Fender Standard Stratocaster

Basic MIM Strat made in 2008. What more do you need to know?
21 Frets.
3 ceramic single coils.
Black w/ white pickguard.
No fancy features - but these are great guitars for the money.

I play blues-based hard rock and classic metal stuff.
I have a Hot Rod Deluxe & Metal Muff, MXR Classic Distortion, Crybaby Wah & Boss Bluesdriver pedals

Here's another take on a typical MIM Strat search: I must have played 10 different MIM Strats and tehy were all just OK. Then I played this one and I had to see if it was actually an American Standard. They were both new leftover black ones from 2008 and on really good clearance prices (of the American one was still 3 times the price). What I found was that the resonance of the MIM was outstanding. It was louder than any guitar that I have played unplugged. It was much louder than the other MIMs. I went home with both figuring that I would sell one or the other after I played them on my gear (kept both btw!). Much as I tried to tell myself that my American made Strats were better, every time I played this guitar I couldn't believe how good it sounded. The weak link was the ceramic pups (not bad though). I changed them out for CS '69's and now I play this thing more than any other.

Moral of the story: the Americans are more consistently good, but if you play a barrel of these you'll find some gems.

By the way, about CS '69 pickups. They are both noisy & hissy and wonderful all at the same time. From way too much money spent on trying to get the perfect noiseless Strat tone, I found that it can't be done IMHO. If you can't stand the noise from the pups, then you either get an artificial sound or you put up with the noise and get some pups wound like the CS '69's - and you're in Strat Heaven.

Very good - not perfect. All it took was a good set up from my guitar tech.

No problems & I don't expect any from a Strat. I own 3 of them.

Spoke to someone once who was quite helpful, but not about this guitar.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own? See above
Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar? Nope, just play 'em.
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? Try to find another gem.
What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature? The resonance
Did you compare it to other guitars? Which ones? Why did you choose this one? All types of Strats
Anything you wish it had? Better factory pups - but then the price would go from a good buy to the going rate.
Anything else you'd like to share? If you seek, you shall find. Play 'em all and you can't go wrong. You'll find a good one...These are easily upgradable and rock solid.

Fender Strat Mex Standard. Olymic White/Maple fingerboard. 2006 Model (with the little badge!)Price around ??300 UK. (dealer was selling it off cheaper as it has a couple of Dings on the back where someone trying it out clouted it on an amp).

I also have A us Strat Deluxe 2006S1 and a Telecaster FMT. I bought this as some animal thought he'd like to aquire one of my guitars at a gig without me noticing! The Factory set up was playable but........! The dealers guitar tech set it up for me and also replaced the string at no extra cost. The frets are a bit on the rough side but are now wearing in nicely. Pick up heights needed restting but this seems usual, my Tele had the back humbucker almost toughing the strings. It doesn't play as nice as my US model but it was shedloads cheaper!I play mostly blues and old metal and its fine for that. I use a Boss distortion stompbox to beef it up a bit when I need to

Set up - see above.
Other than the slight marks on the back it is fine.

Live its fine. fits me well, (you know - old rocker/beer gut combo!)
So far its not given any cause for concern. It's the only one I take out most of the time now. No probs with the hardware either. Hardware should be fine but I always wipe it down after the gig as I sweat a lot on stage and thats what rots 'em out!

I've had dealings with Fender UK and the guys are really helpful so far. They've always got back to me within a couple of days if I had to leave a query.
Warranty is 12 months.

Been playing mostly Bass for last 33 years, guitar live since 2005 semi pro. Too much gear to list over the years. I'm currently using Fender Twin, Roland 60w cube.
If it were lost/stolen I'd buy another definately, i got really lucky with this one. Just proves you should always try out before buying and get to know your dealer and staff. You get l;ooked after better. To Steve, the Afghan Vet,Make sure you phone your dealer if you can't get in, they will look after you better if they think you're a real person, not just a postal address.Try and get the same person too, that helps.
I'd like it to have had a humbucker at the bridge but...
I compared it to a Epiphone Les Paul, and a couple of Ibanez but found the necks on those to be too deep for my stubby fingers!

This is a standard mexican stratocaster in sunburst.

No modifications whatsoever, brilliant as a strat is bound to be.

I play through a Fender amp with a ZOOM G1X multi-fx pedal and the versatility is amazing. I play mostly muse, franz ferdinand and silverchair, so ranging from light to heavy but always rock. I also play a little jazz and it fits everything perfectly. The 5-way pickup system and 2 tone controls really gives it versatility.

