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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 9:35 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Location: Canada
I bought the US Yesterday and I had the same problem as you Bud I didnt know wether to go Mexican or US the Highway one Is nice but you know its wooden I personaly Liked feel of the American And if you do decide to invest in one like MR feathers said they will be worth alot more in time if you take good care of them SO My best Advice for you is to go out and try all of them and if the Mexican is good then go for it, if your up to throwing down the extra cash And get yourself the American Then Power to you! :D


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Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:29 pm
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AAh, dilemma. I actually owned both an American Deluxe J and an MIM Standard J at the same time.

My MIM is pretty heavily modded - SD Quarter Pounders and a push/pull pot for series/parallel. The MIM with the mods sounds AMAZING. I've had sound men compliment me on my tone and ask what I'm using. Every time I bring it to a jam with new musicians they can't believe the tone. So, with a few inexpensive mods, the MIM's can sound incredible. As for the bass itself, it's solid as a rock - never been a problem for tuning stability or playability.

The American Deluxe was a different animal. Playing it was like driving a Cadillac - all luxury. Neck felt amazing, the body was light, it looked beautiful. However... The tone was something I just could not bond with. It came with the pre-SCN generation Noiseless pickups and had the 9V active preamp. I ended up swapping the pickups out for a pair of SD QP's (hey, they worked on the MIM) and that improved things but it never had the mojo of the MIM. In the end, I put the stock pickups back in and sold her. In my mind it was ridiculous to keep that high end a bass as my #2. I felt like I owed it to myself to play the MIA just because of what it was, not because it sounded the best.

Point is, yes, the American Series are nice - really nice - but the MIM's get the job done. You need to play them both and see if the price tag justifies the difference for you. You can pick up a used MIM for pretty cheap - and the only weak point on them in my opinion is the pickups. Swap those out and you can have a tonal powerhouse on a budget. Personally, I like that my MIM is a sleeper - no one knows what it's got under the hood until I light it up and blow them away.

That all being said, I have not had a chance to try out a Highway One J. I will say that I have become a HUGE fan of the Highway One series because I bought a Hwy 1 Strat earlier this year and I LOVE that guitar. The Hwy 1's are probably the best value in the Fender line right now.


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Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 10:06 pm
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Location: Albemarle, NC
nacho conde wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
Once you have your MIM upgraded to USA standards you'll have about as much invested in it as a USA bass yet the resale or trade in value won't improve much, if any at all.


thats not necesarily true, ive calculated that i could have my MIM jazz bass done up to american standards (tuner, pickups, bridge, tuning heads, wiring, etc) for just over £200 wjhich considering that my jazz bass cost me £350 it only adds up to £550, and MIA basses in the UK will set you back over £800. :D


Sorry I was speaking for people in the USA. For some reason you guys across the pond relatively pay way more for the USA than a new MIM. So a brand new MIM costs $350 pounds there while a new USA costs 800 pounds? And of course you included the hard factory case in your figures?

Ask them what your trade in will be after you spend the 200 pounds for the upgrade too.

You surely realize that after you spend the 200 pounds for all that hardware that it will still not sound like a USA bass right? How are you going to upgrade the wood in the body to USA standards?


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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 6:02 pm
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 2:09 pm
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Location: Central Florida
For the money i think the Highway One series are the best bang for the buck. Of course I'm biased as I just got one (P-bass) this past Wed. As for the finish I wouldn't write it off the bass has instant mojo and for half the cost of road worn series.


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Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 3:25 pm
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Hello guys, this is my first post. I have just bought a mim standard jazz bass. In my country, Peru, in South America, it is kind of hard to get the basses you'd dream of at a reasonable price tag. I was hoping to save for an American Deluxe J Bass, active, with a smaller body. A beauty, but I couldn't save up and it's been sold. I used to like the Highway One Js as my second option, but I could sit and try this mim standard jazz bass, and I was blown by the sound. Whenever there are new imports, I go around the store and try all the new basses, and believe me, this bass rocks. I was lucky enough to choose it from a display of Deluxe, American Standard, Highway One, Mexican Plus, and Mexican Standard, play all, and pick. Save the active American Standard and Deluxe Js, this standard mim J has stood out. the sustain is amazing and the tone is very clear. I suspect it has something to do with the´09 pickup improvement. BTW, does anyone know what exactly this pickup improvement is about?


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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 3:41 am
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mexican basses aren't bad... in fact i'd prefer bringing an mim to a small local gig... or maybe a rock gig where you get to play 4-6 songs then go home... and during bad weather... who would want to play with his 62 RI when its raining... :lol:


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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 6:41 am
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well yeah american standard jazzes are great *stock* basses


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Post subject: MIM vs MIA
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 2:20 pm
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hey brother,
I have both mim and mia. mim is an awesome bass for the money sounds great but cannot compare to my mia jazz. sound is different, feel is different. I did have a mij and i would prefer a mij overe mim quality was much better. a mij will set you back about 5-700. but further down the road the value on mim/mij will still be 3-500. mia will be a great investment. if you have your heart set on mia. try american music.com you can pay in 3 installments. easy terms worth looking into and will break up the high cost at once or other onlines now will split payments also.
happy shopping.


