Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Fender MIA - Worth it?
- Thread starter CiaranQ
- Start date
"Worth" and "Value" can be mutually exclusive concepts
What is your PB-57 not doing that you feel the need for a MIA?...........Unless you just want the MIA for no other reason except that you just plain ol'want it...which is a perfectly acceptable reason ("Value")
What is your PB-57 not doing that you feel the need for a MIA?...........Unless you just want the MIA for no other reason except that you just plain ol'want it...which is a perfectly acceptable reason ("Value")
That’s it, all of the basses I have are great and are setup perfectly to my wants and needs. I think I’m just being greedy.
I got my CIJ mustang out today. Such a good bass, and nails that short scale thump.
I’m enjoying reading all the replies though, it’s a good chat to have.
Having owned several MIA, MIM, Squier, and a couple of MIJ/CIJ, the major differences in the current lineup tend not to be quality-related, but a difference in features. Squiers have body woods like agathis and basswood, and I’ve seen some with ugly grains in the maple or badly matched body grains. This doesn’t make them low quality. MIA Standards and Professionals have rolled fretboard edges, lightweight tuners, bone nuts, great pickups, string through body high mass bridges, CTS pots, super comfy necks and frets, strap pins that fit strap locks, and really nice neck finishes. MIM Standards and Players are basically a 1970s spec Fender, minus the pickup. Drop a good Duncan or DiMarzio into any of those and you’re done. They’re all worth the differences in price point to the right person.
The ones that confuse me though are the Performers. I don’t like the greasebucket tone circuit, and can’t speak to the new Yosemite pickups because you can’t try them out already installed without the greasebucket. The necks are basically the same as the Player necks, except with lightweight tuners, and all the P’s are PJ’s. I can’t personally justify that price jump from a perfectly great Player, but if I were gigging at the moment and shopping for a new bass, I could justify to myself the price jump to a Professional from a Player all day long.
I say buy used for any though, if you can find what you like. I think the last time I bought a 100% new Fender was 2008, and that ended up being stolen in 2010. It sucks and it’s a loss. Buy used and it’s less of a hit, for an equally great bass.
The ones that confuse me though are the Performers. I don’t like the greasebucket tone circuit, and can’t speak to the new Yosemite pickups because you can’t try them out already installed without the greasebucket. The necks are basically the same as the Player necks, except with lightweight tuners, and all the P’s are PJ’s. I can’t personally justify that price jump from a perfectly great Player, but if I were gigging at the moment and shopping for a new bass, I could justify to myself the price jump to a Professional from a Player all day long.
I say buy used for any though, if you can find what you like. I think the last time I bought a 100% new Fender was 2008, and that ended up being stolen in 2010. It sucks and it’s a loss. Buy used and it’s less of a hit, for an equally great bass.
Last edited:
This question has been asked a lot lately- best is try them side by side and be totally subjective, forget the price for a minute and say they were the same price, which one would you take home?
If MIA Fenders were the same as MIM no one would buy MIA, if Squier was the same quality people wouldn't buy anything else. The reality is the MIA basses are still selling because people will still pay for them. Given that so many people buy basses I would hazard a guess that yes, the MIA is still a valid proposition based on the sample pool of buyers.
If MIA Fenders were the same as MIM no one would buy MIA, if Squier was the same quality people wouldn't buy anything else. The reality is the MIA basses are still selling because people will still pay for them. Given that so many people buy basses I would hazard a guess that yes, the MIA is still a valid proposition based on the sample pool of buyers.
Having said that, or maybe to that point - I also owned a '57 AVRI for several years, during which I also bought a basically new but technically used Classic 50s Lacquer (still had the film on the tuners and the case had all the hang tags, manual, bumper sticker, etc., not even any very light finish scratches - basically unplayed). I found quality to be identical. The AVRI aging looked more natural than the orange tinted Classic 50s, and IIRC it had a hootenanny button on the back of the headstock, and of course had nicer pickups, and a trans white finish over ash. The Classic 50s was black on alder, and had the same stock pickups that my 2008 American Standard had. Neither was string through, if I recall the AVRI correctly, and the AVRI had a nicer case. Otherwise, they felt pretty much identical, and once the pickups were swapped out the Classic 50s sounded just as good. Changing the strings from rounds to flats, both required *zero* adjustment, which was kind of mind blowing. I sold the AVRI and kept the Classic 50s, though it's also now gone.
We'll probably see in 15 years or so whether the Classic 50s hold up, and that's where any real quality differences will show, but they're still differences in features - plastic nut versus bone nut, pots wearing out, caps dryng out, necks standing up to 20 years of humidity changes, etc.
The one bass I am not ever selling, flipping, trading, or modding is my 2014 American Standard. The rest come and go.
