Fender Standard Stratocaster

It's a Strat, what more could I say? Vintage trem, standard tuners, 3 single coils, V/T/T controls, five-way pickup selector, maple neck and fingerboard, and an alder body. I felt that I needed something more, so I ditched the tuners for Sperzel locking tuners, put in Blue/Silver/Red Fender Lace Sensors, and after dropping it and smashing up the alder body, purchased a swamp ash replacement. I'm also going to replace the cheap vintage bridge with a Wilkenson VSV. The above rating of "6" applies to the stock version; after upgrades, it gets an "8".

I don't remember what the orignial pickups sounded like, and I played them through a cheap Peavey 15W amp anyway. With the mods mentioned above, this puppy rocks! I play through a variety of amps, from a solid state Crate 90W to a all tube Peavey 30W amp. The Lace Sensors can pull off single and humbucker tones with minimal noise. The volume and tone knobs are perfectly set so that I can gradually roll off distortion from the guitar itself. I custom-wired the 5th position of the selector swith to be a combo of bridge and neck pickups, and even if you don't want the Lace Sensors, you should try this. It gives off a real powerful tone without being to bright, and picks up some beastly harmonics.

This guitar was made in Mexico, so it doesn't quite live up to the standards of Fender's American Standard series. The most glaring signs of low quality standards showed up in the form of a poor fret job (sharp corners) and a scary soddering job. The threads on my tremelo arm also stripped, but I'm not sure that I can blame that on abuse or cheap material. Once again, the mods made for improvements in all areas. The ash body was high quality, and I think that Sperzel's tuners are among the world's best. One note on the Lace Sensors: depending on the height, you can change the tone. Fender recommends putting them as high as possible, and that gives the classic single coil bite, but I backed them off some, and it smoothed out nicely. Experiment to find what you like.

The original alder body was quite soft, and the strap buttons would pull out of their holes. I had to fill and retap them to keep the strap buttons in place. I can't blame Fender for my dropping the guitar, but it held up well aside from a huge gash in the wood. The ash on my replacement body is some tough stuff, and their ain't no way the strap buttons are coming off. The tremelo got slightly bent around the pivot holes at some time, but it doesn't affect the range of motion at all.

I did all of the repairs and mods on my own. Never had to contact Fender.

I've been playing on this guitar solely for 3 years now, and it's feeling like a custom-fit glove. Even considering the poor fret job, I love the neck. It's nicely worn-in, and I prefer it over Fender's more expensive models or anything else out there. I recommend the locking tuners because they increase the tuning stability exponentially. I'm still not crazy about the bridge, so if anyone knows where I can get a Wilkenson VSV, send me an e-mail. One other recommendation: Get strap locks! I could've saved myself some serious cash if I would've done so, but instead my guitar jumped from my strap resulting in the gouge in the body. In conclusion, this Strat is pretty good for a beginner, and with a couple hundred bucks in mods, you can have a serious high-caliber guitar.

It's a 1998 Mexican made standard Stratocaster with 21 frets awesome midnight wine finish, maple neck, s/s/s pickups , Alder body

I play a lot of alt. rock, Pearl Jam and such. This guitar is actually my second guitar, but the first that I have actually purchased ( I started learning on an old electric my parents had lying around) . It's sounds great. You can get almost a nasal sound using the bridge position, which is great for things like Nirvana's Teen spirit intro. As you move towards the neck you get a deeper, richer sound, IT has a decent soundrange although you're not gonna get a real fat tone like a Les Paul.

The action was the reason for the purchase, It has a really nice feel, and everyone that has played it has complemented me on it's feel. Everything was set up nicely, except the tremlo screws weren't in enough and the bridge came up some. The music store fixed it just by tightening some screws. The finish is beautiful!! I have a friend who has been playing for 3 years and he has a Peavey Predator. He wanted to trade me after seeing and playing the strat!

I haven't used it on a gig yet, but I have moved a few times and It has held up well. Seems to be a very stable quality guitar.

NO

I have been playing for about half a year and love this guitar. If it were ever stolen or lost I would probably save buy another. I love the look and feel of this guitar. One of my friends remarked that it's rare to find a guitar under $500 that has this great a feel. Even another guitar shop commented on how good of a feel it has.

cette guitare est fabriquee au mexique. je crois que le body est fait en peuplier et le manche est en erable. le tremolo et les cle sont standard

je trouve que le son de cette fender made in mexico est incroyable. le feeling est absolument fantastique et les pick up quoique standar ont un son tres bon. je possede un vieille strat et une g&l assat et le son de la fender mexico est de tres bonne qualite. ou il y a une difference c'est au niveau de la resonance harmonique. le sustain naturel du bois est vite etouffe et ca n'a rien avoir avec les pick up. mais en general le son est excellant. le tremolo et les cles sont comparable aux vieille fender des annees 70

le bois utilise est du peuplier, je crois que c'est la nouvelle mode pour ne pas dire plywood. mais le son se raproche a seluit d'un bois dur. la finition est tres bien et meme comparable a une american standard. le manche est pas mal identique a une american standard aussi. la difference est au niveau du bois utilise et des cles. a noter que les cles ne detune pas. pour le prix cette guitare est une merveille.

