The difference in Fender Strats???

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WERNER 1

WERNER 1

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At first glance the Fender strat seems to be divided into 3 catagories....

1. American (MIA)

2. Made in Mexico (MIM)

3. Made in Japan (MIJ)

But it seems there are a lot of grey area's that I can't get a grip on and was wondering if anyone on here knew some the "key" features of some of the models?

From what I can tell the MIA's are of course made here in the US and include different style bridges and hardware than those made abroad.

I've heard that all of the necks are made in the same factory?

MIM one's are all American parts assembled in Mexico??

I actually played a Strat (Lite ash Strat) that was made in Korea where the Squires are made....this one has birds eye maple neck and the good bridge as well as true Duncan's in it.......and it actually played pretty good for just grabbing it off of the wall.......Which in my opinion Fender has not done a very good job of setting the guitars up before they leave the factory's. :(

Anyway, could someone shed some light on some of the major differences for me?

Also, and I'm sure that this is pretty objective, but are the americans REALLY worth the extra money. I've played a few that I thought wern't any better than the MIM's and MIJ's.

Thanks,
Rick

PS, then there's the whole re-issue thing plus the different styles/shapes of necks (C,V, Soft V.....)
 
They build all the necks in the US, then send some to Mexico. The Mexico plant builds its own bodies.

There are so many variations of Stratocasters that it's just best to look around the Fender website. They have everything from stripped down cheap ones, to humbucker versions, trem/no trem, set neck, thick finish, thin finish...about anything you can think of. Pretty much cause Fender IS the Strat. They don't really ever introduce new models there (though it happens on occasion) they just introduce new versions of the Strat.

The only thing I will say is that the American guitars feel completely different from the others, though I am a fan of the value of MIM guitars. The American guitars have a difference even the most novice of players can feel.

H2H
 
Basically, the MIM strats are the best value, in my opinion. But if you have the money, the USA strats are worth it. I have 3 strats, a plus, a deluxe and a custom shop. They are all very different in sound, and the way they play. You just have go play them and listen to them, it's the only way to choose.
 
I was really diggin' the Lite Ash one that I played w/birds eye maple neck.....The store quoted me a price of $585.00 which I thought was pretty good, even better than Musicians Friend. The only thing is that it'd have to be ordered because I like the Vintage white which was not in stock. But at least if it came in and there was a problem I could have them get another one for me and there'd be no "return shipping" cost invloved.

One concern I have is the tonality of the Ash compared to the Alder....the Mexi that I had was in my opinion the perfect sound for a single coiled strat, and it was Alder.

Thanks,
Rick
 
Aren't MIAs mostly built in Mexico? I heard they cut the pieces and make the parts there then ship it to the US where they complete the sanding, finish, and put the pieces together. At least 51% of the work is done in America so they can justify calling a "made in America" guitar...

Just saw the other thread, I guess I'm not the only one who heard that. Oh well, I have one and I'm happy with it. But if I knew more about guitars when I bought mine, I would have gotten a G&L. More "Fender" than Fender.
 
The MIM standard Strat has weaker output electronics than it's more expensive counterparts.

I believe the Highway 1 is the hybrid Mexican-American model.

They used to make Strats in Japan,but have'nt for awhile.I own a Japanese 60's reissue Strat,and it's a damn nice guitar.

Really it's up to you whether it's worth it or not.If you've got a store near by that has both,go there and play them.Either guitar should retain it's value proportionate to it's price should you decide to sell it down the road.
 
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I had a MIM 50's reissue strat that beat most MIA (imho). Very good value, but still not totally as good as a good MIA.
 
Thanks for all of the input here guys!!!

I've been doing research all weekend, and I've come to the conclusion that if I've got to spend 1000+ for a MIA that is in my opinion not worth the extra cost (This is based on me playing about 25 strats this weekend ), I would be better off spending that money on a real nice guitar that I can build my self with better woods, neck, hardware, and electronics. The total cost for this project is under 1000 bucks and will be much, much better than any MIA strat out there (Maybe excluding ones out of the "custom shop" )

Thanks again for all of the input!!!!!

