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My Opinion on Squier vs. MIM vs. MIA.

Dear God not this topic again.

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I have owned 4 makes of Fender (MIA, MIJ, MIM, VM). I could never figure out why there is a price difference between the VM and the MIM. I even prefer the VM (and I've owned several MIMs). The MIJs are on par with the MIAs (sound, feel, quality). The MIA has slightly better hardware.
 
So my day job is as a mechanic, say you are car shopping and you need a truck for work.... a squire is like a kia sorrento, a mim is like a top of the line kia Sorrento and a Mia is like a chevy Malibu base model a deluxe is like a nice moderately equipped truck. None of them are all that awesome, but I will buy the truck if I need a truck.
 
I have had multiples of all 3. Was never happy with the tone of the stock MIM (pickups always seem to sound "loud" to me). Once tweaked, modded, setup etc, the Squier VM and MIM are every bit as playable and musical as the MIA. Then any deficiency in the instrument is probably due to a short coming of the player (me).
 
I've got a VM 70s Jazz. Love it. It's a great, all-around instrument. I've tried a few MiMs (one brown burst felt absolutely phenomenal to play (blew everything else out of the water, Fender/Squier-wise), but the pups were lacklustre compared to all the others) and a handful of MiAs (best sounding pickups), and they all felt consistently solid, but also, I didn't find their profiles as comfy as the VM that was also in the store at the time.
 
I have both a MIM and MIA P.

My guitarist swears by the MIA. He always comments on how it just sounds better than the MIM.

I play both regularly, but he always rolls his eyes at me when I bring the MIM to practice. Personally, I like the feel of the neck on the MIM. My MIA has a nitro finish on the neck that tends to get sticky when things get sweaty. That doesn't happen on the MIM, which has a more satin feel.

The MIA stands above the MIM on all counts. Hardware, electronics, fit and finish are all better on the MIA.

I still like 'em both.
Tried switching necks?
 
I own and regularly gig two Squier bass guitars-one has a Fralin PBass pickup, the other has two Darkstars. The necks feel great and are stable through weather changes, and they each have a Sound. For me, nothing else matters. I listen with my ears, not my eyes.
 
VM and CV Squier are really good, but often require some parts changed out to make them great. Electronics, nuts, fretwork and some hardware upgrades help these out. Often, these are modded extensively without any regard to future value. If it has a good neck and weight, it's a killer deal. I won't say these can displace a MIA version, as I see these as "great for the $" basses that often have something that reflects the quality/price point: like woods used and their relative quality vs higher end basses. I have VM and CV Squiers and really like them. If I had the $, I would get US or Japanese versions of them.

MIM are similar: some can be helped out with electronics and maybe some hardware upgrades. Mods are really of no consequence and can get extensive. These often have "that Fender thing" going on and can be tweaked well into MIA territory. These also say Fender on the headstock-which gives credibility to name droppers.

MIA typically rock and changes are made only to fine tune it in for the player. Mods done are usually reversible. Many don't want to devalue them. My MIAs usually only get string changes and the occasional pickup swap.
 
I think you've been reading TB too long and your opinions have melted down to the mean average of every post herein. Perhaps you're trying to impress someone on the forum with your astute awareness of what you're supposed to think?

On a side note, my Made In Indonesia Epiphone SG is a fine instrument.
 
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Theres a lot of interesting discussion to be had about Squiers. The brand has traded hands many times, they are always a little hit and miss, some of them have been very high quality instruments, some of them as cheap as they possibly come, and they've also been a way for fender to release a lot of affordable experimental designs to a market that usually has no interest in change. Squier is a fun company. Their precarious place as the low end line trying to attract young aspiring guitarists and bassists could generate plenty of discussion. And if you play a fender today as an adult, my guess is that your first bass was a Squier.

So, we could talk about that.

This topic doesn't have to be a troll every time. But if you are going to talk about this stuff, try to bring some specifics.
 
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