american fenders

[drew_half_empty]

hmm, why was mine made in korea then? it's not a squire

[keano12]

But..... I do prefer older MIM models. Just me.

[UCSDBoy]

The American and Mexican factories are 5 miles apart. Are US ones 2.5 times better than the Mexis? No way. Mexis are great deals, plus fun to modify.

MIMs really sit in a sweet spot, IMHO - especially since you can get better than MIA pickups through aftermarket manufacturers like Seymour Duncan. Do you literally get 2.5 times the guitar for 2.5 times the money? No, but like most things you're really paying for the high jump in labor costs associated with trying to get quality above what is mass-market manufacturing.

I don't think an MIA is worth it if you can't comfortably afford one. I bought my MIM when I was a student and couldn't have been happier after I changed the pickups. Now I would consider an MIA just to have the frills that you don't really need, but represent some measure of quality like a more resonant body and a neck with better workmanship.

I think you can go beyond an MIA by going to a custom shop like Warmoth, etc. but even then, the warmoth won't hold its resale the way an MIA does so they all have good/bad points...


Just to point out though, their US factory is up in Corona, if memory serves me correctly. The Mexican factory is in Ensenada, and that I know for sure. That would be a difference of roughly 200 miles, not five. (Corona->San Diego = 90-120 minutes, San Diego->Ensenada = 90 minutes)

[Gearjoneser]

Everything that goes into a piece of gear warrants a difference in price, including the name that's on the headstock. People may scoff, but even that name effects it's eventual resale value....that's why people pay more.

You get what you pay for. Do you want 4 Mexican strats or one Custom Shop?
I'll take the Custom Shop. Do you want 2 Jap strats or one American Series? I don't care what anyone says about Japanese quality....those guitars sound thinner and feel cheaper in my hands.....I'll take one American Series.

Above all else though, you gotta play a bunch to find one good guitar. Wood and construction has a lot of variables.

[drew_half_empty]

i couldn't be happier with my korean, i have no complaints, other than the quacky mid position on it, but i'd never use it even if it was a regular mid, so who cares? not I

[Hot _Grits]

The current MIAs are very well made guitars. The only thing that stops me from owning one is my preference for vintage-style necks. The fender 'modern c' shape is a bit light for my tastes. It's a shame fender don't offer a few different neck profile options for the am stds.

But here's the thing: I've played vintage ri MIJs and MIAs, and the qualitative difference is negligible on the majority I've come across in all areas except pickups and electronics. The MIAs win there.

Pitting an MIM vintage ri against an MIA vintage ri yields different results. The MIM is a good guitar, but the the thicker finish does it no favours tonewise. You'll also start to see minor finishing flaws creeping in.

[Gearjoneser]

Good point about American Strats not offering more neck profiles. It's always bugged me that you can't get a nice deep C neck on anything other than Custom Shops and a few "Crafted in Japan" guitars. Why are they so cheap with the neck wood?

[drew_half_empty]

cuz they need people like us to work for them

[TattooedCarrot]

http://www.allthingsstrat.com/strattable.htm


Yes they are both made in CA with the MIM assembled in Mexico. But, the hardware, electronics, neck specs, and most important, the woods are different. Here's a couple pics take during a tour of the Fender factory in Corona. One pic shows the MIA wood blanks and the other shows the MIM blanks. You can clearly see the difference in that the MIM is obviously made of numerous laminate pieces.

MIA


MIM



With that cleared up it's my opinion that the MIM strats are great guitars, especially for the money. With a nice set of pickups they will do a lot for most players. But if you want a bit better in woods, parts, and specs, then you might want to pay more and step up the the MIA line.

There is more to the "Made in the U.S" label than just the name.

[UCSDBoy]

That's interesting that you point that out, Carrot - in my mind the MIM bodies are now made, or at least routed in Mexico, because you can see it from the picture at allthingsstrat fender tour. They say the necks are made in the US, though... final finishing in Mexico

[techonly]

so does this mean non-american+ series strats are made in mexico?

[Stratcat]

The bottom line is,
The American made Fenders are all around better built pieces than the Mexican ones, they play better and sound better, especially with Duncans Antiquitys!

