Planning on getting a used MIM standard and putting CS '69s in it, but now wondering if I might be better off saving a little more and getting a lower end used American like the Highway One or Special.

If I went with the American I'd be keeping it stock for a while, as the guitar itself would take up all my budget.

So what would sound better one of the American models mentioned w/ stock pickups, or a MIM standard with CS '69s?

Only you can answer this.

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You dig?

See what you can them for used. In the Northeast USA I see many people listing used MIM Fenders on craigslist for maybe $50 less than you can buy them new, claiming they are "limited edition" or "upgraded". These never sell. Occasionally you will see somebody that lives in reality and posts them for around $250. If you can get one for that cheap, I would go for it. Just keep in mind upgrading MIMs adds little value in the secondary market. If you ever want to sell it, any money you put into it is going down the drain. ie, if you get one for $250 and put another $250 into it, you wont be able to sell it for $500. You will be lucky to get 3 for it.
Just make sure you get one that sounds good and plays well. Just dont dump a bunch of money into mods and expect to get anything extra out of it. If you are like me, you'll end up ditching your MIMs eventually for MIAs, so maybe your better off starting with one and saving up for mods down the road.

Difficult to say without knowing a timeline for when you'd have more money in case you do buy the MIM and upgrade and at what price you buy it for...

I bought a MIM 'new' and after playing the guitar for a while decided I wanted different pups. I heard other guitarists and asked what they had when I heard something I liked. Also looked thru the many pages of Forum threads here on pup recommendations. Still, hearing it for yourself is always the best approach if possible.

The stock pups in my MIM were decent enough for the time. I eventually saved some money to upgrade and have been very happy since. Now, it did cost me a couple of hundred dollars to do this. Would I have done better with a HW1 or Special instead for about the same extra money up front? To my ears, No. But it's your ears that matter. SO go try to find those guitars and play them and 'hear' for yourself.

The '69's do have a good reputation from others on this Forum, so they are a legitimate option.

I'm not too big a fan of what YouTube does to sound but you can find some clips of those pups and others on YouTube and get an idea of what the difference may be. Always make sure that what you are hearing is not going thru a pedal and try to find out what amp is being used to. The amp will color a pup as much as a stomp-box.

Hope that helps.

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

Agreed and good luck!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I get what you're saying, but in this case, I actually cant answer this myself. Thats why I posted a question to ask someone else.

I don't have access to a MIM strat w/ '69s already on it to play. I would be buying the MIM first as stock, then having the store install the pickups. I was hoping to find someone who has played both and could give some input. Appreciate the responses so far though.

I'd be buying the stock MIM standard for probably $300 from GC. Adding the pickups, installaton, setup, tax/shipping, probably $550 altogether. I could probably get the American for $650 altogether.

I guess my main question is -

Are the CS '69 pickups better than the stock pickups on the Am HW1 or Special?

And if so, are the better electronics, craftmenship, etc on the Americans enough to make a stock model w/ stock pickups, the better overall guitar?

What style music will you be playing?

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

I cant tell you which pups are "better". That is for you to decide. I can tell you that if you know you will want an MIA later, spending a bunch on mods for an MIM will probably not pay off in the long run. Get a guitar that you like and worry about swapping out pups later. If you have your heart set on 69s, but you don't have an ax yet, your putting the cart before the horse.

funk/r&b/soul

So you have more difficulties ahead of you than you have even mentioned.

Yes, you will see plenty of MIMs for outrageous prices. Rare Candy Cola (uh, no dude, it's midnight wine and the 2nd most common mim color) or the infamous 60th anniversary "rare" guitar (aka, any mim made in 2006) etc.

You do have to be quick and have the money in your pocket when you see a reasonably priced mim ($200-$300 depending) and go look, know what you're looking at and buy it intelligently.

If you want it to feel like an American, get the frets leveled and crowned and fingerboard edges rolled. Put in a roller tree. Get some better pickups. Get a bigger block (most deluxe and sig mims have bigger blocks and many have better pickups).

The other issue is that there are not a ton of Highway 1s or Am specials out there. You also have to be ok with the big headstock.

Am standards are unfortunately seldom priced realistically (at least near me). With some negotiating and picking a guitar that's been in stock for a while, I can buy a new one for what the average craigslist price seems to be ($700). I also see a TON of supposedly American strats with full Mexican loaded bodies and just an American neck. It seems (again around me) that to even look at a used American strat, you'd have to have a tool kit and aleart the seller that you plan to tear his guitar apart to verify that everything is legit.

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2002 mim Telecaster
Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Mexican HSS Stratocaster
6 non-fender guitars
2 kids (not for sale)
1 wife (uh....no comment)

Appreciate your help, but I posted this thread to get OTHER ppl's opinions who have exp with these specific guitars/pickups, which is the whole point of these gear forums - to share opinions on gear. If you dont have exp with these, or do but just arent willing to share your opinion, then you're not much help.

Obviously its ultimately up to what I like. I made this thread to hear what other ppl like and their own pro's/con's. I dont buy gear based on what other ppl online like or dont like, but I am interested to hear others opinions. So I was asking what YOU think sounds better, not asking you to decide what I would like better. But forget it. Thanks anyways.

Thanks, I'm well aware of the scams and dont plan on buying from CL/ebay. Plan to buy from GC. Honestly just thought ppl could share their opinions on said guitars. So far no ones really said anything about any of the guitars/pickups that this thread is supposed to be about. All ppl are doing is trying to lecture me, lol Didn't expect to get lectured like I'm a beginner when I've been playing and buying guitars for over 20 yrs. Oh well.

Well you are kinda asking newb questions. The MIM standard and American Special are two different beast. One is a cheaply made USA guitar with jumbo frets. The other have smaller frets and made in Mexico. Both are made of more than three pieces of wood. Both would need a full size block. What you need to ask is which has the better neck. That is all that really matters there since you are doing a gut swap. In an alder guitar the pups are going to sound the same for the most part. So play everything in your price range and get the best feeling neck.

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Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.-Khalil Gibran

In my opinion, the MIM needs mod pickups, but is not worth putting them on. Neck, etc. For a lot cheaper, you can buy a Wormoth neck, ash body, etc. for not too much and put your 69s in that. They say that these custom strats are not worth much on resale though. Good luck in your search.