Glad I bought a MIA Tele and not a MIM

[Grandfunkfan]

The term " Sunk Cost Fallacy " where buyers will continue to buy the lesser product , ( MIM Telecaster ) instead of saving for what they really wanted then the need to justify their lessor quality product purchased to themselves and others . There have been almost 99 replies so far on the justifications of purchasing a MIM Tele over a MIA Tele . Like one of the posters stated he has never picked up a MIM Fender and said to himself oh yeah this is the one . Then you have the buyers who comment I can afford to buy any guitar I want including a MIA Telecaster , so then you are either full of you know what , really do not have the money and nothing wrong with that we buy what we can afford or you are stinking rich and need that instant gratification high . You MIM buyers know you really wanted that
American Fender but for the various reason mentioned above you did not buy the MIA . So even with proof with a pic of a seven piece
body all glued together with a piece of plywood on the top and bottom holding all those pieces together and then slathered with a very thick
coat of Polyester finish to hide all those imperfections and the 14 seams on the top and seven seams on the back . Be honest
most of you know you really wanted that MIA Fender Telecaster .

Not true. I have American strats and teles. I bought them for the same reason I bought my mims. They sound good . A couple years ago I was thinking about buying a pro 2 strat played it and didn't think much of it same day I played the Vintera 50s strat bought it. Nothing to do with money. Thinking you can only get a good guitar by buying American is a mistake. Speaking of which, those American specials with the Tex mex pickups, worse than the pro 2.
.

Do you think I give a damn if my single MIM doesn't? A Vintera I paid six hunnert for used. Why should anyone assume such a guitar will hold its value?

I'm with you on that. I don't have anything I'm willing to sell anyway and if I did, I'd dump it and move on. Resale never enters my mind. Good neck, good pickups, good to go.

 

[msalama]

Good neck, good pickups, good to go

Just like mine. A great deal if you want something you don't have to keep an eye on every time you take it out.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Just counted, because Ron Thorn was a Master Builder. Maybe he can count better than I can.

My Player II has a three piece mahogany body.

My Vintera II has a three piece alder body.

My Classic ‘60 has a four piece alder body.

My American Performer has a four piece alder body.

My American Professional I has a three piece alder body.

My MIJ TL-62Bs have two and three piece alder bodies.

My MII Classic Vibe ‘60s has a two piece Nyatoh body.

Ron’s information may be dated.

 

[cyclopean]

i've never played a tele i liked more than my black 90s mim i bought used as a teenager.

 

[havlma1]

Some people are just stuck with judging guitars in two categories: American, Mexican. Usualy they don't care about the specs, the origin is the only criteria. When I speak to someone and I relaize it is this kind of person, I know there is no place for reasonable discussion and I leave..

 

[Asbury]

Has anyone ever walked into a gig and saw the band members play mim stuff and left? Yeah didn’t think so. Nobody cares.

 

[msalama]

this kind of person

Yeah. Real experts and connoisseurs, that lot, and as open to anything new as a duck's rear orifice under water. They'd even miss the floor if they fell down

 

[Fiesta Red]

So returning to the point of my original post :

From a written interview with Ron Thorn who is or was the Chief Master builder in the Custom shop at Fender you can also do a search on YouTube and he will explain in detail why the MIA Fenders are superior to the MIM Fenders . I do not know if he is still at Fender ? "Custom shop Fenders are either one solid piece of wood for the body and at most two pieces , MIA Fenders are usually two or three pieces but never more than four piece bodies , that number increases drastically when talking about MIM Fender guitars. " Ron goes on to say , " why is this important , because of resonance the more pieces of wood you glue together to make the body the less
resonance , organic and musical that body will be." Play a MIA Telecaster not plugged into an amp and listen to it's sustain and
resonance and then do the same experiment with a seven piece MIM body topped off with plywood and tell me you do not hear the difference . Maybe it is your amp set-up that sounds great and not your MIM Fender ?
For any new people wanting to get into the Fender guitar world save your coin and buy that American made Telecaster .

Man, those guys at Alembic must be doing some kind of black magic voodoo, because those multi-layered Alembics sure do ring true and long!

Plus, I don’t know about you, but I don’t play any of my electric guitars unplugged (outside of the acoustic/electrics), so how they perform without an amp is of no concern to me…

Yes, resonance matters, but pickups and effects and the amp itself influence it even more.

Why argue with a guy who calls a MIM Fender a Burritocaster?

Because he’s wrong and is acting like what they call in Mexico “un burro“…?

 

[BigPapa-53]

Just in case y’all missed it. Originally posted by @badinfinities .

 

[Highway 49]

I’d have thought the mods. would have spotted an obvious troll post right at the beginning… maybe they think it’s keeping us out of more serious trouble, so are letting it run

 

[Fiesta Red]

Re: resale value.

The only time I worry about that is when I’m buying a guitar I am planning on flipping, which I’ve done a few times and always made money—a couple of times, they were MIA instruments, but I’ve also flipped (and profited off of) MIM, MIK, and MIC instruments.

 

[drumtime]

The whole resale value argument just doesn't hold water. Cheaper guitars have a lower resale value based on their original cost, which was - guess what? - lower.

