Hi Guys & Gals,
I have MIM Standard Strat w/ EMG DG-20 pickups currently but am thinking about upgrading to an American Strat. Do you think it'll make a huge difference for me tone wise / quality compared to what I currently have? I'm actually thinking of the American Deluxe as it has the S-1 Switching which gives some versatility to my tone. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Lank

Two totally different beasts. I love my Deluxe but SCN's aren't for everyone. Make sure you play a few of them to make sure it will cover the sounds your looking for........ Miike. ps: Welcome to the forum

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

hey lank,

im skepticle that changing the dg20 from he mim to an mia would make measureable tone difference, however it would be cool to find out though.
however, you could leave things the way they are and get the am deluxe, given the ability to purchase it.
im experiencing a sort of similar dilema.
i would like to upgrade my mia but with lace sensors.
i may just keep itstock if i purchase the am deluxe.
im growing very attached to one ive been going to the guitar store and playing every time, well 3 guitars.
1 is a sss with vneck maple, other is montego black hss and lsr nut,
and the other is ec strat.
but the one that im seeing a bright future with is with the montego black one.
love the tone, dirty and gain. clean its ok.

Yea, I'm thinking of keeping the MIM w/ EMGs and getting either an American Deluxe or Vintage 62. It sucks being a poor, family man musician. I really have to pick and choose or try to get the most bang for my buck. My wife is getting a used Ibanez Artcore for Christmas and I plan on upgrading it with Gibson Burstbucker's and some Grover Tuners. Make it as close to an ES-335 as possible but I'd love to get a nicer Fender Strat or Jazzmaster. My tonal choices change daily depending on moods so I'm more open to different sounds when creating and recording but with just the single MIM Strat and 65 DRRI I only have so many choices.

Lank

huge difference between active pickups on an mia, compared to a stock mia? yes and no, depending on how your ear is and how much you'll notice the many differences. i'd notice a ton of difference in feel and tone, a lot of people may not.

but yes, they're totally different guitars and setups. neither is really "better" than the other, just different.

I have a Deluxe with the S1 switch and Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups and a Highway One with "Hot" AlNico III pickups.

The Deluxe has a lot of tonal options but (as I have been told here) the SCN pickups are essentially little humbuckers. It lacked that certain attitude that even an MIM Standard could pull off.

The Highway One is a screamer. It throws my amp into overdrive like nothing I've ever had before.

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"If I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late... don't be late." -Jimi Hendrix