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MIM Fender basses

KingRazor

KingRazor

Supporting Member
Jun 4, 2010
6,747
415
37
Beaverton, Oregon USA
#1
I just played an MIM P bass and an MIM Jazz today and I have to say, every once in a while, you find one that just sings. Plays like butter, sounds smooth. I would say both of the basses I played today were MIA quality. I remember just a few months ago I played an MIM Jazz that easily beat any MIA I've ever played.

I've played my fair share of duds, but MIM Fenders can really be great.
 
#2
I sold my original player, a 2000 vintage MIM-P to a fellow in Ohio.
This was one of those that "felt right" and really sings.

IMO, the MIM basses exceed the playing ability of all but a select group of bassists.
Perhaps a Marcus or Victor level player could outdo the capabilities of the MIM, but I certainly cannot.
These are great instruments at very reasonable prices.

FWIW, I've played MIA that sucked badly compared to my old MIM-P.
Each is unique... you might have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a princess.
 
#6
I've found that all Fenders are hit and miss, regardless of country of origin. Once you find a great MIM, it's just a great instrument. If you end up with a dud MIA, it's still a dud instrument. You can't count on "Made in USA" as a guarantee to quality.

I have a few MIMs in my collection because they were "good" ones, and I've dumped many MIAs because they were clinkers. Go figure.
 
#8
It's great that we all have finally figured out that Fender has been ripping us off with all these crappy USA basses, while putting all the truly HQ stuff under the MIM decal, for 1/2 the price.

But, why are we still compelled to scratch off the "Made In Me-hi-co" part, or even replace a Squier logo altogether with a Fender decal? Oh yeah, to try to fool others, along with ourselves.

Edit to add - :-)
 
#9
I recently came to the conclusion that my 2012 MIM P-bass sounds better than my 2011 MIA P-bass. Mind you, both are great instruments, and i dont regret getting the MIA (got it used in a music store, and it was in mint condition), but the MIM is #1 in my bass collection.
 
#10
Thrill-House said:
I recently came to the conclusion that my 2012 MIM P-bass sounds better than my 2011 MIA P-bass. Mind you, both are great instruments, and i dont regret getting the MIA (got it used in a music store, and it was in mint condition), but the MIM is #1 in my bass collection.
Click to expand...

Entirely possible, but would you say it could blow away any MIA? It's blanket statements like that (not saying you said it, but I see where this thread is headed) usually made by envious fools.
 
#12
meatwad said:
Entirely possible, but would you say it could blow away any MIA? It's blanket statements like that (not saying you said it, but I see where this thread is headed) usually made by envious fools.
Click to expand...

It's hard to make any blanket statement that holds any truth in regard to Fender basses, seeing as how much each individual instrument can vary in quality. They're hit or miss across the spectrum.

All I was trying to say in the OP was that there's no reason to think of MIM basses as crap, because there are plenty of great ones out there, you just have to keep looking until you find one (unless you find an MIA or MIJ bass that you like before then...)
 
#13
I don't have extensive experience with MIA Fender stuff. The one MIA I've tried was a Jazz 5 deluxe (one of the newer ones) and I honestly didnt like a whole lot. I mean I only spent a few minutes with it, and it was through an amp I had never tried before.

That being said, it's hard for me to imagine a Jazz sounding better than my MIM! Maybe I got lucky, maybe I'm dumb, but I just really like that damn bass, and if there's really something that sounds better than it, I'd love to try it!
 
#15
KingRazor said:
It's hard to make any blanket statement that holds any truth in regard to Fender basses, seeing as how much each individual instrument can vary in quality. They're hit or miss across the spectrum.

All I was trying to say in the OP was that there's no reason to think of MIM basses as crap, because there are plenty of great ones out there, you just have to keep looking until you find one (unless you find an MIA or MIJ bass that you like before then...)
Click to expand...

Exactly my point. I'm not a hater of MIM, at all. And I'm definitely no noob to MIJ quality, having owned and '83 SQ Squier Strat since '86 or '87. But lots of folks love to slam USA stuff to feel better about what they can afford... Sorry to rant, perhaps too soon here, but it's really become a peeve of mine lately.
 
#16
I no longer have any Fender basses, but this is not because I dislike them.

I've owned a MIA Jazz, two MIM-P, MIM-J fretless, Roscoe Beck V, SR5H maple, and L1500.
All the Fenders played very well and of good construction quality.
The RB5 was excellent, but too wide at the nut for my taste.
At music stores I find a wide variance in feel between instruments.

My preference is 5-strings with 1.75" nut and 17.5mm string spacing.
My Stingray SR5HH does this, and the on-order Warmoth 5-string fretless P/J.
AFAIK, the Fenders do not offer this.
 
#17
I'm a big fan of the MIM Classic and Road Worn series, but I really don't care for the feel of their Standard and Deluxe series necks. They're not bad basses, but for another $100-$200, you can get an instrument that feels a whole lot better to my hands.

Also, and this is just my experience, but an MIM standard fretless is the only bass I've ever seriously considered changing the pickups on. The standard jazz pickups are very... lifeless sounding to me, I guess. I was much happier with my Classic Vibe basses and my Marcus Miller.
 
#19
They are what they are but if you know what to look for a MIM can be as good if not better than a MIA and save you $$. I have two great MIMs and few good MIMs. The high end MIMs classic and roadworn are as good as any MIA I have played or owned but they cost more.
 

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