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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 8:35 am
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I`ve had numerous MIM Strats and Teles and the one thing I seem to sensitive to is the frets on them. As my hand goes up or down the neck the edges of those wires seems to be rough, at least to me they are. I`ve sold all my MIM Fenders and upgraded to MIA`s and I`m much happier and can play a lot longer.

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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:04 am
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I have a brand new MIM Tele DLx. The frets on mine are fine! No snagging, seems good running my hand up and down the neck! Maybe they are paying more attention to the playability now!

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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 4:50 pm
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I have both MIM and MIA Teles and Strats. Is there a difference between them absolutely. But, that does not mean that the MIMs are not fine instruments to own. I have one particular Strat and Tele(MIMs) that I will never part with. They spoke to me and were perfect in every way! The same can be said for 3 of my MIA Teles and strats. What you need to do is sit down and play as many MIM and MIAs you can get your hands on and make your decision from there. The folks on this forum are great people. Ajay is an incredibly knowledgeable collector who is also a pretty good bloke so take all the information you can glean here go play as many as you can and enjoy!!
ABS :D


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:02 am
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Think airbornestrat nailed it. I have both MIA & MIM Fenders and I love them all for what they are. Play it before you buy it. :!: I spent many years in the manufacturing environment and there is a term " production variability". In most manufacturing environments ( other than totally automated) no two items are identical. Anytime people are involved things change. Independent of the manufacturing location. My wife recently bought a guitar and they had two identical guitars to choose from. One sounded alive and one sounded almost dead. Amazing.

Touch it, feel it, play it - then buy it. Good luck and enjoy.


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:57 pm
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Maybe someone has an answer to this one:

If I get good body and great neck, do I care where the guitar was made? (this is not a political question, just pragmatic)

I am thinking that if the neck is good on a MIM strat or jazzmaster, I can mod the pickups and pots on my own and have a really great guitar.

What do you think?

-DL


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:01 am
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Agreed. I have a well-set-up Squier with a set of Chevaliers in it, and it's fantastic. It's become my go-to for slide work.


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 10:35 am
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Cambo wrote:
Think airbornestrat nailed it. I have both MIA & MIM Fenders and I love them all for what they are. Play it before you buy it. :!: I spent many years in the manufacturing environment and there is a term " production variability". In most manufacturing environments ( other than totally automated) no two items are identical. Anytime people are involved things change. Independent of the manufacturing location. My wife recently bought a guitar and they had two identical guitars to choose from. One sounded alive and one sounded almost dead. Amazing.

Touch it, feel it, play it - then buy it. Good luck and enjoy.

I learned a trick on TGP about fixing a bolt on neck type guitar to get better vibe! With the guitar tuned, loosen the neck bolts a quarter turn and strum a couple times then re-tighten them! Making sure the strings track equal on each side! A guy had 2 equal rigs and one was dead and the other wasn't (was his go to guitar)! After making that adjustment to the 1st guitar, he was well pleased and finds it is now his go to guitar!

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Charlie P 5E3 Build 6-14
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Fend HSS Am DLX Strat 08
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Fend SupSonic 60 2010
Gibson Robot 08, Gib. Faded Ch LP 07
Gret. G5420 16, Peavey VK112 08,


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:53 pm
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you guys play the classic yet? there pretty decent, I put a 59 in it, its the pine body. It seems a bit on the warm side im thinking of a 500k pot would help, yeah?


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:41 pm
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I just bought a MIM Strat they call here in Australia an 'American Standard' and it claims to be all American made parts and the Strat bodies are all made in Corona, Ca. Don't know about the neck but mine is MAGIC


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 2:16 pm
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what is the difference between reg and squire


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Post subject: Re:
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:47 pm
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JozLuck wrote:
There is a 'vast' difference in them electronically and in 'out of the box set up'. Koren is better than any Mexican and the old Japan ones. The 'bore' holes are not as clean and workmanship on the freats is all but missing.

BUT DONT FREAT (PUN) you can make it sound great...like a $900 tele. Really....

1. Go get the darn neck freat board leveled at a luthier..it's worth the $20. Beleive me.

2. It's worth the other 20 to have him set up the neck with the strings you want to use and get the intonation right. If you change strings brand or size you have to 're set' so don't forget that.

3. Below is listed a ABSOLUTE TO DO TO IMPROVE LIST : change out the pots and switch. Heck just putting in a CTS no load pot improved both sound quality over the indo cheapo that comes stock. Gibson uses CTS pots for a reason...qualilty and consistency of quality....250 for overall quality/TONE..for power and more 'twang' go to a 500 set of pots..yeah, get that Tone POT REPLACED ASAP ...Thats only like $20 for both pots unless your being ripped off.

now here is more: If you want deeper tone, go to a higher capacator and get rid of that crappy .047....dot if you have it. Get an "Orange drop" if you want a nice bluez tone....get a cermaic capacator: the new ones are nice that come with the CTS Pots. One for volume, one for tone. Don't overlap them. Set them up as shown for independent use.

Switch: Three way if you have one is very poor in quality...look the post are 1/2 the diameter of any American switch...get a good American or Korean (NOT INDO) one. Even a $@! one...ditch it asap.

thirdly: Wire...god the insulation values on them suck. Don't beleive me? Grab any power wire on the insulation of any Mexican and listen to the hum...get some good motor wire.

