Sounds like you got a matt freeman model squire. Much higher quality. Does it look like this??
http://www.fender.com/products/matt-freeman-precision-bass
Saddle and bridge is brass, but tailpiece is gold plate,
Forgot to mention the split-coil pickups.
I have a Fender Jazz bass, 12 years old.
What’s crazy about Fender instruments is that some are made
in India and others are made in the USA.. but they are named
the same. The USA ones cost more due to there being fewer of
them and the superior quality.
The Squier models, in both Bass & Guitar, are good beginner
instruments. It’s a fact that when you learn on an instrument
with a less-than-awesome action, you develop finger & fretting
muscles quickly. Then when you upgrade you are ahead of the curve
because you’ve been working harder at the technique.
On the back of the head there should be indication about where the bass was made.
Squiers are cheap but decent guitars. Far better than the cheap guitars of the 60s and 70s when I started playing music. Generally they are well made and play well. Check out the link posted by OldEarlGray to see where and when it was made. Generally the desirability of Fenders (including Squier) is USA>Japan>Mexico>Korea>Indonesia>China. However I’ve played some from China that were very nice. Really, if it plays and sounds good it doesn’t matter where and when it was made or the name on the headstock.
I spent most of my life playing acoustc but picked up a Fender a few years ago.
I love my Fender. It simply wonderful.
We have a late-80s vintage Squier Jazz Bass, and it was made in Korea. It plays ok, but the pickups could be hotter. Other than that, it’s a decent instrument.
We also own an SX fretless bass. Anyone else have any experience with those? They seem like a great value for the price, and no-one has heard of them, it seems. The only complaint about that one is that the fingerboard isn’t entirely flat, so the strings buzz at a couple locations.