Members nightwatchman92 Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 Ok...now I'm leaning more toward an HSS Strat (MIM). Ya got your HB ya got your Singles.....there's one on ebay that is "only" about 50 miles away that I think I'm gong to check out tomorrow. Starting bid $289 with a buy it now of $300. This is sold in a music store (they seem to sell a lot of guitars on ebay) and has been "set up" per the ad. Ok question : it's a 1995....I"ve heard some rumblings that although the newer MIM's are pretty good some of the "older" ones are pretty rough. What's the consensus? Is 1995 a "rough" year? What's a fair price? He had put the exact same auction up last week and there were no takers. There is also a guy in Atlanta selling an SSS MIM for $250. He has two of them supposedly in excellent condition. He has also posted before and obviously had no luck. Would this be a better deal? I'm assuming these might be a little newer. Would it make more sense to buy one of these and put a Buck in myself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Main Offender Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I used to believe it more....but now I'm inclined to think that "rough years" for guitar makers are pretty much total b.s. Reason being....I recently played a '70s CBS Tele, which tons of gear snobs say is a piece of junk shaped like a Telecaster, and it's the best guitar I've ever played. That's not to say there are bad guitars turned out every year, just that there are good ones that come off the line too, and you've just got to wade through to find the good. With MIMs, there are good ones and bad ones....it's all down to the individual axe. You will find a LOT of variety in how the necks feel and the "mojo" of each. My advice: don't buy one on ebay, go down and look and play in person. If it feels good to you, then buy it. $250 for the SSS is a good deal on it if you like it, and you can swap pickups later if the guitar is solid, but not perfect for you sonically, and still come out ahead with a really good guitar you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 The 2006 and later MIM Standards are fabulous. If possible I'd go for one of those. Where I live is sort of a used guitar Mecca so I can get them for $250 - $265 in mint or near mint shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members clay sails Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I see MIM strats on sale for between $225 - $250 on Craigslist. I've bought two within that range. I don't know much about what years are good, but the last MIM strat I bought is a 50 anniversary and the guy who sold it to me said I'd want to replace the vintage tuners. So far I see no reason to -- they look good and the guitar stays decently in tune. It sounds like a strat. I wouldn't shy away from a $300 used MIM if its got the features you want, but if you're patient you can probably get one for a bit less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yz250f49 Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 So for 99 bucks more you get a new one with no issues and a warranty. It's a no brainier to me: http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Standard-HSS-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=516039 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nightwatchman92 Posted February 16, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I don't know about a "no-brainer" but that's a good point. Plus I could get the color I really want instead of the black I had before.......but it would be $119 more since the starting bid is $289 and no one has bid yet. What makes you think is has issues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Philbigtime Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I dunno about the strats, but I have a MIM Tele from about 97-98 and I LOVE it. It's my number 1 for gigs and everything, and it just gets sweeter with age. Original pickups, too. It's about due for a fret job, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wagdog Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 There are good ones and duds from all years, that's my take on it. I have a '74 strat that I think is an incredible guitar, but it's a CBS fender w/a 3-bolt neck - bad reputation, but a great guitar! I had a 2000 or so MiM strat that I didn't like very much, thin frets, neck was ok, not great. FWIW, I just bought a squier classic vibe 50's brand new for $300 and IMO it's better then the current MiM's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members harold heckuba Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I had a 2000 or so MiM strat that I didn't like very much, thin frets, . They did change the fret wire to medium jumbo in 06, if you want to avoid vintage frets buy on 06 or later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I have a 99/00 ash MIM Strat that's very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I got my '07 MIM Strat for $240 last year. It was in excellent condition and hardly played. It's also the best MIM I've ever played. So I really feel lucky to have found it and paid less than I think it was worth. I also like the stock pickups enough that I'm having trouble justifying a swapout for CS 69s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richey888 Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 There are good ones and duds from all years, that's my take on it. I have a '74 strat that I think is an incredible guitar, but it's a CBS fender w/a 3-bolt neck - bad reputation, but a great guitar!I had a 2000 or so MiM strat that I didn't like very much, thin frets, neck was ok, not great.FWIW, I just bought a squier classic vibe 50's brand new for $300 and IMO it's better then the current MiM's. I recently got a 50's CV too...killer axe, I like it much better than the '06 MIM Powerhouse Strat I had. A bud has an 07 MIM that's very nice though....so many choices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maybe_ebyam Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 The guy I buy used from sells his MIMs for $200 even out the door. The only MIM I ever paid more for was from a different store, was my first guitar, was the Deluxe Players strat with the original toggle S-1 switching and I paid $450 or so for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maybe_ebyam Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 In fact I bought 3 last year for $200. I didn't realize they were more anywhere else. I should state that this is also the guy who I go to for everything and maybe he cuts me a deal on those MIMs as I've bought high end guitars from him as well (3 Les Pauls (Custom, Goldtop P90s, Goldtop Mini buckers), a CS ES335 2 MIA strats, an SG, an S1 Friday, etc. AND I"M NOT A GIBSON GUY AT ALL!