american fenders

[drew_half_empty]

what the hell is the difference and why is that difference worth hundreds more

[flank]

better woods.......more time spent prefecting neck (rolled edges, fretwork)........better hardware and better pickups.....

[LesStrat]

better woods.......more time spent prefecting neck (rolled edges, fretwork)........better hardware and better pickups.....

I'll go along with all but the last point. Ever notice how everyone buying a new LP or Strat wants a pickup swap? There IS a reason....

[Luke Duke]

Two words

Micro-Tilt. Ok so it's not worth 3 times as much but it is nice, without that I wouldn't pick up a tele or strat. The other player centric thing is the broken in feeling rolled edge, I really dig those on my tele. I also like to support my neighbors and friends by buying goods made in the USA when possible.

Luke

[flank]

I'll go along with all but the last point. Ever notice how everyone buying a new LP or Strat wants a pickup swap? There IS a reason....

you have a point, but i doubt the number of people who are "tone journeymen" out-number the people who buy a guitar to play it, and buy it liking how it sounds already.... its just different kinds of people, those who are content with a good sounding guitar, and those, like all the people on these guitar forums, that love experimentation

[drew_half_empty]

i dunno, i can't tell that much neck difference, pickups yeah, but can't you buy those aftermarket anyways?

[flank]

there are some real nice mexis.....and some so so americans........ its just about findin the right one that stands out

sometimes the neck might feel pretty good, but when you really put it through the grind, the combinations of the hardware and neck could really throw the guitar out of tune........ this will happen more likely on mexis just because there is not as much time spent on em and because the hardware is not as well perfected and well made

but like i said, there is not that much difference at all sometimes.........but every mexi ive played did not feel right compared to my american strat or other americans ive played.......eh, i guess its just what is right for you

[strat_master]

what they said

[Dooogz]

yeah, they are right, make sure u look around though, its all about personal taste, you need one which suits you!

[Illini1330]

I love my mexi more than any other american ive played. Not the sound cause the pups are stock (still waitin to change them.) But it just feels more worn in to me. I made one mod, I refinished the neck and it feels great. I dunno mabey I just have one of those good mexican strats. It stays in tune well too, but I changed the tunners to vintage strat style ones. I've put a total of about $35 into it including te refinishing suplies for the neck, and I can't really feel the difference. It took some tweaking to the set-up of the guitar for the neck to feel good, but only took about 10-20 minutes to do. If I were u I would play both and just see what you like.

[flank]

with a pickup change (good pickups like duncans) i doubt anybody could tell the differnce between a mexi and american

but feel and playability is the key differnce, and the most important to me..... you can always make changes in the sound of the guitar (to an extent)....but you cant change the feel of it.....

all that being said, i wouldt not pay 850 or 900 for a new american strat......i also would not buy a mexican strat (unless i found an unbelivable one, but none have come close)....... i would always opt for a used american at around 500-600......and thats what i did

[Gearjoneser]

.... i would always opt for a used american at around 500-600......and thats what i did

I've never understood why anyone would buy any import Fender, with maybe the exception of the Jimmy Vaughan Model. You get what you pay for, every step of the way with Fender, but the best deal will always be the desperate seller getting rid of his American Std strat. $400-$600 strats come up used daily.
Slap in some Duncans, make sure it's set up perfectly, and you're done!

And, if you want to go up from there, buy a Deluxe, Classic Player, or Custom Shop. Sure, it cost more to buy a Custom Shop, but a good player with a good ear can tell the difference in quality.......as long as it's a Strat or Tele that is exactly what you wanted.

[Seraphial]

what the hell is the difference and why is that difference worth hundreds more

To be honest, I've always thought that for $500-$700 on Ebay for a 2nd hand US Strat, its a pretty good deal for the guitar you get. What I've always wondered about is how Gibson can charge another grand for making the same guitar Heritage does

[take2]

To be honest, I've always thought that for $500-$700 on Ebay for a 2nd hand US Strat, its a pretty good deal for the guitar you get. What I've always wondered about is how Gibson can charge another grand for making the same guitar Heritage does

Its probably the topic of another thread, but I agree with you, I think Gibsons are the most over priced instruments out there - not that they don't make a nice guitar but certainly no better than the likes of Hamer, Heritage, etc. and you could make an arguement that many of their guitars are inferior to those makers.

[SoCalSteve]

I love my MIM Strat. It's the satin candy apple with black pups/pickguard. Stays in tune better than my Floyd Rose Ibanez. C-shaped neck feels wonderful to my hands, nice smooth fret edges. Switches and knobs are tight. It's a keeper.

[UCSDBoy]

I love my MIM Strat. It's the satin candy apple with black pups/pickguard. Stays in tune better than my Floyd Rose Ibanez. C-shaped neck feels wonderful to my hands, nice smooth fret edges. Switches and knobs are tight. It's a keeper.

lol yeah, but what _doesn't_ stay in tune better than a guitar with a cheap floyd copy? (I still have mine, but I'm blocking it off - don't use it anyway)

I think MIM Strats are definitely keepers - at least most of them. I like the attention to detail and in general the better quality materials found in the MIAs, but obviously my MIM with SD pickups was enough for me... I found my tone with the MIM so no need to get another strat... It's really the looks that make me want to get another one - cherry sunburst finishes are to die for. =)

allthingsstrat.com has a very good comparison chart (and a tour of the mexican facility in pictures! =))

[Hellion]

You can argue with me as much as you like but when you're talking Fender guitars, the Mexican made instruments are the best value for the money at this point in time. The American made guitars & basses may use a bit better wood (We're talking Fender here, not Squire), but remember, we're talking Alder, Ash & Poplar. There isn't that much difference. I'll put my Mexi's up against ANY American made instruments.

[UCSDBoy]

You can argue with me as much as you like but when you're talking Fender guitars, the Mexican made instruments are the best value for the money at this point in time. The American made guitars & basses may use a bit better wood (We're talking Fender here, not Squire), but remember, we're talking Alder, Ash & Poplar. There isn't that much difference. I'll put my Mexi's up against ANY American made instruments.

Well yeah, but the difference these days isn't about the wood itself, but perhaps the quality of the wood and the number of pieces. My strat's poplar - back when the MIMs were poplar and the real strats were Alder/Ash. Nowadays they're all Alder/Ash - but the wood may not be as pretty, as resonant, or just may be 5-7 pieces instead of a normal 2-3 piece.

One thing I will say is, I love a resonant guitar - my strat's pretty good, but I think you can definitely tell the difference between even a good mexi and a good mia in that respect.

I agree with you though - the MIMs are a great value, when compared to the MIAs. I wouldn't put a stock MIM against an MIA but I might consider an MIM with duncans going against an MIA.

[drew_half_empty]

yeah but you don't pay as much for the fender name as you do marshall or gibson, which are both overpriced and overrated. Are the mexis the highway 61's? cuz my blackout is korean, so i'm taking it standards aren't mexis

[UCSDBoy]

I would say roughly the order is:
squiers (and however they break down with their affinity stuff)
(mexican) standard strats
(american) standard (now replaced by american series)
custom shop

not counting the special editions, etc.