All user reviews for the Fender Standard Stratocaster [1990-2005]

I bought this guitar in Music Ground down tottenham court road in London which is jst a road full of guitar shops.I paid just under £400 fo this guitar (wot a bargain)

I love this guitar because you can play absolutely any styles on it, with overdrive you get a really powerful sound and on clean you get a great free smooth sound.
The tone is awesome aswell, it really makes a diffence when uve played other guitars andbeen disapointed in the limited ranges of tones

Um... well not much atall, one of my volume knobs came off after a couple of days, and the plastic sealing on the guitar is a bastard to get off

The guitar is REALLY comfortable to play, the neck is easy on ure freting hand and the body kind of sits nicely on you.

Overall, an amazing guitar, it may not be a usa but for its price i guarantee you wont be disapointed

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I did not aquire this unit, and wouldn't accept it if it was given to me. Well, I guess I could sell it to someone of limited mental capacity for an exhorbitant price.

Not much. It has the standard feel of a Fender which is good (but it's just as good on a Squier Affinity). It has the vintage look of a Fender which is good (Affinity). It has the Fender name on it. Oooooh. Aaaaaaah. Yeah right. It will take a beating which is what I wanted to give it.

What's there to like? It's a piece of trash. I was thinking of upgrading from my Greg Bennett series Formula 2, but this thing was like ten giant leaps backwords.

It's made of Alder and Maple which is great, but It's got vintage tuning keys (pre-F type). It's got a single pivot tremolo. Those two factors together mean horrid tuning stability. I dive bombed several of these things one time and they all went way out of tune, and the pickups sounded like chickens clucking. I actually liked the sound of all of the Squiers better.

If you're just determined to get this guitar, go ahead and waste your money, but you can get the same guitar with a little warmer sound out of the Squier Affinity. If you want a good Fender guitar, go with the Squier Standard or the Fender American series. With both those lines you get better tuning keys and a two point fulcrum tremolo. The American line has better sound than the Squier standard by a long shot, but the Squier sounds good, and for those wondering, I tried the limited finish alder bodied standards right next to the normal agathis bodies and got the exact same sound except for the maple neck models in the normal ones. It had about twice the output, but had a little harder feel and wasn't quite as warm. Maple necks normally feel sticky until you break them in, but this had a smooth feel to it. Have fun.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is the first guitar I ever bought and I purchased it four and a half years ago at Steve's Music Store in Montreal for $399 Canadian or about $275 US at the time.

The playability when I bought the guitar was poor but after I had it tuned up the playability has been excellent. The action is low and there is little to no fret-buzz. The durability has been surprinsingly good for a Mexican made guitar, so far nothing has broken.

Although nothing has broken, there were some defects in the manufaturing process, such as the neck was slighly crooked when it was put on. I had a store fix this. The pickups do not line up with the strings. The fretwire on the neck sticks out on the bottom a tiny bit, so when you run your hand down the side of the neck you feel the fretwire. The whammy bar or trem bar had to be put flush against the body otherwise the guitar constantly comes out of tune (I have abandoned the bar completely). Lastly the pickups are horrid. They sound very empty, tinny and cold, a far cry from the noiseless or Tex-Mex which have a really warm feel. I have replaced two of the pickups with Seymour Duncan little '59er pickups and I am going to get a Tex Mex single coil.

As mentioned above there were some problems in the construction of the guitar but the durability of the instrument has been solid overall.

I have since played many American Strats, Epiphones, and Gibsons. The Mexican Strat is better made than the comparable Epiphones (Les Paul Standard). Two of my friends own Epiphone Les Pauls and have encoutered many parts breaking on them, which I haven't with the Fender. My strat has superior playability to the Epis as well. However, the guitar does not compete at all with American Strats. They now are listed at more than $500 US (compared with $427 when I purchased mine) so the value has decreased. Overall the guitar was a good purchase and represents pretty good value for what I paid. So relative to the value I am rating it 4 out of 5. If you have the money go american, cause there is a world of difference.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this toy at Hix Bros. For about $349.99 to be exact. There were so many Strats to pick from. I had to pick a maple neck because Maple necked Strats look awesome. I picked the Cherry Red Satin finished Strat.