Guitar was set up perfectly, had to readjust the bridge drastically after fitting heavier strings. The whammy bar hardly ever puts it out of tune, but if it does, its usually the G-string and only if you really push hard on the whammy and fully depress it. The sunburst finish is, as i've said, stunning.

I've dropped a piano on this guitar, didnt make a dent, a hole or a break in the finish, just a small black scuff. The strap buttons are solid and i can always depend on it.

Never dealt

I've been playing for three year and its the only guitar i've ever really needed, although i'm getting an ibanez soon. If it was stolen i'd chase them down and slice their neck open with a rusty spoon, slow and painful. Favourite feature is the pickup versatility. I chose this one as a total guitar novice and glad i lucked into such an amazing guitar. With it had a second volume knob for tom morello style kill-switching.

Artic White with a maple neck only it wasn't Artic white as advertised and like the color they use on the Rosewood fretboard models, It's an Olympic White 2009 strat and you have all seen multiple listings of features but the new strats have a tremendous improvement in the quality of the neck and the finnishing of the frets. the one I ordered however came with the middle pickup screwed completely flat to the body and had to be sent back..and to the last poster Shawn who blasted John for not trying out 10 to find a good one. I lost both my legs in Afghanistan and don't have the luxury of going to a music store to try out 10 or 15 hoping to find a good one. I have to hope that Fender has some sembelence of quality control (of which I find they are probably the WORST in the music industry) and can put out a quality product that someone actually checks before they ship it out. Obviously they don't and I'll keep sending them back untill I get a good one. yeah you may have the luxury of going in a store (up the steps here in Rochester-which makes it IMPOSSIBLE for me) and trying 10 to get 1 good one . but what does that say about Fender. You can pick up 10 Schecters or ESP's and get 10 GREAT guitars. You sure can't say that about Fender but not everbody can try them first so don't be so hard on us who have to order-DUH-online. I WISH with all my heart I could go try 15 out but my legs are buried in Afghanistan so I don't have much of a choice. I have to hope someone took the time to make a good one and I luck out and get it. If I didn't LOVE Strats I would have stayed with my Schecters (I have several and Love them and they all came GREAT- right out of the box!!) I'll still give it a 7 with the hope the next one is OK

When you get a good one they sound like nothing else. they have a distinctive tone that no one else has been able to mimic (and everyone has tried) They are ver versatile and tremendously unique

Mine feel short by far and I'm dissapointed that Fender would let a guitar like this pass inspection but like I said..they have the WORST quality control of any guitar company in the Music Industry. Yeah, if you can, try as many as you can. If you lost your legs fighting for your country I guess you have to just hope.

They last a lifetime if you get a good one

NON EXISTANT

I LOVE starts and I'm really hoping that the next one is a good one. I DREAM of going into a music store but that's just a dream for me...Every store that sells Fenders where I live has a ton of steps just to get in the door and I'm too embaressed to sit outside with my Service Dog in my wheelchair with an extension chord pluged into an amp as the bring me guitar after guitar so I guess I have to take my cances with a reputable music company that has a satisfaction guarantee and I'll keep sending them back until I get a good one...Just don't blast those of us that have to order online. Sometimes it's not due to laziness. Sometimes people have to

No news, everyone knows whats in a Strat.

Awesome sound. Just like a MIA, only cheaper.

To the last reviewer...John Smith...like did you not check out your guitar before buying? All of the problems you reported...did you not notice them when you tried out the guitar?

Oh...I think I see. You bought it sight unseen. Like on Ebay, or through mail order. Uh huh. Like you doled out 485 clams and didn't even know what you were getting. Boy, that's intelligent.

Advice to novices: NEVER BUY A GUITAR YOU HAVEN'T MET IN PERSON!!

In case you haven't noticed John, guitar's aren't like cans of Pepsi. You don't just pick one up and it tastes like the last 1000 you gulped. Guitars are like people. They are all different. No two are alike. Even of the same make and model, even of the same date of manufacture, you will have winners and losers.

With guitars on any make or model you will have mostly losers. It's up to you to find the winners. You do this by PLAYING THEM. LOTS OF THEM.

My Mexican Standard Strat is an incredible sounding instrument. I have no doubt it outplays and out-tones any guitar you own. Know why? I know how to pick a guitar. I don't do it though Ebay or Musicians Freind. DUH!!!

Rock Solid MIM Strat, oh yeah.

Never will neeed it.

The Strat whether Mexican or American needs no defense on my part. If you try a few out (IN PERSON) you will find a great guitar.

Geeze John, grow up.

