I will take Mexican burritos over American ones. But I will take Anerican Fenders over Mexican ones.
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Why MIM Fenders are bad?
- Thread starter cmgkhn
- Start date
I have always had at least one Fender bass. My current Fender P Bass Special is Mexican made, very playable, no issues.
The parts are generally known to be American, but they are assembled and tested in Mexico. Nothing wrong that I know of either as being "bad". I'd buy another one if I could. I do have a preference for MIA or MIJ, but I digress.
The parts are generally known to be American, but they are assembled and tested in Mexico. Nothing wrong that I know of either as being "bad". I'd buy another one if I could. I do have a preference for MIA or MIJ, but I digress.
Ok, I understand your viewpoint now. I asked for clarification because I've seen Fenders with the type of body that @Root 5 described before (there was just a thread about one in the Luthier's Corner section.) Furthermore, over the weekend, I stripped the poly off a MIM Jazz that I picked up for a project recently, and lo and behold, it's a 6-piece butcher block with front and back veneers:
Even with that knowledge, I still dig my MIM fenders. This one sounded great, and it'll rock again after I refinish it. FWIW, I don't think the veneers are intended to "hide" anything, but to provide a smooth continuous surface for the finish.
I don't care if the body is one piece or eleven. If joins are true, gluing is correct, and cured correctly, I'm good.
I would venture that if one had a room full of (previously set up) Sq VM, MIM, MIA basses with all the heads blue bagged, and all the necks like finished, there would be some embarrassed folks in picking out particulars...
Just is....
I would venture that if one had a room full of (previously set up) Sq VM, MIM, MIA basses with all the heads blue bagged, and all the necks like finished, there would be some embarrassed folks in picking out particulars...
Just is....
I have a MIM Jazz V and have no idea how many pieces the body is. But it is Alder. While some folks say tonewood makes no difference at all, but to me the kind o wood does change the feel of the bass. For example I can tell a slight difference between the wood in my Squire PJ (agathis) and my usual ash or alder basses. But I must say that in my experience I NEVER found any difference however slight that related to the number of pieces making up the body. Of course in a natural finish you want something that doesn't look like a patchwork, but as for tone and playablity, I'd play one of those 12 piece Fenders same as a one piece and bet I'd hear/feel no difference.
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They're good for the money but like all Fenders, I wouldn't buy without handling it first. They don't all come out good.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
- 16,223
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- Disclosures
- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
OK, approximately what year was this Jazz made? It seems like they would need to charge EXTRA for a hippie sandwich with a deluxe top and back. BTW, my Sadowsky "has a veneer to hide" the routed out alder body.
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No doubt the resale value on MIM is better, though I'm not sure it's justified. That Fender brand has value that may or may not be attributable to quantifiable improvements. It's surprising how much better the quality on even low price basses has gotten. My son has a 90's era MIM P, and it's kind of a POS, three piece body, ski jump, cheap hardware, etc. The newer ones seem better made, just not twice as well made as a Squier for twice the price. I've never bought basses with resale in mind, but if you turn over a lot of basses as change for its own sake, or in pursuit an elusive feel or tone, you have to take that into account.
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).
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).
Quit listening to what others say on TB. Go out play a few MIMS and find out that they are a pretty darn good bass.
Let's all remember that boutique neck thru basses are multi-piece glue ups and people pay megabucks for those. Also, back in the day we used to call Ibanez guitars "I've-Been-Hads" because the perceived quality, turns out they're not so bads.
Wow. Lots of responses in a short amount of time.
I have three MIMs:
A 2014 P in LPB that I strung with Chromes. It's a wonderful bass and IMO pretty much equal to any Am Standard I've tried. Lucked into it at a music store that had it priced at 45% off because it was new old stock.
A 2015 Seafoam Green Precision Deluxe (passive PJ with J neck) GC Special bought in 2015 during Guitar-a-Thon for $150 off the then $799 list. They now usually sell for $899 unless on sale. Fit and finish is as good as any Am Standard I've tried. It plays and sounds great with stock 7250s. I have to say though it was the second one I took home. The fist one had a J pickup that died after a couple hours of play. GC Sacto made the exchange painless.
A 2016 Mustang PJ in a very light Sonic Blue. Another GC on sale purchase. Rosewood fretboard (they are Pau Ferro now). I love it, but it had no setup out of the box. I do my own, so not much of an issue to me. The fret ends are not as well finished as the two above, but they aren't bad. The tuners are not the best and I'll probably replace them; they are one way only and not particularly precise. The pickups sound great and it is fun to play.
So my experience is that not every one is perfect. But I wouldn't part with any one of them.
I have three MIMs:
A 2014 P in LPB that I strung with Chromes. It's a wonderful bass and IMO pretty much equal to any Am Standard I've tried. Lucked into it at a music store that had it priced at 45% off because it was new old stock.
A 2015 Seafoam Green Precision Deluxe (passive PJ with J neck) GC Special bought in 2015 during Guitar-a-Thon for $150 off the then $799 list. They now usually sell for $899 unless on sale. Fit and finish is as good as any Am Standard I've tried. It plays and sounds great with stock 7250s. I have to say though it was the second one I took home. The fist one had a J pickup that died after a couple hours of play. GC Sacto made the exchange painless.
A 2016 Mustang PJ in a very light Sonic Blue. Another GC on sale purchase. Rosewood fretboard (they are Pau Ferro now). I love it, but it had no setup out of the box. I do my own, so not much of an issue to me. The fret ends are not as well finished as the two above, but they aren't bad. The tuners are not the best and I'll probably replace them; they are one way only and not particularly precise. The pickups sound great and it is fun to play.
So my experience is that not every one is perfect. But I wouldn't part with any one of them.
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
One great thing about owning an MIM (especially 2008 or newer) is that you get a rock-solid instrument that is not expensive for most budgets. If it is lost or stolen, you'll be upset but not devastated because the cost to replace it is not sky-high.
Many folks I know keep their MIA Fenders at home and take their MIM instruments to rehearsals, jam sessions, the studio, and out on gigs. To me, that's pretty much an ideal scenario. The MIMs can do it all at reasonable cost.
Many folks I know keep their MIA Fenders at home and take their MIM instruments to rehearsals, jam sessions, the studio, and out on gigs. To me, that's pretty much an ideal scenario. The MIMs can do it all at reasonable cost.
