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Post subject: How do you tell if a 1996 MIM Standard P is original?
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 7:50 am
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I've been offered a '96 mim standard P, and i'd like to know if i'm getting the real deal, given the amount of forged clones in my country. It's black with a 3-ply white pickguard, with a rosewood fretboard. The decal has a black logo, with thick black letters and next to it says "precision bass" below it "made in mexico." serial number is mn631998. The pickguard has 13 screws. If pics were needed, i'd up some. Thanx for Your time on this.

Carlos

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Post subject: Fender
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:58 pm
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Best bet is to email Fender customer support and ask them to look up the serial number for you. They can usually tell you the color, year, and specs of the instrument and that should give you a hint. If the color doesnt match, its usually a fake.


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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:59 pm
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I don't know of anyone faking a MIM Fender bass. If someone is going to go to allof the trouble to fake a Fender they usually go for a USA model.

I'll bet that its legit. That serial number is consistent with a Mexican made Fender and it was made in 1996.

The support tab on this site has serial number information based on the instrument's country of origin.

You don't have to wait for customer service to email you.

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Post subject: Serial #
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:24 pm
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True that you can look up serial numbers here to find out the year it was made but thats about it.

By contacting customer service will get you many more details like: "This serial number is from a 1996 Mexican Jazz Bass with burgundy finish and rosewood fretboard."

I once checked up on a serial # for a an olympic white P bass I was going to buy and they told me it was a serial # for a red P bass. For me, that was a good warning sign that the serial number was forged.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 7:59 pm
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Thanks for your replies. I´ll email Customer Support about the serial number just to be sure. I'll let you know what they say.

Thanx again.

_________________
'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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Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:56 pm
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Hi there guys. I continued some research about my bass (yeah, I bought it). What got my attention towards its authenticity is its black logo. It's kind of unusual. Most MIM Ps I've seen have the so called transition logo, silver with black borders. It had me doubt because I once saw a pretty good copy with a black decal.

Image

Anyway, I found a nice post around the web about these balck decals. I'm going to quote the article I found:

90’s Fender Mexico w/ Black Decal: A Mystery Uncovered


Source:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaster-discussion-forum/117547-90%92s-fender-mexico-w-black-decal-mystery-uncovered.html

You might have heard of mexican made Fender guitars with a black headstock decal, sometimes associated with some mystery Squier Series made in Mexico. It’s true that there actually was a “Squier Series” that was made by Fender in Mexico and featured a black decal on the headstock, but not all mexican made Fender guitars with such a black label were part of that very “Squier Series”. Since there appears to be a lot of confusion and half-knowledge about these guitars out there, I decided to do some research on my own.

The black label was used by Fender Mexico for a limited time only between 1993 and 1998. It can be found exclusively on the rather short lived mexican “Traditional” and “Squier” series for the Telecaster, Stratocaster and Precision Bass. Usually, Squier is to Fender what Epiphone is to Gibson. In this very case, the use of the name “Squier” had nothing to do with the actual Squier brand, as the series was named “Squier Series”, but it was by all means a Fender series, not a Squier series. The keyword is “series”, not “Squier”. The regular mexican “Standard” series was available too at the time, but it already featured the same silver-ish logo that is still used for it today. However, between 1993 and 1998, both labels (the black AND the silver-ish one) were used for mexican made Fender guitars, but for (slightly) different guitars.

The guitars with the black label consisted mostly of overstock american made Fender necks and bodies. The parts were shipped to Mexico for assembly with mexican made pickups and far eastern hardware and electronics. The overall quality of these guitars turned out to be below the Squiers made in Japan and Korea, whose production came to an end around the time the mexican made guitars with the black label surfaced, yet above Squiers made in China and Indonesia, whose production had not yet begun at the time. The guitars ended up on the american and european market for just about as much as a guitar from the regular “Standard” series would cost at the time.

Some (not all!) of the guitars were sold for a few bucks less as they came with 1-ply pickguards and hardware of slightly lesser quality. Those guitars (and those only!) had an additional smaller “Squier Series” label on front of the headstock, right were the artist models have the artist’s signature. Though some owners probably sanded off their “Squier Series” label, it is not true that all guitars with a black label had a “Squier Series” label in the first place. Most guitars with the black label featured tuners and bridges of decent quality as well as 3-ply pickguards. These guitars did not have the additional “Squier Series” label and were called the “Traditional Series”, which was stated nowhere on the headstock but the guitars were listed, advertised and sold as such.

The “Traditional Series” can be considered the slightly better but the “Squier Series” sure is the more obscure. At the end of the day, there really is not that much difference between the two. The most significant difference can be found on the Telecaster. The Telecaster from the “Traditional Series” had the traditional through-body stringing, while the Telecasters from the “Squier Series” were Top Loaders with different bridges, saddles and no string holes in the back.

The guitars from that very “Squier Series” are official and genuine Fender guitars like any mexican made Fender guitar regardless, and if you have a mexican made Fender Telecaster, Stratocaster or Precision Bass with a black label and a serial number beginning with MN3, MN4, MN5, MN6, MN7 or MN8, you have a genuine Fender guitar – with or without a small “Squier Series” label.


I Found this article very interesting, and it clarifies my suspicion.

Thanx for all the help you've been to me so far.

Carlos

_________________
'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: Fri Feb 05, 2010 2:59 pm
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The search comes to an end, guys. Ed Treat from Fender responded to my e-mail. His response was that I have a 1997 Fender Traditional P Bass. Thanks for your interest in my post. You've all been helpful.

_________________
'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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Profile
Post subject: Re: How do you tell if a 1996 MIM Standard P is original?
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 4:27 am
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Hello, OK, I'm confused even more about the "Black Label" Fender P-Bass explanation:
If someone owns a "MIM Black" Label that says just this,--Fender Precission Bass-- (Forget about the Squier Part of the story)
And, it has a Serial #--MN6..... Does this mean that it's actually a MIM P-Bass with an American MIUSA Neck and Body.

Therefore, makeing it worth more Money....
Billy3


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Post subject: Re: How do you tell if a 1996 MIM Standard P is original?
Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:36 pm
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the middle to late 90's MIM basses I had were all made of basswood which I personally do not like. My 74 USA P bass is made from Poplar. It sounds really good.


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Post subject: Re: How do you tell if a 1996 MIM Standard P is original?
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 12:26 am
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Part of that article is somewhat misleading. "The guitars with the black label consisted mostly of overstock american made Fender necks and bodies."

Actually at that time ALL necks and bodies were cut in the USA. They were all American made then as there were no CNC machine at the Ensenada plant then. Even the MIM Squiers were cut in the USA.

Fender Traditional Series instruments are often erroneously dismissed as being Squiers. The Squier series used the same solid black silk screened FENDER logo but with the addition of a small silk screened black decal stating "SQUIER SERIES" in the same location and scripting as today's "DELUXE SERIES" decal on Fender MIM Deluxe Series instruments.

Many of the small Squier Series decals were removed by owners which confuses the issue and makes all the Traditional Series or "Black Label" full blown Fenders suspect to many dealers who don't know what they are and incorrectly categorize them all as Squiers. I see or hear of this all the time and frequently get emails on this issue. I've also seen some expert "Squier Series" decal removals but in those cases the serial number is the giveaway.

While technically the line was called the FENDER TRADITIONAL SERIES these are often called "FENDER BLACK LABELS" today and actually are pretty decent instruments. I had a Jazz Bass one that wasn't too bad at all for a while.


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