diff --git a/beets/dbcore/db.py b/beets/dbcore/db.py
index 878004976..54fb10f47 100644
--- a/beets/dbcore/db.py
+++ b/beets/dbcore/db.py
@@ -346,17 +346,13 @@ class Model(object):
 
     # Formatting and templating.
 
-    def _get_formatted(self, key, for_path=False):
-        """Get a field value formatted as a string (`unicode` object)
-        for display to the user. If `for_path` is true, then the value
-        will be sanitized for inclusion in a pathname (i.e., path
-        separators will be removed from the value).
+    @classmethod
+    def _format(cls, key, value, for_path=False):
+        """Format a value as the given field for this model.
         """
-        value = self.get(key)
-
         # Format the value as a string according to its type, if any.
-        if key in self._fields:
-            value = self._fields[key].format(value)
+        if key in cls._fields:
+            value = cls._fields[key].format(value)
             # Formatting must result in a string. To deal with
             # Python2isms, implicitly convert ASCII strings.
             assert isinstance(value, basestring), \
@@ -382,6 +378,14 @@ class Model(object):
 
         return value
 
+    def _get_formatted(self, key, for_path=False):
+        """Get a field value formatted as a string (`unicode` object)
+        for display to the user. If `for_path` is true, then the value
+        will be sanitized for inclusion in a pathname (i.e., path
+        separators will be removed from the value).
+        """
+        return self._format(key, self.get(key), for_path)
+
     def _formatted_mapping(self, for_path=False):
         """Get a mapping containing all values on this object formatted
         as human-readable strings.
@@ -410,6 +414,23 @@ class Model(object):
         return template.substitute(mapping, funcs)
 
 
+    # Parsing.
+
+    @classmethod
+    def _parse(cls, key, string):
+        """Parse a string as a value for the given key.
+        """
+        if not isinstance(string, basestring):
+            raise TypeError("_parse() argument must be a string")
+
+        typ = cls._fields.get(key)
+        if typ:
+            return typ.parse(string)
+        else:
+            # Fall back to unparsed string.
+            return string
+
+
 
 # Database controller and supporting interfaces.
 
diff --git a/beets/library.py b/beets/library.py
index d5b07c3e7..2295861fe 100644
--- a/beets/library.py
+++ b/beets/library.py
@@ -86,11 +86,17 @@ class DateType(types.Type):
                              time.localtime(value or 0))
 
     def parse(self, string):
-        # FIXME Real date parsing.
         try:
-            return float(string)
+            # Try a formatted date string.
+            return time.mktime(
+                time.strptime(string, beets.config['time_format'].get(unicode))
+            )
         except ValueError:
-            return 0.0
+            # Fall back to a plain timestamp number.
+            try:
+                return float(string)
+            except ValueError:
+                return 0.0
 
 
 class PathType(types.Type):
diff --git a/beets/ui/commands.py b/beets/ui/commands.py
index b3366d944..f57d2edb0 100644
--- a/beets/ui/commands.py
+++ b/beets/ui/commands.py
@@ -1113,10 +1113,7 @@ def modify_items(lib, mods, query, write, move, album, confirm):
     fsets = {}
     for mod in mods:
         key, value = mod.split('=', 1)
-        typ = model_cls._fields.get(key)
-        if typ:
-            value = typ.parse(value)
-        fsets[key] = value
+        fsets[key] = model_cls._parse(key, value)
 
     # Get the items to modify.
     items, albums = _do_query(lib, query, album, False)
diff --git a/test/test_dbcore.py b/test/test_dbcore.py
index 8dd554e06..85fb94f87 100644
--- a/test/test_dbcore.py
+++ b/test/test_dbcore.py
@@ -246,6 +246,16 @@ class FormatTest(_common.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(value, u'')
 
 
+class ParseTest(_common.TestCase):
+    def test_parse_fixed_field(self):
+        value = TestModel1._parse('field_one', u'2')
+        self.assertEqual(value, 2)
+
+    def test_parse_untyped_field(self):
+        value = TestModel1._parse('field_nine', u'2')
+        self.assertEqual(value, u'2')
+
+
 def suite():
     return unittest.TestLoader().loadTestsFromName(__name__)