cette guitare est tres solide et bonne pour longtemps.

j'ai essayer plusieur us strat et des japan strat et si vous avez 1000,00 a depenser pour une guitare essayer la mexicaine elle est surprenante et ce quoique le monde disent a propos des made in mexico. il vous restera environs 600,00 pour vous acheter un bon ampli. ou vous paye un bon lunch

I own a 98 mexican stratocaster with a maple fretboard. This thing has a vintage tremlo, three standard single coils, and die cast tuners. No gig bag or case with purchase. Basically this is the bare bone strat.

This guitar serves me well in the music I play. Stuff like Smashing Pumpkins, ska, and light alternative. Compared to an Ibanez with humbucker this has a lighter crisper tone. It can get a little noisy in the 1, 3, and 5 positions but otherwise its pretty quite. This is a good guitar for lighter stuff but Im really looking for a guitar that has the bottom end of a gibson SG and the top end of a strat sound to get the maximum range. Maybe I should add some lace sensors.

The action was a little too high for my tastes but that was quickly corrected. The pickups were the perfect hight. Nothing seemed loose and it had an excellent setup.

Fenders are rocks that can never be broken. Ive played with this live and it holds up just fine. I especially put it to the test when I throw the guitar down and slam back on the strings as hard as I possibly can. The finish seems good enough but only time will tell. Besides a little wear and tear shows that you are a real guitar player. The strap buttons are solind but I screwed it all to hell when installing straplocks. Always have a backup though espially if you break strings alot.

Ive been playing for two years and own an Ibanez RG 270 and a epi strat. I would not buy it again if it were stolen. I save my money for a big apple strat. That would give me the perfect sound. I love the comfortable feel of the srat and the awesome look of the head. It makes me feel secure that Im playing a fender and I can really pound and slam this thing. I dont hate anything but better quality tuners would have been nice. I strongly recomend this for your first electric. You should buy one of those packages with amp. Its indestructable, good sounding, and feels good when your playing it. Im ready for a step up now and its time to say farewell to this black beauty.

It's a 1995 Mexican-made Strat. Stock - 25.5" scale, 9.25" radius, 21 frets, 5-way switch, yeallowish-white body, rosewood fingerboard, etc. The only alterations are: a) a sanded neck (will get to it later), b) Jethro Tull autographs on the scratchplate. :-) Bought it used, it didn't come with any other accessories. It doesn't have any fancy switching (not like i need it), so I give it an 8.

I love the way it sounds. Single coils have the famous Strat "quack", in-between positions have bell-like tones. I must add, I'm one of those weiroes who actually......like single coil pickups! :-) I play mostly prog rock, psychedelic stuff, and metal. Works well for pretty much all of those. Single coils aren't really made for metal, but I can get a decent enough sound. I play it though a 25W Squier Champ, BTW. The bridge pickup is bright (maybe too bright for some), midle is a bit fatter and warmer, neck is, obviously, even fatter. The bridge and middle sound nice with distortion and clean. The neck pickup sounds nice when clean (a-la intro to Shine On You Crazy Diamond), but with distortion it's a tad nascal and "hollow". I'll probably replace it with a Hot Rails pickup to get a proper metal sound. I don't use it too much anyway. In the positions 1, 3, and 5 the pickups are noisy. I can't say how bad they are compared to the American ones, though. The in-between position illiminate the hum, so I'm not too worried about the noise. The neck is narrow and neither too thick nor thin. I wish it were thicker, though. I sanded it because my hads sweat a lot and stick to it after long playing. I carefully sealed it with lemon oil and stained it with light maple stain. I like the tall thin frets - I was never comfortable with wide, Gibson-style frets (and Gibson-style necks in general). The hardware is OK - the vintage-style bridge, Fender-style tuners. No problems with either. I also put in a graphite nut as a replacement for my own, which was destroed by a poor set-up in aguitar shop. I have very few tuning problems even with the whammy bar use - I'm not too violent with it, though.

The original set-up was fine, untill I changed the strings to lighter ones. I was a novice and knew nothing about action or intonation. :-) The guitar shop filed down my nut slots way too deep (why???), so I had to replace the nut. I set it up myself and it's been fine. Recently I went fot the medium gauge strings again, adjusted the intonation, and it plays like a dream. I like the higher action for the sake of sound and sustain, so I don't know how well it would suit those who like low action. I found no flaws with the construction, except one of the screws on of the bridge saddles rusted, so it's hard to turn now (bummer!). I'll probably get a new one. Finish is a bit beat up - it's got some chips and dents. It's my first guitar and I didn't realise at first that banging it into solid objects chips it (moron! ;-).

