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Post subject: buying first fender
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 7:40 pm
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hey all. I have had a MM stingray, ibenez, and some more. getting back into the bass scened after 20 years. looking at fender Pbass. Jbass seemed to quick for me. we play original, and covers, rock;blues;new and old. stingray was nice, but it was also very heavy. Pbass seems nice, but I need some advice. I have no idea which one to get. some are 400 bucks, some are 1600. I would like to spend about 7 -800. my question is what is the difference? where it is made? I know there are different ones. but what about Pickups? do they all come with the same? can I buy a more inexpensive bass and put in better pickups? which ones are the best? thank for any advice you have? Jim


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Post subject: Re: buying first fender
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:16 pm
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With that amount of cash..I always suggest buying used. You could find a 2nd hand American Standard Precision with $700. The 1995-1999 Am. Stnds. are my favorite of the series.

If you want new, the Mark Hoppus Signature Precision will get you the most with that 8 hundred.

The specs of each instrument are listed.


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Post subject: Re: buying first fender
Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:32 pm
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As for what is the best pickups. That is a personal choice and a huge can of worms. Sort of like asking what are the best strings? I use pickups by Fender, Lindy Fralin and Seymour Duncan. I'm an equal opportunity employer. I don't use Fender Japan pickups any longer than I absolutely have to. Pickup selection depends on what tone you want for a specific instrument taking into account your playing style, the musical genre, your instrument's basic resonance, your string selection and in a passive instrument even what tone cap you are going to use. I even take fretboard wood into account. Many say the "best" pickups are the custom wound ones from Lindy Fralin. Yeah they are good and I have one but you pay out the ying-yang for them and he stays busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. I actually like the Fender Original Precision Bass Pickups (Fender part # 0992046000) which cost half what a Fralin P-Bass pickup set costs. That Fender set is vintage voiced full range pickups that are NOT overwound at all so they actually have upper mids and they are relatively cheap. You might absolutely HATE them with a passion. I can tell you what I like but that is absolutely no guarantee YOU will like it too. Just like I can tell you what roundwound string set I like best and you might hate them.

Yes where it is made makes a huge difference in price.
General ranking in price is as follows from high to low.
American (USA)
Japan (MIJ or CIJ)
Mexico (MIM)
China (MIC)

That can vary a bit as some Fender Japan basses actually cost more than the American Special. Some of the MIC ones cost more than the basic MIM ones. But that is the general ranking. (I would PASS on a new American Special and go for a new American Standard for a few bucks more as the hard case alone is about worth the difference.)

Some people like the outstanding craftsmanship of the CIJ ones which I concede rivals USA ones, but I never met a Fender Japan pickup I actually liked. Not one. Every CIJ bass I've owned got a USA made pickup pronto. So stock I can't recommend them personally, but some people just love them to death stock.

The MIM ones are affordable, solid and totally playable stock. If you find one you like you should buy it and play it, but I wouldn't toss a bunch of upgrades at it beyond maybe a pickup. I'd FOR SURE do a cap upgrade for a few dollars even before a pickup swap. I'd draw the upgrade line right there at a pickup and cap swap. Nothing else.

Do mods with the notice in advance that you will never recover the cost of the upgrade in a sale or trade. Again, that is NEVER.

Sure you can upgrade just the pickups HOWEVER, why buy a bass if you don't like it in the first place? So you buy a new $600 MIM Standard bass. You buy a $150 case for it. You put $120 pickups in it yourself. You buy a brass nut for $20 but it costs you $80 to get it installed because only a nut will do their own nut work unless they are a skilled luthier. You buy a Leo Quan miracle wonder-bridge for $120 which again costs about $80 to install and slot properly because again you need to do that yourself like you need to do your own dental work. You decide to upgrade the machine heads for another $140 which costs another $80 to install. So where are we now? $1390, which is more than a new American Standard and approaching a new American Deluxe. So with all those upgrades done you should be in bass heaven right? But it still doesn't sound as good or play as good as the USA Standard you say? You wonder why. It is THE WOOD. It is THE NECK. It is the truss rod system and you can't upgrade that stuff.

Ok so now you decide to sell it or trade it and get an American Standard or American Deluxe. What is your upgraded-tricked-out super duper Standard Fender worth? Exactly the same as any other used Standard in spite of all the upgrades! Repeating: You never recover the cost of modifications or upgrades in a sale or trade. NEVER.

Maybe at first all you want to change are the pickups. But when it doesn't sound or play as good as a USA one after the new pickups you'll want to change other stuff. Maybe if you just throw another $200 at it the magic will happen! Wrong.

The advice to find a good stock unmodified used American was very sound. So is buying a new one in your price range if you really and truly like it as is.

If you liked the active sound of the Stingray and want to buy something brand new, I'd point you toward the MIM P-Bass Special. It is a real tone monster for the money. But I'd play it as is. Or maybe change the pickguard or something simple like that. I really don't like the pickguard on those myself. But I'd not pour hundreds into any bass. If you don't like it as it is...don't buy it. These seldom show up for sale used. Their owners are mostly satisfied for years.

I'm perfectly happy with my MIM Standards. I also own Fender USA basses and a CIJ one. I like passive basses best. I have no problem gigging a MIM or CIJ bases! I love my 2004 MIM Standard P-Bass. It is a real good bass and I'll probably never sell it.

For you as a new instrument with your previous active bass ownership, I'd seriously point you toward a new MIM P-Bass Special or a used American Deluxe because both those are active. The American Standard is the ultimate passive bass and is a tremendous instrument and I love them and have owned 4 of them. But it isn't an active and you might be happier with an American Deluxe used over a used passive American Standard.

Remember the immortal words of President Obama! "You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig."


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Post subject: Re: buying first fender
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:09 am
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Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 5:14 pm
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Location: Linningrad
Don't cheat yourself. Be sure to try the Nate Mendel Precision. http://www.fender.com/basses/precision- ... apple-red/
Nine Hundred Smackers
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PBassNateM

It has quite a few of the very same features I incorporated in my '76 Precision when I hot rodded it in 1985.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=87066

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Post subject: Re: buying first fender
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:54 am
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Location: Albemarle, NC
The Nate is a really good and really expensive MIM passive. Still if you want a passive Seymour Duncan SPB3 pickup and Leo Quan Miracle Wonder Bridge and you like your Candy Apple Red with a light relic treatment, yeah that is an option. Or if you are in a Foo Fighters tribute band it naturally would be your gigging bass. Is there such a band? Anyway being an Artist bass you are pretty much barred from making any changes to it else you blow the resale value completely.

I think he really should look at both Passive and Active Fenders. Have a hunch though that since he liked the Stingray he would find an active more to his liking based on previous experience. I'm not a big active user. I have one, but I'm more a passive guy, but people who say they liked their Stingray probably are going to like an active Fender better. A Stingray new or used costs the same as a comparable Fender American Deluxe P-Bass.


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Post subject: Re: buying first fender
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 5:42 pm
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Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
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Location: SW Florida
Here is my list of suggestions:

American Standard Precsion Bass, used.

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Post subject: Re: buying first fender
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:13 pm
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Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:00 am
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Location: In the pocket north of Washington D.C.
I played a Nate Mendel Precision without knowing who Nate Mendel was! LOL

I really liked the bass. I think they did a great job on it and they really nailed the 71 Precision feel, because I happen the have a real 1971 Precision bass in Candy Apple Red.

I would also second the idea of getting a used American Standard Precision bass. They are worth the difference in price when you add up the cost of upgrading a Mexi-bass.

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