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Fender MIMs any good?

#21
A good MIM can be a great bass and i prefer to mod them some. I add better pups and maybe a USA vintage bridge. I go used to get mine for $175-250 range and with mods they still stay under $400. I cant find to many basses that play as well and sound as good MIA included that are worth the price diffrence after i mod a good MIM platform.

Look used and try them out. If you find a keeper go for it. The newer MIMs are way overpriced, standards, road worns etc. IMO The classic series are great basses for the money.
 
#22
bassbully said:
A good MIM can be a great bass and i prefer to mod them some. I add better pups and maybe a USA vintage bridge. I go used to get mine for $175-250 range and with mods they still stay under $400. I cant find to many basses that play as well and sound as good MIA included that are worth the price diffrence after i mod a good MIM platform.

Look used and try them out. If you find a keeper go for it. The newer MIMs are way overpriced, standards, road worns etc. IMO The classic series are great basses for the money.
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I can see where this route would gain you a decent instrument, but aren't you still missing out because of the far less dense/hard woods used in the bodies these days?
 
#25
kenfxj said:
I feel that this has become less true since 2006 or so. It used to be that you had to try several to make sure you had a "keeper", however in my experience Fender has considerably picked up their quality control lately. It's gotten to where I'd feel comfortable buying a new MIM online.
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I've got an 07 MIM Jazz deluxe, When I bought it there was a black one that had dead frets, and I returned the first vintage white one I bought because of a twist in the neck. I've since bought many more Bass's and I wouldn't buy another MIM because of what I experienced.

IMHO quality control and quality over all on them is no better that it is on the VM and CV Squires.
 
#27
All of my basses are MIA except one. I have a MIM Classic '50s that I really like a lot. Tone for days, and it looks good too! (Honey Blonde.) Besides my Jazz basses, I have a '75 P; an '08 Am. Std. P; and the Classic 50s. The tone of the Classic '50s does not take a back seat to my other P's, which also sound good. I do prefer the '08 Am. Std. for the most comfortable P neck. But tone-wise, it's no better than the MIM '50s.
 
#28
kenfxj said:
I feel that this has become less true since 2006 or so. It used to be that you had to try several to make sure you had a "keeper", however in my experience Fender has considerably picked up their quality control lately. It's gotten to where I'd feel comfortable buying a new MIM online.
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I dunno. My experiences say differently, but again these things definitely depend on the player and the basses in question ;) However, MIA basses have definitely improved in quality (although they`ve always been pretty good by and large).
 
#29
I've got 2 P's, one F and one Squier, both MIM about a year apart in mid '90s. Can't tell a real difference. I may actually prefer the Squier. My .02 is that MIM Fenders are practically Squiers. The newer S's kick major azz for the bucks.
 
#31
chipbutty24 said:
Hi there, first post so please go easy on me. I have been playing guitar for close to 20 years and am thinking I want to try bass for a while. I have 6 guitars and now need a bass. I am a Fender guy and was wondering about the MIM Js and Ps. I know the MIM guitars are good but how about the basses? I'm aware of the CVs but really would prefer a Fender proper. Thoughts? I know the whole "Just go play a bunch philosophy" and I agree with it. Just want to know what the general consensus is around here. Thanks for reading!
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Here's my honest, unbiased opinion. I've owned a few MIM J basses and still have one. I've played a lot of others. I can't go into a music store without picking up a MIM Fender bass.

To me, the quality has been hit or miss. I've played more good quality MIM's than bad quality MIM's. However, there are some lemons out there in the fact that some of them aren't well constructed.

I love my MIM J fretless and I'm sure you'll love whatever MIM you end up with if you take the time to play as many as you can.

One thing to keep in mind is that Fender basses are rarely set up very well when they're new, especially in big box retail stores. A bad setup isn't necessarily an indicator of bad quality. If you see a bass you like but hate the setup then tell a shop employee that you are considering buying it and kindly ask him to perform a quick setup on the bass.
 

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