Fender - Mexican v American Strats?

rossi

If my wife would let me buy another  Strat I would buy a Player series.The Bullet sounds OK ish  but why buy a low end if you can aim  higher ? I would love a US Strat but dont really need one .

tony99

I'm a -b ing a CP 60's against an American Spesh at the mo, the CP's winning in the looks department but damn the yankee special feels good

Gerz6558

MagicPigDetective said:

When I decided to get a Strat about 3 years ago, I just had to get an American one... my American Standard has Fat 50's pickups, a set is worth almost £200, making a pick up change less pressing, surely this adds some worth to an US strat over a mexican? To be fair I haven't tried many Mexican strats, but the neck on my strat is wonderfully rolled and super comfortable. Or maybe I've fallen for the Fender marketing!  

Many of the upper Mexican lines have decent pickups in them now. So the lines have blurred somewhat. My Mexican classic player came stock with a custom shop set of pickups (albeit made in Mexico reproductions).

dazzajl

MagicPigDetective said:

.........Or maybe I've fallen for the Fender marketing!  

Sounds to me like like you found a guitar that fits you very well 

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

chris78 said:

Im not saying the us wood is better, but I believe its less pieces. Most of the Mexican stuff I’ve had has been 4 or more pieces of wood

The American Standards used to be made of what was essentially blockboard! Up to about eight pieces, with veneers both sides.

OK, they did go back to more traditional - usually three-piece - construction in about 2000.

The MIM Robert Cray Strat I had a few years ago was two-piece, which surprised me.

thermionic

My Classic 60s Lacquer Strat is 2-piece, my previous Classic 60s was 3, as is my 60s Jaguar. The grain on my 50s Tele makes it difficult to gauge, but I’d wager it’s 2 or 3. That’s Classic Series though, MIM Standards (and whatever they call them now) probably consist of more pieces. I had an early 90s MIM Standard Tele that was veneered front and back...

Samgb

i ended up with a Mex Tele and a CP 60th Ann. Strat the last two times i bought from a store. I AB-ed them through decent amps with various American versions/Deluxe/VRI versions. I have to admit that to my ears and eyes the difference was more a matter of preference than a straight 'this one is better than that one' decision. There's no doubt that they were all decent guitars and sounded good through the amps i used. I just preferred the neck on my Mex Tele, it seemed to fit my hand perfectly. The CP strat was the most classically 'stratty sounding' and that was the itch i was looking to scratch so i ended up with that one over the regular american and a Shawbucker one that was used.
I always think you just know which is the right one for you and you have to ignore the point of origin because outside of Custom Shop i really think the differences are in tiny degrees.
       

PonchoGreg

As most have said, the beauty about Fender's numerous lines at various price points is that you can almost select on specs and feel rather than country of origin.

When I bought my first ever strat, I went back and forth between a classic 50s and an American standard. Much preferred the neck feel, look and even sound of the MIM.

I then stuck to the mexi classic series for years. Out of curiosity a couple of months ago I tried the new American professional in a shop. Unimpressed would be a stark understatement - didn't like the slim feel of the neck, it sounded pretty limp/wiry and the overall feel wasn't that of a £1200 or so instrument. That's just my personal feel of course, I get that. There just was nothing like "ooooh that's nice fretwork" or "man I can really feel the step up from my classic 60s".

The shop guy then handed me a MIJ 60s style strat, some sort of limited run - wiped the floor with the US one.

At this point I wonder if there's something in the way they're set up at the factory (strung with 9s maybe?) that just doesn't sit well with me. I hope that if I took one home and fettled with it to my preference, it would grow on me.

adam1990

These days I find it best to go and play what you think you might like and compare it in person. I find that Fenders in recent years are fairly consistently high quality, be it MIM or MIA. However as people have said previously it's more about things like the spec of the guitar.

I will say the worst Fender I have ever played was a friends 90's Mexican standard Telecaster.... The neck shape was bulky with rough fret ends and a really uncomfortable sharp fingerboard edge. I think it might have also been has heavy as the Titanic's anchor. Thankfully it was the only Fender that I have ever played that I hated. 

HAL9000

I own, what on paper, are better guitars but my current go-to is an upgraded MIN Std Strat. It's not about whether US is better than Mexican - it's what's right for you.

GoldenEraGuitars

chris78 said:

Fuengi said:

Is there a big difference in finishing levels or is it just the hardware, paint and wood?

Just wood? You can change everything else on a guitar and on a fender you can change the wood, but it’s a more expensive upgrade to quality wood than decent pickups and hardware.
Im not saying the us wood is better, but I believe its less pieces. Most of the Mexican stuff I’ve had has been 4 or more pieces of wood

I’ve stripped 5 piece CS bodies before. 

Dont be fooled by marketing bullshit. They’re a mass manufacturer. Mass manufacturers use EVERYTHING and waste very little. As @ICBM has already stated the US models were veneered (multiple piece) bodies years ago. Some of the nicest bodies I’ve stripped have been Mexican.  

SNAKEBITE

I have both a Mexican and US, Strat, although the US one is a Highway 1 so I'm not sure if the comparison is as relevant as with the other US models.

The Mex is very well built and finished, although the H1 does have the edge.

Component wise you can't tell the difference apart from the pickups, the H1 being "hotter" and the Mex being "muddy". That's not a criticism by the way, it's just a poor attempt to describe the difference.