The price of this Strat is nice! I like the 5-way pickup selector which many guitars only have 4. This helps a lot! I like these Mexican Strats alot better than the American because the Americans are a lot more $$$ and they are like the same to the mexican exept the American has pearl dot inlays, a kind of better pickguard, and better stock strings. This guitar is awesome for beginner-amatuers like me.

That plastic wrap on the the pickguard and on the back, you have take it off write away or else it will become a part of your guitar and that leads to having to get a new pickguard.

This guitar is built like a tank(Go Fender). I also treat my guitar better than I treat myself so this guitar will have a long life(Go Fender). Like I said it is built like a tank and it is also lightweight.

This guitar is top of the line for people that can't afford American or such Strats. If you treat it good it will treat you awesome. Thanks for reading this, I hope it helped you!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this Olympic White Strat (a 1996 model)from the drummer at my church. I paid $200.00 with a non-fender HSC.

I absolutely love this axe. I have five guitars and a bass; I've been in music for over 35 years and this insturment is excellent. The finish on the body is perfect and the flame maple/rosewood neck is flawlessly finished and straight. Fit and intonation perfect as well. I have read some reviews about American vs. MIM or MIJ Fenders and honestly, I can't tell the difference. My only problem? Read on....

My only minor dislike was the electrics. I said was. I replaced the scratchy pots, switch, and shrill 1996 pups with a complete SRV Texas special unit purchased on e-bay for 100.00. Some would have been just fine with the originals, but some of us are old fussy farts, soooo.

Construction is as good or better than some of the American standards or Robert Cray models(see above). It's a dream to play and sounds awesome; user friendly for sure.

Don't be afraid of the MIMs. I do recommend you go to a music store and play a few USA's, MIJ's, and MIM's. Make an informed choice. Money is hard for some of us to come by so don't be pressured to buy a model just because of where it is assembled.
After 26 years in the U.S. Navy I am just as pro American as anyone, but I want to keep as many greenbacks in my own pocket as I can. The MIM is A-1. Go for it!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this guitar from guitar center for $309.00 after playing alot of other guitars; Jackson, Ibanez, Charvel, Gibson, Epiphone, American Strats, and ESP. I spent four hours total trying them all. IMPORTANT: Plug into a good clean amp to evaluate the sound. I used a Fender Deluxe Vintage Re-Issue combo and could not believe how much better the Mexican Strat sounded compared to a Squier (expected I suppose) but also how it sounded as good as the American version.

Excellent sound and playability, this guitar lives up to the Stratocastor name. I have never been more inspired or sounded better. Individual notes ring clear when playing chords, overtones are rich, five way switch really does provide an amazing variety of tonal change (many guitars that seem to sound pretty much the same regardless of settings). In twenty years of playing I have never played a guitar for so many hours consecutively as I have with this guitar. Other guitars in my past (including a Les Paul) would wear my hands out and I would start missing notes on chords and hang it up to let my fretting hand rest, not so with this one, after six hours I still feel fresh and fret every note accurately. Let me mention the sound again, it is just right - plain and simple - forget fiddling with your amp to find that ellusive tone - you need the right guitar to start with - and this is it.

Typical single coil buzz and hum.

Very well made - fit and finish are top rate. The paintwork is flawless, the crome is perfect, the knobs feel solid, the five way switch does not click or pop, the neck is smooth, the frets are all dressed nicely, not a buzz anywhere.

If you are looking for a quality guitar then look no further, this a a guitar that even a pro would appreciate. An American Strat typically has slightly higher quality but differences in production guitars lead to some of the Mexican models outperforming some of the American models. Try everything on the shelves, forget about looks and focus on sound.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Schmitt Music of Omaha, NE for aprox $440.
It came down to an issue of what guitar could I buy for $400ish. I choose this guitar over the others because of it's extreme playablitiy, enjoyable tone, and the Fender name.

