Fender Standard Stratocaster

Made in mexico, 2003, 21 medium jumbo frets, 1 volume 2 tone pots, 5 way pickup selector, 3 mexican single coil pickups, alder body with maple neck and indian rosewood fretboard, 3 colour transparent sunburst, vintage tremolo, non-locking tuners, no included accesories.

it suits rock, blues and country incredibly well either clean or dirty. Has a very thick classic sound with the gain turned up to about 6 on overdrive channel 1 with the neck pickup. I use it through a marshall avt 275 with a valve pre-amp. The single coils obviously give out a lot of hum but as long as you don't leave the volume up during quiet sections then it shouldn't bother you that much, although positions 2 & 4 on the pick-up selector are incredibly quiet.

The setup was amazing, possibly due to the fact that Dawsons set up all their guitars before they put them on the shelf.

I have gigged with this guitar loads without a backup. Some of you may think thats a bit stupid but i take such good care of this guitar that its probably going to last 60 years at least before it needs anything repairing. That said, if you really want to bash this thing around you would have to be really trying to brake it because its one tough cookie.

One word of warning. Don't do Joe Satriani style divebombs with the whammy. The intonation goes gradually out of sync until you have to get it setup again. I did this and, because it only has a one year warranty on it, had to pay #50 to send it away, and it took 3 weeks. I have blocked the tremolo now any way cause I don't use it any more.

The main reason I choose this guitar was because eric clapton plays a strat and I really liked the spanky sound he coaxes out of it. On the whole this is a good beginners guitar but it is a good idea to fit noiseless pickups to it and have it shielded to get noise-free operation. Also the jack plug has a tendancy to come loose every few weeks so you need to tighten it up really well.

325 from musicians friend made in mexico,all you would want from a strat

yup its a strat,noisy single coils,but easily solved with a pickup swap,still when clean sound total strat

finish is a flawless cherry sunburst,tuning keys are excellent,tremelo is surprisingly smooth,AND STAYS IN TUNE !!!no flaws whatsoever

its rock solid product all the way unless your an abusive total hack

have not had to deal with them ,the product is excellent

been playing since 1976,i never liked strats,the only reason i got this one is because it was cherry sunburst which is my fav,and with musicians friends 45 day policy i figured what the hell,i got a humbucker with single coil fit,for when i need to be raging and dont want single coil noise.and let me tell you i am impressed,if you want a strat ,dont fool around GET THE REAL THING,all you might have to do is slide in a pickup or two!!!ive owned all you could imagine and these are incredible value and THE REAL THING,not bad for someone who never liked strats.right?

2005 Standard Made In Mexico, 21 Standars Frets, 3 Single Coil Pickups, 5 way switch, Standard Whammy Bar/Tremolo. Nothing Special

Thin sound, lack of sustain, intonation way out & won't stay in tune.

I have been playing guitar for about 20 years. I tried 10 of these Mexican Standard Strats ($369) over a 3 hour period at a guitar center. I really wanted to like this guitar. The pickups are really thin sounding, but I would have been happy to upgrade the pups and write a good review if that was the only thing wrong with this model of Strat. The build quality is very poor and NOT at all consistent. While I suppose that it might be possible to find a Mexi Strat that is an okay intermediate guitar, I certainly could NOT. I no longer believe people who say that the Mexi Strats are close in quality to the American Made Strats. If you find one that has the nut cut correctly you are lucky. But, even when the nut is done right, you will find unfinished frets or dead spots on the neck. Even if you are lucky enough to find one that was well built, the parts are so cheap, you would have to replace the pickups, bridge and the tunners to end up with a quality guitar. I even tried a Korean model for good measure and it was FAR WORSE! So, I tried a few Signature Series that are ALSO Made In Mexico, but have better parts. Both, the Richie Sambora and Robert Cray Models had a much higher quality feel to them. In fact, I took the Robert Cray model ($579) home. But, I am returning it ASAP! Even this Signature Series model Mexican Strat has dead spots past the 12th fret especially on the G string, and that is with a relatively high action. Truss rod, bridge, or nut adjustments were not able to solve the neck problems. I have a $300 Made In Indonesia guitar that plays better than any of the Mexican Made Strats I tried. Fender should really be ashamed to be putting Leo's name on this junk. But...I DID try quite a few GOOD QUALITY Fender Strats....all were USA made. I am going back for a USA Strat, but I am going to look at these with MUCH SCRUTINY! After this experience, I am convinced Fender is probably spewing plenty of junk out of the USA factory as well. For those of you who own a cheapie Fender product, don't take this review personally. Perhaps, the push to keep up with the Christmas demand lowers the quality. But, so far, I am VERY dissapointed in the so called VALUE lines of FENDER. I am still in search of a good Fender Strat.

Cheap parts...poorly made neck & nut...good luck.

?

Since I have a $300 Made In Indonesia guitar that KILLS the quality of ANY of theMexican Made Strats I have tried, I am not giving Fender a good report card on this model...sorry...don't take it personally...I don't hate Fender....yet...I am NOW looking at the USA models.

I really wanted to like this guitar...I mean you can't beat the price. Either I have the worst luck in the world or Mexico can't make a good guitar for the holiday season. Happy Playing People!

The guitar came bare bones. Whammy bar and that was it. I wasn't expecting much and I wasn't disapointed.

The sound is pretty good. There is a hum in the pick-ups, also expected. I found that if you keep it in the #2 and #4 positions the hum is greatly reduced. I am putting a blue, silver, and gold set of Lace Sensor pickups in it. Then the hum will no longer be an issue.

Everything was good on the guitar. I took it home, changed the strings and set it ip myself. I also put a new pick gaurd on it. Now it is Olypic White with a pearloid red pickgaurd and rosewood neck. It looks super cool!

This guitar is solid. As long as I play it like a guitar and don't use it to hammer nails into my new deck outside, it should last forever.

This guitar is awesome. I will keep it forever!

made in mexico 3 single coils one way tremolo 21 frets...ect

stock pickups are ceramic...they are very good for clean sounds but with distorzion is not that good...i changed my pickups with dimarzio vintage neck 2.2 vintage blues middle and vintage 54 bridge now guitar is talking like it suposed to...guitar has an execellent sustain and wood is faboulus..with stock pickups mark is 6 with dimarzio 10

set-up from factory was quite good but i made it even better is very easy to adjust action...finish is superb not a sigle flaw

this guitar is made for livi playing is very dependable i am giging without a backup...this guitar can take anything

i ve been playing this strat for a two years and it looks like it just got out of a store it's a great guitar for not so much money

2005 Standard Stratocaster, MIM
Agave Blue, Rosewood neck.
Red, Silver, and Blue Lace sensor pick ups(after market).
The guitar is nothing fancy. It is simply put a solid piece of equipment.

