Strat fretboards and wood grain. MIM and MIA

[math2014]

Hi all,

 

I am in the process of checking strats (9month player wanting to move from a Squier to a MIM or MIA ideally).

 

I played with 1 MIA and 1 MIM today, both RW fretboards, but the fretboard on the MIA was darker, and the grain was MUCH more open and i dare say coarse or rough. I could see 3mm long open grains on the sides of the board. Is that normal? What should i look for on a fretboard? The MIM on the other hand had a much finer fretboard wood, seemed almost like painted

 

Thanks again

Yannis

 

PS. Any comments on the MIA vs MIM? a MIA HSS will cost me 700GBP and a good MIM about 400-450GBP. What should i get in order to move properly from the squier?

 

I dont want to spend 700GBP without cause and i dont want to waste 400GBP either. BTW the MIA seemed to have more Note definition than the MIM.

[AtomHeartMother]

Originally posted by math2014 Hi all, I am in the process of checking strats (9month player wanting to move from a Squier to a MIM or MIA ideally). I played with 1 MIA and 1 MIM today, both RW fretboards, but the fretboard on the MIA was darker, and the grain was MUCH more open and i dare say coarse or rough. I could see 3mm long open grains on the sides of the board. Is that normal? What should i look for on a fretboard? The MIM on the other hand had a much finer fretboard wood, seemed almost like painted Thanks again Yannis PS. Any comments on the MIA vs MIM? a MIA HSS will cost me 700GBP and a good MIM about 400-450GBP. What should i get in order to move properly from the squier? I dont want to spend 700GBP without cause and i dont want to waste 400GBP either. BTW the MIA seemed to have more Note definition than the MIM.

You'll have to look at more than just two guitars. There's a lot of variation between Strats, especially when it comes to fretboards.

I prefer a dark rosewood. The lighter rosewoods seem cheap to me. The darker, the better in my opinion.

Honestly, the fretboard material is the least of the differences between MIM and MIA Strats. Theres as much variation in rosewood fingerboards between 2 MIM's as there is between a MIM and MIA.

[seaofstrings]

Agreeing with Atom

You really need to look at more than the two. As are different trees there are different fret boards.

I typically only purchase dark rw as well, you should try another store if there is one locally. If not you could do your research online looking at different boards. Just please don't settle with one of these two simply because they are easy to pickup.

I am not sure how your money transfers to USD, but you will find better deals elsewhere if you are currently only looking at your local shop.

[math2014]

Agreed,

I just tried those 2 along side with a Maple one at a shop before going to the cinema.

Unfortunately i got no car, so i am left with only local shops to play with. At least at one shop, the guys there know me and told me that they will try to bring a "good" strat when i am ready to buy.

The MIA one had dark rosewood btw, and the MIM had light one.

Further more, is it worth going for the MIA std? If yes why?

Finally any checklist that i should check before buying the strat? I am only playing 9 months, so i dont know how to tell intonation that well, i can feel and hear the rest of the guitar, on pentatonics and rythm work. So far that MIA felt more precise sounding than the MIM.

Yannis

[seaofstrings]

I'll tell you I have a wide array of different guitars for different tones and playability.

I only recently picked up my first actual strat, it is a MIM. Dark RW, so the rw would probably different between guitars no matter where they are made.

I bought the MIM after playing the MIA's, I played at least 20 different ones.

There are many threads here about the MIA/MIM differences, try a search up top for that info.

[AtomHeartMother]

Originally posted by math2014 Agreed, I just tried those 2 along side with a Maple one at a shop before going to the cinema. Unfortunately i got no car, so i am left with only local shops to play with. At least at one shop, the guys there know me and told me that they will try to bring a "good" strat when i am ready to buy. The MIA one had dark rosewood btw, and the MIM had light one. Further more, is it worth going for the MIA std? If yes why? Finally any checklist that i should check before buying the strat? I am only playing 9 months, so i dont know how to tell intonation that well, i can feel and hear the rest of the guitar, on pentatonics and rythm work. So far that MIA felt more precise sounding than the MIM. Yannis

 

 

 

It depends on how much you want to spend and how long it'll take you to get the money for either. Honestly, at only 9 months, the MIM is a more than fine enough guitar. Their good for all skill level players.

[jerry_picker]

N=1 is not useful for statistical purposes.

Example: I slept with one girl. She wasn't good in bed. Etc...

[math2014]

Fair enough,

In general i ve played with 4-5 MIA std strats and 2-3 MIM. The MIAs seemed better to me all around in every test.

All i am asking is , what to look for when checking a MIA and MIM. I ve used the search extensively, i know that the topic is sometimes beaten to death etc .

I got a Squier, it is now the weakest link on my chain, (I used to be the weak link, then my amp, and now its the guitar.)

I got a LAney LC30 with Hotplate etc, and the puny Squier , which sounds dull and without note definition. I am just wondering if it is worth getting a MIA now or a MIM. The price difference is 300-400$ between them. I just dont want to get a MIA only for poser reasons, nor to get a MIM that will be again an intermediate guitar.

[One-armed Alec]

Originally posted by math2014 PS. Any comments on the MIA vs MIM?

 

Hi Yannis,

 

I own a MIA strat, but used to own a MIM standard.

 

I couldn't fault the MIM's build quality, it was put together just as well as the MIA. Actually, if anything, the MIM had a better factory setup (I know for a fact that neither of the guitars was set up by the shop).