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 4:24 pm
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Well, yes, indeed, I'd love to have that Amercan J Bass Deluxe I tried at my local store. In fact, money is always an issue, and though I'm a working musician, my day time job still pays the bills. My point is that I never thought a mim j bass would fill my soul so badly. This one I just bought is `09 make, and I tried every mim j and p before, and I was always disappointed at something. It may also be that lucky chance that I got the best one of the stock. As it was said lines above, mia basses are great stock basses. Pick any one and you won't be let down. mim basses are not so decent stock basses. Maybe I got lucky on this one or I'm growing deaf, hahaha.

I have this mij sting signature P and I do believe the sound of the charro bass is better. Maybe it's just that Js sound better!!! What I like about this mim I bought is that it's not so trebly. I know hardcore J lovers like that trebly sound of the Geddy Lee bass, for instance. I like the rounder sound of this mex guy.

I'm far from getting a deluxe, and I believe I could reach a highway one in the mid term. Unfortunately, buying second hand basses online and paying the special shipping and insurance makes the prices not so attractive after all, and at the store I get to play what I buy.

I have recorded band rehersals with my mim jazz through a line 6 studio 110 amp. I sent it to a Tascam US1641 interface using the amp's DI out, which has cab sym. I did not eq or compress the signal, though I applied compression to the whole mix. If you want to take a listen, download my mixes from the links below.

Love Me Two Times:
http://www.4shared.com/file/204121585/b904f749/Love_Me_Two_Times.html

Scuttle Buttin':
http://www.4shared.com/file/204121783/53e38612/Scuttle_Buttin.html

Let me know what you think of the bass sound. Maybe it's not so clear or anything. It may be my mix, but I didn't make it sound so well as it did live. I'm not an accomplised mixing dude, mind you :)

_________________
'97 MIM Traditional P Bass
'04 CIJ Sting Signature P Bass
'09 MIM Standard J Bass
---
Hartke's VXL Bass Attack Pedal
Korg's AX5B MultiFX Processor
Boss's GE-7B EQ
---
Line 6 Studio 110 Bass Amp


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 11:56 am
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Location: Douglasville, Georgia
I have a mexican p and american p and they are both great. I know you are looking for a jazz, but I'm really impressed with the mim.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 12:11 pm
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Thanx dcavin for your words. In fact, luckily I got a '97 MIM P. It is called Traditional Precision as the guys at customer support kindly repoted (MIA wood, MIM hardware, far-eastern electronics --black decal). I am pretty happy with it, too. Of course, sooner than later I'll save up for an MIA babe; however, I cannot complain at all about the playability or tone of MIM instruments.

_________________
'97 MIM Traditional P Bass
'04 CIJ Sting Signature P Bass
'09 MIM Standard J Bass
---
Hartke's VXL Bass Attack Pedal
Korg's AX5B MultiFX Processor
Boss's GE-7B EQ
---
Line 6 Studio 110 Bass Amp


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:20 pm
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Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:53 pm
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As someone else said, you are looking for that one bass out of a hundred. I found mine. Every time I am near a music store, I stop by and try out several basses. I prefer jazz basses and have played American and MIM. I noticed the American jazz basses are typically better overall. However, one day, I went in my local music store and there was a new 09 Fender Jazz (MIM) hanging there. I had played several of these before so I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary. However, this one was so "right" for me. Everything about it fit. The tone, the neck, the finish, etc. I had zero intentions on buying another bass before I touched this instrument but I could not put it down. I bought it on the spot. I still play every bass I can in every music store around but I have not found one that quite compares to this one special bass. I don't understand exactly why or what it is about this bass but I will never let it go. I do plan to pick up a Geddy Lee but I will keep my "number one" on hand until my shelf life expires.


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Post subject: Re: Mexico? Highway One? USA?
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:26 am
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WillGarlics wrote:
Hey everybody!

I wanna buy a Jazz bass so bad, but I don't know what to choose...

Is there a huge difference (talking about quality) between the JB made in Mexico, the JB Highway1 and the American JB ?

My budget is around 1000$ CAN...so what should I do?


If you afford and sounds like you can with a reasonable discount, the recent American Standards won the Editors Pick Award in Bass Player Magazine and have defiantly set them self apart from just another prettier instrument from the other series. From the review, the mag said they have set a new standard in quality (wood, components, fretwork, set-up, etc...)that rival basses costing much more.

Nothing fancy, just that straight forward Fender tone that has and still is the benchmark for tone and function.

Here is a cool video review of the AMS basses...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/pla ... 7450598001

:)


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