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MIM Fender basses

#41
A properly setup, yet lower quality instrument should indeed play better than a higher quality instrument that has not been set up, all other factors and preferences being equal. But don't confuse this for making it the better instrument. It just simply means it has a better setup, whether from the factory, by a store clerk, a previous owner, or otherwise.
 
#42
meatwad said:
A properly setup, yet lower quality instrument should indeed play better than a higher quality instrument that has not been set up, all other factors and preferences being equal. But don't confuse this for making it the better instrument. It just simply means it has a better setup, whether from the factory, by a store clerk, a previous owner, or otherwise.
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I've been doing my own setups since the '70s. I tend to set them all up about the same. I have found that many MIAs are duds, and "Made in USA" is no guarantee of quality. Same with MIMs. Fenders are hit and miss regardless of country of manufacture.
 
#43
Just acquired this MIM Classic 50's P bass.

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I love it. It blows me away...especially with how much I paid for it.

My other main player is a Fender MIM FSR Jazz bass. I adore that one as well.
I have two basses that I feel are just right for me.

All that's left is for me to sell the other two! :p
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#44
I've got a MIM J Deluxe for sale. Hit the link in my sig.

It's a good one. I've owned a lot of Fenders over the decades (dang, I'm getting old...), and this one's got a very nice roundness to the tone. My experience with Fenders is as others have mentioned: the quality is hit or miss.
 
#45
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.
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At this point, i would argue that while a good MIA may outpreform an MIM, the MIMs give you much more bang for your buck. I got my MIA used for about $900, and i still think the MIM was a better overall deal.
 
#46
My MIM 50s fiesta red P is a freak. Everyone that picks it up and plays it swears its a American vintage until they look on the back of the head stock "MIM". This P is better than any P bass that I've played: MIA, MIM, MIJ, etc.Its aging beautifully getting darker by the year and more tarnished. Every time I bring it on stage everyone loves it. Vintage pickup and labella jamersons serves her well. I'll never need another P. I really lucked out with this find.
 
#47
MetroBass said:
My MIM 50s fiesta red P is a freak. Everyone that picks it up and plays it swears its a American vintage until they look on the back of the head stock "MIM". This P is better than any P bass that I've played: MIA, MIM, MIJ, etc.Its aging beautifully getting darker by the year and more tarnished. Every time I bring it on stage everyone loves it. Vintage pickup and labella jamersons serves her well. I'll never need another P. I really lucked out with this find.
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Hey, would you mind sharing a picture of how yours has gotten darker?
Mine's from '09 and I just got it yesterday. Would like to compare.
 

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#49
Edward G. said:
Even using the same materials, instruments often don't come together the same. That's why me must listen with our ears and not our eyes.
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True and in the case of MIM Basses are the materials like pot's, tuners, pups really that much worse? IMO.. No. I have never has a tuner go bad on a bass except for an SX p bass I bought years ago for $99.00 so no surprise there.

I have played new and Vintage Squiers (MIJ), MIA, MIJ and MIM and to say one is worse because of tuners or pots etc is stupid to me since there has been little reason to fault them.

I did have an old beat up MIM I bought with a awesome neck that I put Fender 62' RI pups in and it was so good I used it over my MIA P for an album I recorded a few years back.

I loved my MIA basses and loved my MIMs equal but for a few small things but to me there was never enough of a difference to make the money for a MIA worth it.

Your hands and ears need to be in tune to any bass and finding a good MIM is no diff to finding a good MIA. They are factory produced basses so they will vary.

For my money today If i was looking for a new P I go VM Squier and mod if needed. I highly doubt after owning a few MIA Fender's I would buy another for with used RW's, Classic series and good MIMs everywhere why pay the extra money?

No problem for me since I'm stickin to MIJ Squiers anyhow since to me they beat them all :smug:
 
#50
Yes, this is a recurring thread. I suppose that is because it speaks to our deep seated insecurities and self doubts or something like that. Plus Fender MIM basses are the white male protestant members of the bass marketplace: everyone feels free to post slurs against them that would not be socially tolerated if directed at any other target!

