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MIM vs MIA Fenders

#42
When I was determining what components I wanted for my P(arts)-bass, I chose an MIM body, because I liked the color (LPB) and had no need for a string-thru bridge, opting instead for the vintage '75 RI with single-groove saddles. I chose an '09 MIM Jazz (maple fretboard) neck because I didn't need graphite rods, which I think add an unwanted (by me) coloration to the tone. All the other parts I speced are American-made (pups, pg, electronics) and I assembled the bass guitar in my kitchen (MImK). The new (post-08) Fender necks and bodies, whether MIM or MIA, are as close to perfection as a computer can make them. But both necks IMO, need to be worked on to make them sound their best, as well as more easily playable. This work includes (for both MIM and MIA), the installation of a bone nut and fret polishing and leveling, done by a pro luthier, or in the absence of a person so qualified, a PLEK machine. I like Hipshot tuners, so that's what's on my P(arts)-bass, but the tuners on both the MIM and MIA are servicable.

With those tuners and the set-up, the MIM Jazz maple neck is a work of art, and compares well with the best basses I've ever played, including those from expensive boutique and smaller mass-market manufacturers. And it weighs 8.5 lbs., which I really like. So when it comes down to which is the better bass, MIM or MIA, it's neither! The best bass (for me) is MImK!
 
#44
Fender4Me said:
MIM : Cheap electronics, Poorly fretted, Poor fit and finish, sharp edge on the fingerboard, Cheap tuners, More weight.

MIA : Excellent electronics, Nicely fitted and finished, Incredible feeling neck with rolled edge on the fingerboard, superb fret job, thin nitro laquer finish, decent tuners, light-weight. Made in the USA by Americans.

You get what you pay for. Period.
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This.

I was just in GC and they had a MIM and MIA next to each other, and they just felt like different things. The MIA is great, endless tone, and the MIM just felt flat and uninspired. The PU obviously needs to be replaced on the MIM but the overall quality of the MIA makes the price worthwhile. plus you can pick up a used MIA for the same as a new MIM. Hmm...:cool:
 
#45
I've played several $1000+ Fender instruments (not a lot, but several) and I only found one that was absolutely worth more than, say, $600. It was an American Standard Precision. Body was very light (but not neck dive) and the playability and tone were extremely smooth.

I've played pretty decent Squires though too that seemed worth more than half the price but cost barely 25% of the price...
 
#46
dogofgod said:
This.

I was just in GC and they had a MIM and MIA next to each other, and they just felt like different things. The MIA is great, endless tone, and the MIM just felt flat and uninspired. The PU obviously needs to be replaced on the MIM but the overall quality of the MIA makes the price worthwhile. plus you can pick up a used MIA for the same as a new MIM. Hmm...:cool:
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But you could pick up two MIA basses that felt like "different things". Or two MIM. Or an MIM and an MIA where you actually preferred the former.

It may be true that overall the MIA basses might be preferred because of different hardware or electrics or whatever. But to say that any MIA wil always beat any MIM for any player in a blindfold test is not true in my experience. People who think that there's some sort of night and day difference that applies in every case purely based on the factory the bass came out of and what they do there or use there are really kidding themselves, imo. And I own MIA, MIM and MIJ Fenders.
 
#49
pringlw said:
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.
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Unless the frets were hammered in crooked, or something else like that(which i seriously doubt would pass the most cursory QC check), the fret job can indeed be "fixed". Level, crown, polish them, dress the ends. Not hard to do. And depending where you live, will cost $100-$150. Well worth it. And i would do this work on ANY production made instrument, no matter the country of origin.
 
#50
plangentmusic said:
With all the debate about this stuff has anyone actually be able to confirm the difference in regard to actual materials, differences in the production line, etc? They're the same guitars built in different places.
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They are not the same guitars. The MIM necks do not have the stiffening rods and the electronics are different.

