fixed... but my vote goes for mim just because I dont see a point in gigging an expensive bass stuff gets stolen all the time a mim fender is a solid instrument and fairly cheap to replace.
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MIM vs MIA Fenders
- Thread starter Doom
- Start date
I had a MIM Jazz Fiver that I should have kept. Like an idiot I sold it to fund a MIA Jazz Fiver that wasn't nearly as nice. I guess I bought in to the MIA mystique there.
Well said. In over 30 years of playing, I've learned that when you pick up a Fender bass you can expect anything from just what you want to something that you really don't like at all, regardless of where it's made. That's been true for a long time now and I really haven't seen anything in the last two or three years that has changed my mind. It's true of many musical instruments, but I think it's perhaps more noticeable with Fenders just because there's so many of them around that it's easy to play a lot of them and make such comparisons. And this is coming from a Fender fan (J and P) who's owned MIA, MIM and MIJ basses.
Choose an MIA and an MIM bass at random and I promise you won't be able to tell which one you honestly prefer without picking them up and playing them. I've lost count of how many times I've tried this. You can generalise all you like about hardware, electrics, fit and finish, but as far as actually playing music on the dang things, there is just no way to tell which is going to suit you best by looking at the headstock.
From my experience and in my opinion, nothing beats a bass made in the good ol' U.S.A.
Have you played a Lakland Skyline or a Dingwall Combustion? Both are made overseas (I think the Dingwall is finished in Canada?) and both are great basses.
NOT the case with the Classic 50's precision, or possibly some other newer *premium* mim basses the hardware and eletronics are all mia and all part numbers match up as well to the mia 57 ri expect I think they run a 62 ri mia pup and regular wire instead of cloth..
Otherwise its the same basses except for finished in poly.
and mine was most resonant, "alive" p i had in a while, totally killed my 80s and 90s 57 ri i had owned previous..
...Maybe I'm a bit biased
I never said overseas made basses weren't nice. I actually play a Schecter (made in South Korea) a lot of the time.
I actually play a Schecter (made in South Korea) a lot of the time.
My Schecter is made in (GASP!) China, and it rocks.
MIM are great cost wise if you upgrade em. Generally, MIAs sound better to me when compared to MIMs. Every now and then though, you find the diamond in the rough.
Mostly +1 on that - but you are more likely to get a nice one with MIA. Very hard to find a really really great MIM (but they do exist).
The only exception is Custom Shop. I've yet to play a bad Custom Shop Fender.
Problem is you can't upgrade the basic build quality. Sure you can replace pickups, electronics, tuners, etc, but if the fretting job is poor, its still poor.
I aksed this same question to a friend of mine who owns a small chain of music stores. This is what he told me.
MIM: lower quality woods, different fretwire, usually chinese made electronics, plastic nut, in general lower quality parts. Woods might be the same types as those used in MIA, such as swamp ash or maple, but the wood isn't of the quality.
MIA: better quality everything, better woods used, USA made electronics, bone nut, better bridge, etc.
I have played MIM, MIJ and MIA basses. In my opinion, there is no comparison. The MIA basses are made much better and sound better. The MIJ basses are a cost effective alternative to MIA but I will never, ever buy an MIM bass.
MIM: lower quality woods, different fretwire, usually chinese made electronics, plastic nut, in general lower quality parts. Woods might be the same types as those used in MIA, such as swamp ash or maple, but the wood isn't of the quality.
MIA: better quality everything, better woods used, USA made electronics, bone nut, better bridge, etc.
I have played MIM, MIJ and MIA basses. In my opinion, there is no comparison. The MIA basses are made much better and sound better. The MIJ basses are a cost effective alternative to MIA but I will never, ever buy an MIM bass.
+1 for MIM as gigging basses. I can buy and upgrade a MIM Jazz for about $400 then bring it to bar/club gigs without worrying what might happen.
I guess my vote would be MIM for gigging, but USA for studio/home.
(btw.....this noob is loving TalkBass!!!!)
I guess my vote would be MIM for gigging, but USA for studio/home.
(btw.....this noob is loving TalkBass!!!!)
I had a fantastic MIM Jazz Deluxe and to say the electronics on it were cheap compared to the MIA models is simply wrong. They have the same pickups/preamp as the MIA Deluxes (at last at the time, I bought it in 2000). The build quality was also quite good. I think the MIM Deluxe's are some of Fender's best values and my only issue with mine was that it was HEAVY.
For the record, I'm not just trying to justify my purchase of a supposedly "inferior" bass because I don't know any better. I also owned an MIA Jazz Deluxe fretless and currently own an MIA Precision V and I still think that MIM Jazz Deluxe was a really nice bass. Was my MIM Jazz Deluxe the equal of the MIA in every way? Of course not. But did it suck simply because it wasn't made in the USA? No, I wouldn't say that either. The most discernible difference between them was the weight.
I'd love to see someone do an A/B comparison and post sound samples to see how many people can consistently identify the "cheap" and "inferior" MIM's time after time after time. I've seen plenty of A/B comparisons of all types here and on recording-related forums and without fail the actual results of the tests are always VERY different from what most people predicted, at least with respect to the sound.
As for the feel and build quality, yes, mine did feel different. But that was primarily because of the weight difference. But with the MIMs I still think you get a good value for your money.
same experience here.
Had a MIA Jazz V that I wanted to love so much....but just couldn't get along with.
Took a chance on a MIM Jazz V off eBay, and was pleasantly surprised.
It set up well, plays and sounds good.
The low B is decent.....
The pickups are a little weak in my opinion, but they sound fairly decent.
Just checked a couple of MIA's Standard 5's Jazz Basses. The one in Sam Ash was OK decent enough workmanship for 1399 but the one in GC was terrible! The finger board wasn't evenly cut and and was noticeably thinner towards the bridge and a lot thicker at the headstock.
There was some damage at the neck joint and the paint was uneven. I love Fenders especially MIA's but this sort of workmanship is unacceptable in this day and age.
I have never seen or played a Skyline Lakland, G&L or EBMM in this sort of shape! In fact to the contrary they have been as close to perfect as they could have been in workmanship.
There was some damage at the neck joint and the paint was uneven. I love Fenders especially MIA's but this sort of workmanship is unacceptable in this day and age.
I have never seen or played a Skyline Lakland, G&L or EBMM in this sort of shape! In fact to the contrary they have been as close to perfect as they could have been in workmanship.
I think if you have a MIM you want it to be as good as MIA.
If you have a MIA you want it to be better than a MIM.
There are good basses from both lines and it just depends on the bass and what your needs are. Obviously MIA is a better over all bass 75% of the time, that is why the price is double. I think most opinions on this thread are based on psychology and loyalty to "your bass" rather than a objective position.
Of couse that is TB most of the time.
If you have a MIA you want it to be better than a MIM.
There are good basses from both lines and it just depends on the bass and what your needs are. Obviously MIA is a better over all bass 75% of the time, that is why the price is double. I think most opinions on this thread are based on psychology and loyalty to "your bass" rather than a objective position.
Of couse that is TB most of the time.
I have a 2010 MIM P Bass white with maple fretboard and it is currently my favorite to play and it sounds great as well....
