I have a FSR Ash MIM that has the factory shielding paint in it just like my MIA Strats have. Granted this is a "special run" from 2006 but it is a MIM.

I have stated before and will say again that the MIM's being made today are as good as the original Strats produced in the fifties and early sixties. The pickups being the exception. Then again my FSR had Tex-Mex pups in it when new. Why are they called Standard Strats? Fender wants you to forget where the guitar was made, after all it's called a "Standard" Strat now, not a Mexican Strat. Some models cost as much as a new MIA did just a few years ago. Check the prices on the Deluxe and re-issues or the BIG PLAYERS NAMED ones.

Some of the players don't like the no-load pots. Just not original. Some don't like a tone control on the bridge pickup. Spice of life and all that you see. It's a whole new ballgame today. Cheap just wont sell well in the long run. MIM's are not cheap nor cheaply made anymore. I don't think they ever where myself, except when CBS owned the company that is.

What I should have typed (and probably meant) was it's about 15 miles across the border. I'm glad you had something relevant to contribute to the topic yo witty son of a gun.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Guess again. Might want to consult a map this time. Oh, and that line about Mexicans? Pretty demeaning in my opinion.

BTW, I own a MIM Standard Strat and love it.

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Bill

Rosarito is IN Ensenada and it is only about 20 miles from the US Border so pull your head out and quit being persnickety. It may not be EXACTLY 15 miles and that has very little bearing on anything. Regarding the comment about Mexicans being demeaning? All I said was that they (Mexicans) make both MIM and MIA guitars for FMIC. If you want to read something into that then the problem is yours, not mine. I'm also glad you enjoy your MIM Strat. I never implied that they were bad guitars. Play what you like and what you can afford.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

+1

And it's been that way from the day Leo opened the doors on the first Fender plant in Fullerton. I don't see anything perjorative in that observation. Mexicans (and Mexican-Americans) are a fine people -- industrious and steeped in traditional values of family and spirituality. I travel to Mexico every month and have done so for the last ten or fifteen years. It's a wonderful country and I enjoy the architecture, the cuisine, the societal structure, and the populace. Social stereotyping only breeds unwarranted angst and hubris.

JMOOC

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

Couple major differences besides quality of componets/materials, location of manufacturing, workmanship.

Slighty Wider Nut (42 vs. 43mm)
22 Frets
Microtilt adjustment
Two-Point Tremolo
Staggered Tuners (D, G, B, E are lower)
No Load Tone Control
Neck & Middel control by tone 1, bridge by tone 2

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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The mexican Deluxe, Classic, and Artist series are made with American parts.

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC

Lets put it this way then.

MIM - closer to what Leo originally designed.

MIA - mid 80's remake of Leo's design, further redesigned as the years progressed.

I'm just saying they are two similar but different guitars.

A Classic Series Stratocaster is the best for the money. It has the proper neck profile and radius. I traded mine for a hand wired Princeton Reverb.

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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I have a mim strat, I upgraded the pickups to vintage noiseless that come stock on American deluxe strats. Personally with all my families expenses I can't afford an American strat, and I was happy with my mim strats, until I updated the pickups. It was at this point that I realized that my strat sounded okay it just lacked character.

Bottom line is amps, guitars, and equipment will come and go, what you need to do is find yourself a good pick.

New American Standards have Fat 50's pickups, the MIM are Ceramic. Comparing pots and caps, they appear to be the same. Play an American Standard and see if it sounds better to you. Play on an amp that is closer to your amp. If you can hear a difference, switch pickups. Otherwise as stated already, if it's not broke don't fix it.

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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 just picked up a 2004-2005 mexican strat or better known as a STANDARD STRAT,off of craigslist for a hundred bucks.it has the HSS package.although i got a smoking deal on this particular guitar,iv'e played both the USA STRAT,versus the MEXI STRAT.i would agree with the fellow who replied to your post.if there's something that you don't like,change it.these mexi standard strats have great electronics,a fast neck,and they just feel RIGHT,when played.although you won't find these for a hundred dollars very often,they're a great guitar to own.as always,there a some who will always MOD out their guitars,and there is nothing wrong with that.for me,i prefer my guitars to be STOCK as a ROCK,but that's just me.ROCK ON!

I want to thank everyone for there input and I have decided to change only the pick ups going with the texas specials I love that stevie ray sound

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whats professional you mean if i've gotten payed for a gig then yes i'm a pro

You won't notice much of a difference unless you have a US made Guitar. If you do then the differences will stand out like a sore thumb. The quality of the necks, fretwork and overall finish is vastly superior on the US made Guitars as is the pickups. The trem block may also need to be changed and overall the entire trem is less stable, but this is just my experience.

It's the little details that make the US made Guitars that much better.

I recently got a Mexican made 72 Telecaster Deluxe. Immediately I changed the pots to 500k pots. I also had to change the pickup selector switch as it was crackling which has never happened to me on a US made Guitar. My telecaster is now just the way I want it so once you spend a little money on some upgrades, you get a great guitar.

I'm not a snob about US made fenders, I've just found in my experience that they are better made and even though they are more expensive, you certainly get what you pay for.

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2012 Fender American Standard Stratocaster
2013 Fender Pure Vintage 65 Stratocaster
2003 Gibson ES-355
2015 Gibson Les Paul Traditional
2002 Gretsch Duo Jet
1980 Rickenbacker 360/12 Fireglo
2014 Martin 000X1AE
2014 Fender Blues Junior III

torresfan - what makes the MIM trem more unstable. I really would like to know.