That is always been my own understanding, @howard . . . 
Cheers
Joe
5 Likes
4 Likes
The thing is though, this is an artificial situation created by Fender. So really, it kind of makes for bad data points when comparing quality based on region of manufacture. What is true of Fender here is not true of other manufacturers.
4 Likes
All great info all, thank you.
Is Fender the only MIM company at the moment?
Factory to factory sure does matter, thanks for pointing that out.
In saxes, the factory in China makes all the difference.
So, going one level more, Chinaā¦ are their good basses coming from China, and if so, how do you tell by brand, etc.?
4 Likes
Warwick RockBasses are made in China and are just fine. Quality is good and Warwick inspects them before shipping them out. Just make sure you get one with the Warwick logo.
Very different from the MiGās. Good in a different way. Lightest bass I have owned. I have owned two. I would say absolutely well below Indonesian Yamaha, ESP or Cort in terms of overall quality, fit and finish, but remember I just compared those to MIA Fenders. Not bad in any way.
SX basses are super inexpensive and the ones I played were really cool. Their Spector Euro clone is neat and I kind of wanted to take it home with me. Seemed well made.
And of course the majority of the pedals, amps, and other electronics you find are made there.
5 Likes
Is this Made in ā¦ still that relevant? I mean from a company perspective I would try to my best to delivery the best quality for low, mid and high-end models.
I assume labor costs are much lower in Mexico and Indonesia so that might explain why the low-end models also sell for a lower price, but does that say anything about quality? I mean Fender still puts itās logo on the lower models too. To me it makes sense that materials, electronics, etc. define the price but not the quality. That should be top notch in any case.
I know Andertons had some of those blindfold test where they compare all models. There was one with Fender strats and they thought the one from mexico was one of the best in the series. So maybe itās just all in our heads? 
5 Likes
Componentry - yes for sure, that is not really a āthis country or thatā, that is a choice by manufacturer. Build quality is more a consideration.
The problem with the blindfold tests are they do not take into account a few thingsā¦
- Repairability
- Longevity
- Resale (not always a consideration, but for some it is)
They do the same things with sax comparisons (Bet you canāt tell the difference in a $500 and a $5,000 saxā¦bet i can 5 years later).
6 Likes
Scott Devine did a blind test (blind to the viewer) test where he bought the cheapest P bass he could find on Amazon (like $90 for I believe it was branded Ammoon, but is the same as most unbranded, probably same as Glarry) and put it next to like a $2000 American P bass (they may have been Jazz basses, I canāt fully recall). He didnāt do much tot he Ammoon but give it a quick set up, and he played both and asked if people could tell the difference, and then he did the reveal.
Personally, I guessed correctly, but it was 50% guess, and 50% that I thought I heard a little difference. But not a $1910 difference.
2 things.
1- No question, Scott is an amazing bassist, and it goes to show he can make a cheap instrument sound awesome.
2- If it came down to it, I would still rather own a used $2000 P (bought for around 1/2 price) then an $90 Ammoon. But that just mirrors what the big answer always is, it is preference for a well known, reputable brand, crafted where the company says their best instruments are built, and for personal satisfaction of realizing your dream instrument, and the notoriety and conversations that come from it.
5 Likes
I have a MIM Fender which is very well built, and an MII Ibanez which is very well built. Where you might see a difference is in the woods. My MII Ibanez has a Panga Panga fretboard and a Jatoba/Walnut neck, my MIM Fender has a Pau Ferro fretboard and maple neck. Theyāre all good woods though. This on a sample of two basses so may totally miss the mark. But on the less expensive models it makes sense to source what you can local.
5 Likes
I remember it being a Fedora actually
So more like $70 vs $11.000, it might also be a completely different video!
I have a feeling that on that test he is going through some expensive hardware as wellā¦ No doubt that he can play bicycle break chords and make them sound enjoyable but for a blind test it would be better to go direct inā¦
This guy does that a lot actually. I looked up the chain he has written under the vid and it totals to about $5000
5 Likes
I think you may be right about it being a Fedora @Fahri
3 Likes
LOL. The Avalon is totally gratuitous there.
3 Likes
He did a Fedora video around the same time. I think he may have tested something against the Fedora, but it was more-like a $2000 J bass vs. a $22000 J bass
I will try to dig for it, but I think the $90 one was not up against the Fedora, but it was up against one of his $2000 basses that he has all over his wall, I forget the brand, it is not Enfield like Mark Smith plays, Hmmmmm
I will look it up. But I am sure it is 2 different tests, but if you look at the prices, each test is roughly the same scale of values beinb used. $100 vs $2000. and then $2000 vs $20,000
2 Likes
In my Defense @Mac and Howard.
This is the video I was thinking about, but the price I stated was wrong.
It is a $400 next to a $3500 bass.
This is a more realistic test, considering I can to tests of $500 SBMM modded Ray4 ro a Stingray and they can get close.
But an Ammoon to a Fedora, thats way out there. But I think the Ammoon held its own in that one too.
4 Likes
Ah I remember that one too.
Thereās all too many out there @T_dub .
I really must stop watching them. It just feeds my GAS lol 
2 Likes
Sort of. āFender Indonesiaā is not a separate factory. Fenders and Squiers are made in all three factory complexes in Indonesia - the same factory that makes Cort and Ibanez, also the other factory that makes ESP, Yamaha, Schecter and Supro; also the one that makes all the Samick partners like Hohner and Washburn. None of whom artificially limit materials by region like Fender does 
3 Likes
My one and only bass is an Indonesian Squier Jaguar CV. I was really impressed with the build quality and the setup only required minor tweaking out of the box. The componentry is budget but the core instrument is sound.
My strat is a MIM player series and itās really well built. Iāve actually had two. The first arrived damaged in transit but was setup to perfection. The replacement wasnāt as well setup out of the box so thereās some inconsistency there, but Iād buy another in a heartbeat if something happened to my current one.
My Gibson Les Paul has the highest quality materials but is probably the most shoddily finished of the lot. Sounds great though.
Bottom line, Iām not going to be snobby about the country of origin, Iāll judge based on the quality of the end product.
5 Likes
This is like a perfect two sentence synopsis of the common general sentiment of Gibson online
Googling āGibson quality controlā is pretty amusing.
3 Likes
But I didnāt mention anything about materials. What I was saying is that within a country there are going to be good basses and bad basses made. No country only makes good basses or only bad basses. So its more important to talk about a factory in a country rather than the country as a whole.
4 Likes