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Bad years for MIM Fenders?

Rusty2867

Rusty2867

Jan 12, 2014
188
47
De Soto,Ks
#1
I have been shopping around local stores and pawn shops looking at Fender basses for awhile now.I am just wondering are there certain years I should stay away from or things to be aware of when I am looking? I have found a few in the $300 to $400 range,so far the one I am most interested in is a 06 FSR P-bass in natural and 2nd 99 jazz in black.Decisions,decisions!
 
#4
I couldn't say when it comes to "bad" years, but IIRC in 2008 the MIM's got a makeover of sorts (as did the American Standards) and the quality and consistency in general went up considerably. I purchased a Standard Jazz and a Standard Precision in 2010, and both were really well made solid instruments.

I just purchased a Deluxe Active Jazz this past weekend and again, the quality is REALLY impressive to me. I also own an American Standard Jazz and have owned an Am Std P so I know how they compare.

None of that is to say that MIM's made before 2008 weren't good, just that I have experienced firsthand how good the newer ones are.

I would say that in general it pays to carefully check out all MIM basses. Overall the QC from Fender is always hit and miss IME, but a bit more so on the MIM's than the American instruments.

Hope that helps.
 
#8
I would guess that there was not a single year in which every single Fender bass was great.
Whenever you mass produce anything there is a certain percentage (although it may be small) that are just dogs. (Please, no offense to any dog lovers).
Some years lots of dogs, other years maybe only a few. But be assured there were a few barkers in any given year.
 
#9
I remember back in around 1999 i was shopping for my 1st bass... I REALLY wanted an MIM Fender Jazz.....

This thing was sooooo noisy & buzzy that i was forced to settle for an Ibanez Soundgear.

I later sold the Ibanez on ebay and ended up with an MIJ 75 RI Jazz that i found in Sam Ash
 
#11
I bought a MIM P-bass for my son in the mid-late 90's and i think I played a dozen of them before I found one that I would consider buying. Quality control was spotty to non-existent on most of them. If you are buying used those problems have probably been fixed by previous owners.

Rick B.
 
#13
I have an '07 P-Bass, alder, which plays great. When I bought it, however, the original pickup's output was virtually nonexistent. I replaced it with a Duncan SPB 2 and it came to life. I then replaced the tuning machines with Hipshot HB7s, and replaced the stock bridge with a Babicz. I daresay I'd now take her head to head with any American made P. She's that good.
 
#14
edencab said:
I picked up a used 2004 MIM Jazz last Oct....other that some minor road wear, it is really well put together, has the 2 different sized pickups, not at all noisy or buzzy, I put Fender flats on it and it plays beautifully
Click to expand...


I have to echo edencab here. I recently picked up an '02 MIM Standard Jazz and it's a really nice bass. Minor wear as well, but built solid, also has the two different pups on it, and not noisy at all.

It had fairly new rounds on it, so I'm gonna leave them on for a while.

And I absolutely LOVE the thin neck on this '02! I have played a couple of the new MIM Standard Jazz's recently, and I swear the necks on those were chunkier than the one on this '02. And I love a thin neck on a Jazz..
 
#15
I'd go with a newer one, 2008 and after. I thought the quality of MIM Standard Fenders in the early days was pretty bad to very average. They've improved over the years, though I'm still not crazy about them.
 
#17
As far as the standards, I'd say prior to 2001. Back then they used different pickups, and the bodies were poplar. In 2001, they switched to more traditional pickups (e.g. the Jazz Bass had a wider bridge pickup than neck pickup, which is correct), and the bodies became alder. They also got proper knobs, not the strat-style stuff.

In 2009, they got even better IMO. Nice feeling necks, more appealing finishes - nicer looking headstock logo too. Only thing I dislike is the lack of Jazz V colors.
 
#18
While the newer ones seem to be better on paper than the older ones, it is quite possible to find a really remarkable 90s MIM Fender. I've had several. Since you're looking at used instruments in any event, I would say, don't turn your nose up at a MIM just because it's from the 90s or whenever---it may well be one of those magical instruments where everything just works perfectly together. Or maybe not, but, the point is, they're worth checking out, especially since often you can get good deals on them.
 

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