I got rid of the factory pick ups because they hummed too much. I expected this and figured the price of the pick ups into the total price of the guitar. It is still worth every penny!

The guitar came out of the packaging and looked new. I could not ask for anything more. I took it home, replaced the strings and set up the action. I could not be happier with the guitar.

One of the questions for the review asks if the guitar would survivve live playing. I cannot for the life of me see why it wouldn't. As long it is played like a guitar and not like a drum it should be just fine.

I paid $369.00 for the guitar plus $28.00 tax and I got the set of pickups on Ebay for $85. So all in total I paid: $482.00
I think that by doing a little work myself and replacing the pickups I got a superb instrument for a very reasonable price. I will not buy an American Fender now that I know that I can do this for half the price and end up with a guitarthat is just a good, if not better!

Made in Mexico in 1995. Poplar body. Black with white pickguard. Maple neck with "skunk stripe" and rosewood fretboard, 25.5" scale with medium frets. Tuners are cheap but hold tune fairly well. The neck config is a flattened "U" shape, too thin for my aging fingers. Standard Fender 6-screw trem system with undersized inertia block. The previous owner had changed out the stock (garbage) pickups with Lace Sensors, Red in the bridge position, Gold in the mid and neck positions. I bought this guitar with the intention of inserting its Lace Sensors into my SX SST Strat.

I've played other MiM strats with stock pickups and found their sound jangly and weak. Bought this one intending to exchange the MightyMites on my SX strat for the Lace Senosrs on this one and then selling this one for what I could get. I'd had a late 80's Fender US Strat Plus in the early 90's, equipped with Gold Lace Sensors and back then, loved their sound. Well, after playing this Mex Strat through my Roland Cube 30, and then playing my SX with its MightyMites at the same settings, well, the SX blew this one away every which way from Sunday. I guess if I had nothing to compare it to, I might be able to live with this Strat because it gives out some decent "strat" sounds on the "2" and "4" position but for the money, there are lots of better deals to be had out there.

Having bought this guitar used, I have no idea how it was originally set up. The previous owner had the trem set up "floating" with the action way too high. I "blocked" it and lowered the action substantially. The guitar seems to have decent sustain. However, it has cheap tuners and the "skunk stripe" in the back of the neck is not completely flush with the neck and one can feel its edges while playing.
This guitar is 10 years old and the finish still looks really good so I guess that's one thing Fender got right on this guitar.

Overall, this guitar just feels "cheap". I've had strat copies costing a lot less than this one that felt like they had more quality than this instrument. I guess you can impress your friends with the name on the headstock but hey, there are better deals to be had for a lot less money. Check out RondoMusic's SX and Agile line of guitars.

N/A. Never dealt with Fender warranties etc.

I've been playing for 40 years and have owned some really good guitars over that time. Bought and sold more than a few. One thing I've learned is that one can pay big bucks just for a name. A lot of hype out there. Let your fingers and your ears decide what's good and what works for you.
I kept this guitar for 2 weeks (long enough to decide that the MightyMite pickups on my SX Strat sounded better than this Strat with its non-stock upgraded Lace Sensors, and to realise that my SX SST-62 is just a better built guitar all the way around) and then put this one up for sale and managed to sell it quick (probably because or the Fender name). Would I buy another one of these? No way! I'd drop $99 for an SX SST-62 any day of the week first and end up with a better guitar for a lot less money.
To be fair, though, the later MiM Strats, the ones made in the last couple of years, are of better quality than the mid to late 90's versions and that's probably because so many of the "copies" were better and the Fender company, losing sales, was made to realize that it had to clean up its act to stay competitive.

2005 Fender Standard Stratocaster/ Sunburst w/ Maple Neck. (I would consider a 10 rating to mean this guitar is not the greatest guitar ever designed or built...but merely all it is intended and purported to be by the manufacturer.)
This is a Classic Strat setup...just like the name says, Standard...nothing more/nothing less! The 5 way PU switch is a "Great Leap Forward" compared to the days when I would have to try and balance the old 3 way switches between 2 PU's to get the out of phase tone that I have always preferred. Since I began playing 40 years ago, I have owned both a 1963 Strat(purchased used in 1968) and a 1965 Strat (purchased used in 1973)...and I would be hard pressed to tell you the difference between those two classics and this new one. It is a genuine Strat...regardless of where it was put together. There have always been good ones and bad ones. If you are a player who loves to use the tremolo arm, this might be a drawback to owning any Strat. I handled the screw in tremolo arm on this one the same way I did on my '63 and '65 models...unscrew it, throw it in a drawer, and forget it. (...although the 2005 tremolo arm, unlike the '63 and '65, doesn't have the superfluous ashtray bridgeplate to keep it company in the drawer...). As an aside, I also bought a brand new, generic vintage tweed style hard case from Musician's Friend for $39.95 (...on sale w/ free shipping...) to replace the Fender gig bag my Strat came with. It's a nice, sturdy case and very reasonably priced.

This is a very subjective category, as everyone has their own taste and comfort zone...that being said, this guitar sounds like a Strat has always sounded, and as good as any I've played or heard. If you want it to sound like something else, there is apparently no shortage of after market electronics and hardware one can add to make it sound like something other than a Strat...but the point of such alterations escapes me. I have always preferred a Strat to sound like a Strat. I play mine through a late 1960's Fender Bandmaster, a custom built pre - amp (to overdrive), with either a Boss Stereo Chorus or a Line 6 Pod 2.0. The harmonics ring out almost effortlessly and are very dynamic. The natural sustain of this guitar is outstanding and the tone is classic...but not all of the Standard or American Strats I played during my search were as good. Some played very flat and dead, and the electronics were overly noisy on some of them (especially in the 1, 3, or 5 positions, which as my '63 and '65 Strats taught me...have historically always been a little noisy. Beefing up the shielding around the wiring usually solves the problem). A few just didn't feel like they were put together very well. If you're buying a new one, any worthwhile dealer will be willing to have a tech set it up out of the box to factory specs if it hasn't already been done. There are also some great buys in the used market, just remember that a lot of what you find there may have been tampered with by the previous owner...so you may have to have it returned to its original setup. It would appear that Fender has made some significant improvements to the Standard in the last few years, some of the 90's models I played were clearly inferior in overall performance and quality to the newer ones. To find a real gem you really need to shop around.

