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Post subject: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 4:20 pm
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Hi all

I've recently acquired an MIM P bass that the s/n look-up tells me was made in 2002/03. I'd like to find out a bit about it, how and where is was all made and put together, what p/ups are in there etc. I think I must be looking at the wrong parts of he web as I'm not getting much joy so far, so I thought I'd ask the experts!

Many thanks from the northwest UK :)


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 4:28 pm
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Thanks, I got that bit!

I read about Fender shipping parts out to be assembled at various stages but the timeline is harder to pin down...


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:28 pm
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You need to know if it is alder wood or basswood or ironwood. Also I'm not a big fan of the Mexi pickups. It must be different guage wire or different magnets or I don't know what. Brother Dave is the guy for the particulars on the good wood the bad wood and the ugly wood. He knows what was sent where and when and so forth-- he has a website or he just may fill you in on here if he reads this...which he probably will.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 1:09 am
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Thanks for that, I'm eagerly awaiting his ministrations!

How do I tell what the body wood is?


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:07 am
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http://brotherdave.com/

Here's the p;ace to go to find more information than you can imagine. You'll find he has an e-mail address on his site, ask him anything, be patient, he;ll respond.

Good luck and congratulations on your bass.

By the way, there aren't any dumb questions.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:38 am
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Location: malaga Spain
Hi , I have a MiM P bass approx the same year as yourself, The PuPs are ceramic and although they do the job well enough, the more expensive Alnico V PuPs are superior in performance and tone and these are usually fitted to MiA Basses which of course are more expensive, The body wood is probably Alder if you want to see one stripped to bare wood see my "Mexican Puppies" post on this forum, Normaly the best graded necks and bodies are shipped up to the American facility to be built by Mexicans !!, As far as i know the Fender Mex web site does not state the body wood used or much else for that matter, Hope this helps a tad....Pete Bass (Brit Expat in Spain)


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:41 pm
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Pete's info is correct. Actually alder was specified on the regular production MIM Standards at the time your instrument was made. It is only in the past few years that Fender stopped specifying body wood on the MIM Standards. There also were and continue to be special runs of ash or other body woods called FSR Standard models. The MIM necks have always been maple.

The procedure back then was more convoluted than today. Each shipment of wood blanks went initially to Fender Corona where the best wood would be pulled for the Custom Shop, next best set aside for USA Deluxes, there was a pile for USA Standards. What was left was trucked to Ensenada for MIM instruments. Until Fender bought CNC machines for Ensenada they were even cutting the bodies and cutting and fretting the necks in Corona before the wood went down Highway One. This went on for years. (I'm unsure exactly when the CNC machines were finally installed at Ensenada, but would love to know.)

These trucks running back and forth between Corona and Ensenada gave birth to the Fender California Series which led eventually to the Highway One series. The electronics, other than the pickups, were the same parts used on the USA instruments. The hardware is made by several suppliers, but is generally not as nice as the hardware used on USA Standard or Deluxe instruments but the MIM hardware is basically on par with the Highway Ones.

Now, and for the past couple of years, the Ensenada plant gets their own shipments of blanks which are cut right there essentially making the Ensenada facility totally independent of Corona.

This independence is a good thing. Especially when one considers that the original 22,000 square foot Ensenada plant burned to the ground in less than one hour in February of 1994 and that of course the possibility exists that the same thing (heaven forbid) could have just as easily have happened at Corona. This way Fender instruments can be turned out from the basic raw materials at either facility in the event disaster struck again without depending on anything from the other plant. We all know how prone California is to disasters of biblical proportions. (No disasters ever happen in Scottsdale do they?)

Since the wood blank shipments started going directly to Ensenada Fender has been giving themselves latitude by not specifying exactly what body woods they are using there. Some say they are using basswood, but they still do FSR's in ash also. I imagine when they get a good buy on a shipment of alder blanks they will buy alder too. There is nothing tonally inferior about a good basswood blank compared to a mediocre alder blank. Before they started getting their own shipments at Ensenada about the best you could hope for was an above average Corona reject blank being used to make your MIM instrument because all the very best wood stayed in Corona. Now you at least have a chance at a first rate blank even if it is mystery wood.

About the workers at the two plants. As was pointed out in another post on this thread many of the workers at Fender Corona, such as the ones with names we know like Abigail Yberra, are obviously of Hispanic origin. I don't want Barbie or Tammy making my pickups, I want Abigail Yberra. After all, the 6 string guitar is technically named "The Spanish Guitar" because Hispanics perfected the EADGBE six string guitar. It actually is a little known fact that select workers from all levels will rotate between the two Fender plants in sort of an exchange program. This has been one of the most important factors in the undisputed improvement of Fender instruments coming from both plants in recent years.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 10:43 pm
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And there are no dumb questions. And congratulations on your Fender bass. They are harder to come by in the UK than here.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 2:17 am
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Thanks for that guys, really interesting information. I much appreciate your patience and level of detail offered. Brotherdave I'll be all over your website!

My very first ever bass bass was a Squier Affinity P that I gave to a friend's son so he could start playing bass too. I then had a Spector Legend 4 for some years and have recently acquired an Overwater Affinity Contemporary Jazz and a German made Warwick Corvette - all pre-owned (I'll probably get cast out now as this is a Fender forum :D ). But loving the P bass - with flat wounds.

I don't know if they're well known in the wider world but I'm using Barefaced cabs now and they are the best thing I have ever played through. If you get a chance check them out. Very light and beautifully built too. Definitely keepers!


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:21 am
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Barefaced Bass Cabs are sort of the UK equivalent of Avatar or Dr. Bass cabs. All equally well kept secrets that outperform mainline cabs. The freight charge makes them a real luxury in the USA.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:46 pm
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brotherdave, Very interesting info about the Corona and Ensenada plants in relation to woods, etc...


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 12:43 pm
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Hi all
hadf a look at all the comments as i am thinking of getting a Bass. i have been playing 6 string for a while an fancy a new challange to refresh me

my questions
can i simply buy a bass and plug in to a standard amp?

would i t do any damage to a standard 15 watt amp?

(I have a 15 amp marshall and a fender Gdec 15 ) if this helps
many thankks guys

chuck


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:10 pm
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I doubt if your amps could hande a bass, speakers would blow for sure.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:31 pm
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many thanks

i will look at getting a bass amp too cheers

:D


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Post subject: Re: Newbie from the UK with dumb starter question
Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:36 pm
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Good luck in your quest.


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