It doesn't seem to have anything that might brake in the next 10-20 years. Strap butons are solid. I'm not too sure about the tuners - they are still OK, but they are cheap. I'll probably buy locking tuners later on.

No idea.

I've been playing for a year and a half and so far I love this axe. It's my only one, BTW. If it were lost or stolen, I'll probably check the 50's Jap re-isues first, ONLY because they've got thicker, "V" shaped necks. It's not a high-end guitar, but it's a good value for money if you like its sound. I never had a chance to compare it to other Strats, because they all are well above my price range. Compared to Gibsons, it sounds different. Not better or worse, just different. Great beginners' Strat-style guitar - cheap, but made better then Squiers. Love it to pieces.

I believe this is a 1994 standard strat. I bought it in 1995. I won't go into it's 'featurs' as many other posters have. It's a regular strat - no special switching. It's an old design that hasn't been updated much, so I give it a 7, because it's alefty.

The original pickups were horrible. They were noisy, dull and LOW output. I put a set of Texas Specials in, and it's better now. I play it with mostly a blackface bassman and occasionally a ts9/808. The single coils are a little noisy, but that is to be expected. It's a lot brighter than my Les Paul. The 7.5" radius makes it a little easier to play complex chords than the Gibson, but bending is a little more challenging. It's a nice sounding guitar. It gets really quacky in the 2 and 4 positions (which the original pickups didn't do).

Horrible set up.. action was too low. The neck/body pocket seemed a tad bigger than the neck itself. After a setup, everything was better. What can you do about a neck joint like this?

This guitar has taken a beating and survived. I've had it for 2 or three years, and everything is still ok. I wouldn't gig without a backup with ANY guitar until they make unbreakable strings. :)

never had to call them.

I have a Gibson Les Paul Standard, this guitar and a few teles (all of which are lefties). If it were stolen, I would probably look for something else. It's not my favorite guitar.

From Mexico - within past 2 years or so. Bought new. Fret/Neck nice, Nice finish/Blonde neck, Deep purple/blue body.

I love the sound. As an acoustic guitar player for 20+ years, this is my first electric!!! And I am jazzed! I am having a blast. PERFECT for Blues and Surf Music ( 2 favs of mine) Fun!

The guitar is BEAUTIFUL!!!! She is a purple/blue and her name is "Bonnie" :)

Yes!
and always have a back up... ya never know !

5 year warranty

A traditional and true-blue acoustic player for 20+ years....I LOVE THIS THING!!!! I found the electric to be easier. I do need a bit of practice on style and rythmm etc. Trying to learn style on my own HOWEVER...
As an acoustic guitarist I have a habit of hammering the bridge area, long full strums, etc.( I play a lot like Melissa Etheridge) On an electric it can be difficult, because it causes the bridge to warp (as if with a whammy bar) How can I play cleaner ? Habit/style not congruent. Always looking for suggestions.....

Strats are awesome electric guitars if you want a good guitar with quality tone, but you don't want to spend tons of money. Mine is a Mexican Strat which is sunburst colored. I recieved a hard case which as done very well in serving its purpose of protecting my baby! I think this guitar will last me a long time and I don't think I will wear it out in many years to come.

This guitar is perfect for my type of music in which I play everything from Blues to Rockabilly to Classic Rock. The tunes of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Chuck Berry, the Eagles, Lynard Skynard, Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, and many others are most often heard from this guitar. This guitar can get everyhting from a loud, grunge noise (which I don't use too often) to a full, rich tone (which I use more often). The amp I have been playing through for a while is a Fender Frontman, but I recently purchased a Fender Blues Deluxe tube amplifier which gives me the edge as far as sound goes. It absolutely rocks! I have a Cool Cat pedal by Danelectro that gives me some great effects with which to solo.

The action on this guitar is excellent, however, the action by my hands is what needs to be improved upon! : ) Seriously, I thought the company did an excellent job making this guitar which lives up to the Fender name. I had it worked on at a Bench Check a few months ago which helped it sound just a little bit better, and I am planning on getting it worked on more often in the future.

If I was on a gig, i would definately use this thing; it hasn't failed on me yet! I think this guitar is VERY reliable and will last me foe many years in the future!

I really can't say much about Fender's customer support, I mainly associate with the local dealer.

I think this guitar is very versatile and excellent all around. I will probably keep it for a long time, and I hope that I can build around it with other equipment. If I do get a new guitar, I'd like to keep this one; it has been an excellent guitar for so long. You have to like the Strat Style to be a Fender Stratocaster lover, but if you like the way it sounds and plays and you are looking for a new guitar, I say to definately go for it; you'll probably be glad you did. I know that I sure am.