The maple neck is a classic Stratocaster. The action is excellent, very close to the frets and easy to play. I have owned both, but I always thought the maple fret board had a little bit more high end sparkle than the rosewood...but it might just be my ear. 22 frets would have been nice but it's not a deal breaker to me. The alignment and intonation are true. Well balanced and comfortable to play. I bought a 1969 Gibson Les Paul brand new (you don't want to know what it cost me in 1969)...it has been my main guitar ever since, so the classic Strat frets are very close to what I am used to, and present no problem to me...if you like bigger frets, this would be a problem. The brown sunburst finish is flawless. I scoured this guitar looking for a fault that needed to be fixed and really couldn't find one...but again, some of these guitars (new and used/Standard and American) had some real issues and would have required some work. Shop Around!

This guitar is a beast...solid as a rock...very well constructed. The hardware is no frills, standard issue and I have encountered no problems with any of it. I was prepared to block the tailpiece, but really didn't need to. The tuners aren't fancy but as long as they keep the guitar in tune, replacing them seems an unnecessary exercise. If they present a problem down the road, it's an easy fix. No buzzing strings or frets/no dead spots/consistant all the way up the neck. The electronics, except for the need to upgrade the shielding of the wiring, appear to be functioning exactly as they were designed to perform. Although I usually use a Strat in conjunction with my Les Paul, I would not hesitate to use it live with no backup. If it were stolen I would start searching for another Standard to replace it. Spending more just to own an American wouldn't seem like an upgrade to me...it would merely seem like spending more. For me, the benchmark for Reliability and Durability is my 36 year old Les Paul, that has never once failed me...I'll update you in 2041 about the Strat. (...I'll be 88 or long dead...in either case I'll be typing slower...)

I have never had occasion to deal with Fender...but I've heard good things over the years.

This is an unbelievable value. I am completely "Old School" about guitars...it's the way I was raised. For electric guitars, there is Gibson and Fender...and then there is everything else. This Strat, along with my Les Paul, is all that I need. Whenever I have purchased a guitar I have always played as many as I could get my hands on in search of a keeper. I played approximately 30 Strats (Standard & American), over nearly a six week period before purchasing this one. The range in quality was much broader than I would have initially thought possible. If you know what you're looking for, and have the time and patience, I would highly recommend trying out as many as you can...there's always a winner out there waiting to be found...and when you find it, you'll know it. Don't be scared off by the "Made In Mexico" sticker, or fooled by the price tag...play a few. This is a first rate guitar and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wanted a true, classic Fender Strat.

2003 cream colored, polyester finsh Mexican Strat.
Alder body, maple neck and fretboard.
21-frets with S/S/S pups with 5-way switch. Standard cast/sealed tuners.
Ceramic magnet staggered pole pickups. Synchronized tremolo.

Talk about noisy!
The sound was overshadowed by the hum of the POS pups.
I replaced the pups with '04 American Strat pups that I got from eBay.
I then shielded the cavity and pickguard with copper tape.
It made a world of difference. It sounds a lot better now.

I didn't notice any flaws when I bought it and when I did the shielding.

The guitar is realiable and durable.

Never dealt with them.

Knowing the reputation of single-coil pups, especially on Strats, after 7 yrs I reluctantly bought one.
As expected, the pups stunk to high heaven, and I had to replace them.
The best thing about a Strat is the tone, it is awesome.
After some tweaking and replacing parts I have it to where I'm content...for now.
Be aware that you will need to replace the pups and shield the cavity if you don't have the money for an American Strat.
But, for a Mexican Strat, I can't complain. I got what I paid for.

21 Frets
Volume, Tone Control, 5-Way Selector
3 Single Coils

Basic Controls for the tone selection you need.

Great sounding guitar, it has that famous strat tone that we all love. It's a great guitar for blues, and I even play some rock and jazz on it. The single coil pickups tend to be very noisy though, so you often have to play with two pickups in order to get rid of the buzz. This is a hassle...

This guitar was pretty poorly set up, I had to have it fixed up at the shop. The bridge and the pickups were fine however. There were no other flaws besides the action.

This guitar doesn't seem like it's the toughest piece of equipment around. I would use this guitar without a backup, however. But if you are one throw your guitar on stage and such, don't expect this to last.

N/A

Good guitar for the price, but if I was ever to buy a strat again, I'd get an American model, not a standard strat.

Year: Bought it new in 2000. Made in Mexico... senor! 21 frets. Two piece (as far as i can tell!) poplar body in three colour sunburst polyester finish. Standard stratocaster controls, single volume and two tone pots coupled with 3 fender single coil pickups... is this sounding familiar or what! Mine is the maple necked version and it has the satin finish... chah i know, just like the rest of these ones! Standard vintage stratocaster bridge (except not made out of the stuff they use for american vintage strats!) with the usual floating tremolo. Enclosed tuners grace the headstock and are of a similar variety to those on the American standard strat. My guitar came with nothing other than a box and a couple of allen keys. In theory (read further) adds up to one of the most brilliantly conceived designs in human history, hence the 9.

I have been playing a little over 10 years and keep drifting back to the Clapton back catologue as well as other classic rock/blues. I also have a stab at indie and just recently a bit of country. Sound wise my strat covers these pretty well, however I believe the tone to be somewhat generic and thin sounding. Characterless is probably the best description. Upgrading the pickups would improve this considerably, but I would be more inclined to upgrade the guitar itself! I recently purchased a MIM 50's classic tele and it completely blows this guitar away with regards to sustain, playability and tone, so if you have the extra pennies i think the next step up in the range is money well spent. I do believe however, that my strat is not the best example of these guitars, as I have played others which were much more resonant and generally better made than mine. More on this shortly...

Here's where things get ugly guys. When I bought this instrument I was much younger and had only been playing electric guitar for a year. Furthermore this was my first step into the world of the "intermediate" instrument and hence my expectations and ability to discern decent build quality was greatly reduced. Put simply, as far as fit and finish goes, this guitar is a dud! Starting at the neck, the supposedly durable lacquer had already been chipped instore, exposing the bare wood behind the third fret. I didn't notice until I was past the return period with my dealer so now I'm stuck with a massive black spot there which doesn't want to buff out. I am only a bedroom player (at the minute... rock superstardom awaits!), and whilst this guitar has been well used in the time i've owned it, compared to other strats i've seen it hasn't lasted the distance at all. After about 2 years the edges of the fretboard started turning a cacky green colour as the thin finish wore away. My fingernails have made noticeable wide whitish scratches on the fretboard (not seen on other instruments of a similar age) and my light picking style has even chipped away more lacquer at the base of the fretboard. On the body itself there is a noticeable finish crack (which is gradually getting longer) creeping out from behind the neckplate (in my memory i haven't dropped the guitar at all so this seems unusual). My saddles on the low e and the a rusted out after about three years, despite being regularly wiped down, but by far the worst thing is the frets. Filing marks are easily visible either side of each fret (1mm wide on some) which collect sweat and turn the neck wood green. Also the fret ends were poorly finished over, with noticeable indentations in the neck as the ends aren't flush with the fretboard. These too oxidise and turn green as they collect hand gunk by virtue of me moving up and down the neck. I should point out htat i'm not a sweaty person, the neck lacquer is just ridiculously thin and frail. Notably, mine is a bad example and most other fenders i've played have been top notch. Try before you buy... and look very hard.

