It just seems to me that I've run into a lot more Fender players who say things like this or say things like "I ONLY play American made P-basses" than I run across Gibson players who say similar things.
The snobbery among Fender players is impossible to defend. There are too many who automatically reject any instrument that isn't
their choice among the staggering but often meaningless number of variations that Fender has built during the years. There are many of them who claim that anything but an American made bass (and they are usually very unclear about whether that includes one with Mexican-made pieces) is so much dog poo.
And it's simply not true. The Japanese made basses are good, the older MIJ P-basses have an excellent reputation, and for that matter, even the Squier VM series have made a big impression on many.
But there are people who have cars, firearms, instruments, computers, and any other machine and device you can name, who sneer at the people who own the models that the snob has decided are "lesser". Screw them and the the horses they rode in on.
Me? I like Univox, old Kay cheapie basses, Squier basses, and lots of other makes. I've found very few basses of any make that I couldn't get a sound I like out of. And my 1963 P doesn't sound any better than a number of newer basses I've owned.