hello all! new to this. i was wondering what was your thoughts about MIM fenders!

I might be biased because I have one.

They are the best bang for the buck. More closely aligned with the original Fenders built way back when. They are of excellent quality and if properly chosen even the most discerning among us would be hard pressed to see a difference between a MIM and a MIA without looking at the serial number.

The best guitar is the one you can afford to buy and love to play. If you can afford a one off Custom Shop then by all means go for it. If you have a sub $500.00 budget and want an axe that will play a lifetime, you cannot go wrong with a MIM.

Like even the most expensive signature series though, each guitar is different. Play a number of them and the one that belongs to you will let you know.

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http://www.facebook.com/UCtheband
2012 American Standard Strat Charcoal Froast
2009 Standard Strat Sunburst Brown
Blues Junior Tweed NOS
2007 Line6 Spider Jam

Do a search. There are many threads in this forum comparing MIM and MIA guitars.

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Bill

Consistency... to me, that's the main difference between MIM and MIA Fender products.

MIA = More Consistent

MIM = Less Consistent

As mentioned, EVERY Guitar has it's own individual feel and sound.

There are some MIMs that are Better than some MIAs, and vice-versa.

My MIM Deluxe Tele plays better than many MIAs according to the experts at my local Guitar store - their words, not mine. Some were even talking about their own MIA Teles.

My MIM has a very tight neck joint, totally smooth Truss Rod insert, perfectly aligned frets and great rosewood fretboard. Others I've seen, not so much. Kind of moot in my case as the Guitar was given to me... but if it wasn't good quality, I would have 'flipped' it, and bought another with the proceeds.

My MIA FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. '57 Stratocaster I did buy locally... and it is pretty much flawless - finish, neck joint, frets, TR insert, headstock, etc. But, this is at the top of the Fender Line (excepting Custom Shop and maybe some of the Signature models), so you expect this kind of quality at that price level. But, even though differing in some features, I found it's build quality better than the slightly more expensive Eric Johnson Strat I was also considering, which is why it won out over the EJ Signature.

Ideally, you should really play ANY Guitar you're considering buying. But that's not always possible, because the model/color you want isn't available locally, or they're price-prohibitive as compared to some Internet deals.

Again, this is where consistency comes into play. Choose an MIA, check it out locally, buy it on the Net, and you're more likely to receive a very similar Guitar than with an MIM. The MIAs are more Internet Friendly in this regard. Of course, if you're buying from an online retailer (who all pretty much have a no-questions asked exchange policy) this is also not an issue.

Where I would be hesitant to buy MIM is when you are buying used from ebay, CL, and such. There are certainly many fine MIMs for sale on the online used market, however I personally would never do it.

But I would NEVER reject an MIM just because of Country of Origin. If it had the build quality and the feel/sound, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, especially considering the lower cost. The CoO label means nothing to me.

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

You'll find tons of different opinions on MIM Strats.

Some will be ravingly enthusiastic after someone got a MIM guitar they loved and they will never hear a bad word said about it. Some will be ravingly negative after someone got a MIM guitar they hated. And, even within those boundaries, there are variables, too. Someone who's never owned a good guitar before might think an MIM is the greatest thing they've ever played, simply because they haven't played better... and yet the guitar itself might be genuinely quite terrible to someone who's a bit more experienced in being around guitars. Conversely, you might find the sweetest MIM ever made that is genuinely hard to fault... and yet you'll still find someone with an over-opinionated sense of their own self who will say it's terrible the second they see where it was made.

So, really, what I'm getting at is that you'll never get a "real" answer by asking people what they think of MIM Strats in general. What features? What year? So many variables, as well.

The best thing you can do is pick one up and play it. Do you like it? If so, buy it.