As stated earlier i am not a frequently gigging musician, however I believe that despite all of its faults, my strat would survive live use. The tuners are quite stable and everything works well and as it should. Just don't expect a sustaining, wailing powerhouse of tone. The instrument is solidly made, but I would always have a backup with me. Ideally this would be better suited (for me at least) as a backup guitar itself, as it looks the part and could stand up to being treated with neglect compare to a no.1 guitar.

Didn't seek it with this guitar, but to my knowledge fender dealers in my area are more than willing to assist in a prompt manner with any claims/problems.

As I said I was younger and dumber when I got this strat. Had I bought it now it would've gone back to the shop within a week. I'm sure though that it would've been replaced with another fender stratocaster anyway though! Nobody's perfect and it seems even the great guiar companies have bad days. I certainly trust the maker and have had only pleasurable playing experiences with other Fenders. If it were lost/stolen i wouldn't be devastated, as I have probably outgrown this guitar. At the end of the day though it still has that name on the headstock and is the right shape so I'm sure heaps of beginner/intermediate musicians will jump at the asking price.

Made in Mexico 2002
21 Frets
Standard Single Coils
1 Volume, 2 Tone
Alder Body
Sage Green Finish
It's a Mexican Fender what do you expect?

Actually I have never been a Fender fan. But I was beginning to grow tired of the humbucker sound from my Epiphone Les Paul and my Gibson ES-335 sound do I figured I would buy a cheap strat. I use a lot of effects and this thing worked perfect for my style. I run through a Roland JC-120 clean and an Orange Rockerverb for Distortion. The single coils provide more of a cut than the Humbuckers. My absolute favorite sound I am getting from the strat right now is when I run it through a modded MXR Blue Box, with a touch of Delay through the Jc-120. It may seem like an odd coupling but it sounds sweet. My only complaint is the humming from the single coils.Also the tremolo stays in tune considerably weel. I have become quite fond of crazy tremolo dives and the guitar seems to hold up pretty well. I love how low maintanence the trem system is too.

My friend is a tech at the Store where I bought it so he set it up for me. It is absolutely perfect.

This guitar is great live. Since it was so inexpensive I am not as concerned with cosmetic flaws, so I can eally rock out with this guitar. With the 335 I basically stood still praying that not even a bead of sweat woud get on the finish. The Strat allows me to have fun. The reason we all play music in the first place.

I have been playing for nine years and this guitar is what I was needing. It is not in any way areplacement for my other two guitars, but it has become my primary guitar. If it were stolen I would probably try out an American to see what all the fuss is about, but would probably end up buying another Mex Strat to rock out on.

Made 2004/05. Made in Mexico, but the quality of manufacture is very good. My model is a Arctic White solid color alder body with one piece solid maple neck with 21 jumbo frets. The guitar comes with 3 Standard Strat pickups (same as the american?) and a standard tremolo and standard Fender tuners- This really is the standard strat. Comes ith the usual align keys and tremolo arm.

I play mainly rock/blues (Guns n' Roses, Hendrix, Led Zeppellin etc.) through a Marshall MG100DFX. I find the guitar very quiet at high volumes, even with only 1 pickup selected. I usually play it using the bridge pickup with the bass tone control at 1 and the treble at 10- certainly not to everyone's taste- giving an almost telecaster like bright twang. Flicking the switch to the neck pickup, you get a warm, flat, much smoother sound with a quiter output, but with the bass turned up you can get a good blues sound. Using the settings that I use, the pickup selector becomes almost like an onboard wah when you quickly flick it from pickup to pickup. I would prefer to say between 8 and 9 as a rating, but this guitar suits my sound well, so it gets a nine.

The action on the guitar when I bought it was quite high, and I prefer a low action, but its no big deal to change it with the tools you get with it. As i said, the finish is excellent, so no need to go into details here. The wood quality is very good. I bought this in America- Rumour has it that Fender keep all the better finished guitars for the American market- and, living in England, i think it's true. I have played one of these guitars in a shop where i live and they look cheap and poorly made, so i bought this one from the famous Mannys in New York.

Ok, the bad part now. It keeps giving me electric shocks! Although only static shocks they are sometimes painfull! My local guitar technician told me that it happens to some strats and there's nothing you can do about it. The charge builds up in the scratchplate or on you and the guitar earths it to you. I think. But fear not if you've just been totally put off buying one- the solution is to go bearfoot. Effectivly, you are then always earthed so charge can't build up. At a recent gig everyone thought it was somekind of crazy rock n' roll thing, but i did take a backup guitar to this gig.

Never dealt with them- and can't. I bought it in America and live in England, remember. Ive heard that Fender couldn't give a damn mind, and the terms and conditions of the 'limited lifetime warranty' are very harsh ('have you played this guitar? VOID' kind of stuff)

Playing for 2 years. I also own an Epiphone G400 Vintage and Squire strat (what a differance to the real thing!) If it was stolen, i would certainly buy another, although maybe i'd opt for the Floyd Rose locking trem version. I wish i had played it for longer though (i was in a rush for i flight so it was 15 mins testing!) The only bad things really are the tremolo (goes out of tune if you so much as blow on it) and the shocking. Some will hate the 21 frets, but if your a good enough guitarist you'll find ways round it.

1998 MIM Standard Strat with a few modifications. I bought it new, about 6 years ago. I replaced the original ceramic pups with Vintage Vibes, GraphTech saddles and the Callaham Mexican upgrade. The original Olympic white has aged to a very nice cream colour. My cat loves sleeping on the gig bag.

I'm an at-home player with a jazz/blues kind of style. I run the guitar through a small Traynor tube amp with some JJ Eurotubes. Basically, it'll produce just about any sound I want.

