Fender Mexico- I owe you an apology

oldhorsemurphy

I'm currently in a band (although goodness knows when we'll get to gig next) where I get to play mainly bass, but also sax and a bit of guitar. Nothing too complex and certainly no Van Halen (more along the lines of Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears For Fears among others). It's a lot of fun though. 

As a result, I'll take a Bass, Sax, guitar, pedals and amps to gigs. That's a lot of kit to have on stage and although some venues have large stages, others don't; while I'm comfortable taking along a Stingray bass and my sax, I've never been so keen about taking my Les Paul or 335 to some of the places we play, as they have a lot more sentimental value to me and I'd be devastated if they got damaged or swiped. Recently I've been in a position to buy a new guitar or two and decided I'd like to go down the Fender route. 

I've always been a "it must be made in the USA to be a real Fender" kinda guy and really, honestly looked down my nose at Mexican made Fenders. Sad but true. 

Having recently purchased and been completely blown away by the quality of the purple Roadworn Mexican-made Tele that was released by Andertons (I couldn't get a sound I liked sadly), I bought a 70's Classic Strat which is simply sublime both in terms of build quality, playability and sound. 

I also managed to get hold of a mint condition Wilko Johnson signature Tele that I intended to keep wrapped up for posterity in the hopes that in 10 years it may be highly desirable and worth a bit: that's until I played it.....wow. It's easily the best Tele I've played and I now realise what a total waste it would be to do anything other than play it. I think I'll replace the pickguard as it's not really my colour scheme, but play it I will. 

Incidentally, in March 2013 I had a life-saving op to remove my kidney that had a huge tumour on it. It was a very similar experience to Wilko's own experience, so there's a bit more of a bond between us there too. Funnily enough, the serial number of the Tele (according to Fender) is March 2013 too: all a bit of a big conincidence. 

Anyway, Fender Mexico- I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm definitely a convert. 

https://i.imgur.com/IAWFAzd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/M683ljZ.jpg

skitzigol

Yeah, I've got a nice Tele 72 Deluxe RI that is MIM. Lovely guitar. Glad you are enjoying the instruments and nice story with the dates etc. Keep on rockin'!

Cranky

Welcome to the club.  Glad you're still around to join it!

JD50

Well, firstly glad you're ok and secondly Fender Mexico are great.... I have 3 vintage Fenders and one Mexican... the Mexican is fantastic and much better than the Japanese Fenders I've had (5 of them) in terms of pickups and electrics.

p90fool

I bet your Mexican 70s reissue is better quality than my real 70s Strat!

munckee

I have had a classic player 50s Strat a roadworn 50s tele and now have a classic lacquer jaguar. All 3 have been really good quality and nice to play.  I can’t see much quality difference between them and the Japanese and American stuff I’ve had. 

When I’ve tried the standard range Mexican stuff I think the difference is more noticeable. 

PonchoGreg

The classic series has always been the sweet spot of price/quality in my view (as long as you don't mind some of the vintage quirks). Great neck profiles too, usually. My roadworn tele is probably the standout, just a great sounding and playing tele.

I've usually changed the stock pickups but as long as you buy used in the first place, you can end up with something that will compare very favourably with a US instrument for about £500-600 all in

merlin

I have a Mexicaster. It's a Badger that I refinished. Bloody brilliant. 

mudslide73

merlin said:

I have a Mexicaster. It's a Badger that I refinished. Bloody brilliant. 

Badger lol.

ICBM

All the great vintage Fenders were made by Mexicans anyway .

chrisj1602

I’ve owned many and currently own three. I’ve not had a bad one yet.

dogload

I've owned a Mexican Jazz Bass since the early nineties and I've no complaints about it. In fact the neck on it is so good that a bassist friend of mine who is a big fan of Fender Jazzes has always used it as yardstick (no, not literally!) against other Jazz necks. It's biggest issue was always the pickups, which were a bit nasal (especially the bridge), but I replaced them with Seymour Duncan SJB-3s a year or so ago and the difference is amazing. So much more depth and character.

I have also recently bought a 2008 MIM Jazzmaster Classic Player, which is gorgeous! It's so much nicer than the three Japanese ones I've owned over the years. It's not vintage-spec of course, having the relocated vibrato a la Squier J Mascis, but to be honest, that's not an issue as the Squier JMJM has been my main live guitar for years... although I think it now has competition!

Sassafras

I like to judge guitars on their own merits, not where they were made.

usedtobe

ICBM said:

All the great vintage Fenders were made by Mexicans anyway .

Possibly in a place the US stole from Mexico, too..

Gerz6558

Had nothing but positive experiences with the Mexican Fenders. The mid range Charvels and EVH guitars are also made there no? They also get rave reviews.

thecolourbox

usedtobe said:

ICBM said:

All the great vintage Fenders were made by Mexicans anyway .

Possibly in a place the US stole from Mexico, too..

I read once that Mexican Fenders are made by Mexicans in Mexico, whereas US Fenders are made by Mexicans in the US

brooom

I've always loved their classic series and recently I've been looking at their player duo-sonic models. But can't really justify another guitar.

sev112

I love my Mexican strat

am seriously loving my Indonesian Esquire too

CountryDave

I’ve a roadworn strat that has seen off a number of USA guitars.
It just feels right.

thegummy

Since getting in to guitars I've always wondered the natural question of what makes Mexican Fenders different to American (or really any cheaper guitar vs a more expensive one).

Besides things where the actual specs are different, like the rolled fretboard edges being a good example, there seems to be a lot of general belief that the American ones are in some way better than the Mexican ones but it's always vague, ambiguous and almost meaningless things that people give as examples.

I think a lot of people think the parts that don't differ in spec are still better on the American version simply because they're more expensive so they make assumptions.

SPECTRUM001

thegummy said:

Since getting in to guitars I've always wondered the natural question of what makes Mexican Fenders different to American (or really any cheaper guitar vs a more expensive one).

Besides things where the actual specs are different, like the rolled fretboard edges being a good example, there seems to be a lot of general belief that the American ones are in some way better than the Mexican ones but it's always vague, ambiguous and almost meaningless things that people give as examples.

I think a lot of people think the parts that don't differ in spec are still better on the American version simply because they're more expensive so they make assumptions.

I have read so many differing opinions on this question, and having owned a number of both USA and MIM versions, my conclusions are - 

1. There are good ‘uns and bad ‘uns from each !

2. An expert set up and remedial fretwork can make up quite a bit of MIM ground 

3. Likewise some simple upgrades to wiring and switches etc

4. But, I do think a good USA made has a slight precision of purpose that the MIM doesn’t. Could be the woods used, fretwire or simply the scale of design and concept

Clearly I am talking crap and have been pulled into the great American consumption illusion. Not forgetting that I love guitars for multiple reasons including their aesthetic and craftsmanship.