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Fender American vs. Mexican

#22
I have owned MIM basses and they aren't bad, but recently I purchased a '51 Reissue which was made in Japan and I noticed the higher standard of quality instantly. Now, I can't play my MIM without noticing how it feels "cheap" to me. So I can only imagine how the quality of a MIA Precision feels.
 
#23
my 90s mim standard has a bone nut, a vintage threaded bridge, schaller tuners, and custom shop 60s pickups, it's fun to play and it sounds great, i have no idea what it was like before, it's main purpose is for playing with pedals, because my mia g&l basses can do some pretty not good funky things when i use them with pedals
 
#24
Play a MIM and MIA back to back then decide if the MIA is worth the additional coin.

Life is full of choices. Unfortunately, we all only have so much money to spend when making these choices. Only you know how much you have to spend and what you give up if going the MIA route.

Now, if money were no object - I would say screw both and go Custom Shop.
 
#25
Kind of off-topic, but how are the Japanese fender's these days?

Mine from the late 90s is stellar, and it was a good bit cheaper than the Americans.

Are they selling them direct in the US at all now? I know there were at some point some sites to import them and you still end up saving a couple hundred bucks over the MIA.
 
#26
jazzonlyjazz said:
Someone told me this before: MIMs are made by Mexicans in Mexico. MIAs are made by Mexicans in America. Totally not true, but it was pretty funny.
Click to expand...

how is this not true? the Fender factory tour video from the 1950's shows that most of the people working there were Mexican, as has been mentioned a persons nationality has nothing to do with the quality of an instrument.
I own both MIA and MIM strats, P's and J's.
I just bought (yesterday) a 2003 mim 60's Ri J bass.
it has a 3 piece alder body (no laminate top), all the details look correct (tuners, bridge etc.), fit and finish is top notch, plays great.
if you didn't read the back of the neck I don't know how you'd tell where it's made.
the standard mim series has the cheaper style tuners and bodies with top laminates, but so do the MIA's I just checked out. I was surprised to see that.
so what are the big differences between the two now, just the pickups?
the
 
#27
My first and only Fender Bass so far is MIA. It's great, but I will follow this threat some more. As far as I read, the most parts are made in Mexico, but the MIAs are assembled in USA, with parts from Mexico and skilled workers like in other Fender factories.
But in Germany all Fender basses are higher priced, so if you can afford it, you might pick the MIA.
 
#29
fendersurfer said:
Great video, have to put my headphones on to hear it again. What do you think of the video? Which one sounds better, is there a bass that wins this "battle"?
Click to expand...

I thought the two best were the MIJ and '07 MIA, but I think the difference between the two was the maple board on the '07. The were some nuanced differences between all four, but I doubt you'd hear them in a band setting, and a little EQ tweaking at the amp would probably even them all out.
 
#31
taurus1 said:
how is this not true? the Fender factory tour video from the 1950's shows that most of the people working there were Mexican, as has been mentioned a persons nationality has nothing to do with the quality of an instrument.
I own both MIA and MIM strats, P's and J's.
I just bought (yesterday) a 2003 mim 60's Ri J bass.
it has a 3 piece alder body (no laminate top), all the details look correct (tuners, bridge etc.), fit and finish is top notch, plays great.
if you didn't read the back of the neck I don't know how you'd tell where it's made.
the standard mim series has the cheaper style tuners and bodies with top laminates, but so do the MIA's I just checked out. I was surprised to see that.
so what are the big differences between the two now, just the pickups?
the
Click to expand...

It's not true if you don't think everyone with a Spanish surname is Mexican, or if these people with non-Spanish names aren't Mexican.

IMG_4899.jpg


Invalid Link Removed

bigDSCN0884.jpg


What their national heritage is, who gives a fork? That doesn't determine the quality of your instrument. So you got a nice MIM Fender. Great. I do, too. That has nothing to do with the builders' nationalities, or of any other factory, just that they're competent at what they do.

Seriously, that may very well be the most offensive of all the oft-repeated fallacies of musical instrument forums. Let that shite rest already.
 
#32
I'm honestly a big MIJ fan, but that's a whole different cult to become involved in. I think the biggest deciding factor is money/preference. If you find a MIM you absolutely fall in love with, who cares where it was made? If you find a MIA you fall for and have the extra dough, why not pull the trigger? My best advice would be not to settle. If you find something you can afford but don't love, just keep on saving. I'd also suggest going to the talkbass classifieds. It's cheaper than any music store and you know your going to deal with someone who knows what they're talking about.
 
#36
Sonic said:
I'm honestly a big MIJ fan, but that's a whole different cult to become involved in. I think the biggest deciding factor is money/preference. If you find a MIM you absolutely fall in love with, who cares where it was made? If you find a MIA you fall for and have the extra dough, why not pull the trigger? My best advice would be not to settle. If you find something you can afford but don't love, just keep on saving. I'd also suggest going to the talkbass classifieds. It's cheaper than any music store and you know your going to deal with someone who knows what they're talking about.
Click to expand...

Like I said, I have a MIJ '51 Reissue Precision and it's quality is absolutely amazing!
 
#37
It really depends on the MIM line, because, as others observed, some like the Classic Series and Roadworns are really excellent and comparable to MIA models. But if it's MIM Standard vs. American Standard, the latter have better hardware and pickups, lighter bodies (2008-present), better fit and finish, more stable necks, and usually better playability. The more recent MIM Standards are excellent, and I have played a few that seem more comparable to MIA models than, say, pre-2006 MIM Standards, but I still think the MIA are a step up in many respects.

Also, as others have said, modding a used MIM Standard is a great way to get an outstanding bass for a low price. I have a black 2010 MIM J I bought used, which I've upgraded with MIA Fender pickups, a Gotoh bridge, and aftermarket tort guard, all of which I had lying around. It looks and sounds fantastic, so I'm happy to play it, but it still lacks the polished feel, rock solid neck, and playability of my 2003 MIA Fender.
 
#40
I own a 2010 MIA standard P and have been playing several recent MIM standard P's to try and find a back up bass. To me the MIA just feels so much nicer to play:
Rolled neck
Good job in dressing frets
Much lighter than the MIM (it has the lighter tuners, and possibly a bit less body wood but i may be wrong)
Through strung bridge

Where as nearly all the MIM standard P's i've played recently have desparately needed a fret job with some nasty fret sprouting (particularly on the maple neck models but not exclusively). My local guitar shop has said this has been a problem for a lot of their recent strats and tele's as well. I even played a Squier affinity P the other day that had a way better dressed neck than most of the MIM's i've played recently. Anyone else noticed this? So i'd definately play before you buy and see if you can get a fret job thrown in if its an issue if you go down the MIM route.
 

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