I bought a 2006 Chrome Red Stratocaster new in November 2008. This puppy was supposedly A-grade, but I don't know about that.

They used to fit this model with nice sounding Alnico pickups, but they got cheap and put lifeless ceramic pickups in the guitar. I had a 2003 model that was much better sounding and playing. I'm not wasting good money on a cheaply made guitar by installing expensive after-market pickups. It's just not worth it.

Frets were uneven. Finished cracked and Fender would not cover it, because they have this nice list with Limitations and Exclusions that absolve them of any responsibility.

The paint job was nice. The chrome looks nice.

But I've seen a $299 Ibanez that plays way better than this guitar.

I would give it average reliability, since it already cracked in the finish where the body fits the neck. It probably can take a fiar amount of abuse, though I would never abuse a guitar.

Awful. I sent them two complaints about the paint crack in this guitar and a crooked bridge installation on a Fender Standard Tele. No response.

I also sent them a question about purchasing a Custom Shop guitar and voila! I got a quick response.

Go Fender Go. Above all else keep your shareholders happy.

I have bought many Fenders over the years but no more. They don't stand behind there entry-level products, and they don't deserve my cash.

I'll be spending my money next on G&L ASAT & Legacy instead.

2000
21
classic Fender Statocaster design
Black white pickguard
MEDIUM FRETS
C Neckish

this is a 2000ish FENDER mexi strat it's left handed but I've got it strung up righty.
I bought on a whim one day to flop it over and play a la Hendrix, Very soon after I bought it, I grew board w/it seeing how I have lot's of guitars and this one was pretty much on the bottem wrung cause I've got a lot of other guitars, old new strats teles Ricks, yeah, yeah and on and on.
I just rediscovered discovered this one, this left handed ****** strung right handed really cooks pickupwise I love the sound, better than my 1962 original Fender Stratocaster.
That's right you heard it right...this thing is more likable soundwise to me than the old '62. A bit more punchy sounding than the standard Strat p/ups almost a little like P-90s on a strat.
I don't know what p/ups they put on 'em these days, but the p/ups on my 2000 standard strat are very cool and unique.

setup ok but needed a bit of tweaking

It's pretty tough I guess? as long you don't smash it up.
Body seems a bit soft, the screws don't hold well into the body.

Helpfull,
But don't expect them to Bake up a Bunt Cake fer ya' onboard.

Good solid guitar, the soft body and screw problem sucks otherwise ok.

I own a 2006 standard fender stratocaster with a rosewood fretboard. It has 21 frets and a standard strat body. Since it's a 2006 model it has all of the 2006 models features.

Fender strats are very versatile. I mostly play rock and blues and this guitar absolutely suits my style. I use it with a 25R Frontman and they sound pretty good together. This guitar fits for any kind of rock exists except of metal of course.

When I got the guitar the set-up was perfect. The action is pretty good, but too bad it doesn't have a humbucker pickup.

This guitar is very reliable. I've played with it live couple of times and there wasn't any kind of problems. It is pretty strong and the finish is great.

I never needed the customer support because the guitar is very reliable.

I've been playing for two years and don't have any other gear than my Fender strat and my fender frontman amp. This is my first electric guitar and I think it's perfect for a first electric guitar. I love it's sound but like I've said before I wish it had a humbucker pickup. If it was stolen I would buy it again and make the thief's life as miserable as it can be for taking this great guitar from me. I chose this one because it is very comfortable and reliable and most of the people who played it would agree with me. It's a great guitar but not a perfect one so it deserves a 9.

This is an '07 model purchased in '08. Midnight wine. IMO very beautiful color. I think everybody knows the features of a no frills standard MIM strat. According to the add, this is a vintage style, upgraded model, whatever that means. & on the label on the pickgaurd, it says it's electronics are shielded. Which is probably why this is fairly quiet for single coils. FYI, I've been playing this guitar now for 4 months.

When I bought it, I had to wait for it to be delivered. & I was already preparing to order pickup upgrades. But when I got it, I was pleased enough with the sound. The pickups are apparently vintage wound, not hot, but that suits me fine. They do give that vintage strat sound. I know people criticized the pickups on older models, but perhaps this is what they meant by upgraded. They are slightly noisier than my Gibson Les Paul humbuckers, but not problematically so. If you like higher gain you would probably want to change them. I did get pings from the nut, & off tuning, but graphite in the nut grooves seemed to solve that. It doesn't stay tuned as well as my LP, but I expected that. Stop tails are more stable. I don't use the tremolo arm much, but I keep the bridge the way the factory adjusted it. This is a very dynamic sounding guitar. Good for most genres. Probably not suited for high gain shredders though.

