American strat vs Mexican strat

[DC-XPL]

Did you consider checking out the Highway 1 strat? It seems to bridge the gap between Mexican components and US quality control. Sits right in the middle price-wise and many people believe that the flat finish enhances the resonance of the body.

[sile2001]

Ok people...actually READ what H2H posted!!!

This thread is from 5 years ago, and I'm sure this guy has long ago decided whether to get a mexi or usa strat. No need to continue it.

[WERNER 1]

True, but since I have just been doing the research on this, there may be others out there that could benifit from this............I wish I would have found this thread .......but I didn't

Rick

[Yareek]

Or, if somebody was looking at strats, they could just get a custom Warmoth instead

A cool strat that only got made for a couple years was the "California" strat (I have one). It's basically got vintage-style parts (nice hardware, not the Squier crap), got painted/sprayed in Mexico (to avoid environmental laws in California), then assembled in the U.S. They were $500 USD new, so they're probably floating around for less than that. I dig the old-style tuners with the hole in the middle of them, plus it's got a great candy-apple red metallic finish.

- Jarick

[Rickson Gracie]

my mexican tele that i paid $349 played and sounded way nicer than the highway one US tele at GC.

[WERNER 1]

I actually had my Warmoth order form all filled out...........Swamp ash body w/ quited maple top, AAA birds eye maple neck, 12-16 compound radius, custom pickguard, Translucent finish, all gold hardware....blah, blah, blah.............It totaled up to 1200.00 bucks with out any pickups or case. Then there would be a initial level/re-crown- polish charge for neck work done here locally. So it'd end up being right about 1600, and I was ready to pay it for a "one-off" guitar, but I caved and bought the "already done" strat.

Rick

[AndrewStrat]

I have an American made Strat. It's natural ash with rosewood fretboard.

I like some of the Mexican made reissues though. As has already been mentioned make upgrades to the electronics etc as you go alonog. But I may get a Mexi made 50s reissue strat...some of them play really nice.

[Ronan]

Originally Posted by Even

Granted I suppose if I had a Paul Reed Smith I would swear by it and never go back. But as it stands I like how each of my guitars plays.

I own a Paul Reed Smith and I am actually in ther market for a Mexi-strat for a different flavor.

[QuarksBar]

If you visited each factory you would probably find brothers, sisters or cousins working in each plant. Most of the workers mostly likely came from south of the border anyway. I went through the plant in Corona before they moved and it was almost all south of the border workers who couldn't speak a word of English. I guaranty the Arizona plant has loads of illegals working in its plant. I know they will say they don't but fake docs are for sale on about every street corner these days. So who's building what I ask?

[thediscoking]

Guitars are individuals, so I'm sure that there are good Mexi Strats out there... although I have not seen one that I would buy.

I think that they are closing/closed the plant down, but I have a Korean Strat and it's a dream. It's better than any Mexican that I've played and it's a worthy compeditor for the Americans, without the pice tag.

Here's one now:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratLtAshNat/

[ch2os7]

I have a Japanese Squire Strat . I bought it used so I don't really know how old it is but it's an older model. It plays nice and sounds decent too. Tremelo isn't very good. It's noisy because of the single coil hum. It's real heavy too.
It's the only Strat I've ever owned so I can't really say if it is good or bad compared to other strats.
How do the older Japanese Squires stack up against the MIM Strats? Anybody?

[Jacko]

correct me if im worng but besides electronics and maybe frets, isnt the only difference between american and mexican fenders is where they are finished, supposedly all of the guitars are made in america (except the japinese ((sp?)) ones) and they get sent to mexico to be painted because you can only paint a certin amount in america a year to keep the whole in the ozone layer down. Theres no limit to the amount that can be painted in mexico, plus they can pay the workers less, but in america the workers cost more and theres a limit to how many can be painted each year, so fender can jack up the price 3 times with their "made in america" tag

[Sirnothingness]

The mexican strats are made by the mexicans that didn't get across the border.

Mex strats are pretty decent guitars. Same with the old Japanese strats. HWY 1 strats are US made but have cheaper prices. Do they still make them?

