Hi, everyone. I've been looking to get a new Strat and have been looking at a few different ones. Some great guitars out there, still haven't decided.

But, I'm wondering about your opinion on maybe getting a MIM (standard or something else) and then just upgrading it to make it exactly what I want.

What do you think? I've been looking at some Strats ranging in price from about $900 to $1500. For that kind of $$$, does it make sense to get a less expensive MIM and then just upgrade it? Which would make more sense?

Thanks.

Each option has its perks. What kind of mods would you be doing to the MIM?

Not sure, but I'd start with the pickups. I love Gilmour. So, do I get a higher end Strat or a MIM and try to upgrade it to his specs?

I did two MIM's that way. Play them regular and have no regrets.

I almost did the same thing today; the MIM HSS Strat with maple fretboard I was looking at did not have much variability in the tone controls, but the chime in the bridge humbucker was impressive (to me). If I go back for it I'll probably drop Area 58s into the neck and middle, change the neck tone pot, dedicate the second OEM tone pot to the middle pickup only with no connection to the bridge (except the volume).

The questions to ask are these in my experience-

1. How important is resale value to you??

2. How much do you want to spend? (from the beginning on the guitar)

3. How much do you want to spend on upgrades?

4. Are you SURE you want those upgrades? (it might be that some of the upgrades might not make much difference) For example, are pickup upgrades needed if the guitar already sounds good with your rig? Upgrading for the sake of upgrading can take lots of time and be expensive.


Those are the questions I would ask.

My best recommendation no matter what is this- buy used.

Hi there.

If I can relate my latest guitar, a 2010 MIM strat. And like you I had planed to "Upgrade" it to what I wanted.
But I found the stock pick-ups were quite nice sounding, and after adding a paper and oil cap to it it sounds quite sweet.

The neck and tuners are just fine, the only "Upgrade" I still want it a Babicz tremolo.

The current MIM's are far better then the price reflects.

A hot MIM can be a fine guitar.

Am American Standard is a guitar for life.

An American Deluxe is a luxury "too nice to be a Fender."

Five of my eight Strats are "parts-o-casters" assembled with a mix of Fender-Mexico and Fender-Japan parts. The hardware in all cases is Fender-US, with pickups from either Fender's Custom Shop or DiMarzio. They've all been given a pro set-up, with a hand-massaged neck (ie: complete level/crown/polish job on the frets, hand-fitted Corian nuts), and they all play much better than any off-the-rack instrument at the local GC -- from any country of origin. They sound like a Stratocaster should and they look great.

Only a serious cork-sniffer believes that there is a secret stand of trees concealed somewhere in the USA where the best guitar lumber is grown and that the craftsmen at Fuji-Gen and Ensenada are somehow "second-rate".

YMMV

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

what do you really want?

i have three strats and each one is a very nice. I have a mim standard that sounds great unplugged. my only real complaint with the mim are the pickups...but they are not bad considering the price of a mim.

my mia standard also sounds great unplugged and is a dam good guitar and while the mim standard is good my mia standard is at another level. the mia has the delta tone system and other differences from the mim standard. check the products section for the specs.

i also am fortunate enough to have a 62 mia reissue. as far as production strats this one is my favorite...really smooth to play and the 57/62 pickups are my favorite...very articulate pups.

if it was me i would go with an american standard but a mim standard is also a good guitar and with a few personal moods the guitar becomes more your own...

good luck and have fun.

When I go out looking for guitars, it has to feel and play great. With that being said, all the other things can be changed.

My Highway 1 I bought with the intentions of modifying the bridge pick up to something a bit different than what was currently available on that series. SSS to HSS modification. The neck and middle pickups are great just like they are.

My American Special I bought with no intentions of modifying it, but the bridge pick up is a bit too hot for me. I am adjusting it trying to get the tone I want, but I am thinking a Dimarzio 36th Anv. PAF may be what I might have to switch to for that guitar. Again SSS to HSS if I cannot get what I am looking for here real soon.

My Squier CV 60 the only modifications I have done to it are purely cosmetic. 3 ply parchment Pickguard and Black knobs and switches. I am aslo considering switching the Trem block to something more substantial to increase sustain. But the tone is spot on for what I was looking for. BTW I bought this guitar instead of the MIM Fender Standard. I think it far surpasses it as far as craftmanship.

So when looking at new guitars, try to find one you can purchace without having to do a lot of modifications to. It does get to be expensive. Good luck with your search. Make every guitar you own an extention of you. I am all for Modifications. I do keep the old stock stuff around in case I want to revert back to factory specs.

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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 have a HSS MIM strat that i got in 2006 (not 100% it might have been late 2005). i really like the way it feels and plays, and i put a vintage noiseless pickup in the neck that makes it sound even better. it was $400 (again i'm not 100% on this figure but i know it wasn't any more than that) which is a real great price for such a nice electric guitar.

having said that, i'm currently in the process of searching/saving up for the right american strat. i feel like i've paid my dues on my MIM strat, i put in lots of "bedroom guitarist" hours with that thing to get to the level i'm at right now (though i still have lots of room to improve), and i want to upgrade. i'm leaning towards the american special right now because i really like the texas special pickups but i dont have two grand to drop on a SRV (sadly, money sucks).

in my opinion, it comes down to two things - your budget, and what you're going to be using it for. you mentioned that your price range is $900 - $1500. that price range is going to lean towards the american side. standard strats on musiciansfriend are listed at $500, american standards are $999. that's double the price (i'm also a math wizard), so ask yourself if your needs as a guitarist right now are worth spending twice as much for an american strat.

one last thing to consider is your amp - it should be obvious but a lot of people tend to forget that an amp is going to drastically change the way your guitar sounds. i have a hot rod deluxe which is a pretty good amp (IMO), so my MIM sounds even better than it would through a lesser solid state amp. if you dont have an amp good enough to really bring out the differences in sound between the two, i would look into an amp upgrade first before you drop a grand on an american strat.

i agree 100%...mods are fun but with so many different models of both mexican and american strats, you should be able to find one that you don't have to change much on.

You can drop an EMG DG-20 pickguard into that guitar with very little difficulty, and we can give you some ideas as to where to put the battery. Wiring a new pickguard with Fender's Gilmour circuit can be done. I've seen a website which sells the parts aftermarket, and it may also be available prewired, but may be more costly. A recent article in Premier Guitar magazine features upgrading an MIM's pickups for a better response. You can go to their website and research that article FYI. There's no limit as to what can be done with after-market mods. Car enthusiasts have been doing it for years.

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"Another day in paradise!"

The latest MIM standards have some real sweet sounding alnico pickups in them.

I got my son a 2010 MIM with the sunglow sparkle (limited run) and MAN !!! that guitar sounds so good.

Looks a little wild fo-sho we got him a Orange amp and matching shoes for his stage kicks.

The setup out of the box was perfect the fretts were perfect.

I think it was a very cool graduation gift and one he will keep untill he can pass it to his kids.

The latest MIM standards are sweet.

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Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
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