Personally, I find that the Fender product lineup is quite rational. There is some overlap and there are the expected outliers due to production variation but the typical MIM is clearly better than the typical Squier and the typical MIA is clearly better than the typical MIM. You get what you pay for, however with basses as with everything else the amount of improvement the extra dollars buy decreases rather steeply as the number of dollars spent rises. So I can believe that a Squier "blows away" a MIM or MIA in bang for buck because they are excellent basses. But no Squier I have ever held blows away a typical MIM by any other measure. And I would say the same about MIM vs MIA.

I own three MIMs, all are excellent, none were handpicked from the available stock, and two were bought sight unseen. One of the two was advertised as a used beater in fact. Pride of ownership? That is something that comes from within you. You either have it or you do not. The most a really fine possession can do is to awaken what you already have inside you, it will not and can not create something you do not have. No mods needed? Well, I can't say that any Squier I've ever held needed any modification whatsoever to do its job well. I've done a few simple mods to my basses and while on average a Squier "needs" more of them than a MIM and a MIA "needs" less of them than a MIM, a MIA would still "need" about half of them. The "need" for mods also comes from within you and it is hard for even a boutique builder to make a bass exactly the way I want it unless it is a full custom build and there was a lot of conversation with the builder before the work was begun.

There are a lot of great basses in the Fender family and I have always found MIMs to be more desirable than their closest Squier cousins and cost effective enough that so far I have always gone MIM. That could change, I can see myself with a Squier or an MIA someday too. But MIMs fill their role in the Fender product spectrum very well.

Ken
 
#51
i have two MIM jazz basses , one is an active deluxe four strings and the other one just a standard 4 strings also ... can't complain at all ... good sound good quality , my opinion is that the mia have better electronics so eventually u will upgrade pickups and pots !!! but u can get a more affordable bass and upgrade little by little ... no rush as the standard mexico will work fine with stock parts !!!
 
#53
I've never actually played an MIM. I'm looking at a fretless MIM Jazz for my next purchase. I own a MIJ Jag and have previous owned an MIA Jazz.

The only bad Fender I've ever played, ironically enough, was a late 60s or early 70s Precision... it was my high school's. But I think it was probably set up terribly; I seem to recall the action was ridiculous. That'd be just about the last place you'd want to see a poorly setup bass.

I've also played two Squiers and they were both garbage. They were regular Squiers, not Classic Vibe or anything.
 
#56
I'm a precision guy and i've tried different MIA and MIM p-basses. In all truth and honesty, i love the mexican built ones over the american. Something about them makes it solid, sound smooth yet cut like a knife killer tone. I have 2 already plus my beloved copy recently fit with fender original pickups! P-basses rock my world.
 
#57
I went to GC to buy an american jazz.....tried out a MIM jazz and it felt 10xs better! So I bought it. put some Lindy Fralins and some flatwounds. sounds really FAT now!
So I go back to GC to check out an amp and they had my same bass same color and everything.....so I tried out the amp with that bass....and for some reason that bass felt terrible! Those MIMs are really hit or miss.
 
#58
Dredmahawkus said:
I went to GC to buy an american jazz.....tried out a MIM jazz and it felt 10xs better! So I bought it. put some Lindy Fralins and some flatwounds. sounds really FAT now!
So I go back to GC to check out an amp and they had my same bass same color and everything.....so I tried out the amp with that bass....and for some reason that bass felt terrible! Those MIMs are really hit or miss.
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FWIW, GC could greatly boost its sales of stringed instruments by setting them up well before putting them out on the sales floor. I've only rarely handled an instrument there that didn't need a complete setup overhaul. This could have at least something to do with your experience.
 
#59
Edward G. said:
FWIW, GC could greatly boost its sales of stringed instruments by setting them up well before putting them out on the sales floor. I've only rarely handled an instrument there that didn't need a complete setup overhaul. This could have at least something to do with your experience.
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I've rarely been handed a bass at GC that was even in tune!! Usually they just take them out of the box and hang em up. Last time I was in GC trying out basses, I had to tune everything I picked up, and most were still unplayable due to lack of any kind of setup. Embarrassing.
 

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