Soldier: Even if you don't change out (you nuts if you don't) look to see if they have 'lumps' of soldier on the back of the pots. The workmanship is not there. More isn't better as it lowers impedance values. You don't want that. ... clean all the solder up and resand where you can, especially on the grounds.



Below is a 'list' of alterations and ideas you can use to 'upgrade' your Mexican to sound like a $900 tele. That's value of a tele, you CAN make it sound the way 'you want'.

The Tele can be quickly be rewired for switch change configuration, I like that without taking it down. Pluse you get an 'instant' change with capacitor changes....and for GODs sake, get rid of those cheap foreign pots...Korean is ok, but those darn Indo ones suck...

Go to a motor shop and get some 'real' wire. The diameter of the wire you use will change the 'toneal' quality, so if you want 'twang' stay with smaller diameter and better insulation values, less twang...larger diameter and high Imp insulation.


A BIG ONE IF YOURS HUMS: Go with a larger diameter wire for the ground in the least in the imput jack. They have everything going to ONE ground source and the gague isn't right at the imput jack to the pots. It will get rid of a lot of the 'hum' if you have it. Same with the Strat. How can you take a minimum of five ground leads to the same ohm diameter wire? The freaking impedance is overloaded.... which gives out that hum or high pitch ...try it...just putting a better gound on will make one heck of a difference.

What I'm saying is for your time and only $40 - $80 you can take that Mexican and make is sound great....and the way YOU want it to sound with as much or as little 'twang' and tonal quality without even changing a pickup.

They do come with a decent matched set of pickups..putting out like 8..it's the electronics at the other end that suck...right on down to the wires.

4 BIG ONE: Many Mexican Standards come wired 4 way, not three. You can use the Fender Guide to the sound quality of the one you like and re configure that as well. The 4 way gives a big sweet center (both pickups middle) sound, but kills the mid range on other settings to me. It also 'overlaps' and suggest a cheap 'hide' for clarity, which it can't have because of the cheap wiring and pots. Bass is too boomy and highs too high...

For the price and a few upgrads the Mexican is a great deal to say the least, but if you have the money: go for the Korean or the best:American. For sustain: Ash or mahogany....and solid only.

All I know I owe to a great luthier in TN...

:D funniest thing I have read for months ,That TN luthier sure saw you coming :twisted: :D


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 8:45 am
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If you are comparing the "Mexican Standard" to the "American Standard" the differences in a nutshell are:

American Standard Features

1. Staggered tuners Am Std (Schaller) MIM (Ping)
2. Rolled fretboard edges
3. Different pick ups
4. Bent steel bridge saddles
5. Fretboard finish Am Std (Gloss) MIM (Satin)
6. Colors

I wouldn't worry to much about wood quality or species. It really has little if any effect on tone and is going to vary from guitar to guitar regardless of country of origin. You can be confident that production line guitars at either price level are not getting hand selected woods.

The only thing you really need to consider is 1. Are the above mentioned upgrades on the Am Std worth the extra money to you. 2. Are you keeping the guitar forever or are you worried about resale value. 3. Which one sounds and plays best for your needs.


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 5:45 pm
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STRANDMAN wrote:
If you are comparing the "Mexican Standard" to the "American Standard" the differences in a nutshell are:

American Standard Features

1. Staggered tuners Am Std (Schaller) MIM (Ping)
2. Rolled fretboard edges
3. Different pick ups
4. Bent steel bridge saddles
5. Fretboard finish Am Std (Gloss) MIM (Satin)
6. Colors

I wouldn't worry to much about wood quality or species. It really has little if any effect on tone and is going to vary from guitar to guitar regardless of country of origin. You can be confident that production line guitars at either price level are not getting hand selected woods.

The only thing you really need to consider is 1. Are the above mentioned upgrades on the Am Std worth the extra money to you. 2. Are you keeping the guitar forever or are you worried about resale value. 3. Which one sounds and plays best for your needs.

My MIM has gloss fretboard!

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Charlie P 5E3 Build 6-14
2x12 cab Build 16, 5e3 Built 3-4-16
6G3 Head Build 3,3,18
Fend HSS Am DLX Strat 08
Fend MIM Telebot Dlx 11 Tronical Tuner
Fend SupSonic 60 2010
Gibson Robot 08, Gib. Faded Ch LP 07
Gret. G5420 16, Peavey VK112 08,


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Post subject: Re: difference between USA and Mexico made Fender
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:58 am
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It's amazing how this thread is getting dragged back and forth.I can nail the Hendrix tone with my MIM Strats through my Marshalls and that's all that matters to me.As I stated on another thread I doubt very much if someone blindfolded could tell the difference from a very good MIM Strat or Tele and an MIA unless they had Eric Johnson syndrome.If you took a beginner and gave him an MIA Tele or Strat and a seasoned pro and gave him an MIM which do you believe would sound better?Most of the secret of tone is in the hands of the player.People are surprised with the tone that I get from my MIM Fenders and take it for granted that they are MIA.Granted the fit and finish of an MIM Fender may not be quite up to par with an MIA but tonewise a properly EQed MIM will give you just as good a tone as most MIAs.

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Post subject: Re:
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:19 am
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Franck wrote:
For future productions, think about putting a Mexican flag sticker on the neck ;)



great idea Franck. they should take great pride in their builds and this sticker would be the right touch for a fine product. MIM guitars have come a long way indeed.

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