MIM vs MIA Fenders

[bassbenj]

I've yet to find an MIM that outplayed an MIA. On the other hand, I've played Squiers that outplayed MIMs as well as MIMs that outplayed Squiers.

Mostly what you say is true, but back (a few years ago) when I was looking for a Fender Jazz I played LOTS of MIA, MIM and Squires. I DID play a couple MIA that were worse than the best MIM. In fact they weren't so hot by any standards.

But that was then and I hear that Fender has really tightened up on quality control these days. Good. It needed it.

For what it's worth I ended up with a nice MIM Jazz. Although admittedly it was not as nice as the best MIA I played, it was not the HUGE pile of cash either. Yeah, a reinforced neck would be more stable (though mine has NO issues with neck stability) and the MIA pickups (then) sound better too. But hey, even with new pups it's still WAY under the MIA price. But Fender has changed the MIM pups now too. So you have to be careful as to what you are comparing.

 

[bighead4G&L]

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.

NITRO??? I don't think so if you're talking American Standard..

 

[Twocan]

I've owned many of each, and swear I can always pick the (standard, pre 2000) MIM neck without looking. Also, I've always had to adjust the MIM necks more - they don't fare as well to temp/humidity changes.

That said, I owned a MIM 50's P that was simply awesome.

American quality definitely varies on year, etc etc. I've owned identical models (same model/year) that were nothing alike. Further insentive to play before you buy!

Regardless of inconsistencies, Fender is tops in my book.

 

[PaulMacCnj]

Good point. It's fun to customize instruments. Why buy an expensive one if you're going to hack it up to mod it?

...if you like to "roll your own" the MIM is THE platform for mods.

 

[saxman_singcan]

It's funny that this thread has popped up. I am starting to look for my next bass purchase and I've have been really considering a fender jazz or jazz deluxe. Since I am buying this instrument for playability and as an investment, I have been only considering americain made fender (as opposed to offshore and/or squiers).

Am I correct in thinking that an americain made Fender will hold it's value/appreciate in value over time? (Provided I find a real player...and hopefully used)...

One of my main basses is a Squier Protone 5 string and it is a real gem! I have a couple of high end basses and the but I still bring the Protone out to gigs (especially if it is a Jam). So, as far as picking a side I vote or the Squier Protone series.

(Who knows, I might change my mind once I start trying out some MIA Fenders, haha).

 

[9mmMike]

Actually I think the Highway-series is THE platform for mods. YMMV.

But...my brand new MIM 50's Precision is a fantastic bass. I have been comparing it to "The One" (my Dakota Red '57 AV RI) and it holds up pretty well.
The necks are incredibly similar which was always one of my favorite things about my AV RI's. The MIM is a little lighter weight.

Still wears the Fender factory rounds but my '57 wears Fender stainless so they are both quite bright.

I will be taking the MIM to play at church tomorrow and then to band rehearsal tomorrow night. I am looking forward to hearing how it sits in a rock band.

 

[DwaynieAD]

I have 5 local bass stores plus a guitar center near me. I went on an all day fender jazz playing spree about 2 months ago, my final total is 9 MIM fender jazz basses played, 11 MIA fender jazz basses played and 3 Geddy Lee jazz basses played.

Final Consensus: the MIA's look prettier

 

[matt11]

Not one of these describes my 2001 MIM Jazz Bass. Solidly built, looks amazing, great feel, smooth neck, not heavy, awesome. Got it nearly 10 years ago from Umanov Guitars in NY and it's as great now as the day I got it.

My 2001 MIM is the bass I play the most--I switched in a Badass bridge and SD Antiquities, but even before that, I found it a great sounding and very playable bass.

 

[major10th]

I have 5 local bass stores plus a guitar center near me. I went on an all day fender jazz playing spree about 2 months ago, my final total is 9 MIM fender jazz basses played, 11 MIA fender jazz basses played and 3 Geddy Lee jazz basses played.

Final Consensus: the MIA's look prettier

Sounds like you had a productive day. I just hit up a GC, Sam Ash, and Musicians's Workshop in Central Jersey looking for a MIA, Hwy 1, or Road Worn P.

Final Concensus: 2 black MIA, 0 RW, 0 Hwy 1, quite a few Squires.

Plenty of Fender Jazz basses, pitifully few Precisions.

 

[pyrohr]

I've owned 14 Fender basses at one time, all from different countries of origin. Here is my take: While I did sell some basses I think I could still talk about what I've owned and not what I played in some store. While all basses do have their appeal when new and we do try to like them as time goes on you do find and hear their short comings. simple things like string changes feel more fluid on a MIA bass. All basses sound good when played alone but in the mix they fall short. Another area you notice what you have is when you plug into some one else's rig on the fly. I notice with my MIM DLX bass it's harder to get a good sound when my MIA basses sound good no matter what I plug into. MIA basses sound "cleaner" and more natural as MIM basses sound a little "cheaper" when you have been playing MIA basses for awhile (I guess this is why most established basses as well as guitarist use MIA stuff). I have played some great sounding and feeling MIM and MIJ/CIJ basses and own some but when it comes to what I would pick it would be MIA basses all day long.