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheBlueStrat Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 Does anyone have a 2009 MIM strat? I'd like to see pictures and a testimony of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maybe_ebyam Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 Does anyone have a 2009 MIM strat? I'd like to see pictures and a testimony of it. Are you the "BLUEstrat" or an impostor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skatalite Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 1994 was a good year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GodBlessTexas Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I've had MIM's from 1994 to 2006, and they've all been great. Simply going by the year won't necessarily determine if it's a good guitar or bad guitar. You can go to any guitar shop and pull off guitars from the same manufacturer from the same year and find great ones and dogs sitting right next to each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notcool Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 Well, I had a 1994 MIM Standard Strat in Arctic White with a maple board that played beautifully. It must have been a rental because there were a couple of dings in the pickguard when I bought it. I had it for five years and I traded it in on an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. I missed that guitar, and I eventually replaced it with a late 2005 model (also in Arctic White with a maple board). On the surface, both guitars look identical. But they are also different in some ways. The 1994 had the smaller 'vintage' frets, while the 2005 has the 'jumbo' frets. The 1994 had the tapered vibrato block, while the 2005 has the larger vintage style block. The 1994 had a body made out of poplar and felt quite light, while the 2005 has a heavier alder body. The 1994 had a slight gap in the neck pocket while the 2005 has no gaps. Which one do I like better? Hard to say. The 2005 is more solidly built, but the 1995 had a 'funkier' feel to it and it was a pleasure to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mo' Cowbell Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 All the MIM Strat years are crap except for the one I own. Seriously, it's a MIM Strat. Play a few, you'll find one you like. Even if it's not exactly what you want there's more replacement parts for it than a Chevy C-10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members w00dsy Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 i've not played too many Strats in my day, but every MIM i have ever picked up in a shop has always felt insanely right to me. I could never bring myself to own one though because all the beginner packs had Strat copies and it reminded me of them. Now i am seriously gassing for a Strat, most likely a MIM. It must be an age thing. Next i'll probably want a Tele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DarkHorizon Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I've got a 2008 MIM strat and it is a guitar I just pick up and play without thinking about it. I test played one in the shop and found it was exactly what I was looking for. Ordered mine and it was just as good. Give one a play and see what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretmonster Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 I liked the MIM Teles from the 90s better. To me, the newer ones just sound too shrill in the bridge position. No considered opinions on the Strats though. I do prefer the medium jumbo frets to the vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GilmourD Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 Ok...now I'm leaning more toward an HSS Strat (MIM). Ya got your HB ya got your Singles.....there's one on ebay that is "only" about 50 miles away that I think I'm gong to check out tomorrow. Starting bid $289 with a buy it now of $300. This is sold in a music store (they seem to sell a lot of guitars on ebay) and has been "set up" per the ad. Ok question : it's a 1995....I"ve heard some rumblings that although the newer MIM's are pretty good some of the "older" ones are pretty rough. What's the consensus? Is 1995 a "rough" year? What's a fair price? He had put the exact same auction up last week and there were no takers. There is also a guy in Atlanta selling an SSS MIM for $250. He has two of them supposedly in excellent condition. He has also posted before and obviously had no luck. Would this be a better deal? I'm assuming these might be a little newer. Would it make more sense to buy one of these and put a Buck in myself? If it's a real MIM, the only semi-significant difference over the years is the body routing and the newer ones are more consistently made of Alder while the older ones were mostly Poplar. But that's not a big deal since Poplar is a close cousin to Alder. If you look at Layla in my sig, she's a '94 MIM Standard. I :love: her. I have MIM Strats, Teles, and basses made anywhere from 1994 to 2005 and they're all good. Oh, and the frets are bigger, now. Forgot about that. THat's a preference thing, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zbasstringer Posted February 16, 2009 Members Share Posted February 16, 2009 FWIW, I just bought a squier classic vibe 50's brand new for $300 and IMO it's better then the current MiM's. I don't know, the new mexican strats look better IMO than the older years. If you look hard enough, I've seen them go with hard case for $300. Hell, I've seen them with a hard case go for $200. I picked up a MIM Jazz bass, with hard case, sperzel tuners and Gotoh 201 bridge for $225. The mexican strats are generally a safe bet. Guitar center usually sells them used for ~$300, give or take $50 or so. My 2006 MIM is a great guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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