental provides and a quite expensive entrance ticket)
Now, to me it was very humble of Level 42 to had come, slappa da bass, reach out to their fans and show to the crowds that they are a very down to earth guys that can hang with other artists that are not as "jazzy" as them.
It is so sad to be born and live in a country where not every particular genre of music is being appreciated and treated equally.
To be honest, the P-Bass sits in the mix well enough for a lot of genres, that most sound technicians know what to do with it. It plays well enough for most people to get it.
The American sounds much richer and way more balanced. The MIM telecasters are really good though. I actually prefer MIM telecasters (as far as tele guitars go) but the American P bass is immaculate
I have played all three p-basses: Mexican, Japan and USA. In terms of feel, quality and sound the Mexican isn't even close. The Japanese is better, but the USA gets everything right. I own a Japanese and USA. Japanese is spare.
how you get such a great sound? di+mic amp?
This is a cool show. Thanks Lee and Nathan.
I've had both recently. They're both perfectly adequate, nice basses in fact. But you will notice a good jump in quality with the American made. It is noticeable while simply holding it, and of course also while playing and hearing it. But it's not a huge difference. You can get the nicer sound out of the Mexican by just upgrading the pickups, and BAM. Just go by your budget, and level of experience.
+godfatherNYC You forgot the posiflex truss rod in harsh weather conditions mate, when people tlel me what's your preference in mexican or american, i say american, and it's not because of the tone, in fact squier mexican and american sound bloody same to me, is the hardware im interested in string thru, with possiflex truss rods, light weight tuners with a nice EGO BOOST of having a fender custom shop pickup right in there and of course the Name USA and if that doesn't justify the price jump then im sorry but i just like the american more, oh dear i forgot to talk about the bridge, you see the mexican bridge has a bridge that if you play like me (hard) the bridge starts to rattle and move on and about which throws off tuning and intonation stability, and it's made worse with gravitational force.
With the string thru design bridge on the american standard this will not be the case because if the strings go thru the body if the strings slip they have nowhere to go because it's hugged tightly towards the body of the guitar + gravity is now with you not against you
I have been the player of both a mexican and american with the mexican being the first bass i quickly learned why it was a few hundred bucks down, if you see no difference then good for you but for me is as clear as night and day
+Ernesto Lone Wolf Excellent points. I may have really oversimplified everything. I agree with you, and want to get an American one again soon. (I do have a really nice Rickenbacker that I love.) But I simply HAD to have a Fender Dee Dee Ramone model, as he's my all time favorite musician and bassist. And that's a Mexican made one unfortunately. It's certainly decent, but the American Standard Precision I sold in order to get it was much better overall.
godfatherNYC :O the Dee Dee ramone? i love that bass!! sadly i missed out on it i don't think they make them no more, don't worry man im pretty sure if you still keep that bass couple years down the road is bound to get some notice, i mean c'mon a Dee Dee Ramone precision bass is not everytime you see one of those around, don't worry about it man just replace the bridge with a fatter and stable one and that bass is as good as golden, my main problem with mexico basses is that rattly good for nothing splitting saddle bridge. Hopefully is bound to go up in value ;) Cheers
You only really play a p-bass fingerstyle in the pickup position. It was cool when fender at least gave you a thumbrest to switch up to the neck position.
Is that Nathan as in Mark Kings brother?
There are graphite rods in the USA neck, which adds to stability.
Somehow the Mexi P had more output somehow...the pickups sounded hotter or the setup lent itself to more response.
a huge difference between these two guitars is RESALE value, provided you dont excessively abuse usa fender p bass, it is an investment, the mexican fender p bass is a fundamentally different resale experience, it might even be argued that the american guitar ends up being less expensive
Thats the problem isn't it? The only reason i would go american is because it would be easier and more lucrative to resell if i ever had to. The market is oversaturated with MIM's and people still ask too much for them because of the name on the headstock.
Looking to upgrade the pickups on my bass. Seymour Duncan Quarter pound or DiMarzio DP127?
F1s
Please make one with Fender Jazz Bass Mex vs. USA.
Please do a Rickenbacker 4003?
the bass player is hilarious and a very good player. nice video
But for most of us (beginners, mediocre and wannabe) it is how the guitar plays that is very important. Players as good as Nathan can get an excellent sound out of a plank of wood strung with knicker elastic.
A Fender is a Fender... whether it is MIM, MIJ or MIA, if you can make it sound Good, it will Sound Good...