The guitar was more or less fine when I bought it 6 years ago although I always had a bit of trouble (dead spots, buzzes) on the B, around frets 5 to 9. I recently had a fret job which has pretty much eliminated these problems. With the various upgrades, I think this guitar really plays well. I've tried almost everything from a Squire Strat to an E Johnson in the store and I'm hard pressed to find any reason to replace this guitar. I find the switches just a little lightweight and one of these days I'll probably get around to replacing the tuners with locking or vintage.

Virtually indestructible.

Never dealt with the manufacturer.

I'm an example of how little progress one can make in 40 years of playing. I also own a Korean Epi jazzbox plus three trombones. If stolen, I'd probably by a Tele simply for curiosity sake. The pups are great (handwound by P Biltof of Vintage Vibe) as is the Callaham gear (esp. the denser, heavier trem block). I think with a bit of finishing by a good tech, and some upgrades, the Standard MIM Strat can be improved to play nearly as well as any other Fender model. I might like to upgrade some switches and jack plate as well as the tuners in the near future. I like making these small mods as they have improved the guitar but, more to the point, personalized it.

This is my first electric guitar, so I am reviewing it from the perspective of a newbie. I played a bit of acoustic ("played" is a silly looking fabric with lots of wild lines and colors) maybe 25 years ago, but did not retain much of any of it. Please, pardon my grammar which is very bad and not well punctuated correctly.
--------
FEATURES

After going through all the specific feature considerations recommended by Harmony Central, most of it reads Greek to me, but of what I yet understand?

The guitar has, and i quote:

3 Standard Single-Coil Strat? Pickups (Ceramic Magnets)

And I really could not tell you what that means, other than when I flip the 5 position switch, it changes the sound in many unique and interesting ways, and can be flipped on the fly if you happen to accidently nail it when strumming. It has no Tremolo built into it, which means I am having to learn to "shake it" by way of my own finger work.

It has 21 frets and a rosewood fingerboard. I was informed that rosewood has a softer and less abrasive touch than maple. But I suspect I would have to play for years before knowing the difference, if at all, though it does look nice. It has 2 tone controls and a volume control. I found the tone controls to be very subtle, and they have not generated enough tonal distinction to really register on my aural radar, and are a bit moot anyway after running them through my amp modeler (Line 6 PODxt), which i purchased along with my Strat. I suppose when playing it clean through a very expensive amp, the distinction of tone adjustment would be more present. But my very small Marshall MG is not so picky, pardon the pun. Feature wise, you get what you pay for, i guess. A 10 for excellent versatility.

SOUND

How to sound like you are sitting on the banks of the Mississippi for less than $400 (and a gas powered amplifier). This is where a lesser priced guitar actually works in your favor.

Classic twangy character abounds, and there is clearly that back home guitar spirit that comes through your lesser scientific measuring senses. This really IS your father's guitar. My own youthful imagination may have altered my more reasonable faculties here, but that is what it is all about.

One strum says "welcome to the club." I suspect an enormously skilled player who enjoys many very expensive guitars could strap this on and sound more rugged and bluesy than he might otherwise sound on a more elite instrument. "It ain't a beginners guitar, it is a standard strat! Is that the sound you want?"

Apparently the old road dogs can tell the difference between an American assembled and a Mexican assemble guitar. Mine is assembled in Mexico, but I would never have known or cared about that unless I had been told this. I am aware that in time I can upgrade the electronics, and move the over all sound up the ladder of quality. The only truly experienced sounding guitar criticism i could make would be that I immediately desired a longer sustain sound from the Strat, but what do I expect for the $315 I paid for it brand new?

That considered, the Standard Strat is an excellent foundation upon which to eventually build a guitar you can live with for years. I am also aware that some of the finest music ever recorded was put together using some very primitive and budged minded instruments. So, it is less about the pristine $2000 sustain and balance, than it is about learning to work the instrument for what it is.

Some folks have complained that you cannot easily get a screaming Nirvana style distortion out of the Standard Strat. I do not know if this is true, but if it is and you most desire to have that kind of sound, maybe this is not the instrument for you, but you would have to consult persons who are more experienced than me to confirm this.

I don't know how to rate this on a 1 to 10 basis... Should I give it a 4 because it does not sound like a 3 grand Custom-Ax-O-Bravado? I plead ratios! Price considered, i have to give it a 10. Which means, "Sounds Great" according to the Harmony Central meter. Yep, sounds great!

ACTION,FIT, FINISH

Feels very taunt and spirited to my inexperienced fingers.

The fit and finish speak better to the genuine talent of the Mexican fender factory workers, than the price of this guitar. It all seems quite nicely assemble and the paint is very clean and everything seems bolted down with authority.

Again, you would have to be very familiar with much more exclusive instruments to complain in any way about the quality of the construction and the finish. Though, i might add, it does seems to keep in tune for ages. And the people who sold me the guitar set it up quite nicely at the store. Way good at this cheap - 10.

RELIABILITY, DURABILITY

Feels like you could park a car on it, but parking a truck on it may require retuning.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Don't yet know. But there seem to be a million friendly Strat Heads up and ready to help out with any Strat specific issue. Pretty cool thing...

Been playing about 2 weeks. Newbie is newbie.

OVERALL RATING

I have read many of the reviews here and the many very experienced players who really enjoy this instrument played a big part in my purchase. And to those old dogs, I appreciate with muchness. I have never so much as held some $2000 dollar weapon in my hands, so I am not saddled with the frustration of having to compare my first guitar with something that sounds like 6 stringed caviar. If you do not plan on spending more than 20 grand for your new sport compact, best not test drive a Ferrari. And this sort of limits my review, but probably in a good way. Besides, i hate caviar.

I had been informed were i to purchase my first guitar, that i not spend more than 100 or 300 dollars for it. The implication clearly being that not much is lost if one fails in his or her own ambitions to learn to play. This would seem sound advice, pardon the pun, but if you are comfortable in learning new instruments and might have tried a guitar out before and are confident that you WILL come to some level of guitar player ability or competency, I would personally recommend you not shy away from a guitar like the Fender Standard Strat. To my newbie ears and newbie fingers, the Standard Strat feels like walking into guitar history and becoming parts of that grand tradition.

$315 (new) for what is essentially the guitar equivalent of a Mexico assembled Harley Sportster?

Harmony Central defines a "10" as a "Fantastic Value." I think that is pretty much what the Standard Fender Stratocaster is and represents, to apply a bit of understatement.

"It ain't a beginners guitar, it is a standard strat! Is that the sound you want?"

I bought my Standard Strat in 1997 new. All the standard Fender features, 3 single coils, vintage tremola, 21 frets, etc. I love the maple neck on this....it has a very smooth fret board. No case was included with the guitar.

For the price, this guitar is hard to beat. The best starter guitar out there. It has a definite Fender tone and decent playability. You can definitely play all styles from Blues to metal. A good package. Now, I do not mean to say this guitar is even close to an American Fender or a Gibson les Paul...it is not. But as a starter its great and and it does sound good.

I play hard rock through metal - Deep Purple to Van Halen to GNR

For the price...a very pleasant suprise. The materials are not expensive but they are not cheap quality either. This guitar looks good, the finish is good, the fret board is very good...the knobs and tremola are very entry leval but have not failed. I also own a Blackmore Strat which was much more expensive and it could not take the beating this guitar can. So for the price....no complaints. Again, can't be compared to more expensive American built Fenders, Gibsons, Music Man, etc....but for the low proce it is very good.

No issues at all after 8 years. I gave this guitar to my son who is learning the guitar and this baby is as good as new.

For a $300 brand name guitar this thing is great. The best entry leval guitar out there. I played this through my amps: a Fender Stage 25 watt amp, a Line 6 AX2, and a Marshall half stack. It sounds very good...more than what you'd expect. I own a Gibson Les Paul Standard DC, a Custom Carvin 127, and a Peavey EVH Wolfgang....and they of course blow this entry Fender away. But, keep in mind the cost and this guitar is great. I've been playing 10 years and have played lead guitar in a working band. I have never used this on stage but I would not feel uncomfortable if I did. I own Fender Ritchie Blackmore LE Strat that sounds better but can't take the beating this thing can. So bottom line, as an entry level guitar that you can use live this Fender is a great buy....but, don't think it will stand-up to a Gibson les Paul, a Music Man, a EVH Wolfie oran American made Strat.

Made 2001 in mexico. 21 frets. fender call the colour of mine blue agave, i'd call it light blue powder finish. all the standard stuff, three single coils, vintage tremolo bridge, ceramic magnets, five way selector switch etc. nothing to get too excited about. strap locks would have been nice but for the money i suppose i cant complain.
the guy at the shop threw in a strap and a stand which was nice.

sound is very bright, glassy i suppose you call it. unfortunately there is no tone control for the bridge pickup, so there is nothing you can do about that. all the same, the pickups give great definition to each note played, not at all muddy. it sounds fantastic overdriven for that status quo sound, but not what your going to play metal on. two of the positions on the selector are hum cancelling which works great, but i find that as long as your not standing right in front of your computer moniter its not that noisy anyway.

this guitar feels fantastic to play. its my favorite thing about the whole guitar. the neck is basically the same as the neck on an american strat, minus the biconcave truss rod. it is soooo smooth to play. setup was good when i got it, but i set it up myself to take 10-46 instead of the standard 9-42 guage strings. well made guitar, played it loads and the frets havent worn down much and the hardware is nice and shiny. onlt minus is the saddles wear quite quickly. if is wasnt for this id give it a 10

it has yet to give up on me. giged with it a couple of times with no problems at all. i have already mentioned the wear on the saddles

never had to deal with fender

been playing four or so years now. own an epiphone les paul standard plus, a zoom 606II pedal, often used as an on the go tuner, and a boss ds1 distortion(go buy one, its great), all played through a fender stage 100. also have a cheap acoustic.
if this guitar were stolen i would probably buy a fender tele instead, not because this isnt a great guitar, but i like that tele twang. love the overdriven rock n roll sound it makes, and the clear notes, but wish it had less treble. also love the neck

This is a standard stratocaster made in Mexico with the typical three single coil pickups with a black finish.

I have been playing for about five years and am mostly into blues styles. I use a Boss ds-1 distortion pedal plugged into a 25 watt practice amp with reverb. I strive for a Clapton like tone, meaning clean distortion. This guitar is a little noisy when switched to the bridge pickup. It produces the classic strat tones and has a lot of the "quack" sound that is so typical of the strat. The guitar is not very bright sounding and the pickups are a little muddy on all settings. I do not feel as if this is a very good choice as a rythm guiter because it seems to lack punch. On the other hand it makes a pretty good lead guitar because of the wide range of tones it can produce. Honestly if I were going to play this guitar on stage I would probably experiment with some better pickups to see if it would brighten up a little bit.

This guitar had no flaws in fit or finish and was set up perfectly for me right out of the box. Intonation was right on. There was no fret buzz anywhere. The action was just right.

I would see no problem with this guitar as far as reliabilty is concerned. The hardware is high quality and seems durable. I would play this guitar without any qualms and not worry about it falling apart or letting me down in any way.

Never had a problem

I have been playing for five years. I own a tele and an Ibanez Artcore. Have previously owned Hamer and a Les Paul, Yamaha acoustic and various amps. If this guitar was lost I probably would not by another although this has more to do with my evolving playing style than it has to do with the guitar itself. I love the nice action on this guitar but dislike its somewhat flat sound.I really did not compare this with other guitars because I wanted a fender strat and did not want spend the money on an american version.

2003 Hecho En Mexico! It's the standard 21-fret, 3 single-coil Strat fare. Ceramic pickups that sound decent but a bit bright. 3-tone sunburst. Nice profile neck (C modern shape). Ping standard tuners. 6-screw vintage type tremolo bridge. The body is alder, the neck maple with a really light, almost reddish brown rosewood fretboard that looks killer with a mint green pickguard.

I replaced the stock ceramic pups with Fender Custom Shop Texas Specials - they sing.

This guitar is perfectly suitable for blues, blues-rock and country types - which is good, because that's what I play. So far, it's quiet, but then I don't typically have a problem with hum here anyways - perhaps because I live in an apartment and can't really crank it. Oh well. I play it through a guitar modelling processor into an RMS 400D run clean. With the Texas Specials, this thing rocks. The sound is twangy, quacky and bright, but not icepicky. Just right.

Sustains for a century, and plays like buttah. It's pretty slinky, even for the vintage size frets. The setup was totally off when I got it, although it was used. It looked like a 5-year-old broke into Daddy's tool chest and started cranking whatever screw they could find. I did a setup on it after changing the pickguard and pickups, and now it's very sweet. I love the neck profile.

The fretboard is groovy. The frets are filed nicely and there's nothing sharp at all.

Oh, I believe it would do great in a live setting. It's a quality piece of equipment. The finish is polyurethane - hard plastic. It'll outlive me. Although I'd have no problem saying it's a very dependable guitar, gigging without a backup would be like driving a car with no spare. What happens if a tire blows out? What happens if a string breaks?

Never needed to.

I've been playing for about 6 months now. It's a great hobby, and I encourage everyone to try guitar at least once throughout their lives. I also have a Squier Deluxe Strat FMT with Lace Hot Golds.

I do wish it came with 22 frets, but I can always bend up.

My Strat is a 2000 Mexico-built model. 21 frets, 3 single-coil pickups w/ 5-way selector, (I think they switched to Alder in 2000 but it may be poplar), maple neck, rosewood fretboard, purplish-blue finish, tremolo system.

I run the Strat to a Boss GT-3 and either into a blackfaced 1970 Twin or a 1964 bassman head through the Twin speakers (Jensen Special Design reissues). More than anything, tone is what matters for me so to that end here is the most important point: No 2 guitars are quite alike. Having had a 1962 sunburst Strat for 16 years, I new what I wanted out of another Strat. So, I spent all day at the largest music store in Charlotte (Reliable Music - now defunct) trying out only Stratocasters with the only criteria being getting the one with the best tone. I was prepared to spend what it took to get a good instrument, expecting it would be American made. I literally tried every single Strat, but here's the kicker - I did not plug them into an amp - yet! After I tried every one in the store, this purple, Mex Strat is what i eneded up with (not my favorite color). Then and only then did it get an audition through an amp. At the time I thought the pickups were not that great, but hey, I had a great sounding piece of wood! I see a lot of reviews where folks bad mouth the stock pickups so here's my 2 cents: Make sure the pickups are the culprit before you shell out for some new ones. I wrongly assumed my Strat would benefit from a pickup refit so I tried Kinman pickups for 2 years (see my review, even though I have a slightly different opinion now) and then tried Fralin blues pickups for a few months. Now, I am back on the stock Mex pickups. For the variety of music I play, these work better than the 300$ customs! To be fair, the Fralin neck pickup had a hair more character and the stock bridge pup could use a little more mids, but for me they work well enough. I was very surprised when I put the original pickups back in the guitar and got this reaction. Maybe it is because they seem to have a little more output than a vintage pickup. My amp seems to respond better to this higher output. My point is, don't assume anything about where a guitar is made, the pickups, etc., you have to try it out! If the wood sounds good, you can always change the electronics or other parts to suit your needs.

I don't remember how this thing came setup. I always do my own setups. I find that most new guitars straight from the music store are not setup that well.

This is my main guitar and it is totally reliable with a very tough polyester finish. It still looks new, even though I haul it around only in a gig bag. To complete the review, the parts on this guitar are what you would expect for an inexpensive instrument, no frills but they do the job. It stays in tune (you have to have it set up correctly - thats the trick, expecially with the tremolo versions). The pots are getting a little scatchy after 5 years. This is normal for any guitar.

Never called customer support

I have been playing for 40 years, much of it professionally. I have owned old strats, Les Pauls and SG's. Besides the Strat, I currently own a Schecter PT Elite and a Martin D-35. I am over the vintage guitar hype (although I do miss my '62 Strat sometimes, but not enough to spend 16 grand for one). Their are some very fine instruments being made today. The technology just gets better and there is something out there for everyone. This guitar was very well made and well worth the price paid. I would buy another if I needed one. If the color was right and it still sounded the way it does, it would get a 10!

2005 Mexican Standard Stratocaster
21 Frets
Alder Body
Maple Neck and Fretboard
Tremolo Bridge
Non Locking Fender Machine Heads
Jumbo Frets, 25 1/4 Scale Length
... pretty standard

It sounds like a Strat, no other way to put it. With the stock pickups it sounds a little thin, and slightly bright, but for an entery level Strat, it does all you can ask for. I play through a variety of setups including a Line 6 POD, a 1974 Peavey Deuce 212 Combo, and various PA's and the sound remains fairly consistant. You can't get any good distorted sounds with it for chunky rythem riffs, but it handles the bright lead just fine. It sounds like a Strat, so dont expect anything more.

Other than having fret burrs that can get really annoying, i have no complaints with the action, fit and finnish. Everything played the way it was supposed to straight out of the box. I had tightened the Tremolo Springs slightly, but that was all personal preferance.

I havent had it for all too long, but it seems like it is too much of a "Toy". This guitar is strictly for home usage. When it comes to gigging, I can depend on my Les Paul, and PRS 24 Custom.

It comes with a lifetime LIMITED warrenty, which probaly isnt worth the paper its written on, but luckily enough ive never had to deal with Fender.

Ive been playing guitar for nearly 10 years. Over this time I have played and owned a variety of instruments. I wouldnt say there is anything spectaculary about the Mexican Standard Strat except for the price. If it were lost or stolen, I doubt i would buy another one. When i was looking for guitars, i compared it to the Highway 1 Strat, but i chose the Standard because it was 300 Dollars cheaper. Looking back on it i should have ponied up the dough for the Highway 1.

Not sure of the year it was made, but a very nice MIM Strat. Didn't think any Stratocaster made outside of America would sound decent after oning, playing and listening to a couple of those '80's made god awful pieces of flotsam, but I like this, have recorded with it, performed with it. Mine is a five way switch, swapped out the pup's for Seymour Duncan Texas Hots. Standard bridge that seems t be defeloping some burrs as it is consistently breaking strings on me, but I seem to have that issue with most guitars. Not oveloaed with features, kind of the basic five way switching, three pickups, so give this this only a 7.

I play mostly oldies, country, and classic rock, strats are made for that sort of thing. Wouldn't buy a start to play metal, this guitar is no exception, however you can rock out with this thing, Hendrix used one> I am using it with a Tech 21 Sansamp and Carvin power amp, but am ordering a Hot Rod Deluxe. You really have to like the sound of single coils, but I love the sound of this and starts in general.

No problem with this at all , guitar plays like it was made for me, hate to sound like a goofball, but guitars are like puppies, you can tell you found the one you want as soon as you pick it up, this was hte case with mine. Played it next to a deluxe american strat and wondered why someone would pay that much more for one that doesn't seem to sound a whole lot better. This guitar has got to be on eof the all time winners of the "most bang for the buck" award. Plays like a dream, won't break your back or your bank account like , i.e. a Les Paiul Custom.

HAsn't been an issue so far, but the bridge saddles seem to be wearing down and developinng burrs, and the tuners seem to be developing a slight catch to them. Only issue I have.

Never used 'em.

Been playing 30 years, long enough to know good from bad. This is very nice.

I'm not sure the year it was made. I'm guessing between 00-05. 22 frets. Solid top. It is just your average mex. strat.

It suits my music style(everything from lynrd skynrd to cky to nirvana). Im using it through a crush 30r ss amp, not the best but plan on getting some thing better soon. I have fender vintage noiseless pickups in it. Without the new pickups i would rate the guitar about a 7 with the noiseless pick ups i would rate it an 8. But sense the review is on the stock guitar it gets a 7. The stock pickups just dont have enough emph! to them. I cant explain it. It is a good first guitar though.

Everything that was supposed to work when you first get it worked. Nothing misaligned or loose or anything like that. The string choice was poor on there part, but that's a wholenother issue. The action is descent, maybe a little above average.

It is very solid. I bang it around all the time(on accident of course) and it still sounds the same and nothing on it has broken. But i havent really had it that long to know how it will last.

The people i got the guitar from were really nice and helpful. Now the person that i got the pickups from was a real jerk. Never going back there again. But the issue is on the guitar not the pickups.

Ive been playing guitar for about 6 years. I have owned a few guitars and played many more. I would have to say that overall this guitar is versitile. It is descent but i still think you get what you pay for. But if you want a really nice strat i would suggest a suhr or a zion, but those are way more expensive. It's fun to play and I'll probably invest more in it and see how good it can sound.

This was a recent special production run of the Standard Strat model made at Fender's Ensenada, Mexico factory. Features include
? BODY: Alder
? Top: Flame Maple (it's killer)
? NECK: Maple, Modern "C" Shape
? MACHINE HEADS: Fender/Ping Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
? FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, 9.5" Radius (241 mm)
? NO. OF FRETS: 21 Vintage Style Frets
? PICKUPS: 2 Tex-Mex? Calibrated, Overwound, Single-Coil Strat Pickups (Neck and Middle), 1 Tex-Mex ?Hot Bridge? Single-Coil Strat Pickup (Bridge)
? BRIDGE: Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo

Controls, chrome hardware and a white pickguard are what you would expect to find on a Made in Mexico Strat.

The flame maple top is stunning and with the brown sunburst finish (darkened body edges) and vintage look tinted neck wood with dark rosewood fretboard it looks like something that belongs on the cover of vintage guitar magazine. They nailed a perfect look with the finish. I decided to put this in with MIM Standard reviews after debate. I know there is a Tex-Mex Strat and a Standard Strat without the upgraded pickups. This guitar has a maple cap on alder which neither of the other two versions have. A very nice padded Fender gig bag was included as well as the nicely done owners manual. If pictures were allowed in the reviews this model would win a beauty contest against most Strats out there both Mexican and USA. Keep the locking nuts, coil tap switches and other gizmos for other guitars. The basic Strat is workhorse that has made it's place in music history. Nothing fancy in the hardware department which is fine with me.

Compared to my American is has a bit more warmth and bite. Sounds like a Strat should. Strats are like paint. You start with clean white and add tint to suit your taste. Too many guitars are dark and poor sounding out of the box. It's hard to reverse the sound and try to clean up something that's had too much color added. I do rock, blues and some country. It will provide the spectrum of colors I need as my mood and style change.

I looked it over hard. If this one is typical of MIM Strats lately I would suggest you only but the American version for investment purposes of some sort. The workmanship is excellent. So much so I'm stunned at this price and I've had lot of six strings pass through my hands in twenty plus years of playing. It puts my American Strat to shame in the finish department. Frets, paint application, fretboard edges... they did it right. Fit of parts is very good. Action is up to the player's preference and with a few tweaks this thing now begs to be played. I was expecting a nice player but nothing great when I ordered it. The QA department at the Ensenada, Mexico plant were doing their job when this thing was built.

It will be around longer than I will. Strat replacement and upgrade parts can be had everywhere. Reliable or Durable is a non-issue here.

Buy from a trusted dealer. They will always be your best support no matter what brand of music equipment you purchase. Other than that I will say Fender's website is among the best out there. You can find lessons, artist biographies and alot more than just product pushing pictures.

Last new guitar I bought was a Washburn Force 3 in the early eighties. It was junk but I was fairly new to playing and didn't know much then. Always bought used through the years after that. More for the money that way. The price on this for what you get told me it was time to get the wallet out. Even at new pricing I would consider this one of my best buys. That Made in Mexico sticker on the headstock is going to shock alot of people around town. This guitar is that good. Thanks Fender Mexico and Harmony Central for giving space to real users to post real reviews not driven by the advertising dollar you see in magazines.

98 fender standard stratocaster made in mexico. Usual strat features like volume, 2 tone controls, 5 way selector, S/S/S pickups. My came in the black finish with maple fretboard ala clapton blackie. The standard trem block was crap so i changed it to a callaham mexican upgrade.. heaps better, better tone and sustain. One thing i must note though was that the neck is fantastic, much better feel than my american standard strat, but than, i reckon i did get one of the better mexican strats around. Pretty lucky as i heard some were pretty crap.

basic strat tones, full fat sounding neck pu, twangy bridge with the usual strat quacks at the 2 and 4 positions. I play rock, blues and jazz with the odd smattering of british indie rock, hopefully i can get something going on there. I run the guitar through a dunlop 535q wah - visual sound jekyll & hyde - eh memory man deluxe - fender champ. Pickups buzz but they are hot, and a little too bright for my taste. Gonna shield the guitar and dump in a set of fralins and see how it goes, also gonna route tone know 2 to the bridge pickup instead. Well, versatile yes, but the pickups dont really cut it.

My mex strat was in really good nick when i got it, action was not bad and fittings was good. One thing though was a poorly filed nut, otherwise, i was impressed with the quality of fitment. But hey, any new guitar no matter how expensive or cheap needs to be set up to suit the player. No physical flaws to speak of. very happy with the factory setup. A couple of mods should make this guitar a killer.

Good to go as a number 1, should last tons of abuse.

Never tried.. though fender should suck pretty bad at this..

Been playing for close to 12 years, wasted the past 3 years not playing and just picking up the pieces now. I have an american standard strat (92), les paul standard (89) and hopefully, a nice MIJ sunburst JV strat (83) very soon. I love beating the hell out of strats.. they are fantastic guitars if you get a good one. My amstad is alright but i am really lusting for a nice jap strat. This mexican one should be fantastic once i mod it a little. Its a nice base for a project and honestly, it feels more right playing this one than either of my other guitars, the cheapness and great playability of this guitar rocks. I picked up an mex strat in a store here in melbourne and it was pretty lame, crap neck, bad feel. The quality control for the mex strats is all over the place and really, it would be better if you tried them out before purchase. I just got lucky coz mine was a gorgeous black finish and i just bid without trying, and did i mention it has a fantastic neck. Pretty good to go with any strat once you dump in some choice parts. Very good value.