Im lookinig into getting into my first Fender P bass and theres one im looking at thats a MIM fender and im not sure whats the difference from this one and any other kind of fender....somebody help me
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MIM Fender P Bass
- Thread starter Piranha_shreds_4strings
- Start date
MIM means Made in Mexico, Generally cheaply manufactured compared to MIA or MIJ. Personally though, i think theyre fine as is
I have all 3. Most MIM's are better than many of the other countries of manufacture, IMO.
I just think they're cool because they're made in Mexico pretty much.
I'm not sure what wood the Standard's bodies are made of these days. I've read everything from basswood to veneered alder. The veneers are paper thin.
The MIM Classic Series is solid alder with alnico pickups and U.S. Vintage hardware. You get much more for your money with one of those, over an American Standard IMO. They're several hundred dollars less too.
I'm not sure what wood the Standard's bodies are made of these days. I've read everything from basswood to veneered alder. The veneers are paper thin.
The MIM Classic Series is solid alder with alnico pickups and U.S. Vintage hardware. You get much more for your money with one of those, over an American Standard IMO. They're several hundred dollars less too.
What year is the MIM Fender P bass you're looking at? Generally, the later ones (2008 and later) are better made quality wise than the older ones.
Definitely try it out first as quality can vary from bass to bass but they're excellent basses for the most part.
Definitely try it out first as quality can vary from bass to bass but they're excellent basses for the most part.
The new Standard's neck finishes aren't quite as good as the oldies IMO. They're using a good but more brittle finish now.
Not to derail..
Not to derail..
I have the 50's lacquer and love it.
I have an MIA and a MIM P , both 2013 models.
The MIM is great, it's just that the MIA is BETTER.
both sound similar,the hardware on the MIA and the paint and finish are what set it apart.
Both necks are very playable, can't tell the difference.
main differences are the high mass bridge, string thru body,and 3 times the price
find a good MIM and it will maybe need better pickups, maybe.
The MIM is great, it's just that the MIA is BETTER.
both sound similar,the hardware on the MIA and the paint and finish are what set it apart.
Both necks are very playable, can't tell the difference.
main differences are the high mass bridge, string thru body,and 3 times the price
find a good MIM and it will maybe need better pickups, maybe.
I might get one of these but upgrade everything. Change the tuners to hip shots, the bridge to a badass bridge, and the pickups to Lindy Fralins
Umm.... don't agree on the Cheaply part at all. A standard MIM is a good bass but the classic series and Roadworns are great basses as good IMO as any MIA standards. Most of the bodies and necks for USA Fenders are made in Mexico at the same plant as MIMs
a lot of people lump up the extra cash for a MIA but any good example of a MIM P will last you a lifetime. they're workhorses.
mine was 9/10 straight from the factory.
mine was 9/10 straight from the factory.
MIM P standard = The cheapest Fender MIM you can buy, the are good quality but they are not near to a MIA Standard, there is a difference of several hundreds and there is a reason why.
MIM P Classic series. Lacquer finish, great neck, finish is very good, pickups sounds great... IME same quality as a MIA standard.
MIM P Road Worn. Great basses, IME they feel and sound better than a MIA Standard, however, the relic finish is not for everybody, finish is not a problem to me.
MIM P Nate Mandel. Something between Classic and Road Worn, great basses too, I dont find any difference in quality between this and the MIA I have owned, Fender type badass bridge, SD Pickups, lacquer finish, slighty relic'ed, different neck profile something between P and J, this is what I currently own, I changed the SD pickups for a pair of EMG Gezzer Butler pups and love it
There are few more signatures models but I have never owned. Try the most you can and let your ears and hands decided.
MIM P Classic series. Lacquer finish, great neck, finish is very good, pickups sounds great... IME same quality as a MIA standard.
MIM P Road Worn. Great basses, IME they feel and sound better than a MIA Standard, however, the relic finish is not for everybody, finish is not a problem to me.
MIM P Nate Mandel. Something between Classic and Road Worn, great basses too, I dont find any difference in quality between this and the MIA I have owned, Fender type badass bridge, SD Pickups, lacquer finish, slighty relic'ed, different neck profile something between P and J, this is what I currently own, I changed the SD pickups for a pair of EMG Gezzer Butler pups and love it
There are few more signatures models but I have never owned. Try the most you can and let your ears and hands decided.
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I do hear good things about the Classic 50s. RW Series is also a good bang for the buck..
I have a seven year old Classic '50s P, MIM and it has been to nearly every gig I've done since I got it. When I was in a country band and I showed up at a gig with a different bass, the other guys made me go home and get it (see avatar). It's got a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound and Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats and it's never going to leave me. I also have an AVRI '57 P, and it's beautiful; but I can take the Classic '50s anywhere without worrying about chipping the finish.
A good MIM Precision Bass is an excellent bass. Reasonable minds can (and do) differ over whether and how much a MIA Fender is better than a MIM, and whether that difference is worth the additional money. Certain hardware and electronics are nicer on the MIA models, but those things are all pretty good on MIMs. Is a Classic Series $300 better than a Standard? Is an American Special $400 better? Is an American Standard $700 better? Only you can answer those questions for you. (You can go the other way, too---is a MIM Standard $200 better than a Squier Classic Vibe?) You will find plenty of people on TalkBass who will support answering any of those questions either way.
