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Post subject: Re: american model strat
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:55 am
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Marvin65 wrote:
If the american made strat so recognizeably better, Why does fender have to put the american flag sticker on it? if you have to be reminded of the difference by a sticker, you most likely cant tell the difference anyway
Actually the sticker is on the pickgard not the neck. :wink: You are right everything is exactly the same on all strats. :roll:


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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:17 am
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Hey, here's a concept, take a buddy and a blindfold to your local guitar store. Have a seat, get comfortable and put on the blindfold, then have your buddy hand you the MIA's and MIM's randomly, see if you can feel the difference. I think that would produce interesting results!


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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:47 am
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I find a huge difference between the two guitars and would easily spot it blindfolded. I know this because time and time again I'm proved right when playing guitars made by manufaturers I'm unfamiliar with.

Its all to do with that plastic tonekiller (usually) in your right hand.

I find MIM's instantly recognisable because of the string spacing. I'm slowly going off the rear of the neck shape too. Sorry I want something that sits in my hand these days, not something I have to grip. Consequently I reshaped mine. D shape on the bass side, V on the treble. I call it a VD shape neck.:D

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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:53 am
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nikininja wrote:
I call it a VD shape neck.:D



You can gets shots or pills for that y'know! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:50 am
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guitarlover215 wrote:
I have owned many Mexican and American Fender guitars both Strats and Teles. In my opinion the USA models are far superior. The necks , pickups, finish, fretwork and hardware. Like the old saying you get what you pay for. The higher end MIM guitars like the Classic Player and artist models are closer to the American made than the standards.

+1...I just got rid of my MIM Strats and Teles because of the necks alone, not to mention the hardware. Even the pup switch on the MIM Tele was not as good as the one on my HWY 1, you felt the difference when moving it from one position to the other. The skunk stripe on the MIM Tele was not sanded down smooth either and I felt that little raise on the lower frets. From now on I`m staying with MIA `s only.


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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:33 pm
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I know this link references a 2003 Fender Mexico tour, but does anyone know if the MIM necks were/are made in the US (even in rough condition?). Does this make even these rough finished necks MIA or MIM

http://reviews.photoweborama.com/allthi ... rbody.html


I also thought I read an interview where the president (?) of Fender said that one of the benefits of the two factories being so close together was that they could supplement each other when the other needed extra production capacity


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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 5:31 am
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My understanding also is that the employees in the Mexican plant train in the US one. So that means that the employees who make the Mexican instruments are trained by the ones who make the American ones. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.


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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:31 am
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Mexico has been carving its own necks as of 2003.

I suggest that builder competence be left out of this discussion. Quality control for all Fender's plants is set by managment in Corona. They set the minimum pass requirements.

On wood quality. Customshop gets the pick of the litter, then directly below that are all the American made range. Mexican guitars are made of multiple pieces of wood. They veneer the top if its getting a clear colour.

Theres a picture floating around of Mexican bodies with up to seven pieces glued together and a veneer over the top. With sunbursts they block colour the belly contour to hide the joins.

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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:35 am
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nikininja wrote:
...I call it a VD shape neck.:D


And just remember, VD is nothing to 'clap' about!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:50 am
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Let me throw this question out....

I have MIM, MIJ, and MIK strats, but not a MIA.

I was looking at several 80s and 90s MIA strats, but honestly, I think my recent MIM Deluxe Player or my 50s Vintage Player are nicer pieces. Plus they do not have that bathtub route that people love or hate.

So I guess my question is this... Is an older 80s/90s MIA actually that much better than a newer MIM Deluxe or above grade model?


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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 11:17 am
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drunkengarbagecan wrote:
...Is an older 80s/90s MIA actually that much better than a newer MIM Deluxe or above grade model?


In a word, no.

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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 11:23 am
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I believe the 80s strats werent exactly the cream of the crop so to speak.It depends on what part of the 90s.Later 90s werent too bad.They were the beginning of the American Series.Descent guitars ,but nowhere near as good as the present American Standards .


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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:55 pm
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Shape aside, I believe the MIM necks are a great product. Even if you have to do a little adjusting to the frets and/or nut, you can end up with playable neck. Heck, sometimes MIA necks need a little fine tuning.

I also believe the Squier necks are the best things on those guitars!

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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 2:49 am
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nikininja wrote:
I find a huge difference between the two guitars and would easily spot it blindfolded. I find MIM's instantly recognisable because of the string spacing.


In the late 90s I had a MIM Standard Strat. In 2000 I sold it and bought an American Series Strat, which was replaced by my present 2003 American Series Strat. I went from MIM to MIA because the pick-ups sounded better, and the overall feel of the guitar was nicer, and seemed to be of higher quality. After 10 years of playing the MIA Strat, when I pick up a MIM Strat the neck feels "plasticy" compared to my MIA. I imagine that this is due to the finish.

It took a long time to get used to the larger frets, wider nut width, and string spacing on the MIA, and I'm still not completely comfortable with it. To tell the truth, I was able to play easier and faster on my old MIM than I can on my MIA. I've considered putting a MIM neck on my MIA, but then I'd still have to deal with the wider string spacing. I could just go back to a MIM Strat, but I don't like the bridge saddles on the MIM. The saddles (and bridge) felt cheap and were easily corroded by my sweat; I prefer the "block" saddles on the MIA. The neck of my MIA feels like a real piece of wood compared to the MIMs I've tried. And, the frets of the MIM wore a lot faster than the frets of the MIA. I guess that the MIA uses better fret material.

So, I feel that the MIA Strats are of higher quality and are worth the extra money IF you prefer the spec/hardware differences. In my case, I traded comfort/playability for higher quality, and it might have been a mistake!


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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 4:20 am
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Think Floyd.

You'll be ok with the string spacing difference. All strat necks are 56mm at the heel, arent they? (theres always a chance of being wrong :? ) They do differ at the nut end but by the time you get up that end your relying solely on the nut for string spacing.

My MIM is my weapons of choice for gigging and pretty much my go to guitar round the house. I've modded it to the point that only the neck is original (powerhouse strat body. Which is MIM). I wouldnt expect anyone else to look twice at it, if it was someone elses guitar I wouldnt. Its undergone a steady series of mods, alteration and insanity this last fifteen years. I've ended up with a guitar that's suffered a bit, but is prime for me.

Image
Image
95 Neck reshaped to the aforementioned 'the clap, VD' shape.
Powerhouse body (05 I think, aged to match neck)
Wilkinson locking tuners and 5+1Trem (to bring the string spacing up to 56mm)
2 vintage noiseless pickups, 1 Dimarzio FS2. Clapton midboost circuit with tone control rather than TBX. (probably being modded today to include S1 switching and SCN's in the neck and mid).
1 piece bone, compensated shelf nut. Designed and shaped by me.

In the end I got a guitar that feels perfect for me and gets me roughly every sound I want. That dimarzio with 25db of low mids on it is great for metal. I can take it out, bash it around, perform mad experiments.
I could gig either of these, but they just dont suit my needs as well for a live guitar.

I could gig any of these
Image
Why when I've a cheapie (ish) that performs or outperforms them now. Ok a lot of time has been invested in getting it to that point. I'd much rather go modding a £200 guitar than a £2000 customshop though.

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