Fender new V's Fender old

[alexa3020]

I am in the process of getting a new bass because... well, why not! (the kids don't need a holiday do they?) . At the moment based on what I've tried so far its most likely to be Fender P bass or a Musicman stingray - both retailing between £1300 - £1500.

At this point the P bass is ahead. The shop only had a 5 string MIA in stock. I tried that & a MIM P Bass and the stingray. The fender MIA felt and sounded better than the MIM. The Stingray felt lovely and after a lot of mucking about with the EQ I found some tones that I really liked - I di find the sheer amount of options a bit much (dual humbuckers and 5 way switch). what may be clouding my judgement is that the setup of all the basses I tried were questionable - Far higher action than I would want.

So the P bass is probably in the lead at the moment, my question is should I buy new or old? Has there been a drop in QC recently? are there some years of manufacture that should be avoided?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Lozz196]

Well I`ve no experience of 5-string Precisions, but imo the best standard range (as opposed to custom shop) 4 string Precisions Fender have made (that I`ve tried, and I`ve tried/owned plenty) are the 2012-16 range. Nab yourself one of those and sit back grinning.

[alexa3020]

It would definitely be a 4 string I would want, which if buying new they would need to order in for me, which would then require a deposit, etc.

[Marc S]

I would always say, play as many as you can before buying. I'm sure many of us who suddenly have the funds to hand, and the "need" for a new bass, will be tempted to buy in haste
But if you already have a bass, and aren't "desperate" to get something for an impending gig / event, take a bit of time. Ask yourself why you're preferring a certain bass over another...

I would really consider buying a used bass, as you'll get more for your money - but be careful of buying "blind" on sites like eBay
How many BC members live near you? Are any of them selling any basses? Keep looking through the marketplace on here, and be willing to wait, and to travel (even a short distance) to try a few basses

Incidentally, I agree with your point about "mucking about with EQ". Having a great range of tonal control / options at hand can be a good thing
But, I recall a bass I used to own, which had many controls; stacked knobs, switches etc - and found it a real pain when playing live. I rarely got the same, or even similar sound twice, when playing live

[chris_b]

Fender are trying to regenerate the company after their financial difficulties, so I believe the new Fender ranges should be a step up in quality.

As for the old stuff, there were always lots of good basses in amongst the indifferent ones. You just had to find them. 

If your budget can run to slightly over £1500 you should be checking out the Sadowsky Metro Express basses. These will/should be an eye opener and a step up in quality to anything Fender have produced in the past.

Edited September 26, 2018 by chris_b

[alexa3020]

Very sensible advice Marc. In many ways I do like the idea of buying used, just because you don’t lose any money on the bass if and when you come to sell. I do worry that there will be something wrong when buying used - even though my past experience has been generally positive.

 

Ill keep an eye out for Sadowsky met..... Chris. I can’t say I’ve ever seen or heard of one before.

[AntLockyer]

You really have to play the actual bass you are getting. I tried loads before I bought my MIA P bass new, it was better than all the others I'd played.

[Twincam]

The only input I will add is if trying any used Fender is be wary if it's not already got a good action. I've seen more than a few used older Fenders with varying ski jump issues. In fact I've had a couple that had had ski jump issues myself. Thankfully I can sort that myself. You can't always see a ski jump either. These have all been USA ones too. So if the action is jacked up be wary. It could be that the owner has just left it unsetup (which basses hate over long periods!) but it could be to hide issues. 

Btw I'm not being unkind to Fender here (I like there instruments), this applies to any other make of bass that's over 15 - 20+ years in general. 

[alexa3020]

Antlockyer -Did you find there was any variation in quality in mia p basses?

Edited September 26, 2018 by alexa3020

[Hobbayne]

I have a 2008 MIA P bass. It is a well made quality instrument, but it did have a kick in the neck.

Once my guitar tech sorted it out out it was great.

I dont know what the newer ones are like with QC but that was my only gripe.

[AntLockyer]

30 minutes ago, alexa3020 said:

Antlockyer -Did you find there was any variation in quality in mia p basses?

Certainly variation in how they felt and how they sounded. I don't really understand why that would be the case as the Chinese Squiers all were exactly the same when I tried them. My P bass sounds really woody and is quite loud acoustically. It stood out as a bass I wanted to own immediately.

[alexa3020]

Thanks for the advice twincam - I had no idea what ski jumping was (I do now after a little investigation).

Antylocker - I'm waiting for that moment when I just know its the one I want. It was hard to tell in the shop I tried as the setup was not great - I don't know if its typical that display basses are not set up particularly well!

[Twincam]

5 minutes ago, alexa3020 said:

Thanks for the advice twincam - I had no idea what ski jumping was (I do now after a little investigation).

Antylocker - I'm waiting for that moment when I just know its the one I want. It was hard to tell in the shop I tried as the setup was not great - I don't know if its typical that display basses are not set up particularly well!

It's a big put off unsetup instruments in shops. Because you really can't get a feel for the instrument. And you don't know if it's a good one or not. Tone as well will be somewhat affected. 

Surely every instrument when it's put on a wall could have had five min spent on it adjusting the truss rod and bridge. 

