I'm new here and I hope you folks don't mind me asking some questions.

I'm considering switching from an Epiphone G-400 SG to a Strat. I've been looking at the Squier Classic Vibe '50s Strat but, while in the store, I was also looking at some Fender Standard Stratocasters (the Made in Mexico versions). I've heard both good and bad about these Standard Strats and was wondering if people here would mind giving me their opinions or describing their experiences with them. Are there any known problems with these models? Are they reliable or are they likely to crap out after X period of time? Is the build quality as decent as it seemed to be in the store? Should I avoid them and just go for the Classic Vibe version? Is there really a tonal difference between maple and rosewood fretboards (I've heard the maple ones are brighter)?

Is the feel/playability of the Strat likely to cause problems for a newish guitarist (been playing just over a year) who has only played Epiphone versions of Gibson guitars up to this point?

If I buy a Classic Vibe I'll have to pop for the full cost but if I buy a MIM Standard Strat I'll be able to trade in my SG towards it meaning that it will only cost $75-$150 out of my own pocket (depending on the finish and exactly how much they give me for the trade-in on my SG - currently pegged at the full $400 price I paid for it but that is still to be finalized). Obviously, that makes the MIM Fender a better deal (if I can get one for only $75 out of my own pocket it will be a great deal!) but if there are issues or problems with these models then it won't be worth it.

Any and all info on the MIM Fender Standard Strats would be greatly appreciated.

i've had my mim hss strat for about 8 months now, and i'm very happy with it. mine is lake placid blue with a maple neck. it plays well, looks great, and everbody who has played it likes it. no problems!

I think you will find (on this forum at least) that the Mexican Strats are just as well loved as their American counterparts. They are very well made, don't let anyone give you the business that the Mexican guitars are crap, they are not. And actually the same goes for the Squier guitars as well. Myself, I have both a Mexican Strat and a Squier VM Jazz bass, and the quality on both is amazing.
Don't let the name put you off. The best advice you will get is to try out the various models, both Squier AND Mexican Strats, and see which one "speaks" to you. Pay no attention to salesman trying to steer you away from the cheaper guitars, they're only doing that in hopes of selling you a more expensive instrument, which can be as much of a gamble as the cheaper variety. More exepensive does not necessarily mean superior.
I think you could be quite happy with a Mexican Strat.

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'08 Fender Am. Std. Jazz bass, maple fretboard, charcoal frost metallic finish
'10 Squier VM Jazz bass, maple fretboard, natural finish
Ampeg BA115
'09 MIM standard Strat, maple fretboard, sunburst finish
Fender Super Champ XD

MIM's are good sounding guitars even when in stock, honestly with a good amp, good set up and analog pedals.. I'm sure a strat will be all you need..

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If I Like It...
I Just Do It...

There should be some pictures of the Mexico Fender factory on-line - they are very...flattering to the effort that goes into making guitars and components there. There will be a difference in the pickups, and some parts might be slightly cheaper vs American Standard, but the guitars themselves are quality, and good looking too with the tinted neck and parchment accents.

As already mentioned, you won't go wrong - but try a few models and see what YOU think!

Not totally sure, but there might be a difference in feel if the scale length on the strat is different then the Epi (as it is with alot of Gibsons)...nothing that should give you any trouble - I have several different models and the differences are slight...see what feels good to you.

I have MIM std and CV 50s and this is from my experience.

MIM Std
Pro: Excellent guitar for the money new ones have awesome necks and US CST electronics, big tremolo block.

Con: There are many duds on the wall due to the lower quality of body wood, ceramic pickups (some love them some hate them), finishing quality control is a hit or miss. Many badly cut nuts (this can be fixed with the good setup).

You got to try to play as many as possible to get the right one. MIM have evolved in the last while quite a bit and different years yield better or worse product.


Squier CV 50 or 60
Pro: Excellent guitar for the money new ones have a 9.5 radius comfortable C necks but with the vintage type frets. Nice choice of wood and very good finishing quality and very good pickups in general.

Con: Crappy electronics and hardware that lasts maybe a year or two (on the other hand it will give you good excuse to upgrade various parts).

I bought mine when they came out and it has been modified completely. Only body wood and neck are original somewhat. Body has been repainted and neck has been painted and glossy back side sanded off for a smoother feel.

I have both MIM and MIA strats of various types. The MIM are fine guitars as are the MIA. With the MIM Strats the only problems that I have had fairly consistently is many had the nuts cut slightly uneven on the string spacing, and the edges of the frets would stick out after being at my house for awhile (low humidity). I cut a new nuts, and filed down the fret edges, it only took a small amount of time and effort.

The setup sometimes needed more attention on the MIM Strats, but almost all of the guitars that I've owned, including MIA, needed to be tweaked to my liking as far as setup. The MIA seem to have had more attention to finish details than the MIM, but the MIM cost a lot less.