[UCSDBoy]

so does this mean non-american+ series strats are made in mexico?

strats are made all over, China, India, Korea, Japan, Mexico, US... some times it's not even made by Fender themselves, but subcontracted out to another company (Cort being the primary example - Cort makes pretty much every guitar that comes out of Korea, no matter what it says on the headstock).

American Series strats are made in the US (I assume everything is made in the US, but I would think that sometimes, especially on special order parts like Schaller tuners, those could come from places like Germany, etc.)

Mexican Series strats are largely made in Mexico - the known exception are the necks - which are pretty much made in the US and shipped to Mexico to be added to the rest of the guitar.

Japanese strats aren't made anymore, except perhaps by their Custom Shop, if they still have one in Japan. Since the Far East doesn't have the same types of woods, it can be assumed that any real Alder, Mahogany, Swamp Ash bodies, etc. all come from North America/South America.

everything Fender and Korean is probably made by Cort, with stuff largely made in Korea, I assume. I think on Korean made guitars you're not getting true Fender tonewoods, but a substitute Asian variety - this I know is true for Mahogany - they use either use a variety from the Phillipines or a similar Asian wood (I don't remember the name).

I don't even look at Squiers so I wouldn't know.

[Fatty]

I think I can take it a step further in that when I bought my strat, the pieces were actually made _in_ the USA and just shipped to Mexico for final assembly!

Sounds like a reverse Highway 1

[UCSDBoy]

Sounds like a reverse Highway 1

lol - I didn't know the highway 1 parts are made in mexico - really?!?

[Frantic_Rock]

american necks are a dream to most mexi necks. americans stay in tune better. they are made with better materials and......um........i dont know, they are just better.

Yes they are... Every american neck i played is superior to any mexican neck. The reason i bought my highway 1 and not a mexi Jimi Vaughan or something, is because i wanted an american standard neck. I played many mexis in the music store, and none of em could bend notes, and they just felt like a toy. (like the guitar was thrown together just for the sake of making a guitar...)

[Frantic_Rock]

Sounds like a reverse Highway 1

Well the bridge, tuners, trem arm, springs, pickguard, jackplate are mexican. The neck and body are american. Its a fair deal for that highway 1, or you could pay a little extra for an all american strat. The finish is also something that cuts the price.

I'm still to get a USA strat deluxe with noiseless to see the difference between that and my highway...

I also want an Eric Clapton sig, in silver sparkle with the noiseless and 25 db boost (to keep absolutely stock for life !).

And i want a warmoth SRV strat with 70s reverse headstock, lefty trem, cream binding on both sides (think coldshot...) and my initials - AAA shinytaped on the pickguard, surfer ant set, and that good vintage bridge hardware set that everyone is raving about.

BTW. Anyone know where i can get good quality shiny tape letter stickers for the pickguard?? Preferably the same stuff Steve used?

[TattooedCarrot]

That's interesting that you point that out, Carrot - in my mind the MIM bodies are now made, or at least routed in Mexico, because you can see it from the picture at allthingsstrat fender tour. They say the necks are made in the US, though... final finishing in Mexico

That may now be the case, the pics I posted were from a Corona factory tour approximately 2 years ago.

[Stratcat]

The bottom line is,
The American made Fenders are all around better built pieces than the Mexican ones, they play better and sound better, especially with Duncans Antiquitys!

[FenderBoy]

Well the bridge, tuners, trem arm, springs, pickguard, jackplate are mexican. The neck and body are american. Its a fair deal for that highway 1, or you could pay a little extra for an all american strat. The finish is also something that cuts the price.

I'm still to get a USA strat deluxe with noiseless to see the difference between that and my highway...

I also want an Eric Clapton sig, in silver sparkle with the noiseless and 25 db boost (to keep absolutely stock for life !).

And i want a warmoth SRV strat with 70s reverse headstock, lefty trem, cream binding on both sides (think coldshot...) and my initials - AAA shinytaped on the pickguard, surfer ant set, and that good vintage bridge hardware set that everyone is raving about.

BTW. Anyone know where i can get good quality shiny tape letter stickers for the pickguard?? Preferably the same stuff Steve used?

I read that SRV bought his stickers at truckstops while on the road. You could try there or at a hardware store near you. I've seen shiny sickers for mailboxes at places like that.