TINMAN82

I think the Mexican vintage ranges look the part and (while I’ve not played a vintera yet) I’m sure they will play well.

I just can’t reconcile myself to the thick poly finishes. If that makes some eyes roll.. who cares it’s my cash.

With other brands like Ibanez and PRS, poly was always the finish so the lure of vintage correct worn nitro isn’t there to nag at me. Even with the American Pro range, at least they are being marketed as a modern update of a vintage design which somehow makes the plastic finish more palatable.

I know there are/were smaller runs of nitro finished Mexican Fenders but the choice is limited.

dazzajl

TINMAN82 said:

I think the Mexican vintage ranges look the part and (while I’ve not played a vintera yet) I’m sure they will play well.

I just can’t reconcile myself to the thick poly finishes. If that makes some eyes roll.. who cares it’s my cash.

With other brands like Ibanez and PRS, poly was always the finish so the lure of vintage correct worn nitro isn’t there to nag at me. Even with the American Pro range, at least they are being marketed as a modern update of a vintage design which somehow makes the plastic finish more palatable.

I know there are/were smaller runs of nitro finished Mexican Fenders but the choice is limited.

I played a mexi 50's nitro tele last week and in fairness, if it didn't have a sticker on saying it was a nitro finish I wouldn't have been able to tell it apart from the dozens of others hanging on the wall. So while it would definitely make my vanity feel better than having the poly version, it would be 10, 15 years or maybe more before it made any serious difference.

I wouldn't care what the finish was made of but I would love to see Fender produce some guitars where the bodies looked and felt like wood.

rossi

 Rattlecan  nitro over the poly ,especially a burst .It slowly relics all by its self and looks far better .

GoldenEraGuitars

dazzajl said:

TINMAN82 said:

I think the Mexican vintage ranges look the part and (while I’ve not played a vintera yet) I’m sure they will play well.

I just can’t reconcile myself to the thick poly finishes. If that makes some eyes roll.. who cares it’s my cash.

With other brands like Ibanez and PRS, poly was always the finish so the lure of vintage correct worn nitro isn’t there to nag at me. Even with the American Pro range, at least they are being marketed as a modern update of a vintage design which somehow makes the plastic finish more palatable.

I know there are/were smaller runs of nitro finished Mexican Fenders but the choice is limited.

I played a mexi 50's nitro tele last week and in fairness, if it didn't have a sticker on saying it was a nitro finish I wouldn't have been able to tell it apart from the dozens of others hanging on the wall. So while it would definitely make my vanity feel better than having the poly version, it would be 10, 15 years or maybe more before it made any serious difference.

I wouldn't care what the finish was made of but I would love to see Fender produce some guitars where the bodies looked and felt like wood.

That’s the thing... polished nitro looks like any other paint once buffer. It’s what happens after that makes it different from urethane. But even fenders nitro isn’t a proper cellulose based finish down to the wood. 

Jetsam1

I have just been going through everything deciding what to keep and what to sell and I have been doing precisely this!

 One Mex Standard Strat with maple fingerboard and one US Standard Strat with rosewood fingerboard and Malmsteen signature pickups.

I actually end up preferring the Mexican, the US sounds better but not by all that much apart from the bridge pickup but I don`t use that much so meh. The difference is in the neck, the Mexican is wider and deeper which I much prefer to the US which is the modern C profile? THe Mexican is more "Stratty" in my opinion, with a more traditional spec. It just feels more fun to play and there isn`t nearly as much in it as I thought myself until I sat down and played them back to back.

Well, I`m surprised. I think I will be keeping the Mexican standard.......

crunchman

Jetsam1 said:

I have just been going through everything deciding what to keep and what to sell and I have been doing precisely this!

 One Mex Standard Strat with maple fingerboard and one US Standard Strat with rosewood fingerboard and Malmsteen signature pickups.

I actually end up preferring the Mexican, the US sounds better but not by all that much apart from the bridge pickup but I don`t use that much so meh. The difference is in the neck, the Mexican is wider and deeper which I much prefer to the US which is the modern C profile? THe Mexican is more "Stratty" in my opinion, with a more traditional spec. It just feels more fun to play and there isn`t nearly as much in it as I thought myself until I sat down and played them back to back.

Well, I`m surprised. I think I will be keeping the Mexican standard.......

What age is the Mexican Standard?  The older ones had ceramic magnet pickups.  If you put better pickups in, then you might find it will sound better than the US guitar, as well as feel better.  It's worth checking what the trem block is as well.  If it's not a proper steel one, then that is a good upgrade that will help the sound.

Jetsam1

It`s around two years old I think. Pretty recent and completely as standard with no upgrades.

I lusted for a US Strat for years and then when I finally get one I am underwhelmed!! Typical. My AVRI 60s Telecaster however............... Now THAT is never going to be for sale, 12 years and counting!

CountryDave

@Jetsam1 ;
I'm in a similar situation to you. I've a US52ri Tele which has been with me for about 10 years. 
Been through a number of USA strats, ultimately letting them go.
I took a Mexican Roadworn in a trade (Roadworn is not really my thing, but it felt ok at the meetup, so I took it), got it home and fell in love with the neck.
Foolishly sold it to a mate but was able to buy it back.
I'm mainly a Tele player, but I think the combination of vintage spec and a neck that feels like home has made it one of the go to guitars.