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about Fender Strats

Betterman77Betterman77 Posts: 92
edited October 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
Ok I went to buy a Fender Strat, Love thier guitars, I tried out various american strats, and some Mexican strats, now played them through a good amp a Marshall half stack, now they both sounded fucking awesome, now of coarse the price was different on both, now I could not really notice any difference in sound quality on both the american strat and mexican, they both sounded equal to me, so I figured why spend that extra money that I really probably couldn't afford and took the Mexican Strat which I love sounds great, so my question is, do i just have a bad ear for hearing the difference or are they pretty close in comparison to sound?
"Keep on Rockin In the Free World"

"Gimli,MB 08-14-93"
"Fargo,ND 06-15-03"
"Winnipeg,MB 09-08-05"
"Thunder Bay,ON 09-09-05"
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    They are generally very close in sound.

    The differences are minute but that minute difference costs quite a bit. You just haven't played long enough yet to appreciate the differences or know why you'd pay that extra money. At this point, the mexican is perfect for you. Later on you'll understand the differences
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    Like Paco said,, the differences are minute, sometimes. The quality can be a little more iffy with the cheaper ones, but it sounds like you got a good one.
    You wouldn't believe how many pro guitar players tour with them, and never change a thing! It doesn't hurt as much to find your cheaper strat missing from the truck as it does to see the 54 vintage strat!
    A lot of those road weary looking guitars are really sanded down and manually distressed to look old and worn. Maybe you'll change the pick ups someday, but really only if you have a specific style you're looking for,,,, but most musicians change the pickups in American ones, too!


    You may never need to change a thing,,,, congratulations and enjoy!!
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
  • HailHailVitalogyHailHailVitalogy Posts: 5,134
    it also depends on the amp you were using

    i have a mexican fat strat...under my solid state amp it sounds a certain way...under my tube amp it sounds gorgeous with sounds i never thought i would have

    now was the marshall halfstack the shitty MG100 or a tube half stack?
    2003: Uniondale, MSG x2 | 2004: Reading | 2005: Gorge, Vancouver, Philly | 2006: East Rutherford x2, Gorge x2, Camden 1, Hartford | 2008: MSG x2, VA Beach | 2009: Philly x3 | 2010: MSG x2, Bristow | 2011: Alpine Valley x2 | 2012: MIA Philly | 2013: Wrigley, Charlottesville, Brooklyn 2 | 2014: Milan, Amsterdam 1 | 2016: MSG x2, Fenway x2, Wrigley 2 | 2018: Rome, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 2 | 2021: Sea Hear Now | 2022: San Diego, LA x2, MSG, Camden, Nashville, St. Louis, Denver | 2023: St. Paul 1, Chicago x2, Fort Worth x2, Austin 2 | 2024: Las Vegas 1, Seattle x2, Indy, MSG x2, Philly x2, Baltimore
  • Betterman77Betterman77 Posts: 92
    HailHailVitalogy wrote:
    it also depends on the amp you were using

    i have a mexican fat strat...under my solid state amp it sounds a certain way...under my tube amp it sounds gorgeous with sounds i never thought i would have

    now was the marshall halfstack the shitty MG100 or a tube half stack?


    No the Marshall I use is a JCM 800 all tube amp, i bet it could make any guitar sound good, lol
    "Keep on Rockin In the Free World"

    "Gimli,MB 08-14-93"
    "Fargo,ND 06-15-03"
    "Winnipeg,MB 09-08-05"
    "Thunder Bay,ON 09-09-05"
  • Jeremy1012Jeremy1012 Posts: 7,170
    who's_pearljam? wrote:
    Like Paco said,, the differences are minute, sometimes. The quality can be a little more iffy with the cheaper ones, but it sounds like you got a good one.
    You wouldn't believe how many pro guitar players tour with them, and never change a thing! It doesn't hurt as much to find your cheaper strat missing from the truck as it does to see the 54 vintage strat!
    A lot of those road weary looking guitars are really sanded down and manually distressed to look old and worn. Maybe you'll change the pick ups someday, but really only if you have a specific style you're looking for,,,, but most musicians change the pickups in American ones, too!


