MIM Fender Jazz differences?

[ehinkley]

I wanted to hear some feedback in regards to the major quality differences between a Fender Jazz made in Mexico as compared to USA and Japan. Are most of the quality differences tied to the electronics, the materials used, or the craftsmanship - or is a combination of all three?

 

[lx_night]

try the search option before posting a new thread (Not trying to be mean) but i have seen this topic being discussed many times.

pretty much everything seems to be better in a MIA bass than a MiM bass. for example my deluxe has much better hardware and pickups!

I have read that some people say the wood is better but i canot back that up with hard data.

Try to play one against another and you can definately tell the difference specially in the sound, the feel comes later.

 

[crucislancer]

Generally, these are some of the differences:

Body woods - MiM is typically Alder body, while MiA has both Alder and Ash depending on finish. Whether the quality of the wood is better in the MiA or not is difficult to say.

Neck - The MiA neck has two graphite rods in addition to the truss rod for added stability.

Hardware - MiM uses cheaper tuners and the typical Fender bridge, while the MiA has some really nice tuners and a high mass, string thru body bridge.

Electronics - I think the MiM and MiA use the same pickups now, but I haven't A/B'd them in ages

Finish - MiA have more finish options.

Other - The MiA tend to have a bit more care in things like fret work, with rolled edges and such, and include a hard shell case in the price.

The MiM basses have gotten way better over the years. The MiM basses prior to 2001 needed a lot of work IMHO to make them sound and look great. They also expanded the line with things like the Classic 60's and 70's basses. I'm trying to decide if my next bass will be a Classic 60's Jazz or if I should get a MiA for a few hundred more.

 

[rkingly]

I've got a 2003 MIM Jazz bass & I will gladly put it up against
an MIA or MIJ any time. I also own a 99 MIA jazz & MIM 62RI.
IIRC the 03 had a sticker on the guard that read American Made
Pick-ups. That may explain my bold challenge. All I know is
that she sounds as good if not better than most Jazz basses
that I've played. (including my old late 60's J-Bass, which now resides with my older bass playing brother)

Usually when I pick up a bass to try her out, if she feels & sounds good un-pluuged, I'll plug her in for a proper test run.
In the case of the 03 thats exactly how it went.

MIM, MIJ, MIA whatever floats your financial boat.
I paid around $400 for my MIM & I couldn't be happier.