If all goes well I will soon be buying my first Fender Strat. (I have a squier now) I was going to hot rod my squier but after some thought and advice from others decided to put the money into a Fender and maybe hot rod the squier later. I know the answers to these questions are all strictly opinion and hope I do not create any heated discussions, or make myself sound like a moron:wink:

Made in Mexico and Made in good 'ol U.S.A, is the quality worth the price difference?

HSS or SSS: what type of pickups, I'm not into heavy metal music or anything like that. However, I would like to be able to put some distortion out there from time to time and want to be able to cut through the mix but I want nice clear tone also. Just for reference the guitar solo in far behind by candlebox sounds incredible to me. That tone is awesome. Bottom line i would like to be able to go from clear and bright to some dirt. Am I asking too much out of one set up?

Maybe some of you experienced players can help me out a little. Thanks for your help and opinions.

Try them all!
Myself, I would go with the HSS and whatever (MIM or US) strat felt the best to me.

My personal opinion is to go out and try a bunch of different guitars (even the same make/model) and find the one that you like most.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

The quality of the guitars MIA & MIM are worth the price especailly when you consider the resale value later on. MIA guitars increase in value over time. I know people here will say they can`t tell the difference between the two. I have one of each and can definately feel the difference in the neck alone. There is nothing wrong with the Strats made in Mexico, I like mine a lot and would recommend getting one if it fits your budget. You won`t be sorry, its well made and sounds good.

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Every guitar is different, even if made by the same manfacturer/same model. I agree with everyone else, play as many as you can within your price range and pick the best one you feel is right. I would even say play some just above your price range to see if more expensive models are truely all that different or if you can live with a lower level guitar for what you are playing.

I love the Highway 1 Stratocaster I purchaced. It was the best bang for my buck. I could have picked a American Standard or the Standard MIM Strats, but I chose something in between. (Not to mention I loved the way that guitar responded to me playing it.) If I could have afforded it at the time I would have purchaced the American Deluxe, but too far out of my price range that day.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I agree with the rest. You should check them out yourself and see what you like and what feels good to you. I would buy the best one (after testing) that you can afford! Good luck and good playing!!

Hey Hey Newbe Strathead-

Welcome to the forum. Congrats on your taking the plunge into the wonderful world of Fender Strats. I understand your dilema- which way do I go- MIA or save a buck or two and go MiM?????- It's enough to make you start drinking.

Think of it like this. It's like finding a good woman. You know what kind of woman you are looking for (a strat) but you need to go out and meet some ladies in order to find the one you belong with. MIA...MIM...MIJ...It doesn't matter. The Strat that is right for you will show herself only after you have tickles her neck a little bit.....

Go forth and statr making some dates with some strats...

The Freeze

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There's Always Room For MELLOW !!!!

2000 MIM Stratocaster, Midnight Wine W/Texas Specials
2000 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
1969 Fender Vibro Champ

Ha! Good suggestion! Nice.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

WHATs your budget??

Thanks for the advice, It would be alot smarter for me to go to the guitar shop sit down and play with these guitars rather than asking everyones opinion in a forum( although it is helpful). I guess I was trying to justify buying a less expensive guitar and expecting high dollar results out of it(that ones for you bigjay ) I guess I need to just go ahead and pay up for the american model. Now i just need to decide if I want the hss or sss setup

Any shared experiences with the two or advice is still welcome.

The ultimate HSS is the 57 hotrod IMO. It certainly plays better than anything else i've tried, including my custom classic. I attribute that to the neck shape though. The soft V on that particular model is quite unlike fenders other soft V's. The dimarzio tonezone HB wont thrash as well as most other mini HB's, its tone is more classic rock/70's metal than modern. If i were to pick a great allround SSS guitar the american deluxe would be my choice. Classic SC sounds and the S1 switch gives some quite humbuckery sounds too. My custom classic has that wiring, its very adaptable with a half decent amp.

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No no and no

Sounds like the american deluxe sss with the s1 switching system may be the way to go for me if you can get hb like sounds of it due to the different pickup combinations you can choose. Then I can still have the cleaner sound of single coils with the option of hb sounds. Right? (I hate not knowing what I'm talking about. Y'all be patient with me while I learn )

no worries mate. Go try a deluxe the switching is so good my customshop has it too. The sounds arent exact humbucker sounds but i find it a better option than coiltapping humbuckers to get a singlecoil sound.

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No no and no

I second what CAFeathers and others have already said. Play as many of each type as you can get your hands on then your choice will be clear.

Happy hunting!