My favorite trait of the strat has to be it's insane playablity. Having about a year of guitar playing (all acoustic) under my belt at the time of purchase this guitar wasgreat. The neck is smooth and you feel as if you can play anything with style and vibe.
Strats are very comfortable to play and hold onto in general.
The sounds you can get out of this guitar are great. It's a strat, isn't it? It definitely sounds like one. Whether you like to play rock, blues, jazz, this guitar will let you do what you need.
The sunburst is beautiful and the guitar is very solid and sharp looking all over.

The fact that it's single coils may turn of some because of the hum, but that is to all single-coils, not the strat specificially, and if it's a big deal then you can simply get noiseless pickups or humbucklers.
I don't like the tremolo a whole lot. I prefer the Ibanez ones to the strat's. The strat feels to "false" almost, kinda like it's not really meant even to be used.

Very solid construction. It may be made in good old Mexico, but it's very high quality worksmanship and I would not be ashamed of putting out a product of this standard.

If you want a guitar to start learning the electric on, go with the strat. Maby feel around first, and see if the hum is going to be an issue, but frankly you're not going to get a better guitar in the $350-$450 range in my humble opinion.
**thumbs up**

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Where: Guitar Center, Rt. 22, Springfield, NJ
How much: $349


I have been in the market for a Strat for about a year. Every so often I would go to a store and play 3 or 4, everything from Squiers to the Artist and Custom series. It was all about the feel and the sound, and I have to say that I have been consistently impressed with Mexican Strats with maple necks, even though I am a rosewood fingerboard fan. Yesterday I saw a beautiful burgundy wine w/maple neck Strat and picked it up and wow -- what a feel! And sure enough, it was a Mexi. The American Strats are $500 more (minimum!) and the necks don't seem to have as good a feel. The Americans have slightly better quality pickups but I plan to replace the bridge pickup anyway with a stacked humbucker w/coil tap. And here's the bonus: the tremolo system, which is the standard floating brige type (no locking, no microtuners, no fancy saddles, nothing!) actually stays in tune, even with serious dive bombs. I had given up on standard Strat tremolos about 20 years ago but short of shaking the axe by the tremolo arm alone I cannot get it to go out of tune.


Excellent. Beautiful burgundy wine color, no blemishes. Neck is true and smooth. Tuning hardware is precise and smooth.

Focus on the feel and the sound and you will be pleasantly surprised with the Mexican Strat.


This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I Always played an acoustic guitar, but dreamed of A Fender Strat. So, I nailed a
used one on Ebay for $290.00. The genuine
Strap, Gigbag, Tools and Tremelo Bar were included.

It arrived in Pristine shape(Being it was 7 years old). Fender.com had an instruction manual available for me to take care of the instrument and adjust properly(Downloadable through Acrobat Reader, along with parts and
pickguard wiring diagrams)

Exremely comfortable to hold and to play.
From clean Rock-a-Billy, Blues, to Screaming
Jimi Hendix Licks, this Mexican Strat will
do just as well as the American Counterpart.

Practicing with this instrument will help me develop playing skills in no time

I'm using a beatup Crete amp, but saving for a Cyber Twin Head.

Like most used instraments it needed work:

The pickups needed replacement(Bill Lawrence L-250's), along with medium Nickel Bullet Strings. With the help of the Fender Manual, the Pickup Diagram, and plenty of patience, I was able to bring the Guitar back to life.

Other than the needed replacement of the Pickups and Strings, the construction and quality is in excellent shape. The tremelo assembly assures that the strings will maintain their pitch. With proper care, this guitar will last a lifetime.

There is nothing greater that buying a new instrument, providing that you can afford it. But with work and patience, you can buy
a used instrument, put some work into it
and get the same gratification. If you can't do it yourself, Fender.com can recommend an authorized repair shop.

Look at Garage Sales, Flea Markets, and Online Auctions. Good Luck



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I knew I wanted a Strat. I knew the sound and, of course, the reputation. I got it at Guitar Center in Cleveland, Ohio for $399. It was only the guitar, no extras.

I like the sound a lot. I also like that it's easy to find parts and there are a lot of companies that make aftermarket parts so you can upgrade things on it or change the colors of things.

