Anyone familiar with these-Quality wise? Hendrix MIM Strat

I've owned and played my share of MIM Fenders and a handful of USA Fenders. MIM Standard Fenders are decent guitars but the MIM 'signature' and 'classic player' models are a step up when it comes to construction, setup and playability. I currently have a USA Deluxe V-Neck Strat (2004) and a MIM Classic Player Triple Telecaster. Not much of a difference in playability between the two. Different neck shapes/profiles but the feel of quality is very comparable.
 
My reverse headstock AND reverse body white MiM (I guess that equals a flipped Jimi strat without reversed strings lol!). Plays good (well good enough for me anyway) / feels good - no upgrades other than swapped white for black pickguard and locking tuners. Price is 20% more than when I got this one in 2018 - still a good value though I'd say.
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Keep in mind that the MIM guitars are cheaper for a reason. They cut some cost with the electronics and hardware. The body is probably made of more pieces than what you would find in a US built model. However, I had a US built Tele (Deluxe) that had a 3 piece body so who knows how many pieces the MIM bodies can be. That doesn't mean you can't make the MIM guitar into a great guitar. You may want to swap the electronics out and dress the fret ends to get it in the neighborhood of the US models. The fretwork is where I notice a difference in the two right away. The MIM may need some leveling and the ends dressed. This is manual labor that they don't take the time to do on the MIM models.
 
JasonE said:
Keep in mind that the MIM guitars are cheaper for a reason. They cut some cost with the electronics and hardware. The body is probably made of more pieces than what you would find in a US built model. However, I had a US built Tele (Deluxe) that had a 3 piece body so who knows how many pieces the MIM bodies can be. That doesn't mean you can't make the MIM guitar into a great guitar. You may want to swap the electronics out and dress the fret ends to get it in the neighborhood of the US models. The fretwork is where I notice a difference in the two right away. The MIM may need some leveling and the ends dressed. This is manual labor that they don't take the time to do on the MIM models.
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I'd agree but I've been dissappointed to find the same issues in higher end guitars. Love my 2k+$ SG and Carvin but I've had electronic / tuning / fret issues on them that had to be addressed - I know there are differences (better wood is better wood - no getting around that) but I'm not totally convinced the added cost of higher end is always well spent.

Got some luthiering tools a while ago and tried my hand at a crown / dress / polish + nut replacement last week on my beater parts MiM (badly needed - frets were dented / uneven and cracked nut). Confident enough now to feel I can do descent fretwork on my "good" guitars if/when needed.

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as others have noted glued body/neck and lower cost electronics... i'll also note that (for me), the set up is most important...
i've invested $$$ with StewMac specifically to deal with S/E Asian guitars (and some MIM) esp in regards to fretwork...
unfortunately i'm also spoiled by the higher time spent on USA made stuff (Suhr, TAG, EBMM) and Japanese (Ibanez, ESP)...
i've become a DIY luthier! YMMV.... :)
 
I disagree the electronics are cheaper on the MiMs. Certainly not the case on my EOB. Like @Andy Eagle noted: it's got a super thick coat of plastic paint on it. But it's fine for that guitar since I'm playing it mostly like a synth. Hasn't seemed to be a big negative on resonance. Hardware was...fine. Could do with a nicer bridge.
 
Yeah MIM is a great bang for the buck.

As for "plastic" finishes. Good luck finding a wood finish that isn't some form of plastic. Nitrocellulose is a type of plastic. Even shellac and drying oils polymerize into "natural" plastics. The primary difference is those types of finishes often tend to be applied thinner than modern "poly" finishes, which lets the wood resonate more, but also offers less protection. Pros and Cons...
 
Andy Eagle said:
The Fender Mexico factory produce some of the best value guitars you can buy . EVH ,Charvel ,Jackson and Fender MIM all are outstanding for the money.
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Totally agree! I have a bunch of American Fenders, and my MIM Tele stacks up really well. The only upgrade I made was installing locking tuners.

I also love my EVH Frankie that is Mexican made.

There used to be bigger quality differences but that gap has narrowed a lot. I think the Mexican factory has been upgraded a lot over the years. Some have gone so far to say that the biggest difference between American and Mexican Fenders these days is the 180 miles between the Corona, CA and Ensenada, Mexico factories.
 
mr_fender said:
Yeah MIM is a great bang for the buck.

As for "plastic" finishes. Good luck finding a wood finish that isn't some form of plastic. Nitrocellulose is a type of plastic. Even shellac and drying oils polymerize into "natural" plastics. The primary difference is those types of finishes often tend to be applied thinner than modern "poly" finishes, which lets the wood resonate more, but also offers less protection. Pros and Cons...
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Thin and hard is what matters and they don't wear well which is one reason to like a relic finish. Thin, hard and doesn't make much difference to add a ding or two. On a serious note the time spent doing the final sanding and then working with a thin finish costs more than a MIM body. Some budget guitars have been made with simple thin clear finishes but it's not common because you get to see the wood and all the lack of sanding.
 
sprint said:
I'd agree but I've been dissappointed to find the same issues in higher end guitars. Love my 2k+$ SG and Carvin but I've had electronic / tuning / fret issues on them that had to be addressed - I know there are differences (better wood is better wood - no getting around that) but I'm not totally convinced the added cost of higher end is always well spent.

Got some luthiering tools a while ago and tried my hand at a crown / dress / polish + nut replacement last week on my beater parts MiM (badly needed - frets were dented / uneven and cracked nut). Confident enough now to feel I can do descent fretwork on my "good" guitars if/when needed.

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There have definitely been a lot more quality issues across multiple brands in the past few years. I had an issue with an American Ultra Tele that really surprised me and I am am to this day wondering how it ever made it out of the factory. It was a big deal too. When I contacted Fender about it and provided proof of what I found they told me to return it and have the dealer return it for credit.
 
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