I have had a $@! Strat for 25 years. Only recently when I got an American Standard, did I notice how 'dark' the MIJ sounded; in many ways not very strat-like at all!

It has cast chrome plated 'pot metal saddles (die-casting allow: the stuff dinky toys are made from); and ,I suspect, a bass-wood body instead of the American Alder.

I was wondering if replacement bent steel saddles would help brighten the sound? maybe it's just a 'lemon'. Does anyone else have opinions about this? I KNOW the PUs are different to U.S.A., but I don't think this is the whole picture, in any case the bridge has a replacement PU not the original.

.....maybe a silly question, but how old are the strings? Might be worth taking it to an experienced tech and have it checked out as well before giving up on it.

The new guitar is the one that sounds different and is making you think the old guitar is not right.
I would be thinking more along the lines of: Amp settings, Pickup height, guitar tone setting, fx settings, etc.

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Chet Feathers

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

- totally agree with those last two. there is nothing wrong with those strats, they're great and in some cases, better than some mia's here and there. i'd look more at the strings, amp and amp settings before i dismissed a very good guitar as a "lemon"

That's sensible thinking, but I've done a direct comparasonbetween the guitars, through the same amp on exactly the same settings. Likewise, it's not the strings either.

The guitar in question did spend 10 years in a loft however, the mildly damp conditions have left the chrome-work in need of attention. It also has a cracked nut and badly worn frets. Whilst the headstock end of the neck has a lovely narrow width near the nut; the upper portion of the neck is a rather fat 'D' or 'U' shape. Perhps the body-wood moisture content has increased resulting in a sound change, although I'm fairly sure it's always sounded like that?

I thinking of making it the subject of a complete renovation job: new nut; refret; altering the neck profile; new saddles, block & bridge plate. It's all ready pretty well naturally 'relic'd'!! The quality of the paint job is probably better than my Am Std. It's much heavier than the Am Std too!

In short, I'm sentementaly attached to it!

my MIJ strat is a beast and a true player (wish i was too!) but of course it has Kinmans in it and that'll turn any guitar into a beast. I used to think the MIJ's were subpar but they are really quality instuments.

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I got a black cat bone, I got a mojo too.

That settles it the, I shall hang-on to it and renovate it!

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.