[gvarko]

IMO - There is no comparison to the USA Strat. Changing pickups on the MIM will help, but it will never play like the USA.

[ibleedburgundy]

It's as if Fender goes out of it's way to make the Mexican strat crappy. Does it really cost more to manufacture good pickups? Probably not.

I play an American strat and I love the sound, sustain, tone, flexibility. Another guy in my band has a mexican strat and it sounds tinny, thin-without tone-utterly disgusting when directly compared to my ax (he's the singer-doesn't know any better).

I agree with some previous posters that said they would not pay a lot for an American strat. I got mine for around $600.

[ibleedburgundy]

whatever you do, don't get a bullet series. They're not even made out of wood. Now THAT'S Cheap!

[Jacko]

they're talking about fender guitars not squire...and for 100 dollars you cant expect a good bridge, pickups, tuners, frets, neck and body, which is why you get crappy plywood

[WERNER 1]

I actually had a nice mexi strat I picked up used for 200 bucks... It played well (after I set it up and polished out the frets) and sounded great... I ended up trading it for an amp

I've since purchased a 50th Ann. strat.....it was $1300.00 bucks, but played like a dream right off of the rack........unlike all of the other MIA's I had played (About 50 of them....I was on a "Strat Quest"...)

I'd still like to get a nice MIM strat, but I've not been able to find a decent one as of late.........wish I could by my old one back...

Rick

[johnfingers]

OK this is a very old thread but the subject is as valid as ever. Although Japanese strats were not mentioned, I think it is very relevant to mention them for the following reason. In about 1985, Japan bought the Fender guitar company. One of the conditions was that a new USA Fender guitar company could be set up, but this took years because not only did the Japanese buy the designs, specifications, and the name, they practically moved the factory to Japan. All the old tools that were used to make the classic strats, teles etc left the USA. Japanese Fenders were made with the same materials to the same specifications and by the same methods as the vintage Fenders. The new USA Fenders were not.

So the Japanese purchase is pertinent to the thread because it shows that American Strats are not one category of guitar.

Fender USA built 2 factories 30 miles apart with the Mexican border between them. You can make all the parts in Mexico, 40% assemble the guitar in Mexico, drive it over the border, have other Mexicans finish putting it together, send it BACK to Mexico for painting, bring it back again to the USA, and call it an American Strat. But is it?

The new company exports American jobs rather than pay decent wages, exploits a loophole in environment protection laws rather than spend on filters, uses mass production techniques to stamp out guitar bodies like biscuits, and then appeals to your patriotism.

Why not get a local guitar builder to hand make you a Strat style guitar with your name on it?

[MCI2424]

Originally Posted by DropD

I was browsing through Fender's website, I noticed that an American Strat is more than twice the price of a Mexican Strat. What is the difference between two? I can understand that the American model is probably better built, but we're talking 1500$ vs 650$ here (for a Deluxe Fat Strat). Is the Mexican strat an American Strat at a bargain, or is the American Strat really worth such an expense?

No bif diff except as noted:
Body, neck,tuners,bridge,pickups,pickguard,nut,frets,workmanship and stock stickers.

The rest is the same.

[Double]

Originally Posted by Viking

SCREW FENDER (CBS) BUY A G&L!!!!!!!!!!

G&L guitars are GOD! And they are reasonably priced for the wares. I would say that they are closer to a vintage strat than any american standard made since about 70'. And they play better.

Viking_______________________________________

Yeah Right! Their floating Bridges are the shits, they stick up and get the way and their pickups sound way too sterile. If you are buying a G&L their tele repros are good but their strat copy is not even close to a USA Fender Strat.

[Leeman]

Originally Posted by johnfingers

OK this is a very old thread but the subject is as valid as ever. Although Japanese strats were not mentioned, I think it is very relevant to mention them for the following reason. In about 1985, Japan bought the Fender guitar company. One of the conditions was that a new USA Fender guitar company could be set up, but this took years because not only did the Japanese buy the designs, specifications, and the name, they practically moved the factory to Japan. All the old tools that were used to make the classic strats, teles etc left the USA. Japanese Fenders were made with the same materials to the same specifications and by the same methods as the vintage Fenders. The new USA Fenders were not.

