Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a P bass built in the Mexico plant. The construction seems to be good but the sound is not as full as I have heard on American built instruments. Are the electronics on this bass inferior to the American P bass? If so I would like some upgrade suggestions.

Well, almost everything is cheaper and less precise on Mexican's. I could have some suggestions.

-Replace the bridge and tuning machines for better ones. It does affect the sound, especially the sustain. Check out Schaller and Gotoh.

-Replace the pick up. There's only 1 pick up on the P-Bass, so it could worth it to pay a bit more for a good quality pick up. I'd suggestion you the Seymour Duncan Basslines. If you want something better again, go to Lollar.

-Rewire the electronics. Solders are probably poorly done, as much as the wires are probably really cheap. Just replace the wire, the pots and the capacitors for good ones, and do some better solders. You'll see a difference.

-Maybe the action is badly set, or the pick up is to low (far from string).


Francis

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Let it first be said...
me a Fender man!
me first bass was a '62 Fender Jazz
and if me ever buy another bass its gonna be a Fender Jazz made in the US of A

NO, it won't be any yakie shaki, si senior, save a $100 special and then dump $$$ into making in sound right.

Now me not knocking cheaper off shore products, especially for the budding musician,
they can be a blessing, but gee dudes...if your up on that stage, laying down tunes to put the bacon on the table well then spend the extra $100 or so and get it straight out of the box, from the factory made right in the US of A the first time round.

You hearing what me saying.

thats me "official" Padmas take on the mater.

So there

blessings
Padma

Ps...If any of you dudes have any questions regarding this topic or Padmas position regarding this topic, please send your request for clarification in triplicate , singed and witnessed by two other parties to the dudes who run this here forum and remember to enclose your $20 handling fees (in chash ) . Thanx Padma

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Well, I haven't looked at the wiring, but I suspected the electronis to be the primary problem. There are a lot of choices for pickup up-grades. Without being able to hear them it's hard to know what to buy. I'm thinking any high end pick up would be an improvement.

What kind of sound do you want, first? It will help to choose a pickup.

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Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

Sound is hard to explain with written words. The Mexican P bass just doesn't have that full, deep, low sound that I have heard on other P basses. It just sounds a little wimpy and weak.

I know that there are many variances among American made P basses, but there is a signature sound. I just want mine to sound like a good P bass.

I have a Mexico-built Fender bass and it's as good as any new Fender bass I have heard or played.

I think the quality of the Mex. products is much more variable than what we are used to or expect from Fender. You can find some good ones, but I don't know what might account for the difference. Mine was set up by a (real) bass player.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck