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Post subject: Do The MIM Strats use different pickups or pots as the MIAs?
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:08 pm
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Hi There, I'd like to know if there's a real big difference in the electronics of the made in Mexico strats vs. the American ones. Is there any difference in the pickups or pots that the Mexican Strats use as compared to the American made Strats? Thanks!


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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:53 pm
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there seems to be quite a difference mate. on my mex the pots failed after 3 months, that was 13 years ago though. Pickups are never the best feature of budget guitars. Replacing both is probably the cheapest, easiest and best improvement you could make to your instrument.

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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:10 pm
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The pots and the pickup selecter switch are the same brand as the US ones on the newer MIMs. The only difference being that one of the tone pots on the US model is a "No-load" pot which is, when turned up to 10, it takes itself out of the circuit. The remaining chief differences are the output jack being some cheap generic brand on the MIMs and the US ones being Switchcraft. Lastly, this leaves the pickups. The MIMs pickups are under wound in comparison to the US ones, have unadjustable steel polepieces and ceramic bar magnets. The US ones have adjustable Alnico magnets as their polepieces and more windings and an overwound bridge pickup for enhancing lead work.

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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:53 pm
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If you had a Mexican reissue 70s Strat though they shouuld have the Alnico's in them regardless right?, because they have to to keep it authentic to the re-issue right? At least that's what the specs say on this website for the magnets used in the (MIM) 70s re-issues.


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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:00 pm
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abombaci wrote:
If you had a Mexican reissue 70s Strat though they shouuld have the Alnico's in them regardless right?, because they have to to keep it authentic to the re-issue right? At least that's what the specs say on this website for the magnets used in the (MIM) 70s re-issues.


I would surely think so. My post was referring to MIMs in general, not reissues like your's, per se.

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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:28 pm
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Martian,

I know I looked on the specs and on the (MIA) Strats it states Alnico 5 and on the (MIM) specs it just states Alnico. I don't quite know what the 5 means and also don't know if the pole pieces would be individually adjustable or not seeing that their Alnico.


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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:31 am
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abombaci wrote:
Martian,

I know I looked on the specs and on the (MIA) Strats it states Alnico 5 and on the (MIM) specs it just states Alnico. I don't quite know what the 5 means and also don't know if the pole pieces would be individually adjustable or not seeing that their Alnico.


Alnico (Aluminum, Nickel, Cobalt) magnets can be charged to different strengths. The most common strengths for Strat pickups are, 2,3 and 5. The higher the number (charge), the crisper and wider frequency range characteristics the pickup will exhibit. The fact that the magnets are Alnico is irrelevant in terms of pole piece adjustability. Rather, it is the way the pickup is designed and built which determines if the polepieces are adjustable or not.

Having said that, I highly doubt that your guitar's pickups have been designed and built to be exact duplicates of the original 70s pickups. If they were and again, which I strongly doubt, your polepieces would not be adjustable. Rather, I strongly presume that your's were made with current design technique and materiel to synthetically replicate the tonality of 70s pickups. And if this is the case, your polepieces can be pushed up or down in the bobbin, hence, adjustable.

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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:37 am
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Martian wrote:
The MIMs pickups are under wound in comparison to the US ones, have unadjustable steel polepieces and ceramic bar magnets.

That being said, the MIM pickups are not crap. I had mine in for a few years (and was quite happy with them) before deciding to change them out.


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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:44 am
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01GT eibach wrote:
Martian wrote:
The MIMs pickups are under wound in comparison to the US ones, have unadjustable steel polepieces and ceramic bar magnets.

That being said, the MIM pickups are not crap. I had mine in for a few years (and was quite happy with them) before deciding to change them out.


I never said (nor meant to imply) that they were.

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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:10 am
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My MIM came w/ a set of '57/'62s...I still replaced 'em with the EMGs (hung on to the Customs, though); some MIMs come with "higher quality" pups than others, it depends which model. However, they also cost more. A $400 Strat isn't going to have the best quality electronics, no matter where it's made; you get what you pay for.

\m/ 8)

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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:38 am
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Short answer. Yes


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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:25 pm
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Martian wrote:
01GT eibach wrote:
Martian wrote:
I never said (nor meant to imply) that they were.

And I never said (nor meant to imply) that you did. :D


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