So the Japanese purchase is pertinent to the thread because it shows that American Strats are not one category of guitar.

Fender USA built 2 factories 30 miles apart with the Mexican border between them. You can make all the parts in Mexico, 40% assemble the guitar in Mexico, drive it over the border, have other Mexicans finish putting it together, send it BACK to Mexico for painting, bring it back again to the USA, and call it an American Strat. But is it?

The new company exports American jobs rather than pay decent wages, exploits a loophole in environment protection laws rather than spend on filters, uses mass production techniques to stamp out guitar bodies like biscuits, and then appeals to your patriotism.

Why not get a local guitar builder to hand make you a Strat style guitar with your name on it?

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. The Japanese did not buy out Fender in 1985 and they do not own Fender USA today. In 1985 a group of CBS Fender employees bought out Fender with the help of investors. Fender Japan was started earlier in 1982 and is really nothing more than a license agreement with several Japanese guitar manufacturing companies - that make several brands besides Fender.

As far as manufacturing processes are concerned: Fender does NOT make all of their parts in Mexico and ship them to the USA to be assembled like you say. All USA guitars have bodies and necks made in the USA.

Fender Mexico only makes bodies NOT necks. All Mexican necks are actually made in the USA and shipped to Mexico to be painted and assembled with Mexican bodies.

As far as Mex and USA electronics are concerned, US model pickups are sometimes found on Japanese and Mexican guitars depending on the model, but generally inferior pickups are found on these guitars. Switches and pots on Mexican and Japanese Fenders are generally much cheaper than their American counterparts.

Hardware is a real mixed bag. Mexican standard Stratocaster bridges have 2 1/16 screw and string spacings and only fit mexican standard bodies. Mexican 50's 60's reissues and USA Highway 1 strats have 2 3/16 screw spacings and 2 1/16 string spacings with zinc blocks. They'll fit USA 57 and 62 reissues but they sound like crap. Japanese Strats mostly have 2 3/16 string and screw spacings with the inferior zinc blocks. USA 62 and 57 reissues have 2 3/16 string and screw spacings with steel blocks. One or two Mexican models use the correct American reissue bridge with the steel block.

Reissue Kluson style Fender tuners are a mixed bag as well. I believe they're all made in Japan but use either metric or imperial standards. The ones that say Japan on the back and are found on Fender guitars are superior to the ones found on American Fender guitars IMO. Various after-market Klusons exist as well. The originals of course, are total garbage.

[sound125]

If you're going to get a Mexican strat, I would look at the Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex stats that are built in Mexico. They are excellent and have incredible necks.

[Nateman01]

On a sort of related note, I bought a Mexican Tele yesterday at a flea market for $130. I’m a bass player and I wanted a cheap Electric guitar to write songs with. Not a bad deal in my opinion. It has decent string action and good tone for my purposes.

[jimistone]

First of all I would buy used and let somebody else take the "dirving it off the parking lot" hit of the value.
A used american strat is worth $450 and a used MIM strat is worth $200...I don't care if you bought it this morning...that's what it is worth when you get it home.

If I were going to spend $400 on a strat, I would buy a used american strat before I spent it on a brand new MIM strat
Why?
Because, on a MIM strat you will want to upgrade the pickups ...$150
You will want to upgrade the electronics...$50
You will want to upgrade the keys...$70

Thats about $270

If you buy the MIM strat used it will run about $200...so, with the $270 in upgrades you're looking at $470 cost on the guitar.

Even after doing all this you'll have a guitar that you could sell for $200.

On top of that it has cheaper wood and craftmanship, a chezzy assed trem block, and a thick poly paint job that IMO sucks.

You could take the same $470 and buy an american strat that already has the good pickups, the good electronics, the good keys, a steel tremblock, the good wood, and a quality paint job.

Not to mention THAT guitar would always be worth the $470 you invested in it and possibly quite a bit more in the future.

You can apply this same formula for upgrading to brand new guitars also.

In other words you will end up spending close to $300 bucks to get a MIM strat close to an american...but no matter what you do to it ...it's a $200 guitar when the dust settles.

My 2 cents