I bought my MIC CV50s about 15 years ago from a dude in Nashville for $185 used. I also had a MIM I bought for $250. I liked the CV a lot better - nice flamed neck that fit my hand better. Sold the MIM 2 years ago for $350. The CV has cost me $12/year so far, and I could probably sell it today for at least $250.

If I bought a brand new CV today, at full price - $450 - and kept it for 15 years, it would cost $30/year to own it, minus whatever I sell it for, which may or may not increase like mine did, but it doesn't really matter - I'll still get a reasonable chunk of my money back out of it and move on with my life.

At the higher end, a PRS Custom 24 sold in 2010 for $4379 retail. A quick skim of Reverb listings averages less than $3,000 for a 2010. In 2010, the retail price for a new American-made Fender Telecaster ranged from $1500 to $2299.99, depending on the specific model. Reverb listings for a 2010 seem to be in about the same range - no loss of value, but no increase either.

You also have to factor in the use you're getting out of it - that's its real value. I'd also be happy with whatever I get for my PRS if and when I sell it.

It's almost always a much better "investment" than a car, for instance.

 

[Telecastoff1]

I own 5 Teles. Two are MIA, a '92 AM. Std and a 2003 52 RI, The other three are really nice Squiers. I gig regularly, and oftentimes I'll gig with one of the Squiers. We draw big crowds and nobody cares what label is on the headstock. They come to hear the music and dance. I buy my Squiers used, and choose what I like and feel will work for me on my gigs. I buy 'em to keep 'em, I don't care about resale value. My grown-up musician kids will inherit these someday...then they can decide what's good and what isn't.

 

[Tele-Mania]

It is interesting to to hear Ron Thorn's response when asked about the difference between custom shop and regular Fender guitars. What surprised me, was what he did not say !

 

[Alaska Mike]

In this video, he kinda glosses over it with vague numbers at about the 4 minute mark, but makes no mention of advantages or disadvantages.

To be honest, I would have to see the specific video/article the OP is “quoting”, as I have watched more Ron Thorn videos than I really want to.

I did buy a white blonde ash Custom Shop body for a Croppercaster-esque build yesterday. It has two pieces, so I hope the tone doesn’t leak out through the seam before I get it.

 

[Vadim]

This is my American Special, which is an entry level MIA. 2 pieces, quarter-sawn, book-matched body, no laminate and not a single blemish. The quality is on par with custom shop. MIA can be a better guitar by a huge margin. You cant find a MIM like this.

Laminate is always a bad sign.The problem with it is that it's only used to conceal poor wood quality. Laminated guitars will always have knots. Knots and a large number of pieces will hurt the resonance.

 

[notmyusualuserid]

⁷

I’d have thought the mods. would have spotted an obvious troll post right at the beginning… maybe they think it’s keeping us out of more serious trouble, so are letting it run

I think they're multiplying.

The OP joined in 2018, and has 15 posts, most of them on this thread.
The last poster ^ joined in 2017, and has 5 posts.

I wonder how many other infrequent visitors will jump on board?

 

[brudford]

This is my American Special, which is an entry level MIA. 2 pieces, quarter-sawn, book-matched body, no laminate and not a single blemish. The quality is on par with custom shop. MIA can be a better guitar by a huge margin. You cant find a MIM like this.

Laminate is always a bad sign.The problem with it is that it's only used to conceal poor wood quality. Laminated guitars will always have knots. Knots and a large number of pieces will hurt the resonance.

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Agree , you have a beautiful made American Fender that you can pass on someday to someone in your family , I am currently seeing my American Special selling for $300-400 more than what I paid for it never will see that with a MIM copy . Yes resonance means a lot for the tone of a guitar and I think
what many of these MIM owners are hearing is their great amp rig setup wether a real amp or a modeler .

 

[ben smith]

Purchased a MIA American Special Tele about ten years as I wanted made in America / California and several years prior to that
bought a new MIM Telecaster and none of the screws in the guitar body would hold , the wood was so soft it was like saw dust .
Here is a pic from the Ensenada Mexico plant of bodies , I am counting 7 pieces of wood and also see laminates . I would hope the MIA
are no more than 3-4 pieces with no laminate , the MIM have to save money somewhere .

I know, it's a pisstake to be honest. I've got plenty of MIMs but I can't full in love with them because I know that's what's underneath the paint. Its wrong, and it's not acceptable. Just use bloody basswood or poplar? This is actually the reality people, you're in denial if you think otherwise. Ive seen it many times, 2k fenders are like this, i used to build guitars for a living! I saw it all the time, Japanese fenders were even worse! I don't care what the fender fanboys think of my comment.

 

[ChicknPickn]

I know, it's a pisstake to be honest. I've got plenty of MIMs but I can't full in love with them because I know that's what's underneath the paint. Its wrong, and it's not acceptable. Just use bloody basswood or poplar? This is actually the reality people, you're in denial if you think otherwise. Ive seen it many times, 2k fenders are like this, i used to build guitars for a living! I saw it all the time, Japanese fenders were even worse! I don't care what the fender fanboys think of my comment.

Wrong website.

Please move to TDPRIBTWGAWDWI.COM.


(Telecaster Discussion Page Reissued But Then Went Gibson And Was Done With It.com)