For many of my guitars, I actually prefer a MIM simply because I can modify it without hurting the value of it. If you modify a MIA Strat, many times it actually decreases the value. Not so with a MIM Strat. The MIM is a great platform to start with, especially if you like to modify, pickups, bridge, wiring, etc. I don't hesitate to recommend MIM Strats. Just check out several in the store and look for the proper spacing on the nuts, and look carefully at the fret edges to get the best one that you can and I think that you will be satisfied.

Quite frankly, a MIM can be customized to be exactly what you want in a guitar without having to spend a lot of money. If you buy a MIA that is exactly the way you want it, many times it will cost much more than if you had started with a MIM and modified it.

My favorite guitar, at the moment, is my Road Worn 60s. It was a little pricey new, and I spent more on the modifications, but it is fantastic now. I had to file the fret edges, replace the bridge with a Callaham, full pick guard shield, base plate on bridge pickup, and moved tone control to bridge pickup (maybe tone control was already on bridge?). But now it is the best sounding guitar that I have, hands down. I spent about $950 including the mods. If I had bought a MIA exactly like it, it would have cost twice that much and I'm not sure that I would have been any more happy with it, as far as playing goes.

Thanks for all of the info folks, much appreciated.

The MIM Strats I checked out yesterday all seemed to be well made. I didn't notice any problems with the frets on any of them. Even if those were to become a problem down the road, I could get them repaired under warranty so I am not overly worried about that issue. I didn't check for spacing on the nut and am not sure what the optimum distance between strings is - does anyone know so that I can pay attention to this while in the store?

At this store I previously traded in an entry-level Ibanez towards the Epi SG and they gave me my full purchase price back on the Ibanez. If I can get the same deal for the Epi towards the Fender, I should be able to walk out with it for only $75 out of my own pocket. They are also willing to straight exchange my hard shell case for one that fits a Strat so that is a bonus as well. Even if they don't give me my full price back, if I can get a deal in which the Strat only costs me roughly $100 out of pocket then I think I will be getting a good deal. Although I've always loved Les Pauls and SGs, I think the Strat will be more versatile and will cover more musical styles than the SG will which makes the Strat very appealing.

I'll go back in this weekend to play the Strats through an amp to see what I think of them plugged in. Providing I like the sound I think I'll go for it.

I am curious about the fretboards though. I've heard that maple necks are brighter than rosewood but am not sure if this is accurate? Is there really a noticeable tonal difference between the two or is it so negligible that one wouldn't really notice it?

The frets, in the case of protruding at the edges, aren't covered under warranty, but they are easy to file . Use a small file and be careful, or pay someone to do it. The edges may start sticking out after a while, just due to low humidity.

The string spacing on the nut should just have equal spacing between all of the strings and not be too close to the fret edge for the low and high E. Mostly just look for those two things.

Typically, all else being equal, a maple fret board will sound brighter than rosewood.

Hi There.

I would say the first couple of years that the Mexico plant first open there were some issue that happened, call it growing pains, it happens anytime you open a new plaint or like in cars, every time they introduce a new car, there are issues that will need to be fine tuned out.

As to the current crop of MIM, I bought one and it is a fine guitar.

I would like to point out that there is a 2010 FSR MIM strat (It comes in either rootbeer sparkle or Sunfire Orange sparkle) The Sunfire is the modle i bought.
IMHO, anytime there is a FSR (Fender special run) It seems like they take a bit more time with them, inspect them a bit closer and use better materials to build them.
Mine plays as well or better then the Americans I picked up, and it was a great deal on the price.

Link....
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-FEN-014000X-LIST

I am only giving the link here so you can see the two models, your dealer should be able to order one for you without any problems.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

I was wondering if the Roadhouse Stratocaster was worth the extra $100?

Here are a couple of links:

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=515525


http://www.fender.com/products/search.p ... 0139312332




I didn't see any in the store yesterday but I am sure they can order me one to check out. If I liked it, that model might not even cost me the full $100 more than the Standard as I'm sure I could work out some sort of deal. I figured that the Texas Specials alone might justify the added cost.


ETA: Sorry, I misposted earlier. The Road house is about $150(ish) more than the Standard.

Yes! A new set of Texas Specials on eBay cost $150 minimum.

None of my local stores seem to feature them on their websites so I am not sure how much they charge for the Roadhouse. I'll have to pop into the store I am dealing with to see how much they would charge to order one in for me.

My Awesome wife just bought me a 2010 MIM Strat in LPB. It is an amazing guitar in every aspect. I have both MIM and MIA Fenders and this one of my Strats is the best playing, sounding, looking and feeling guitar. Play as many as you can and make your decision based on what you like and want. The one I have will never be played by anyone but me, that is how awesome it is.
ABS

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-FSR-Standard-Stratocaster-Vintage-Noiseless-Ash-Electric-Guitar?sku=620784
Musicians Friend also has FSR Strat models in the more traditional finishes with VN pickups.