What are the main differences in quality between the classic series '60s strat and a mexican standard? I'm looking to buy my first strat (i've played all gibsons and epiphones up to now) and I'm interested in the 60's style. Is it worth the $200 extra?

In my opinion, yes it is. The parts are american I believe, and are assembled in mexico. Look at the specs for a Standard and a '60s to see the differences and you decide if it's worth it to you. Good luck.

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"You won't part with your's either"

Fender American Standard Stratocaster 2006

Fender Standard Telecaster 2007

I have a CP 60 and love it. When I went to GC I intended to buy an Am Std but liked the CP 60 they had better. It really has a nice tone and played as well as the Am Std.

Compared to a Std MIM the CP 60 has 69 pickups and a custom shop bridge. These are easily worth the $200. I don't think that you could buy them separately and install them on your own at that price.

Having said that, I strongly recommend that you try a guitar before you buy it. I don't just mean a specific model. I mean a specific guitar. Every guitar is unique so one CP 60 may be great and another may be average. In addition, every player is different so while one guitar works well for your playing style it may turn to junk when I attempt to play it ( this seems to be the "normal" case ).

Fender makes some great guitars for the $$ so try out as many as you can and you will eventually hit one that you can't leave the store without.

Good Luck and let us know how it works out.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm definitely leaning towards the '60s now.

juat want to point out that mcphail your original question was about the "Classic Series 60's Strat" and flplayer was talking about the "Classic Player 60s Strat"

Just incase you hadnt realised. If ya did ignore

I did notice, actually. Thanks for pointing it out though.

I have a 60's CP and also LOVE that guitar. Couldn't agree more with everything said above....... you have to try out several before you decide, but when you get the right one.......

I have one in sonic blue, I love the heck out of it. I kinda wish I would've gone for sunburst and that it had a maple neck though. You might check out the 50s also.

I've played all three (Classic Series, Classic Player, and Mexican Standard) and my favorite is definitely the CP. My biggest concern is the pricing. I absolutely love the '60s specs, as well as the '69 pickups, but the CP is a little pricey for my budget. I figure the classic series would be the "happy medium".

Have you tried a Deluxe Player's strat? I have played some of those that are very nice. They are priced between the MIM Std and the CP 60.

By the way, you can do better than the $799 you see listed by most retailers for the CP 60. This is especially true for 2008 models when the retailer is trying to roll out the 2009s. If you can do it I would also try to save $30 by passing on the gig bag. Some retailers will let you do this and
once you see the gig bag you will want to buy a real case anyway.

I'll definitely look into that. Thank's for the advice.

The bottom line is to check them all out and see which one 'speaks' to you.

Try not to get too hung up on the whole MIM vs. MIA thing either or you may miss out on an outstanding instrument and/or spend more money than you have to.

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You dig?

Bestbuy (of all places) was carrying the 60s in Candy Apple for $599. And, they were willing to negotiate on that. But, they just bumped up the price to $869.

There's been lots of talk about the price increases, but I didn't think they hit quite yet.

the mim cp 60 was designed from the custom shop. american parts, assembled in mim. 69's custom shop pups.

i own a cp 60 sonic blue with rosewood neck. very nice guitar, good value for money, great sound.

cheers

The '60s CP is a sweetie of a guitar with those pups and the killer bridge. Agreed a million times over. HOWEVER, let's think this through a moment... We all know the big price increase is coming. That means an MIA Std is gonna run for $1200 in likely a month or so (some stores are already there). Well, right now, you can get a sunburst MIA Std blem for only $860 from GC. That is a killing. Further, most of GC 'blem' models are usually only returns that are still in mint condition (that is, we are not talking about true "factory seconds" or gray market crap).

My suggestion: However much money you have, find a little more and get the REAL bad boy. Remember, you get the killer case, too (and not the lowly gig bag). Anything else will be a regret.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-American-Standard-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-104785266-i1385900.gc

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