 

However, here are a few features of the MIA that I prefer over the MIM standard:

* Rolled fingerboard edges.

* Medium-jumbo frets.

* Pickups: I'm reluctant to say that the MIA has 'better' pickups - the MIM's pickups had a slightly more aggressive sound which some may find more suitable when overdriven.

* Slightly thicker neck.

* Non-veneered three-piece body.

 

There are of course other minor differences, but these are the important ones for me. Check this out for a more comprehensive list:

http://fender.demonweb.co.uk/fenderfiles/WhatsthedifferencebetweenaMexicanStratandaUSStrat.asp

 

 

[fishfartz]

i also wanted to mention the difference in "feel" of the different kinds of necks.

play alot of them to see if you prefer rosewood or maple. alot of guys only want rosewood on a strat, but i prefer maple. ive had many strats over the years and probably owned as many rosewoods as maple, its just that as ive gotten older i am leaning towards maple.

a different feel for sure, and a different sound, a spankyness to the tone.

as well as the fret sizes. there are a couple MIM strats that have medium jumbo frets (like 2-3) but most all of them have the small/vintage size frets. i personally dont like those small frets although ive had my share of MIM strats that were fine guitars all around anyway.

just play enough of each to get a feel for the fret size you like, there is a difference in the way they play, and the way they feel between different size frets. of course you can always get whichever you prefer and order a replacement neck, but sometimes its easier to get the one you want to begin with.


finding the strat for you can be a long road of experiencing different guitars. as you grow as a player your tastes will change as well as what you want in your guitars.

[One-armed Alec]

Originally posted by One-armed Alec * Pickups: I'm reluctant to say that the MIA has 'better' pickups - the MIM's pickups had a slightly more aggressive sound which some may find more suitable when overdriven.

 

Sorry, I should clarify that:

 

I prefer the MIA pickups. I find that they have a more detailed tone which a more open high-end. The in-between settings are more traditionally 'stratty' to my ears. Of course, this could be down to more than just the pickups, but I guess I was trying to make the point that the tonal differences between the two are subjective.

[math2014]

Hey Alec and Fish,

Thanks for the VERY usefull replies. To be honest what i saw, is that the MIA i tried felt a bit more solid in my hands than the MIM.

Problems with MIMs? The classic series that i seem to like quality wise, lack medium jumbo frets and hot pickups. I ll play mostly 60s and 70s hard rock stuff (Zep, Cream, Purple, Sabbath, J.Tull etc) .

The DLX HSS MIM doesnt come to the colors that i like (3c sburst or natural), and the DLX players MIMs got only gold hardware that i dislike. Seems that i am a bit stuck on options for MIMs. So the most probable route is a 3color HSS MIA Std for 700quid.

Another option i am considering, totally different, is the Signature LP guitars (Made in Japan etc) that go for 500quid and face an LP STD on equal grounds. The shop owner i know actually bought one instead of a Gibbo LP. Go figure. Anyone else knowing about this Japanese signature brand?

Further more, i am 28y old, playing since last December daily, and as i said before, i dont want to get a potential overkill (MIA?) nor to waste 400GBP for something i ll quickly change down the line (MIM). Thats all folks.

Yannis

[AtomHeartMother]

Originally posted by math2014 Hey Alec and Fish, Thanks for the VERY usefull replies. To be honest what i saw, is that the MIA i tried felt a bit more solid in my hands than the MIM. Problems with MIMs? The classic series that i seem to like quality wise, lack medium jumbo frets and hot pickups. I ll play mostly 60s and 70s hard rock stuff (Zep, Cream, Purple, Sabbath, J.Tull etc) . The DLX HSS MIM doesnt come to the colors that i like (3c sburst or natural), and the DLX players MIMs got only gold hardware that i dislike. Seems that i am a bit stuck on options for MIMs. So the most probable route is a 3color HSS MIA Std for 700quid. Another option i am considering, totally different, is the Signature LP guitars (Made in Japan etc) that go for 500quid and face an LP STD on equal grounds. The shop owner i know actually bought one instead of a Gibbo LP. Go figure. Anyone else knowing about this Japanese signature brand? Further more, i am 28y old, playing since last December daily, and as i said before, i dont want to get a potential overkill (MIA?) nor to waste 400GBP for something i ll quickly change down the line (MIM). Thats all folks. Yannis

 

 

 

Well, since you find that MIA's outperform MIM's, you'll probably be disappointed with a MIM. If you don't mind spending the dough for the MIA, it'd be a better investment in the long run as you'd more likley outgrow the MIM much sooner.

 

Do they not have Jimmie Vaughan Strats there? They have all that you want: hotter pickups, medim-jumbo frets (I believe), etc.

[math2014]

Originally posted by AtomHeartMother Well, since you find that MIA's outperform MIM's, you'll probably be disappointed with a MIM. If you don't mind spending the dough for the MIA, it'd be a better investment in the long run as you'd more likley outgrow the MIM much sooner. Do they not have Jimmie Vaughan Strats there? They have all that you want: hotter pickups, medim-jumbo frets (I believe), etc.

 

 

They do indeed. For 500GBP but i dont know if the soft v neck would suit me or not (i have only used normal strat necks, SGs and LPs).

 

I saw on a website that MIMs are 5-7 piece bodies with veneer tops, thats true throughout the lineup???

[rgt320]

Originally posted by AtomHeartMother ........Honestly, the fretboard material is the least of the differences between MIM and MIA Strats.

 

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