Rick
 
Well after all the "dissing" of the Fender strats, I'm going to end up getting one! :confused: :)

I went to 5 guitar shops here in the St.Louis area, and played basiclly every strat with in a 50 mile radius of where I live.

I was so set on building my "Warmoth" guitar which as I had figured up would come to about 1100 bucks before pickups and a case....which I was prepared to live with knowing that I would have a quality axe that would last me a life time............this was until I played the 50th anniversary model strat at GC. They had just gotten it in Friday, and I was basically the first one to play it. This was truly the first strat that I played that felt compared to playability of my Jackson Soloist (Custom shop made ).......although the feel is definantly different, the actual playing is reletively the same. Those new pickups with the SL-1 switching were really nice.

Like I said earlier, I played almost every strat in there, and I (We...my buddy went with me as well.) played them all through the Bassman 59 reissue amp (Which is really nice in it's own right! ) We'd play one then quickly play the next and then switch back and forth comparing sounds and feels........keeping the ones that sounded and played the best close to us for further testing.

At the end of the day, there was only one that I thought was good enough to buy, but it was the wrong color ...Red, but it played real well, and sounded great as well. It was an American Standard strat. Right before I left I asked to make sure that there were no more strats available for me to play, and they were like "I think we got the anniversary modle in yestereday...." The rest is history.

The red American was like 969.00, and the Anniversary was 1199.00....for around 200 bucks more I get the new pickups with the SL-1 switching (which really opened up the strats flexablility in tonal range! ), plus gold locking tuners, gold bridge, sweet neck with a Killer Fender logo on the head stock...it's like liquid chrome or something, plust the tweed case with the 50th anniversary logo embroidered on it.

So I guess the bottom line is that I'm back on the Fender band wagon. :(

Thanks for all of your help on this quest.!!

Rick
 
Because each guitar is assembled by hand from bins of mostly wooden parts, each one is going to be different. You may find a MIM that smokes the MIA next to it on the rack because the MIM happened to get the nice neck AND the nice body. Some are going to look great and play great. Some will just look great. Some will be lemons.

Fender does a lot better job with quality control than during their "dark days" of the late 1970s. But still, each guitar is going to be a little different, because they're made of wood and do have manufacturing tolerances.

As a bass player who owns several Fender basses, my feelings are hurt by the statement, "Fender IS the Strat." Before the Stratocaster, there was the Precision Bass (and the Telecaster, btw).
 
You won't regret it. I bought an Amer Std in 1987 and I still love the way it plays. Enjoy.

rpe
 
WERNER 1 said:
are the americans REALLY worth the extra money.
Click to expand...


Must every last thing in this world to be made outside the country?

Who cares. Buy it on principle. Its one of the few areas you still have a (reasonable) choice.
 
Yo Bongolation, or anyone out there, 2 questions:

1. Is there a similar comparison between MIM and MIA telecasters? and-

2. Both for strats and teles, where do the Highway 1 versions fall, relative to the other 2 main types?

I own a highway 1 tele, which I'm perfectly happy with, and I know it involves both Mexican and American work. It has been suggested that the neck was made in Japan. I really don't know if it's just a MIM tele with the final assembly in USA, or whether it is a hybrid that is a whole different animal.-Richie
 
Outlaw- I as an American work hard for my money, and want to get the best value for my dollar........if it ends up being a Mexi, then so be it,.....in this case it was American Made, and I feel the price is justifiable.

The company I work for imports lots of different products from China, and when I first started working for them I thought the quality of the products would be in some way inferior to those found here in the states........this was not the case, and in most cases it is actually the opposite.......I say this with great regret as I feel the craftmanship of this country has gone down hill, or at least has attached such a high premium to it that it is all but unabtainable.

When it all boils down, if I can't afford American Quality, I'll buy the best that I can for the least amount of cost.........which in most cases will be something from over seas. :(

Rick
 
I've found all the Jap Strats I've tried to be at least as high quality as the USA strats. Mostly they were better build quality IMO.

I wouldn't touch a MIM one with a ten foot bargepole though...
 
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