Looking at the headstock, you’ll notice six tuning pegs lined up in a perfect row along the edge. I prefer guitars with strong mid tones, so I chose an MIM Strat with a rosewood fretboard. A view from the back of my Mexican Strat. The neck and fretboard on my MIM Standard Stratocaster are well-made, with a comfortable modern c-shape and properly filed medium-jumbo frets that don’t prick my hands when I play. Unlike other Fender models, Stratocasters have a five-way selector switch that activates different pickups and gives Strats their classic sound. Players have the option of a maple fretboard, optimized for brightness, or a pau ferro fretboard, optimized for warmth. June 13, 2020 by Beginner Guitar HQ Staff. On a closer look, you may notice some subtle design and hardware differences between the American and Mexican Strat. This creates more tension on the lower strings to eliminate fret buzz and reduce the need for a string tree (which the MIMs don’t have anyway). That sort of pricing just isn’t realistic for the budge… Because of their single-coil alnico pickups, MIM Player Strats have a brighter tone than the MIM Standards, which makes them sound more like MIA Strats. “Midnight wine” is no longer available for the Player Stratocaster, but you can choose between five other colors: 3-color sunburst (like the original 50s Strats), black (like Eric Clapton’s “Blackie”), polar white (the Jimi Hendrix-style look), tidepool blue (for 60s flavor), or buttercream yellow (a new option). All of the “super strat” guitars from companies like Jackson and Ibanez that rules the 1980s would never have even existed without the Fender Stratocaster. In contrast, the classic SSS Strats are better suited for rock, blues and country. You probably already know this, but Standard Strats are made in Mexico, and instruments in the Fender Standard Series are often referred to as Mexican or MIM Fenders. Since 1954, the Stratocaster has been a Holy Grail model that many guitarists aspire to own one day, taking their place beside Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson and John Frusciante. Fender Mexican Stratocaster Guitar Review. Yet, whenever I need that extra vibrato, I can easily screw it back into the bridge. Logos aside, both neck plates are equally well-made. I sometimes notice a buzz after I change my D’addario NYXL strings on my MIM Strat. We may link to products if we deem helpful to the reader. It’s pretty much a toss up between that model and the Gibson Les Paul as the number one iconic guitar out there. Learn more about Fender electric basses. Fender has taken to producing standard strats in Mexico with a slightly lower targeted price range than normal. The standard Fender bridges will still get the job done despite not giving you quite as much freedom wit your whammy tricks, however. And, you may know this too, but HSS stands for Hum-Sing-Sing , or a humbucker and two single-coil pickups. My Standard has hotter ceramic pickups, which have more output, more distortion and stronger mid-range tones. That being said, Mexican Strats are still excellent sounding guitars. When you consider all of the other expenses that come into play for electric guitar players, including strings, tuners, and other small accessories, amplifiers, effects pedals, stands, cases, and so on, you can rack up quite an expensive shopping cart full of goodies at your music store of choice. The question ultimately becomes whether the drop off in playability makes the significantly lower price cease to be worth it. If you look at the neck plate of the Standard Strat it should be blank, while the Player Strat should have a scripted Fender F logo. The American Strat has a brighter, richer, more nuanced sound thanks to its top-quality alnico pickups. By contrast, Standard Strats have a six-screw bridge, like the vintage MIA Strats. There’s also a micro-tilt adjustment on the American Strat, meaning that it’s easier to shim your neck if you want to adjust your string action. Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson, Fender Player Stratocaster Electric Guitar, How To Play The Harmonic Minor Scale on Guitar, The Best Ukulele Reviewed – 7 Best Ukuleles, TrueFire Guitar Review – The Giant of Online Lessons, How To Play the Blues Scale And Use It In Your Music, The 10 Best Electric Guitar Brands, Compared And Explained. My Mexican-made Fender Standard Stratocaster HSS was the perfect choice for me, because of my budget and style of playing. I wanted it to have a good-quality sound and design. It also has a modern c-shaped maple neck. Design and hardware aside, sound is where Mexican Strats truly shine. It is a 2009 strat made in mexico, but it has a new 2019 neck.