Why MIM Fenders are bad?

[MCF]

Fender MIM instruments are generally very good to excellent. The Classic/Roadworn Series are regarded by many to be equal to or superior even to American Standard/Specials. One cool thing about the MIMs is their compatibility with the majority of MIA necks, bodies, and parts. The wood quality is often a step below the MIA, but the parts/electronics are generally on par. In the end, a MIM is less expensively produced than an MIA, but that doesn't mean that you end up with a less-functional instrument. The Ensenada plant is about 35 years old and only about 40 miles or so from the one in Corona, so they know what they are doing down there.

The only MIM models I generally don't like are the Standard/Player Series Telecasters. For some reason, I find myself preferring the MIA versions. Sometimes I'll find a MII CV/VM Squier that I absolutely love (I have a VM Surf 60s Strat that is a true keeper).

Actually the plants are 175 miles apart. But there really isn't a whole lot of difference in the upscale MIMs and the Americans except that the MIMs don't have string through bodies. Im with you on the Telies, there seems to be some secret to the Corona made ones that make them somehow more solid feeling.

 

[selowitch]

Actually the plants are 175 miles apart.

Oops, you're right—my bad.

 

[Thrillhouse]

I'll admit that up until recently, I was fairly anti-MIM. My second or maybe third bass ever (I'm talking about 20 years ago when I first started playing) was a MIM Jazz and it was bad. It could never be setup properly. I didn't know enough at the time to understand what the issues were but my teacher had the tech at the shop in which I took lessons try and work on it several times unsuccessfully. It just seemed kind of cheap. Lots of bad gaps in regards to the neck pocket and pickup routing and crooked tuning posts, etc. I stepped up to a Music Man Sterling (USA Sterling not Sterling by Music Man, which didn't exist yet) a couple years later and the difference was outrageous. The MIM just left a bad taste in my mouth.

However, I recently pickup up a Road Worn Jazz and I have to say that it's fast becoming my favorite bass. The fit and finish is very comparable to the American counterpart and it really feels great. Very comfortable and actually sounds pretty darn good. And that's coming from someone who routinely swaps pickups for basically no reason (and I don't have to worry about scratching or dinging it up).

 

[AngelCrusher]

Love my 2017 MIM jazz and i own an avri and a sadowsky as well.

Made a thread on it. Its a great instrument.

 

[klejst]

I don't think they are bad. Now sure there can be some dud's in a bunch from time to time however I have never owned a MIM Fender bass myself that I did not love. Compared to say a MIA Fender bass sure the craftsmanship and materials may not be of higher grade on the MIM but they still make for really nice basses. I always say don't judge a bass by looks and country of origin, base it off playability, functionality and tone.

 

[Jim Carr]

This one is a 2006. I didn't pay extra for it luckily, I don't think the seller knew of the wonders hiding under the poly

I don't think this (veneer over hippie sandwich) is at all typical of MIM Fenders.

 

[Hevy T]

I have 4 Fenders currently and think they are great!

My #1 is a 2017 black and maple jazz (in my avatar) its a beauty all the way

2. New player jazz tidepol with maple board which is amazing

3. 2017 Deluxe ash jazz. The only complaint is its heavy

4. 2017 black and maple p bass. Wonderful tone with both flats or rounds

I love them all

 

[mesa300]

I purchased my MIM Jazz in 2001, I believe. We've had an on-again-off-again relationship over the years, but we're still together. I am not, by any stretch, an expert on basses. But, mine is very comfortable to play. The tuners are a lil suspect tho. Yesterday, I replaced the stock pickups with Fender 60's along with a pre-wired set of controls, and she sounds wonderful. I think I'll re-introduce it to the band that I'm in, tomorrow night. I would not be afraid of buying another MIM Jazz, or P, for that matter. My .02 worth.

 

[rendevouz]

Yes MIM Fenders are the spawn of the devil
that makes them perfect for a lot of metal sub-genres

 

[cmgkhn]

In all my time I have not seen such a concerted and earnest effort on this forum to inform an OP who posted what looks like a troll or bait. I don't know what to think, just had to say something. Carry on.

It may look like troll but I assure you it was not my intention. I explained this to some other folks too, I might have obsessed myself with seeing only bad comments about MIMs and wanted to get some expert opinion instead of believeing what I have read.

 

[bassbully]

The amount of wood pieces glued together has nothing to do with how an instrument will sound. Solid body or glued together the construction and materials holding it together matters more. Many high end big buck basses are multi pieced and glued together necks and bodies. We need to get over the how many pieces are in a body..it's so played.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I've had very mixed experiences with MIM Fenders. Some of the ones I've owned were ok but others were absolute rubbish. Mainly poor fretwork and truss rod/neck stability issues. The problems were always neck related. I'll probably never buy one again, although I was seriously tempted by that sweet looking yellow Player series P. At least for a couple of weeks until I got the chance to actually try one in a shop... might have been ok with a better setup but I lost all interest within a couple of seconds.

Based on the ones I've owned I would personally put MIM somewhere between SQ VM and SQ CV quality wise. I'm sure there are lots of excellent MIMs out there but I would rather consider either a used MIA or a CV if I was looking for a new Fender bass in that price range. Or possibly Fender Japan if they can be found without too much hassle. It's hard to go wrong with Japanese Fenders in my experience.

 

[Yahboy]

MIM classic and roadworn series are great.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

Made in Mexico Fenders are fine and dandy, honestly if you were to upgrade the neck to a nicer neck by not that big of a margin it would be hard to tell apart from an American. Fender America pays their workers a living wage, for the most part. Which is why they cost more and they pay more attention to detail and everything is slightly better, when you add up all the slightly betters, it results in a much better instrument quality wise. Though keep in mind they are both wood, metal and magnets.

 

[interp]

No generalization is worth a damn. Including this one. — Mark Twain

 

[cnltb]

Why MIM Fenders are bad?
Are they?!

I'd go about this as I would with any bass...always try before you buy and try a few to see how they vary.

 

[fhm555]

I have heard that they put laminate tops/backs on much of the Mexican stuff to cover up the fact they use ~ 8 piece bodies. They know that ppl know how to check for the number of pieces used otherwise.

Here's a pic of one i stripped. It's typical of the others i've seen. Second pic is sanded red and has since been painted with satin navy blue but no pics yet.
Just from looking at stripped bodies they appear slightly undersized by about the thickness of the finish when compared to US body with a thin nitro finish. Strip one and paint it with satin red enamel then a thin black coat of the same paint.
As the black wears you'll have red patches in black. As it wears more you wind up with bare wood in black with a red pinstripe.

 

[NeonVomit]

They're pretty consistent and value for money is overall quite good. I've never played an MIM Fender that's really jumped out at me as amazing or anything, but all the ones I've tried have been solid, played and sounded well. Go for it.

 

[stringthrough]

Recent MIM Fenders are at least as good, and usually better than MIA Fenders from the 70's, and you know what they are fetching. Over the years I've owned basses by Sadowsky, Erlick, MIA Steinberger, CS Fender, Ken Smith. While I have a MIA J bass on order, my 2 go to basses are a Roadworn P bass (with a swapped in Nordstrandt PU - the original PU was fine, I just got bored) and Player P bass. They are both wonderful, and with the exception of the absence of neck stiffening rods there is nothing I would add to or change about them. That said, I have yet to adjust their truss rods. That's how stable their necks have proven to be.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

I bet Fats Domino could have taken an MIM and beaten you in pool...

... (mic drop).

It's not the instrument, it's the playah.

Fats Domino could take a pool stick, put a string and pickup on it and beat me at playing bass.