I am sure anyone on here would 'on the surface' … but that is where a forum like this falls short … you see folks tossing out prices/country of origin/etc., without the details and specifics and it looks either crazy cheap or gives a false sense of an inflated value … the early Hwy 1 uses components that are not of the same as the early American Standards, the American Series, American Specials, and even the later Hwy One's, in spite of my preference for them … they are $500 basses (+/-) ...
When I list something for sale, it is not intended to sit in the mix with everybody else's stuff for weeks, months, even longer as I see some listings on here … I am selling because I want it gone for some reason, so I sell slightly under realistic market value ... so $350 for this model bass, by handing it over to the first person to show for cash, is virtually the same as getting $5-550 to list it on a site like this, pay today's shipping charges with insurance, sell it with the case ($100 sold separately), worry about what it shows up looking like at its destination, or if the receiver has buyers remorse for some reason, and have PayPal fees on top of it all …
Now, if you want to drive to Minnesota from Canada to pay $350 cash for a $500 bass and save me all that hassle … I certainly can give you a shout
As I have said on here multiple times … you can't judge a Fender bass solely by country or origin, that includes components, quality, and especially pricing … too many variables …
JMHO … as always
I can easily sell one of those here for $800CAD. So buying it for $450CAD and making $350, yep I can do that deal. I’m not knocking your logic, I’m just saying if you have any more, let me know.I am sure anyone on here would 'on the surface' … but that is where a forum like this falls short … you see folks tossing out prices/country of origin/etc., without the details and specifics and it looks either crazy cheap or gives a false sense of an inflated value … the early Hwy 1 uses components that are not of the same as the early American Standards, the American Series, American Specials, and even the later Hwy One's, in spite of my preference for them … they are $500 basses (+/-) ...
When I list something for sale, it is not intended to sit in the mix with everybody else's stuff for weeks, months, even longer as I see some listings on here … I am selling because I want it gone for some reason, so I sell slightly under realistic market value ... so $350 for this model bass, by handing it over to the first person to show for cash, is virtually the same as getting $5-550 to list it on a site like this, pay today's shipping charges with insurance, sell it with the case ($100 sold separately), worry about what it shows up looking like at its destination, or if the receiver has buyers remorse for some reason, and have PayPal fees on top of it all …
Now, if you want to drive to Minnesota from Canada to pay $350 cash for a $500 bass and save me all that hassle … I certainly can give you a shout
As I have said on here multiple times … you can't judge a Fender bass solely by country or origin, that includes components, quality, and especially pricing … too many variables …
JMHO … as always
But I’m not driving to Minnesota from anywhere, especially not Halifax. That’s over 1900 miles. That’s well worth the $75 shipping charge, and I’d still make money.
The fact an instrument is made in the USA is not a guarantee that it will be of better quality, fit/finish than say a bass made in Mexico. Again, both factories are capable of goodness, and sadness alike. For example:
Left: Steve Harris signature. Right: 2018 MIA Standard P
The neck pocket is similar on the other side, where the MIM is tight as can be, and the MIA is sloppy. A big deal? Not to me. However, it illustrates my point above. Furthermore, the MIM setup was spot on, where the MIA required a good bit of adjustment to bring string acton within factory specs. Both played and sounded great, and I was happy to own both. The MIM model is the one which survived downsizing my collection as it is a fantastic instrument. Because I had so many Fender-type basses, I sold all but a few core instruments and purchased something completely different-- first a new Stingray, then a Rickenbacker. It's a great time to leave your comfort zone and explore other basses
Best of luck!
Left: Steve Harris signature. Right: 2018 MIA Standard P
The neck pocket is similar on the other side, where the MIM is tight as can be, and the MIA is sloppy. A big deal? Not to me. However, it illustrates my point above. Furthermore, the MIM setup was spot on, where the MIA required a good bit of adjustment to bring string acton within factory specs. Both played and sounded great, and I was happy to own both. The MIM model is the one which survived downsizing my collection as it is a fantastic instrument. Because I had so many Fender-type basses, I sold all but a few core instruments and purchased something completely different-- first a new Stingray, then a Rickenbacker. It's a great time to leave your comfort zone and explore other basses
Best of luck!
Seriously, though, I really couldn't say one way or the other about new Fenders. A new Lefty anything is very scarce around here, and I can't recall ever picking a new lefty Fender up. Compared to mine, though - I doubt I'd have been interested, anyway - regardless of where it was made...
Last edited:
Not sure why you’re still going on about this. I kind of get the impression you’re now mocking me, and it’s a bit confusing. Do whatever makes you happy. Anyway, it’s weird, but I’m moving on.… Except as mentioned in my original response, the reason I sold them the way I did (no case, no packing, no shipping, into buyers hand for his immediate eval, for cash with no PP fees) was for a quick and simple transaction that left me just about the same $$ net in the end vs. listing here and packing/shipping with a case … you can bet that I am going to jump at the chance to add to all the above hassles to now ship internationally on top of it … so the buyer can make a profit selling it to somebody else
I am glad you weren't knocking my logic … LOL