Here's what I think is the most important thing to understand and remember about Fenders: Every Fender bass is the sum of its parts, and since some very significant parts in that mix are made of wood and thus never exactly the same from bass to bass, every Fender is a little bit (or a lot) different from the others, even if they look exactly the same. Sometimes the parts just come together in a special way to produce a bass that really comes alive in your hands. Now, you can find basses like that at every level of the Fender/Squier line. If you find a MIM Standard that has IT, don't let it get away just because it is theoretically not the best bass in their product line. If you're looking at a specific bass at a store or whatever, and you've played it and you like it, that's way more important than debates over the subtle distinctions between various models. This is especially true with Fenders because they are the most easily upgradeable basses on Earth.
Again, even without upgrading, a Standard Precision is a fine instrument. I doubt that even people who don't like the hardware or pickups or whatever would dispute that. If you really want to know the specific differences between the various Precision models, you can look up the specs on the Fender web site and see exactly which pickups, which bridges, etc., the various models have. That will be only marginally helpful, because they're all Precision Basses and they will all sound and feel pretty similar. To really understand the differences you need to play a bunch of them, preferably next to each other. But if that's not an option, you don't need to fear that if you get a MIM Fender you will be getting an inadequate or insufficient model. They're good, solid basses.
Here's what I think is the most important thing to understand and remember about Fenders: Every Fender bass is the sum of its parts, and since some very significant parts in that mix are made of wood and thus never exactly the same from bass to bass, every Fender is a little bit (or a lot) different from the others, even if they look exactly the same. Sometimes the parts just come together in a special way to produce a bass that really comes alive in your hands. Now, you can find basses like that at every level of the Fender/Squier line. If you find a MIM Standard that has IT, don't let it get away just because it is theoretically not the best bass in their product line. If you're looking at a specific bass at a store or whatever, and you've played it and you like it, that's way more important than debates over the subtle distinctions between various models. This is especially true with Fenders because they are the most easily upgradeable basses on Earth.
Again, even without upgrading, a Standard Precision is a fine instrument. I doubt that even people who don't like the hardware or pickups or whatever would dispute that. If you really want to know the specific differences between the various Precision models, you can look up the specs on the Fender web site and see exactly which pickups, which bridges, etc., the various models have. That will be only marginally helpful, because they're all Precision Basses and they will all sound and feel pretty similar. To really understand the differences you need to play a bunch of them, preferably next to each other. But if that's not an option, you don't need to fear that if you get a MIM Fender you will be getting an inadequate or insufficient model. They're good, solid basses.
^I agree, especially with Precision Basses. As for Jazz Basses, I'd like to disagree because the 1990s-early 2000 models were NOT good QC and some of the design was changed on the MIMs while the MIAs and other higher-end models remained unchanged.
Like the same size pickup cavity and the non-reverse wound pickups on early 2000s MIM J Basses. That, I think, was one of the worst ways to save money for Fender. The Jazz Bass suffered and people started complaining about terrible QC on Jazz basses during that era; I can't find too many complaints on P-Basses from the same era.
The Jazz Bass, IMO, is a bit more complicated in terms of design while the P-Bass...you can't any more minimal than that without customizing it. It's so simple that it would take someone with no-brain (recognize the euphemism here) to completely mess up a P-Bass' design. One pickup, two controls.
Like I said, my MIM P Bass blows out the MIA P-Bass 2007 and MIM P 2009 I once owned out of the water. Loud pickup and the neck was just fine for my tiny hands. The issue I had with the MIA was that the D-string was way too quiet...no matter how much I raised the pickup. Neck was too chunky and it didn't feel right for me. The 2009 MIM P had a loose truss rod that would mess up my action and create unpleasant neck relief that looked like a horror show for me. It was nice, though.
Don't even get me started with my old MIM J......
Like the same size pickup cavity and the non-reverse wound pickups on early 2000s MIM J Basses. That, I think, was one of the worst ways to save money for Fender. The Jazz Bass suffered and people started complaining about terrible QC on Jazz basses during that era; I can't find too many complaints on P-Basses from the same era.
The Jazz Bass, IMO, is a bit more complicated in terms of design while the P-Bass...you can't any more minimal than that without customizing it. It's so simple that it would take someone with no-brain (recognize the euphemism here) to completely mess up a P-Bass' design. One pickup, two controls.
Like I said, my MIM P Bass blows out the MIA P-Bass 2007 and MIM P 2009 I once owned out of the water. Loud pickup and the neck was just fine for my tiny hands. The issue I had with the MIA was that the D-string was way too quiet...no matter how much I raised the pickup. Neck was too chunky and it didn't feel right for me. The 2009 MIM P had a loose truss rod that would mess up my action and create unpleasant neck relief that looked like a horror show for me. It was nice, though.
Don't even get me started with my old MIM J......