This was pulled out of the box before my eyes. I honestly didn't find any flaws anywhere. The finish is as close to perfect as possible. The action was exactly what you would expect for a light stringed strat. Truss adjustment spot on. & so on. All it needed was to be retuned.

This guitar IMHO is good enough for any professional gig. This thing is as solid as any quality strat. I wouldn't be ashamed to play this in front of a large audience. & yes, without a backup. But probably with slightly heavier gauge strings. Not that anybody would want to hear me. I haven't had any problems with the stock tuners yet either.

1 year warranty.

I jammed when I was younger & I rekindled my interest recently. Mid life scenario, I guess. For the first 2 years I was playing my Gibson LP studio w/2 practice amps & now also a Boss GT10 processor. But I wanted a 2nd guitar. & what better than a strat to compliment a LP. This is the first strat I ever played & owned. Now I see why they're so popular among pros & amateurs alike. Don't get me wrong, I still like the LP. This guitar though is much better value for money, which may not be the case for the more expensive Fenders. But I've grown to love the strat sound, especially in the switches 4th position, & also the fact that they're much lighter, which is good for my bad back. If this were stolen, I would buy another one assuming that the quality & price were the same. Excellent for beginners & pros alike. There's nothing that I hate about this guitar.

I have FENDERS 60th anniversary Stratocaster. 2006 for you guys who aren't up on your guitar history. It's made in Mexico. It's supposedly a limited edition. But what does this mean today. Because the Blizzard pear finish is now part of Fenders color chart. Your typical pickup configuration S/S/S. Pots V/T/T and 5-way. But the pickups are the Tex-Mex reverse wound. Very nice sounding but, not as dynamic as some of the American series single coils. I think the Tex-Mex are sweeter and hotter. But I am told I wrong about this. I played a lot of strats over a few months and the 60th strat just sounded unique for the price range. The neck is what got me, although I thought the frets could have been bigger. I think they are med-jumbo. The satin finish on the maple neck is gorgeous. It has a vintage look that's unbelievable and the neck plate stamp is a nice touch.

Good guitar for that squawk , growl , bell like chime and some really nice sustain on bends and finger vibrato. With the tremolo arm in. The sustain is better, even though I have it blocked. I player though a twin reverb and I use a Vox 50watt valvetronic modeling amp and the tones you get are amazing. Also a Zoom G4, Boss comp, Ibanez flanger from the 80,s and a very old morley wah. The single coils are noisy at times that's typical. But what you get out of them out weighs the noise. The bridge pickup I replace with a Seymour Duncan hot rails w/coil tap. Hot for this guitar? yeah.. But I still sounds like a strat and always will. That abrupt decay ...how do I say it ..strat players know what I mean ... you could put Gibson P90's ,P.A.F's or the hottest humbuckers on the planet in a Fender Stratocaster and she still going to sound like her self because of her scale length and bolt on neck. That's why we love them so much. I don't like the 3ply pick guard. Should have been a one ply more vintage look and all that writing on the head stock that standards have. It's not because it says made in Mexico. Made in the U.S.A and the nomenclature would look tacky as well. Stamp it on back. The guitars a blast to play and the price was right.

Action was poor. Maybe it's me? And probably is. After a few string changes on a Strat's (PHYSCO-NIZED)synchronized tremolo I can windup having the thing at a 45 degree angle to the body no matter how care full I am. So I have it block. It's not a Floyd rose and should be expected to be use as one. The action was high to start with. A setup was needed. There is some over spray on the body. But it's such a beautiful finish. After a good wipe of "65" it's no biggie. Pick guard warping because the screw patterns wrong. The 5-way is tight. Your person touch or not, its still a great guitar.

I turn the key and she starts every time. The finish looks deep like a car finish I don't care i it dulls. As long as it keeps it brightness I will be happy. The frets a flatting sooner than expected. And I wouldn't use it without strap-locks. A mega switch and a 500k pot. Maybe a different bridge pickup and I think is a durable as they come.Don't forget....Change your strings after you change your strings and then change them again. Your at your gig.. You buy cigarettes and beers all night. Your not happy with the sound. Buy some "DAM STRINGS STUPID". It's not the Strat its you.

My Luther says Fender does OK in the warranty department. They were going to replace my neck even after a small turn of the old rod straighten her up.

25 years of playing charvels, washburns and I-BEEN EZ. A wore out 79 Strat opened my eyes to the real vintage sound. I love this fender sound new and old. Play a strat and its the most unique experience in find your sound than any guitar. The versatility is almost! Almost endless.