 

[pyrohr]

I also would like to add I own a Geddy Lee jazz in which I removed the badassII. This is the only MIJ bass I have left and while it is a decent bass it has it's short comings. The tuners on mine oxidized in less than a year of ownership and the bass has a significantly lower output than the rest of my basses! It does have MIA original jazz pups as well as CTS pots so the bass does sound excellent. I own a MIM P bass with Fralin pups as well as CTS pots and it is killer but still modded. All but one MIA bass is bone stock and never needed nothing, even the one MIA bass I changed the pups in was just because I wanted to and not needed to. It's sorta like you buy lower line amp and play it at moderate volume, it will probably sound pretty good but as you turn it up you become less and less enthused with the sound..................

 

[michael_atw]

I have played roughly around 100 different MIM and MIA Fender guitars from various time periods. When it comes to just MIM Standards vs. MIA Standards (this will omit special models) first things I notice are the bridge has more sustain on MIA, the neck always feels better on MIA, the finish always looks better on MIA, the pickups often (not always...but never worse) sound better on MIA.

In the realm of Deluxes and Special Editions I've played a few Geddy's, a few '51's, many Deluxe Actives and a few 50's and 70's Reissues...also a Road worn 60's. The one I loved the most out of them all was DEFINITELY the Road Worn 60's. It was a MIM but gorgeous! Loved the nitro, even enjoyed the road worn (even though I don't really care for it generally), the neck was VERY broken in, and the pickups sounded amazing. Deluxe Actives are hit and miss with me...I'll like them one day and not the other. I love the look of a '51 til I pick it up, I can't stand the feel. 70's Reissues are great to me.


ps - none of these were at Guitar Center...and nearly all were not at music stores.

 

[sjb64]

Fenders made in Mexico are made by Mexicans. Fenders made in USA are made by Mexicans. What the **** is the difference?

 

[sjb64]

Oh wait! Made in USA Fenders (made by Mexicans) are more expensive. The also have better pickups. **** You DB'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bluesbob]

Am I correct in thinking that an americain made Fender will hold it's value/appreciate in value over time? (Provided I find a real player...and hopefully used)...

If you want it to hold/appreciate in value it would have to be used - at least in the short run.

If the feature set on a new MIA Fender is what you want - go for it! Everybody should own a new bass of their own choice. I did - decades ago. An MIA Fender Jazz bass made in 1971.

And - mainly - it's your money. Try before you buy, and all, but get what you want. Just don't be influenced by things that aren't that important - like country of origin. In today's global economy, and with the advent of computer aided manufacturing, where a thing is made is less important than it used to be. Buying American-made products used to be the safest way to avoid getting something of lower quality. That's simply not the case any more.

If you want a Fender bass with graphite rods in the neck, a string-thru bridge, rolled fretboard edges and a modern-pop sounding pickup - and you don't want a different neck size or fretboard radius, and you like the color selection - you really don't have to look any further than the American Standard. If this isn't what you want, you may be better off looking elsewhere.

 

[Catbuster]

MIA.. I dunno exactly why, But def. MIA. I have played some MIJs that were as good as MIAs, but never an MIM that was as good as an MIA

 

[DwaynieAD]

Sounds like you had a productive day. I just hit up a GC, Sam Ash, and Musicians's Workshop in Central Jersey looking for a MIA, Hwy 1, or Road Worn P.

Final Concensus: 2 black MIA, 0 RW, 0 Hwy 1, quite a few Squires.

Plenty of Fender Jazz basses, pitifully few Precisions.

it was quite the fun day. but it really got me thinking. I do realize that there are very subtle differences between MIM and MIA's when thinking in sound quality only. I have not experienced any of the glaring difference mentioned in this thread, and this is not the first time I've went on a fender jazz playing expedition. I have never played an MIA that was good enough to warrant paying twice the price.

the only significant differences, to me, are in the finish. I dont mean quality of finish either, I mean the MIA's have beautiful mirrored finishes, paint sparkles like a brand new car, headstock and neck are polished so i much i can see my reflection in them, chrome is so shiney i had to fight snoop dogg off of one i wanted to play. while the MIM's got paint on em...

but thats what got me thinking. i thought of my MM sub i've played many of them and many MM rays, came to the same conclusion; if i want to gig MIM (or the Sub) if i want to impress people MIA (or the Ray)

you're out gigging your gonna get blood mud and beer on your gear and the MIMs just seem up to the abuse, and if they're not, i'm out half the money over an MIA

 

[SurferJoe46]

<snippity, snip>

........you're out gigging your gonna get blood mud and beer on your gear and the MIMs just seem up to the abuse, and if they're not, i'm out half the money over an MIA

I don't consider playing bass as a contact sport - and I worked all the topless and bottomless clubs around Disneyland in the mid 1960s for a few years - and somehow we never had problems like that at all.

Even with fleshly attraction (not to me or the rest of the band: you've seen a couple of pairs and you've seen them all - <yawn!>) ---- but even the hormone induced college student craziness mixed with beer goggles weren't much of a problem to us as we had bouncers who could handle all that.

I wouldn't do that again if my life depended on it --- with what I know now though.

 

[imanbrewer]

we all know the consensus...mia fenders are better crafted.Imo craftsmanship and electronics put the mia fenders head and shoulders above the mexican basses; which makes mia basses easier to play resulting in better tone quality.

 

[BassesForTheWin]

All Fenders are hit and miss. It doesn't matter where they were made.

Even the vintage ones. There, I said it.

This quote supports this theory.

I've played MIA's and MIM's, and its usually a hit or miss situation.

The MiM's and MIA's have so far been tied (in my opinion) when I've played then, some MiM's that I've played have been as good as the MIA's I've played, some have been worse, it is just a varying situation, the opinion can change from person to person.