    You may never need to change a thing,,,, congratulations and enjoy!!
    i agree totally. ive just got my first real "brand" guitar and i tried out some us strats and then a £400 mexican one and i felt that the difference was negligable. i got the mexican and it is beautiful. when i can afford to i will put some seymour duncans on it, get some nice tuners and ill have my perfect guitar at a much lower price.
    "I remember one night at Muzdalifa with nothing but the sky overhead, I lay awake amid sleeping Muslim brothers and I learned that pilgrims from every land — every colour, and class, and rank; high officials and the beggar alike — all snored in the same language"
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Jeremy1012 wrote:
    i agree totally. ive just got my first real "brand" guitar and i tried out some us strats and then a £400 mexican one and i felt that the difference was negligable. i got the mexican and it is beautiful. when i can afford to i will put some seymour duncans on it, get some nice tuners and ill have my perfect guitar at a much lower price.


    That's the Idea, matching the right guitar with the right people. Glad you are happy.

    Locking tuners are just such a luxury when you are restringing.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • Dirty_FrankDirty_Frank Posts: 957
    Betterman77 wrote:
    No the Marshall I use is a JCM 800 all tube amp, i bet it could make any guitar sound good, lol

    Nice combination!

    :)
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    I don't currently own any American Fenders, and I'm damn proud of my babies. Of course, they're customized a tad... but my Mexi Tele's play great, have good hardware, and look damn good as well. I've had a couple US Fenders in the past, and they were good, but the difference between a US Standard and a Mexi Standard is so small, definitely not worth the price. The US Deluxe guitars are probably worth spending some cash on, as long as the added features are worth the money to you. But ultimately, the only difference is bragging rights about how much your guitar costs, and maybe a bit of value retention if you ever wanna sell it. Nothing to lose sleep over.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • Betterman77Betterman77 Posts: 92
    well thanks to all you guys for your input, much appreciated, yeah overall I do like the sound of my mexican strat, it has been set up very nicely by a guitar tech and plays beautifully.
    "Keep on Rockin In the Free World"

    "Gimli,MB 08-14-93"
    "Fargo,ND 06-15-03"
    "Winnipeg,MB 09-08-05"
    "Thunder Bay,ON 09-09-05"
  • HailHailVitalogyHailHailVitalogy Posts: 5,134
    MIG, idk if you saw my other thread about changing the pickups in my strat

    im thinking of changing all the fat strat pickups to the 57/62 RI pickups for the vintage sound they give off, you think its a good idea? how much you think it would cost someone to do it?

    thanks
    2003: Uniondale, MSG x2 | 2004: Reading | 2005: Gorge, Vancouver, Philly | 2006: East Rutherford x2, Gorge x2, Camden 1, Hartford | 2008: MSG x2, VA Beach | 2009: Philly x3 | 2010: MSG x2, Bristow | 2011: Alpine Valley x2 | 2012: MIA Philly | 2013: Wrigley, Charlottesville, Brooklyn 2 | 2014: Milan, Amsterdam 1 | 2016: MSG x2, Fenway x2, Wrigley 2 | 2018: Rome, Krakow, Berlin, Wrigley 2 | 2021: Sea Hear Now | 2022: San Diego, LA x2, MSG, Camden, Nashville, St. Louis, Denver | 2023: St. Paul 1, Chicago x2, Fort Worth x2, Austin 2 | 2024: Las Vegas 1, Seattle x2, Indy, MSG x2, Philly x2, Baltimore
  • brain of cbrain of c Posts: 5,213
    my japanese strat beat up your honor roll student.
    d'oh!!!!!!

    http://www.myspace.com/brain_of_c
  • Dirty_FrankDirty_Frank Posts: 957
    brain of c wrote:
    my japanese strat beat up your honor roll student.

    I certainly wouldn't doubt that. I'm always looking in pawn shops for Japstrats.

    :)
  • PearlJamaholicPearlJamaholic Posts: 2,018
    i have a mexican double fat strat and that is by far my favorite guitar. my american strat is great and all but the double fat strat is for me all the way. liked to get locking tuners on it still and maybe those pickups ive been talking about since forever.
    http://db.etree.org/PearlJamaholic
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    HailHailVitalogy wrote:
    MIG, idk if you saw my other thread about changing the pickups in my strat

    im thinking of changing all the fat strat pickups to the 57/62 RI pickups for the vintage sound they give off, you think its a good idea? how much you think it would cost someone to do it?

    thanks


    I think a set of Fender pups is right around $150, and if you had them installed professionally, you'd be looking at about $40-80 in labor.

    Does your Strat have a humbucker in the bridge? If so, you wouldn't need a bridge pickup, although I don't know if you can even buy the middle and neck pickups separately.

    Me, I love my Fralin Strat pickups... I have the Hot pups in the neck and middle, and they're great, although I wish I'd gone with Blues. Just another option to consider. There are a ton of replacement pickup options as far as that goes...
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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