Your more likely to buy something you can play well than something that isn't. 

[alexa3020]

Twincam - I Couldn't agree more! The shop in question was PMT - perhaps a smaller independent store would take the time to do this.

[Twincam]

11 minutes ago, alexa3020 said:

Twincam - I Couldn't agree more! The shop in question was PMT - perhaps a smaller independent store would take the time to do this.

Funny was in a pmt recently and yeah bass I tried had a string height of at least one double decker. 

I think larger shops yeah it would be difficult to setup every instrument on the wall at once, but there should be a system. Instruments setup before there put up and one or two checked over the course of the day. All staff members should know how to correctly setup a guitar/bass. 

 

[Linus27]

Don't discount some of the special Mexico Fender's that are available if you wanted a quality instrument but to save some money. I have the 70s FSR Precision that is currently my backup and occasional main bass when I fancy a change from my Jazz and it is incredible and only around £750 new.

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-2018-fsr-limited-edition-70s-precision-bass

I have also had their Classic Series 70's Jazz that they released a few years back and its probably the nicest Jazz I have played and that includes the American Vintage Reissue 75 Jazz that I play as my main bass. Again, it is about £800 new and is brilliant. they also do a 60's version without the blocks and bindings.

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/170606311150008--fender-classic-series-70s-jazz-bass-3-colour-sunburst-pf

[Guest MoJo]

24 minutes ago, Twincam said:

Funny was in a pmt recently and yeah bass I tried had a string height of at least one double decker. 

That's actually what they use to set the action on basses in PMT. It used to be a KitKat but after several complaints of fret-buzzing, they swapped to a Double Decker or a Twix if you wanted it set up to play Jazz

[Lozz196]

I currently have 5 of the 2012-16 Series MIAs, all are fantastic. I`m quite happy buying this particular range blind providing the seller has confirmed in the for sale ad that the truss rod and all moving parts are working correctly, I have that much faith in them.

[AntLockyer]

1 hour ago, alexa3020 said:

don't know if its typical that display basses are not set up particularly well!

I wouldn't buy one if it wasn't. Shops have to make the effort to get my custom.

[chris_b]

3 hours ago, AntLockyer said:

My P bass. . . . stood out as a bass I wanted to own immediately.

That's the bass you're looking out for. The one that picks you.

[Marc S]

2 hours ago, Linus27 said:

Don't discount some of the special Mexico Fender's that are available if you wanted a quality instrument but to save some money. I have the 70s FSR Precision that is currently my backup and occasional main bass when I fancy a change from my Jazz and it is incredible and only around £750 new.

https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-2018-fsr-limited-edition-70s-precision-bass

I have also had their Classic Series 70's Jazz that they released a few years back and its probably the nicest Jazz I have played and that includes the American Vintage Reissue 75 Jazz that I play as my main bass. Again, it is about £800 new and is brilliant. they also do a 60's version without the blocks and bindings.

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/170606311150008--fender-classic-series-70s-jazz-bass-3-colour-sunburst-pf

Linus is also right here. My fave recent basses have been the Fender Roadworn basses i've owned.
These are made in Mexico, and are superb quality, and feel and sound great too. 
If you don't like Roadworn / Relic finishes, the Fender Classic series are built to the same sort of standards, but are not "pre-worn"

There was recently a Classic 50's P bass, in Fiesta Red on the marketplace here. Last time I looked, it was a bargain at £500

Yes, buying second-hand, there can be a risk - but I've found most BC members to be upfront, honest types
Don't forget, you can also buy new guitars which have, or develop a problem too

Again, if you get to know some BC members local-ish to you, perhaps they would be willing to advise. Are there any events like "Bash bash" / meetings anywhere near you?
I find these are great events - you get to meet other BC members, and most of them are perfectly happy for you to play their basses or try their amps

[martthebass]

5 hours ago, AntLockyer said:

You really have to play the actual bass you are getting. I tried loads before I bought my MIA P bass new, it was better than all the others I'd played.

After many years I've come to the conclusion that, like wands, the bass chooses the wizard....

[Grahambythesea]

Fender quality is an age old problem and a bit of a lottery. I bought a new Jazz 5 in 1996, when they first came out. It arrived with the neck set too low into the body cavity needing a shim and the pickups hummed under lights. Not great in a bass costing over a grand even back then. I also had a ‘95 fretless Precision that was superb, should never have sold it. So you pays your money and takes your chance!

second hand from someone reliable is probably a good idea as they hopefully will have had it set up, but the worry is always are they trying to dump a dog!

I’ve never had a Stingray, too heavy for my taste but I’ve never heard of one with poor QC.

[White Cloud]

As has been said already Fender basses in all of their guises are good, bad, indifferent ... or all and none of the aforementioned!

The best thing for me about them is that (unlike many other brands designs) they are quite 'industrial' in that they are designed to be infinitely easy to adjust and maintain. If the truss rod works properly then in theory you can make what initially feels like  'a bad un' feel like a pretty 'good un' ...

Edited September 26, 2018 by White Cloud

[CameronJ]

3 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

I’ve never had a Stingray, too heavy for my taste but I’ve never heard of one with poor QC.

Check out the new Stingray thread...😅