This is a Japanese made Fender Standard Stratocaster. It has standard stock pickups (S/S/S), with a 5 way selector. Positions 2 and 4 are excellent for a bluesy sound. Position 1 (bridge) is good for leads, though it can occasionally be a bit too "trebly" when played clean, but EQ can fix that. The body is made of poplar, with a maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard. The body had a black finish, nothing special, but it looks good. The neck is thin and it is easy to play fast on. It is satin finished, so it doesn't get sticky when your hands sweat like glossy necks can. The fingerboard is nice, no defects, very smooth. The tuners are stock Fenders, nothing special, but very functional, they keep tune as long as you don't go crazy with the whammy. I never use the whammy bar, but this guitar comes with one. This is an excellent workhorse/utilitarian/beginning guitar.

I play blues, hard rock, proto-metal, and classic rock. This guitar can cut it for all of them. It's a Strat, one of THE classic guitars. It will never sound as fat as a humbucker guitar (I have a PRS for comparison), but the neck pickup is very nice is you need a thick sound. I use it with a Marshall 30th Anniversary Amp and a Fender Stage 112SE (and the venerable Crate 15GX), and it produces excellent blues and rock tones from these amps (maybe not the Crate, but for a beginning amp, its the best around :)). The sound is full, not too fat or too thin, very Strat-like. The in-between positions sound "glassy" and bluesy. Decent SRV tone. The neck pickup can work for playing Sabbath type tunes that require a darker sound. The bridge pickup is good for leads, but as I said before, it can get a little high on clean, not all the time, but sometimes. Once again, this is a very functional guitar.

This guitar came with 9's installed and that's what I play with. It came setup so I could do upbends with the whammy, but since I don't use it, I adjusted it and it wreaked havoc upon my high E string, so I adjusted it again and everything was fine, except for a little buzzing, but that's my fault not Fender's (gotta fix that). Also, the output jack has become disconnected a couple of times. I don't know if this was my fault, but it is a very easy fix with a soldering iron. Overall, this guitar plays very fast, and everything fits together nicely.

I have adjusted this guitar several times to fit my personal style, and I have had mixed results. I admit that I am not the best at adjusting the action, so I occasionally get buzzy strings, but that's not Fender's fault. This guitar is rock solid. It has fallen out of its gig bag onto a tile floor with no damage. I never worry about it falling apart. The hardware seems solid, and has been solid for 2 years now. The strap buttons are kind of small, I should probably put on some Strap-Loks becuase the strap slips off every now and then, but it's not a heavy guitar, so catching it is easy. I have been using it continuously for 2 years now, and it still looks good. The finish is scratched, not visibly, but those darned scratches you get from strumming, but since you can't see them, and they're not real damage, I don't mind. This is one durable guitar.

I haven't dealt with Fender directly. I've dealt with their local certified repair people (for amps), and that was a nasty experience. They didn't get my amp fixed for a month. I haven't dealt with their local guitar people, who are different from the amp people. I also do most of the minor repairs at home, and since this is a simple guitar, I don't expect to need factory support for it, so I can't say how good it is.

I love this guitar. It was my first guitar, and it looks as if it will last a very long time. It plays fast and sounds great. For the price ($270), it can't be beat. It does everything a Strat should. If it was stolen, I would hunt down the offender and get it back. Despite its low price, this guitar works, and it works well. It is a great beginning guitar, and I use it still in company with my PRS. It may not be an American Standard or a Custom Shop, but for its price, you can't beat it.

My guitar is actually a Mexican Standard. It has 21 jumbo frets on a maple neck. Three single coil pickups ( i replaced the bridge position pickup with a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker ), volume and tone knobs, 5 way selector swith, etc...

I love the sound of the neck pos. pickup! Very bluesy sound. Also very good for Dave Gilmour type solos. I wanted a meaner sound, so I had the afformentioned Super Distortion humbucker in. I now get a WIDE variety of sounds out of it. I shortened the trem bar on it ( a trick a la Gilmour ), so I can hold the bar and pick the strings at the same time. I don't use the wang bar all that much, but it can make some wicked vibrato sounds with the bar. This guitar was my 2nd. My first was a piece-o-crap Squier strat. NOTE: Stay away from Squier guitars. They are the biggest pieces of crap ever!

I liked the pickups, for their bluesy sound. I did have to adjust the action on my high e and b strings. They were kinda low, so I fixed that. I am the guitar's second owner. There was a chip on the body ( probably from the first owner ). Other than that, it was in good cond.

Not had it too long. Seems reliable and durable, though.

Haven't needed to call 'em.

I really really like this guitar a lot.