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Post subject: My experience: Quality Squier vs. Fender MIM vs. MIA
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 1:07 am
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Last year i bought my first guitar. After cruising through the internet (not the most clever decision if you want to buy a guitar) and reading tons of posts about "Wood doesn't matter and a mim is basically the same as a mia, it is all about marketing" i made this buying decision with ease. A Squier modified Vintage. A cool guitar to start with i thought.

After a while and progressing from a beginner to a intermediate (beginner ;) ) in one year i felt like a bigger neck would fit better to me and maybe there could be a "better sounding" guitar then the one i own.

So i saved some euros and did it: I ordered the Squier custom 72', the mim custom 72' and the mia custom 72' in sunburst in a guitar shop for test playing on saturday and played them at the same setting and same Orange amp.

To be honest i was going there and wishing for the result, that there is no difference at all. I wished it would be true: less money same product.

Clean sound with no effects:
after a few minutes it was obvious and absolutely clear that the MIA was from another planet compared with the squier and mexican, which i couldn't feel a real difference (neither in sound nor in finish).
I don't want to talk about "clearer", "warmer" or something like that because this has to do with personal preferences but in every sence it was a "better" sounding guitar. Even not plugged in it sounded "better".

Distorted sound:
Still the much "better" sounding guitar. But not that worlds apart like with the clean sounds.

My opinion:
In case of the MIA there is a big difference and i'm not even talking about the finish or the look, i'm just talkin about the sound. It is not comparable.


What are your experiences? And does wood make the difference or just a little besser electric components?

Cheers form germany!
Serge


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Post subject: Re: My experience: Quality Squier vs. Fender MIM vs. MIA
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 1:57 am
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Keef_Vintage wrote:
My opinion:
In case of the MIA there is a big difference and i'm not even talking about the finish or the look, i'm just talkin about the sound. It is not comparable.


I'd mostly agree, aside from one particular model - The MIM Baja Tele is quite possibly one of the best sounding Teles I have ever played, regardless of origin, and the big fat neck is to die for. Check one out. :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: My experience: Quality Squier vs. Fender MIM vs. MIA
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:12 am
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I've less experience, being a lefty there's a lot less to find and play, but of all the guitars I've tried, the new MIM and MIA provided the least difference. The MIA pickups might have a bit more output, but that was it.

Other (used) MIM and MIJ squiers of varying years all sounded different to each other, and some felt and sounded better than others. I didn't see place of manufacture really made a difference whether it was good or not.


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Post subject: Re: My experience: Quality Squier vs. Fender MIM vs. MIA
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:42 pm
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A sample of one each doesn't really tell you anything conclusive. If you had tried three identical MIA Custom '72s you might have found that one played and sounded better than the other two. Or that one sounded best and another one played the best.

Same for the Squier and MIM -- individual guitars vary. Tone/volume pots and cap values have large tolerances, as do pickup coil windings -- my experience is that different pieces of wood do sound different but even if you don't believe that, if the caps/pots/coils in one guitar all happen to be in the +10% range and the pots/caps/coils in another guitar all happen to be in the -10% range, you will hear a difference.

And that's when the guitars you're comparing have exactly the same setups. Even if two MIA's leave the factory with exactly the same setup (which is rare), after traveling across country in trucks and airplanes it's very possible for the neck relief to have changed unevenly. If one of them has more neck bow than the other the distance from the strings to the pickups will be a little different. That might not make a huge difference in tone, but comparing them side by side you could easily feel that one was better than the other. And the setups from 3 different factories are likely to be different. A couple of turns of the pickup height screws can make a huge difference in tone.

The MIM probably had the same strings as the MIA, but the Squier may have had a completely different brand. So unless the store put fresh identical strings on them and did a thorough setup on all 3, you weren't really comparing apples to apples. Maybe not apples to oranges, but at least a Granny Smith to a Macintosh to a Golden Delicious.

Having said all that, I'm not saying you're wrong. In general, on average, most of the time, a MIA will be a bit better than a MIM which will be a bit better than a Squier. Sometimes a lot, sometimes just a little. But sometimes, a particular Squier will be better than a particular MIA of the same design.


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Post subject: Re: My experience: Quality Squier vs. Fender MIM vs. MIA
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:07 am
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Simply put I haven't played a Fender MIM guitar that I have liked. I'm blown away with how good the Classic Vibe series are. I think they are the best you can get without going American Standard or higher. I sold off my MIM Telecasters and have kept my Squier with the intent on purchasing a American Telecaster which I still haven't committed to. J Mascis has been playing his Signiture Squier live along with his vintage Jazzmasters. It goes to show how good the Squiers really are.


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Post subject: Re: My experience: Quality Squier vs. Fender MIM vs. MIA
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:35 am
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Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 4:51 am
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Thank you guys for sharing your experience and your answers!

@strayedstrater: I asked in case of the strings. All three had .10' gauge. Maybe not from the same company. I don't know.


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