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2012 FSR American Special Satin Honeyburst Stratocaster®

i have a mim strat that i bought about 4 years ago. i got it because it was the same color as the first strat my dad bought for me in the early 60's. when i saw in on the wall, i couldn't wait to try it. i was very happy with the price, but more with the way it played.

i have owned gibson, ibanez, prs, and others, but came back to fender. still a quality company.

I don't own one and I never have I just stick with American because I haven't been let down yet. Though I have been tempted (very much so) to get 2 MIM Strats and 1 MIM Tele because they just sounded amaizing and their necks were great. I've been told by a lot of people the new ones are junk ,but the older ones (specifically the 90's) were the best for the MIM Fenders (once again that's just what I was told by people who collect MIM Fenders)

I have lucked-up with 3 beautiful-sounding, well-made, very play-able MIM Strats.
HSS, HSH, and HH, all made in the last 3 years.
Looking to add a fourth, a SSS.

Do I want a MIA? You better believe it!
Played 'em - love 'em. If only I had the bread.

Play before you buy and compare.

The older MIM's, prior to 2006, are not so hot. However, from 2006 and newer, they are really good, except for the ceramic pickups. If you get Alnico pickups then they become a better sounding guitar. IMO

Nothing beats an MIA.

I purchase guitars based on how they feel and sound. Every guitar is different, play a few and see what I mean. MIM Vs. MIA,CIJ, or CIC is not they way to go...Play them before poo-poo-ing them off.

I love my MIM Blacktop. It is one of my favorites to play.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I love mine, I have three, two Standards and one Road Worn.

i got one based on its shape and colour, the day before that i had no clue what a fender strat does.
but she is not the same since, i got bored and changed to
staggered locking tuners
amreican string trees, i installed one on the 3/4 also
went up to .010 strings
complete guitar fettish bridge, with blocks
texas special pickups
aged knobs
fender logo neck plate
now i love her more
i call her my red beearch

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Dave
T&T

Hi shockwave, welcome to forum, you're going to like it here. I have an Am. Deluxe HSS Strat I bought new that needed to have the fret ends dressed before I would take it home. So even the American built strats need a little tweaking from time to time. I bought a 60th Ann. MIM strat new from MF and it needed a setup to be playable. Since then I added locking tuners and a set of Dimarzio area pickups, I never cared for the stock pups in it. It is pretty much my go to strat now.

About two months ago I bought an 06 MIM standard strat off of CL for $225, I couldn't pass it up for that price, I don't really need another strat (that's what I kept telling myself), I'm planning on changing out the stock pups, adding a Bladerunner trem, and a paint job. I did notice a difference in the resonance between both MIM strats unplugged, the CL strat has a lot more sustain than my 60th ann. model. Both of my MIM strats seem a little heavier than my Am. Deluxe.

I think the MIM strat is a good bang for the buck, and I'm not bothered by where it was made. I do think they vary from one to the next more so than the American built models, but they are a great place to start. I think most people will agree that pickups are not on par with the Americans but that is an easy fix. Try before you buy.

Good luck.

Hi and welcome to the forum,

I love my Blackmore and my Antigua, both are outstanding guitars. Sound and character.

Cheers,
Robin

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http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
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I have two MIM Telecasters:

One is a Blacktop Tele that I had ordered from Guitar Center. Looked killer and was pretty meaty. Needed a set-up, but that was expected. After I got out of the honeymoon stage, I realized the pickups were a little muddy, so I ditched them and just threw in a bridge humbucker. The neck and tummy cut felt comfortable though, so I felt okay with modding and upgrading it.

The other is one of those FSR copperburst teles that GC sold a couple years back for about 400. After the set-up, I've changed nothing about it, except for new strings and adding an ashtray cover so I could try playing differently with my right hand. Sounds great and feels great.

So what I think: quality can vary in these MIM guitars, but if they're not instantly up to snuff out of the box, they just need a bit of work to get it the way you like it. Plus, I like not feeling like my guitars are expensive antiques that if I drop or scratch them, I've ruined a quadruple-digit instrument.

-TL