Fender Standard Precision MIM Worth It ?

[SpitfireCWII]

Hey, I was just curious as to what everyone though on the current Fender MIM precision basses. Are they worth the $500? Ive played one before but that was a number of years ago, has the quality changed since then ? I was told that the sunburst precisions are actually a sticker and not real paint. Thanks in advance.

[5string5fingers]

No, go grab yourself a Squier CV precision, or look for one used. They are not worth it, brand new.

And a sticker? They're definitely real paint lol

[mamushi]

play a lot of them buy used and get one that feels right for you they vary a lot

[QuakingDutch]

Some of the older (mid 90's) MIM's that I've played are really nice, but I don't care for the new ones. If you can find a used one for cheaper, you'd be better off. I also hear Squier makes nice things if you have to buy new.

[Gunner77]

I have a MIM P bass that is my number one bass. It is number one over an American Fender, Japanese Squier, Japanese Fender, and American Stingray which are all good basses but that MIM P sounds sooooo good to my ear. I took it and had the frets dressed and leveled after I got it because they were pretty bad so check them out before you buy. They are not all created equal but I did get a good one.

Gunner

[Solomon Kane]

If you can go around to a bunch of stores and try them out to find one you like, sure. But I'd say the same for the Squiers, as I've played seen some in stores that have poor build quality and others that are amazing. I definitely love the sound and build quality on the VM Jag bass I just picked up.

If you need to buy sight unseen and are not married to new you could always see about getting an 80's MIJ Squier or Fender, or maybe a Highway One. You'll certainly get more value for your dollar, and likely be able to sell it for about what you bought it for rather than taking the initial used bass hit.

Note, I'm not bagging on the Mexi-Fenders, just that the build quality on them can be very inconsistent and I'd be worried about buying sight unseen. But if you can shop around you'll find some gems for sure.

[tangentmusic]

Always, always check them out and play them first. They do vary from instrument to instrument.
Mine is from '04 and is a great bass.

[okcrum]

Originally Posted by tangentmusic

Always, always check them out and play them first. They do vary from instrument to instrument.
Mine is from '04 and is a great bass.

+1 to this, and look for used, you can get some great savings.

[treekiller]

Originally Posted by Gunner77

I have a MIM P bass that is my number one bass. It is number one over an American Fender, Japanese Squier, Japanese Fender, and American Stingray which are all good basses but that MIM P sounds sooooo good to my ear. I took it and had the frets dressed and leveled after I got it because they were pretty bad so check them out before you buy. They are not all created equal but I did get a good one.

Gunner

+1! MY MIM P is my main gigging bass and truth be told the one I play the most at home. I also have a 2010 MIA P as well as a MIA Jazz and honestly the MIM is a very close second! However as Gunner said, check them out before you buy because they can be hit or miss.

I'm currently gassing for a MIM Jazz to mod that I can put a P neck on. I've got a fretless spied that might be a good candidate, especially if I can find a home for the fretless Jazz neck..........

[Marko5657]

Originally Posted by okcrum

+1 to this, and look for used, you can get some great savings.

I bought a really-clean used one from the local GC for $300 a few years ago (didn’t even think it was a great price at the time) and it is a great player.



I’ve done a few things to it since (Setup, HipShot D-tuner, DR Jonas Hellborg Strings) just because I wanted to, and, and the bass was/is worth it.

If I didn’t go to fivers (Fender doesn’t have MIM or Squier P Vs), it would be my main gigging bass. I’m saving it still for home recording.

[Rocky McD]

The Fender Standard Precision and Jazz basses are the most popular basses in the world. They probably sell more than all other Fenders combined. Are they worth it? I think their popularity says that they are. A near mint condition used MIM can be found for about $350. The new Squier VM and CV are probably a better bargin and are about $250 cheaper new. Having owned over 100 Fender basses over the last 40+ years, I like the MIM Fender Standards.
Rocky

[Gunner77]

Originally Posted by treekiller

+1! MY MIM P is my main gigging bass and truth be told the one I play the most at home. I also have a 2010 MIA P as well as a MIA Jazz and honestly the MIM is a very close second! However as Gunner said, check them out before you buy because they can be hit or miss.

I'm currently gassing for a MIM Jazz to mod that I can put a P neck on. I've got a fretless spied that might be a good candidate, especially if I can find a home for the fretless Jazz neck..........

My bandmates complain when I bring other basses to practice to try out cause they miss the sound of the Mexi!

Gunner

[Pilgrim]

Buy used. What sells new for $500 can be had used and in pristine condition for half that.

[jazznfusion]

Im new to bass, but know my luthier well. He use to do work for Fender and dropped them for several reasons. however, he says when MIM's came out they were good, but have been getting worse for a while now. He said he's had several where the holes were drilled so bad he thought it was done by hand, and costed alot to fix, and Fender covers nearly nothing when something is wrong. Just his experience with MIM's.

[bh2]

I bought mine blind off the bay a couple of years ago... it's a 2002 and it's very nice actually.

Nice P tone with no real build issues. I swapped the tuners out and added some bling. I'm very pleased with it.

Some detail pics...









MiM's get a lot of bashing here which is a tad unfair in my opinion.

[treekiller]

I'm currently gassing for a MIM Jazz to mod that I can put a P neck on. I've got a fretless spied that might be a good candidate, especially if I can find a home for the fretless Jazz neck.......... [/quote]

I just pulled the trigger on the Jazz today, got it plenty cheap too! I had never played a fretless before, kinda fun but I'm still doing the neck swap provided I find a good MIM P neck.

[A-Step-Towards]

I cant see myself paying over 300$ for one, there just to easy to find used cheap. I have had many MIM fenders all around 200$.

[BigOldHarry]

my opinion?

no.

But that's just me.