American Special vs MIM Standard.

[Benjammin]

I think they started the revamp with the '06 models and continued it for a couple of years.

I've been playing long enough for '06 to still be considered new to me

The necks and bodies are made in the US and then shipped to Mexico to be assembled and I am not sure if that was always the case.

that has been the case, for a while if not always.

 

[alankelly]

Speaking of Strats, I have a question for you guys "in the know." One thing that bugs me a little bit is that the low E string doesn't line up 100% over the neck pickup on my guitar.

Is this some adjustment I can make, or is this some sort of string spacing difference between an American Strat and a MIM? I pieced this together from different parts off of eBay, so the neck, body, and pickguard are from three different guitars.

It sounds pretty good to me (honestly even better than my LP Studio at lower volumes), and I don't think it makes much of a difference since the pickups use magnetic fields -- or does it? Guess what I'm trying to say is that strings don't necessarily have to be dead center over the pole pieces to be OK. Correct me if I'm wrong, please

Anyway, here's the pic.

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[Benjammin]

Speaking of Strats, I have a question for you guys "in the know." One thing that bugs me a little bit is that the low E string doesn't line up 100% over the neck pickup on my guitar.

Is this some adjustment I can make, or is this some sort of string spacing difference between an American Strat and a MIM? I pieced this together from different parts off of eBay, so the neck, body, and pickguard are from three different guitars.

It sounds pretty good to me (honestly even better than my LP Studio at lower volumes), and I don't think it makes much of a difference since the pickups use magnetic fields -- or does it? Guess what I'm trying to say is that strings don't necessarily have to be dead center over the pole pieces to be OK. Correct me if I'm wrong, please

Vintage style saddles (as on yours or MIM Standards) do have slightly different dimensions than the American Standard saddles. There is enough extra room for them to slide around, and if you use the whammy bar, they shift very often when you use the bar. Also different necks have different widths (measured at the nut) whereas the bridges all have the same spacing, so there is going to be some variation. You could put a little peice of paper or cardboard inbetween the saddles, as a shim, if you want it to line up a certain way. If you dont notice any problems with the sound of it, then I wouldnt worry about it personally. I dont think they need to be lined up, but if there was something lacking, than that would be something to correct. Trying to adjust the string alignment over the pickup too much could/would affect the alignment of the string going down the neck as well, which would screw with the intonation and playability

 

[colchar]

Speaking of Strats, I have a question for you guys "in the know." One thing that bugs me a little bit is that the low E string doesn't line up 100% over the neck pickup on my guitar.

On my MIM Standard my first string doesn't line up over the neck pickup.

 

[alankelly]

Guess it's no big deal then. Thanks Benjammin and Colchar.

 

[colchar]

Guess it's no big deal then. Thanks Benjammin and Colchar.

I'm new to Strats so wasn't 100% certain but I checked a bunch of photos online and this seems to be pretty common so I'm assuming it is nothing to worry about.

 

[Telechamp]

Got two MIM's - an MIM Standard and a Road Worn 60's 3-tone sunburst. I really like 'em both, but had to play 6 or 7 of the MIM Standards there at GC that day in 2005 before I picked this '05 Blue Agave Std out of the pack..

The Road Worn I ordered from Musician's Friend exactly one year ago, but had to return the first one because of neck issues. This second one was a keeper after a setup and some minor fret work. Floated the trem on it, also.

Two very different MIM Strats tone-wise, but both sound like Strats nonetheless..

 

[AngryHatter]

I don't know about differences in tone due to wood, but without a doubt, I noticed a big difference when I swapped out my MIM pickups with a loaded pick guard from an American Standard I bought off of eBay.

Even to a relatively untrained such as mine, the change was noticeable. Just makes me wonder how much better a full fledged MIA Strat would sound compared to mine.

Since I'm not rich, I probably won't know for a while.

Not sound as much as feel.
My MIM is great except the trem arm doesn't screw into anything...it falls out.
A QA issue. (Which Fender will fix, gratis)
I'd bet you couldn't tell my VM Strat from any other Strat by sound alone, the pickups are that good.

 

[b3john]

Not sound as much as feel.
My MIM is great except the trem arm doesn't screw into anything...it falls out.
A QA issue. (Which Fender will fix, gratis)

Free is good.

OTOH, Callaham makes a fantastic replacement trem block+arm for $75 that is a direct replacement for the factory MIM trem blocks (link). The only downside is that the trem arm is 10-32 threaded like the MIA arms, so you also have to update the trem arm at the same time (i.e. your existing MIM trem arm wouldn't work in the updated trem block).

I'd bet you couldn't tell my VM Strat from any other Strat by sound alone, the pickups are that good.

I have a '50s Classic Players Strat, "CS designed MIM", that I would put the neck action up against any MIA Strat I've ever owned (which is a few ).

