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Post subject: MIM vs America?
Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:52 pm
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Does anybody know what are the exact physical differences between the MIM Standard Jass Bass and the American Jass Bass are? (i.e. pups, components, wood quality, workmanship, electronics). I just purchased a brand new "lefty" MIM Standard Jass Bass for $280.00, in a music store. I've always wanted a jass bass but have never come across one for a lefty such as myself. It seemed to me they were giving this thing away, so I bought it. What makes the MIM cost so much less? It plays well.


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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:12 pm
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MIM's are great guitars.... you're mainly paying for a slightly higher quality of everything and better manufacturing in a US strat, but otherwise, there arent any huge differences


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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:47 pm
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citizenerased wrote:
MIM's are great guitars.... you're mainly paying for a slightly higher quality of everything and better manufacturing in a US strat, but otherwise, there arent any huge differences


This seems to be the most common point of view. However, and with all due respect, once Fender did the MIM Standard Upgrate, this point of view has yet to be proven to me. Sure, the US stuff has more features, custom detail, popular and more expensive options, etc. But for outright quality and manufacturing, I've yet to see any concrete proof that the MIMs are inferior in either of these areas.


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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 5:51 pm
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oh, i won't disagree with you... my MiM deluxe players is amazing... i was planing on buying an american, but the deluxe was 400 cheaper and it sounded amazing


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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 6:25 pm
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citizenerased wrote:
oh, i won't disagree with you... my MiM deluxe players is amazing... i was planing on buying an american, but the deluxe was 400 cheaper and it sounded amazing


I did something similar: I went in to buy a US Strat and walked out with a MIM Special Run Ash bodied Strat. I couldn't be happier and we both know, we both got a great deal!


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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:08 pm
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I might get crucified for saying this, but for my money, I would go with the MIM models. My MIM Tele and MIM Strat proved themselves better than my USA made Tele in sound, playability, finish and especially price.


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Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:35 pm
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I don't mean to add to the confusion, but I thought I heard somewhere that some MIA's are made in America by Mexicans...

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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:26 am
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There`s a reason why American made Fenders are more money. Check out all the details before you purchase a guitar. American made guitars increase in value as they age provided their kept in good condition. I don`t think you`ll find that with MIM made guitars. You can get one MIM for $500 yet a new American Standard is around $1400. That has to tell you something.


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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:17 am
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go with the highway one - you'll get the best of both worlds!


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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:31 pm
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I have a Deluxe Players (MIM) and its the best guitar i've ever played, the other day i was in my local guitar shop and tried out one of the new American Standards and it was messed up, the tone and volume knobs were sunk into the pickguard b/c it was warped. I think that some are better than others no matter where they're made

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Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:11 pm
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To complicate things even more, I have a Korean Tele. The workmanship is high quality. It has the Koa top and looks great. The finish is blem-free. The neck is smooth. The frets are fine. The pickups are high quality Seymour Duncans. The added features set it apart from the MIM's. The price puts it up there with the MIA's. It seems like the MIA Standards are just that... Standard. I think where the MIA comes truly into play are the deluxe editions, etc. If you look up close, the attention to detail is taken to another level. However, I don't feel an enormous difference in tone or playability at the lower to mid level MIAs as compared to the MIMs or the MIKs.

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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:01 am
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JPD wrote:
There`s a reason why American made Fenders are more money. Check out all the details before you purchase a guitar. American made guitars increase in value as they age provided their kept in good condition. I don`t think you`ll find that with MIM made guitars. You can get one MIM for $500 yet a new American Standard is around $1400. That has to tell you something.

Yeah…It tells me, I paid $500.00 more for a Strat that might be worth a lot when I'm dead and gone.


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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:13 am
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Sweet! Another MIM vs MIA poll. MIM's are killer, our bass player uses MIM jazz basses and has a MIM tele which plays great. I play a Custom shop strat model which I love. MIA's are not $1400.00 they are $999.00 at my local music store, the Am Deluxe are $1200.00. Get what plays and feels killer in your hands be it MIM or MIA, both are sound instruments.
If you buy a MIM, that's great but don't hop on the forum the next day and down play the MIA's for costing more. Btw, there are differences in finish and hardware quality.


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Post subject: In MHO
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 10:56 am
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I have a made in Korea Squire Strat; a pearlesent white finish; with a trem bridge. I bought it to set up for slide; well that hasn't happened yet but it does have the bridge blocked a la my EC Strat. I put PING tuning machines on it and I installed the original lace sensor pickups that came on my EC Strat.
The EC has the noiseless pickups on it now. Anyway...
I know the wood isn't the same; I can't tell you what kind it is but it sure is LIGHT! Lighter than any MIA Strat I ever lifted. I bet it's lam(plywood)inated though. The trem block is so light (narrow) the trem springs broke through the holes the spring end fits into.
The control pots are those we see in a lot of Asian guitars; they are about 5/8 of an inch in diameter whereas the US ones are alomost 1 inch. Larger size gives a better ratio on the taper of the pot.
The routing is tighter than most; it's tough getting the pichgaurd/pickup assembly out whith the strings lossened; I had to remove them the other night. On my son's Squire Precision Bass we had to widen the rout job a little to put in the larger pots.
The neck seems to have a dead spot up around the 14th fret when I bend a note on the hight E string.
I remember the original pickups (I still have them) sounded crappy and were pretty cheaply made as well.
The 2 times I played MIM Tele it felt and sounded the same way.
I have a Strat 12 on order; they are MIJ and I have never read a bad review on it....


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Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:00 pm
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One cool thing about Fender is they cover the waterfront. Also, they deliver value for dollar. Squiers have a lot of good tone out of a very low price. MIMs similarly get a lot of tone at a low price. Then you've got the "made in USA" Highway One with MIM pickups, the American Standard HSS with MIM pickups, the American Standard SSS, the Am Dlx with the controversial SCNs, the Artist, the Custom Shops. You get what you pay for - from cheap as any knock off to as pricey as any gibson.

Personally, now that I've got my hands on Custom Shop pickups, I'll never go back. I'll never buy anything but Custom Shop pickups in the future. There's a noticeable difference. So, I'm sure the neck on an Am Dlx is going to be a little better than mine, ditto the Am Std, ditto the tuners, different bridge, etc.

Since I was thinking about swapping the pickups anyway, for me the Highway One was the best deal. My Highway One had a great 9.5 inch radius maple neck with rosewood fretboard, nice jumbo frets, and the vintage tremolo. I've never had a problem with the tuners or the guitar going our of tune. If I did, they tighten up to avoid that problem. The stock pickups on the Highway One were kind of Jekyll and Hyde and could deliver a kind of clangy metallic aftertaste, but with the amp set up right they could be very sweet. Since I got Custom Shop Texas Specials installed by the guitar wiz at Wild West Guitars who also tweaked the saddles to match the 9.5 radius, I'm in Strat heaven. This Strat gets lovely clean tone, and wicked overdriven tone. It's world class.


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