I'm listening to this on my super duper ear buds. I think the American Performer sounds slightly better—only slightly better than the custom shop bass too. Maybe your ears hear enough of a difference to go for the more expensive models. If I didn't already have an excellent P bass, I'd not sneer at the Squier.
For some reason, I couldn't get the video to embed. It's a youtube short.
https://youtube.com/shorts/xGELTeltR...9eBkQyJ6P17rTx