But it all comes down to two things (for me, at least) - sound and feel. If I like the sound and feel of an instrument it does not matter where it was built or how much it costs. I like my Schecter Made in China Stiletto 5-string for which I paid $300 more than I like my MIA P-bass which cost me more than twice that used. I'll be selling the P and using the money to upgrade the pu's and tuning keys on my MIM 5-sting J, which I also like more than the P. I ain't sayin', I'm just sayin'.
 
#51
Fender4Me said:
MIM : Cheap electronics, Poorly fretted, Poor fit and finish, sharp edge on the fingerboard, Cheap tuners, More weight.

MIA : Excellent electronics, Nicely fitted and finished, Incredible feeling neck with rolled edge on the fingerboard, superb fret job, thin nitro laquer finish, decent tuners, light-weight. Made in the USA by Americans.

You get what you pay for. Period.
Click to expand...

Not nitro finish...

And if i can say so, its made in the USA but by Mexicans...
 
#52
audiomitch said:
All Fenders are hit and miss. It doesn't matter where they were made.

Even the vintage ones. There, I said it.
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I agree with that, though I can't really speak for the vintage ones.

I have tried out a good numbers of both MIA and MIM and I mostly found the MIAs were better. I fought the fret work to be rough on each.
I went into guitarcenter one day to get a gift for someone else and I tried out the special run MIM Ash body Jazz and I fell in love.

I have since put on a Badass II bridge and Dimarzio model Js.
It sounds great.
new tuners will be installed soon.

For most of us, the cost of MIMs make all the difference
 
#54
Many good points here, but I think the newer MIM Classic series has to be excepted from most of the general perceptions regarding MIMs in general. I had two 70s (a P and a J) in the 70s when I played all the time and they were relatively cheap, but I really like my Classic 70s J better than anything I've played. I also like my '86 MIJ P, and my CIJ Sting P.
 
#55
I think it comes down to your playing situations and your budget. I have owned two MIM Jazzes--one a fretless 4, the other a 5--and both have more than met my playing needs. I agree with earlier posts about MIMs being great for upgrading, but I'm not a tinkerer. Finally, if you do not have a highly discerning ear then you may not be able to tell a difference between a MIA and a MIM, both played through the same amp with the exact same settings across the board. I have three basses and I can tell the differences between them but if I had a MIM Jazz and a MIA Jazz and somebody blindfolded me, I am not sure I could tell the difference--or that the difference I could detect would be worth $800 to $1000. YMMV.
 
#58
IME, YMMV, yadda yadda yadda

TUNERS

MIM: Cheap, heavy, don't stay in tune very well
MIA: Light, better quality, hold their tune

NECK AND FRETS

MIM: Maple w/ rosewood (?) skunk stripe, rough frets, thick gloss finish
MIA: Maple, graphite reinforced, rolled edges, smooth frets, thin gloss finish

BRIDGE

MIM: Bent metal, cheap saddles, bridge-load only
MIA: High-mass, solid saddles, bridge-load or thru-body

PICKUPS AND ELECTRONICS

MIM: Cheap, some noise, decent pots
MIA: Not as cheap, less noise, decent pots (I'm not a fan of Fender's electronics but have yet to change them)

WOOD AND FINISH

MIM: Alder or ash (limited), thick finish
MIA: Light alder or ash (not as limited), thin finish

PRICE

MIM: Ripoff new, good price used
MIA: Slight ripoff new, great price used

OVERALL QUALITY

MIM: Decent, somewhat difficult to find a good playing one out of the lot
MIA: Good, easier to find a good playing one out of the lot, but bad ones do exist

Personally I'd rather buy a Lakland, Lull, Sadowsky Metro, or build a parts bass if I had to get another J.
 
#59
An opinion I wanted to throw in to this. I own both recent MIM and MIA Standard Precisions and Jazzes, plus I've tried many in shops. It seems to me like the MIM Standards have more of a "vintage" feel to them as far as the necks and hardware, and the MIA Standards have a more modern feel. Just my .02 cents. I'd like to know what others think.

Roger
 

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