[quote name='THT' post='312495' date='Oct 22 2008, 08:54 PM']One of the Fender's that did catch my eye was the Highway 1, but again I've heard some bad things about the bridge[/quote]
My Highway 1 jazz is a great bass, but heavily modded. For me, I'd still be looking for a good MIJ with US pups, or a used US one. Just because it says Made in USA on it, doesn't mean it's going to be good though. I played an awful one off the wall in PMT the other day, it was really uninspiring, but a Squier sat next to it, was a lovely player.
All I can say is, every Japanese Fender I've ever played has had a soul, a vibe. They all played nice, and were well put together. I can't say that about all the US ones of tried. A good US made Fender is as good as it gets for me, but they're not all good, so beware.
Pity about the one you just missed, but that just shows how good they are, you snooze, you loose.