 

[AngryHatter]

Free is good.

OTOH, Callaham makes a fantastic replacement trem block+arm for $75 that is a direct replacement for the factory MIM trem blocks (link). The only downside is that the trem arm is 10-32 threaded like the MIA arms, so you also have to update the trem arm at the same time (i.e. your existing MIM trem arm wouldn't work in the updated trem block).


I have a '50s Classic Players Strat, "CS designed MIM", that I would put the neck action up against any MIA Strat I've ever owned (which is a few ).

Which is why I said by sound alone. The pickups are SD "designed." It sounds awesome. But the feel is very different with every price tier Fender has.

Feel is easy.

 

[SteveGangi]

Not sound as much as feel.
My MIM is great except the trem arm doesn't screw into anything...it falls out.
A QA issue. (Which Fender will fix, gratis)
I'd bet you couldn't tell my VM Strat from any other Strat by sound alone, the pickups are that good.

You still need a trem arm? I got one with my Tele (it was in the gig bag). PM me if you need it. I don't know if it will fit, but it's yours if you want. I won't use it.

 

[AngryHatter]

Nah, I have two. But the collette at the bottom of the shaft is not threaded.
Fender is fixing it as we type.

 

[joeybsyc]

I bought a MIM in May of this year and the fret leveling and finishing just did not happen on this guitar. Seems like the USA Fenders I bought in the past I could take to a gig that night. If you have to rebuild, repair and replace parts on a new guitar I do not think it is worth buying.

This. The finish work, fret ends, leveling, etc. is generally MUCH better on USA Strats... thats worth the extra dough IMO...The MIM's usually have a cheap looking plastic truss rod insert in the headstock, cosmetic mainly, but it just screams cheap to me. Also, alot of times an American one comes with a nice hardshell case vs. a gig bag or nothing at all... which you gotta factor into the price difference. In the long run I think the extra expense for a USA guitar is worth it, but of course many MIM owners will disagree and say their guitars are just as good or better than my USA ones. Different strokes, different folks.

 

[colchar]

This. The finish work, fret ends, leveling, etc. is generally MUCH better on USA Strats... thats worth the extra dough IMO...The MIM's usually have a cheap looking plastic truss rod insert in the headstock, cosmetic mainly, but it just screams cheap to me. Also, alot of times an American one comes with a nice hardshell case vs. a gig bag or nothing at all... which you gotta factor into the price difference. In the long run I think the extra expense for a USA guitar is worth it, but of course many MIM owners will disagree and say their guitars are just as good or better than my USA ones. Different strokes, different folks.

As has been mentioned in this thread, the newer models are better so check them out. My 2010 model is great with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Fender did such a good job on this guitar, especially at its price point, that they have guaranteed themselves future business from me.

 

[joeybsyc]

Hey thats great the quality has improved... I don't doubt it has... I wasn't really meaning to bash MIM Fenders, just stating that the reason they cost less than USA ones isn't totally because the labor to produce them is cheaper... some of the components and finish work are different as well. Nothing wrong with that. We all tend to get bogged down with scrutinizing every last detail of these things, when the reality of it is that very few of us (myself included) can blame the quality of our gear on the quality of our playing. Just about every guitar made today is of at least high enough quality to produce music far above and beyond the capabilities of the people nit-picking it. Someone once said that the best and most iconic music ever recorded has been composed with equipment far inferior to what we all use today. I couldn't agree more.

 

[Benjammin]

I just got a Am Special, and it was either that or a MIM Standard. They sounded very similar side by side; the Am Special had better pickups (in either case I wouldve upgraded the pickups anyways) and I suspect a better quality trem block would account for the other noticeable differences (though again, in either case I would be upgrading to a Callaham bridge/trem anyways)

IMO the extra features and quality arent worth the extra $300 they charge, but I really wanted 22 frets, and the appeal of the big frets and headstock were overpowering. I'm happy with my choice

 

[SteveGangi]

Nah, I have two. But the collette at the bottom of the shaft is not threaded.
Fender is fixing it as we type.

OK, good enough.

 

[AngryHatter]

OK, good enough.

Thanks, man - appreciate the offer.

Ever get out to Pomona?
We could jam...or something.

 

[SteveGangi]

Thanks, man - appreciate the offer.

Ever get out to Pomona?
We could jam...or something.

I pretty much never leave the Valley - no wheels. I moved out here and the insurance tripled just for crossing the state line (from Texas years ago), so since I was so close to work anyway and the car was about "finished" I got rid of it and let the insurance lapse. It just wasn't worth the expense.

 

[StratJeff]

Not sure if it matters, but I have always been impressed with every AmSpecial I picked up and played, far more than the average MIM.

You can make any MIM great, but if you're looking for a great guitar out of the box, the American Special is it.