Hello Fender forum!
As the title says, I'm a beginner at playing guitar..
(Actually I played an acoustic guitar since I was 7 years old but the strings were too far away from the guitar neck you really had to use a lot of force to actually get a clean sound and the harder I had to press the strings the more it hurted :/ so I never really became good haha)
So yeah, I wanted to buy a Gibson Les Paul.. But I don't feel ready for it, nor I really have enough money for it haha.
Anyway, some of my friends and me are making a band (wont say the name tho', someone might get the idea to steal it ^^, yeah I'm a bit paranoid), we have a drummer who likes Green Day, The Offspring, Nirvana etc.. A Bass player who likes Nirvana, Iron Maiden, etc..
And me, a die hard Led Zeppelin fan, who listens to the above listed bands as well (and I find AC/DC and many other rock bands nice, of course, just fools don't )

SO YEAH TO GET TO THE QUESTION FINALLY...
I want to buy a Stratocaster, because it is one of the most badass guitar ever (Currently I play on a Behringer and Rooster guitar, don't get me wrong they are nice, but playing on them feels just like playing on cheap copys) but seeing so many different Strat models kinda loses me, so I decided to look for help here.

Forum which one do you suggest?
You will probably know what exactly I want to play, so I will simply name 3 different genres/songs and you will probably know what's the best for me.

Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused
Nirvana - Smells like teen spirit
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple man (or should I put Free Bird? dunno it's a tie, both are awesome).

Thanks in advance

Have a look in the products section at the top of the forum page and check the Standard Strat with locking tremolo. Two single-coil pickups and a humbucker give you a lot of variety in sounds, and the locking trem lets you dive bomb all you want. Made in Mexico, a great quality ax that will last years, and a choice of colours. Not too pricey for starting out, and very versatile.

if you're just starting out, and want a fender, go for an MIM(mexican made). They're cheaper, but you can mod them in the future to improve them-many people on this forum have said that one of their best guitars is a modded MIM. Don't make the mistake of thinking a really expensive guitar(eg. american deluxe) will make you better. It won't. Granted, a cheap'n'nasty guitar with horrible feel will not help, but a mexican strat will do just fine.

It all depends on you're budget though. £280 or $433 should buy you a squire classic vibe strat, which many say is a great guitar. Those prices are in Britain though. Next up you can get a Mexican Standard. I have one, I love it. It's very comfortable and sounds great. About £400 or $620 in Britain. Then there are some different versions, where it is not so clear cut. The Blacktop strat (http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/blacktop) is a strat loaded with humbuckers, you can also get a floyd rose tremolo system on one, for more money. £450 or $695, or £520/$804 for the floyd rose version.

Other strats include the classic player series-the CP 50's and the CP 60's. About £545/$843 each I think. There is also the classic series-http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/index.php?section=guitars&bodyShape=Stratocaster%C2%AE&subBrand=Fender+Electric+Guitars&series=Classic. It's hard not to get confused between those two series'.

If you want to spend more money, look at the Road Worn series(http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/roadworn), Highway One (http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/in ... e%E2%84%A2), and even more expensive, the American Special (http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/americanspecial). But I would recommend one of the cheaper guitars listed above.

Hope that helps

_________________
"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
Taylor Big Baby

http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0

I am impressed by the Blacktop as far as playability. To me the pickups are a bit too muddy, but they may work better for your musical interests. I am also impressed with the American Standard HSS, Lonestar, and the American Specials.

My #1 right now is my Highway 1. You might be able to find a nice used one for 3 to 5 hundred dollars.

I always suggest to play as many guitars within your price range and see which one is best for you.

_________________
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

Yes, I forgot to say, any of the guitars I mentioned earlier could be found for less second hand. Check it's in good condition, post some pics on here if you want, for advice on it's quality. You could also look for guitars otherwise above your budget, second hand. And try and find a good guitar shop near where you live-try all the guitars within your budget and see what you like. They may be able to cut you a good deal. If they have a second hand section/sell second hand guitars have a look at them too.

Good luck!

_________________
"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
Taylor Big Baby

http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0

Ah, thank you all, especially you teledeluxe72

I'll keep an eye open for a Mexican standard strat (tho' couldn't find any, maybe you could make a video of yourself playing or find one on youtube? I tried but didn't find anything, you know just to make sure that it sounds good, or is there any special name used instead of Mexican Standard?)
Anyway
I found some videos of Fender Classic 70's stratocaster (and 60's doesn't seems awesome as well) but as I checked the price in my local guitar shop I nearly started crying hahah, around 1200$ which is a little bit too much for me, I just have a budget of a little bit less than 700$ (I hate that 16 years olds can't work in Croatia xD)

EDIT: I have also bad experiences with "left hand" guitars, everything seems fine as you buy the guitar but after you come home and play for a hour or two you notice that something is broken or doesn't work quite like it should :/
Any tips how I can test guitars better?
EDIT 2: Meant Second hand, not left hand Lol...

Here are some videos of a mexican standard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTg5-37UOWE

a 1998 model-bear in mind they have changed a bit since then. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92aSLVEzMI8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgxQimY4LX4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBA49uLqe5w

here are some videos of the squire classic vibe 60's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uquAcDC_sa0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHwPx0n24c4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpVaBTzRp3Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDRgocxyJGE

There are many many videos out there. Search youtube, google, etc. Also try the Music Radar website- http://www.musicradar.com/ and search for whatever you want to see reviewed. They may not have it, but with these models, there should be enough there for a look. It is the website representing several guitar and bass and drums etc magazines. Their reviews are posted on there.

Hope that helps.

_________________
"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
Taylor Big Baby

http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0

of course it helps, thank you kind sir ^^

If I were to make a recomendation, based on your budget, I would probably say the Blacktop Strat HH. (not floyd rose). I do not have one, so cannot review personally. But I have heard a lot of praise for it, many reviews like this one: http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/guit ... 939/review . It is a good idea, and humbuckers give you a lot of versatility within one guitar. That's why I bought my tele. You have the possibility, also, of modding it with different pickups, and upgrading some of the electronics (potentiometers, switch etc) in the future, if/when you want to. You don't have to, but many people on this forum have said that after they modded an MIM standard/blacktop or something along those lines, it became very close in quality to their American-made fenders. I think, like the standard strat, a lot of money is saved to get the guitar down to a cheaper price point, by using cheaper parts in these areas. On the plus side, you get better woods and quality of construction. And the electronics and pickups are quite easy to upgrade, if you want to.

_________________
"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
Taylor Big Baby

http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0

I see hmm, but tell me, what is the difference between a normal Blacktop Strat HH and Floyd Rose? (I'm new to all this Strat stuff :S )

The Blacktop HH Floyd Rose has a Floyd Rose Dounle locking tremolo unit. The regular Blacktop has a vintage Stratocaster tremolo. The non Floyd Rose Blacktop has nickel pickup covers and the FR Blacktop has black humbuckers. The FR also has a micro-tilt neck much like the American Standard and Deluxes.

_________________
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

Fender is also giving rebates on pretty much everything else, so most models are cheaper at the moment.

Also, try out the Modern Player Series-there is no stratocaster, but the Marauder looks very good. Their review is not released on internet yet, but look here: http://www.musicradar.com/totalguitar/f ... -503875#!1 for some information/opinions. I like the look of the Marauder and Telecaster Plus myself.

_________________
"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

Zoom MS50G
72 tele dlx RI
2011 standard strat
Blackstar HT-5R
Taylor Big Baby

http://www.youtube.com/user/Almungo/videos?flow=grid&view=0