Fender player series

[highwayone]

Is it just me that thinks that the player series is overpriced? £600+ for a Mexican p bass?? It doesn't appear to be any different from the standard but is more expensive. I was.looking to buy a new p bass but won't spend £650 on a mex version. Rant over 😀

[Roger2611]

I would suggest trying one first, I have a 50's Classic and a Roadworn Precision both are Mexican basses and they are the best two Precision's I own!

Prices do seem to have risen sharply in recent years....look at the current prices of the Sterling SB range they seem to be up at the same price as a US built Musicman was a few years ago!

[ubit]

Nothing wrong with the Mexican basses. I have a Cabronita and it's a lovely guitar. Very nice feel and looks gorgeous.

[Lozz196]

They are better than the previous Standards imo - the pickup sounds better (less harsh) and the necks just play that bit better. As it happens @highwayone I will be offloading mine (buttercream/maple) so if interested PM me. 

[highwayone]

1 hour ago, ubit said:

Nothing wrong with the Mexican basses. I have a Cabronita and it's a lovely guitar. Very nice feel and looks gorgeous.

I have had many great Mexican's but they were less pricey when they were the old standard range.

[hooky_lowdown]

29 minutes ago, highwayone said:

I have had many great Mexican's but they were less pricey when they were the old standard range.

The price increases are probably due to Fender incurring a huge fine for price fixing, so they are recouping the costs by higher prices.

Prices only go one way. Up!

[yorks5stringer]

29 minutes ago, hooky_lowdown said:

The price increases are probably due to Fender incurring a huge fine for price fixing, so they are recouping the costs by higher prices.

Prices only go one way. Up!

The Players are at roughly the same price point ( Sterling dropping in value aside) they were when introduced, think  mid 2018. They are still available sub £600 from a number of retailers too.....

Edited May 18, 2020 by yorks5stringer

[ubit]

1 hour ago, highwayone said:

I have had many great Mexican's but they were less pricey when they were the old standard range.

My Cabronita was over £600 and that was 6 years ago.

[Nicko]

4 hours ago, highwayone said:

Is it just me that thinks that the player series is overpriced? £600+ for a Mexican p bass?? It doesn't appear to be any different from the standard but is more expensive. I was.looking to buy a new p bass but won't spend £650 on a mex version. Rant over 😀

What do you have against mexican? Are you Donald Trump?

Seriously, there isn't an issue with mexican made, and just remember that the MIJ range were started as a low cost version and ended up being, for the most part, better than the US made.

Fender have, for years, been opening low cost factories and every time they open one the price point for the previous low cost centre is increased.  The "Standard" used to be a US instrument, now its not. Having said that low cost/high cost does not translate to low quality/high quality. 

[ClassicVibes]

Buy a Sandberg Electra - miles better than any Fender for the same price. 

[adamg67]

Fender charge what people will pay. A good chunk of the money you pay for one is divided equally between the letters F, e, n, d, e again and r on the headstock.

[mcnach]

8 hours ago, highwayone said:

Is it just me that thinks that the player series is overpriced? £600+ for a Mexican p bass?? It doesn't appear to be any different from the standard but is more expensive. I was.looking to buy a new p bass but won't spend £650 on a mex version. Rant over 😀

 

Still less than half the price of an USA one. Prices have gone up all round!

Before you say no to MIM, try them. They have improved a LOT from what they used to be 10-15 years ago.

A good P bass for £600-700? In 2020? That doesn't sound bad at all.

[highwayone]

I love the Mexican basses and have owned 6 or 7 but the last time I bought a new one it was £510 so I was surprised to see that they're £600+ now. The Nate Mendel I have is a Mexican and it's a great bass.

[la bam]

I've just ordered one of these. Been to the local music shop today for a browse and they had one in a different colour to the one I wanted, but I had a good look and a play with the one there, and flippin' eck they are very very very good.

They look superb, are put together and finished very well, and the sound is absolute classic fender p bass. The necks are also nice and slim and fast. The tone pots also have a nice range.

They were much better than I thought they would be. So much so, I ordered one in sunburst there and then, should take a week to arrive. It brought that fender smile back, that tone is awesome. £650, serious bargain, especially compared to the £1600 usa fender hanging next to it.

[Bigguy2017]

Prices of US kit have risen across the board due to exchange rates.

https://www.macrotrends.net/2549/pound-dollar-exchange-rate-historical-chart

Pound has been losing value against the dollar for decades.

All that quantative easing and debt is costing us.

[Lozz196]

21 minutes ago, la bam said:

They were much better than I thought they would be. So much so, I ordered one in sunburst there and then, should take a week to arrive. It brought that fender smile back, that tone is awesome. £650, serious bargain, especially compared to the £1600 usa fender hanging next to it.

Those were my thoughts too, the gap between them really isn’t a grand. I used mine as my flying/European bass, I left it in Germany for gigs over there and after 3 months locked in its case it was still perfectly in tune. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Lozz196

[dmccombe7]

Best Fender P bass i've tried recently in a shop was the Vintera P bass which i think are made in Mexico and it was £850. It was far nicer to play with a superior neck feel than the other P basses in Guitar Guitar including the US versions at £2k ish.

Dave   

[T-Bay]

Shame the colour range and options are so limited. I want lake placid blue with maple and block, but would accept the tide pool with maple and block but they don’t do one as far as I can find.

[40hz]

I played a buttercream Player Series P-Bass recently. It was utterly exceptional, under 8lbs easily and finished beautifully with a great core P-Bass tone. 

Definitely on my 'to purchase' list this year.

Edited June 18, 2020 by 40hz

[peety]

I bought one as a back up to my marusczyk Jake paid about £575 for it way exceeded expectations, now gets gigged probably as much as the Jake , not just a great bass for the money just a great bass. I’ve had a number of USA precision’s and there certainly isn’t a £1000 difference in quality 

 

[Delberthot]

I personally think that older MIM Fenders aren't very good but anything from the past 8 or 9 years has been really good. I used to hate the pickups especially.

The current production of MIM Fender instruments is top banana, for Fender