I didn't like the stainless steel strings that came on it. They are kind of rough on the maple neck. Other than that it's really just about what I expected from Fender. A good, solid instrument.

Well, like I said, good and solid. I wouldn't expect less from Fender.

Bottom line is that I am glad I got it. It's my first Strat and I'm very happy with it. It's another one that will stay in the family for a long time. I can easily 'hot rod' it if I want, or leave it like it is and know that it will be consistant. I will never be searching for pieces or parts. I now own a classic instrument.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I wanted a guitar with a great sound, good touch, and wouldn't buest my wallet. I picked up the strat to try out and I knew it was meant for me. I bought this guitar at Daddy's Junky Music in Orange, CT for $315 USD (there was a weekend sale). I highly recommend them. Plus the manager is really nice to me.

The touch is very good. It has an amazing sound and a fast maple neck. Only $315! It is probably one of the best deals i have ever gotten on a guitar. It is one of thjose guitars that is easy to play. I highly recommend it as a second guitar or maybe third (this was my third guitar). Plus Craig Nicholls from The Vines uses it!

Its ALL good.....

Mexican strats used to be a lot worse than American Strats, but now the Mexican is not that much worse than the American. Just a slight change in pickups and hardware.

This would be a great guitar if you don't want to bust your wallet. It is good for all genres of music. It serves good as a main guitar, and has great FENDER quality.

In other words, BUY IT!!!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Well I paid for my 10 years old Fender strat 300 bucks. I just wanna know, that even it is quite a nice guitar for me, may I change the original pickups, because the bridgepic. is a bit noisy, and there is too much bass in the neck one.

Well it has a warm sound, Stevie R.V. type, you know. It is very light, I mean the weight. Sound cool, but sometimes I feel, maybe with better pickups, would be more satisfying.

The sound is a bit noisy, and it is hard to get the same overdriven echo coming back from the amp, like with my Gibson, which is easy to make a long gain sustain with. Is it the light wood or the pickup?

Luckily briliant constuction, and good quality.

Can I get longer sustain with spec. pickups, or it won't change, because it is a matter of the body's wood material

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

$349 Musicians Friend

Thick body, not too heavy not too light, round neck,feel.

Stock pickups a little weak.

Sturdy construction, not bad quality.

I wanted a fender strat and didn't have the money for an american. So I bought a mexican. People have told me there's not much difference between the too, so I took their word for it. Well, I've had it for about 5 months now, and it is my foremost guitar. When I got it, i put a pearloid pickguard on it, just for looks, and I added a seymour duncan hot rail at the bridge for a heavier sound. Now I can play ANYTHING on my strat and make it work. I can have a chunky, palm-muted, chug with the hot rail, and use the single coils to get a clean sound as well as a great blues and classic rock sound. Now about American Strats being that much better, I don't think so. I played a Clapton signiture strat at guitar center and I prefered mine. Some people have said though, that no strat sounds the same. The stock pickups are a little weak, but replacement pickups aren't that expensive. All in all, I love my MEXICAN strat, and I wouldn't trade it for an american any day.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I've wanted a true (brand new) Fender Strat for the last 25 years or so. I have owned a couple of copies and a couple of older mismatched Strats, along with other makes and styles over the years. I finally picked up my Dream guitar a couple of months ago, for $300. YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

In the beginning! The name,looks and Playability.

EXTREMELY POOR QUALITY CONTROL!!! coming out of Fenders Mexico Facility.

I inspected the Guitar as thoroughly as I thought I could when purchased. But when I got home (with better lighting)I soon found dull spots and scrathes on the neck, orange peel of the paint, along with other finish faults that should have been addressed before ever leaving the plant. I returned the guitar and a replacement was ordered. A week later, I opened the box containing a Brand New Guitar, directly from the factory and found absolute garbage. With chips, scrathes, unknown black marks on the neck that looked to be under the topcoat.I chose to keep the original, after seeing that. Unfortunately the time for a refund had expired.

Bottom line is this! If you must have a Fender and can't afford an American, buy a Squier! Half the price (or less) than a Mexican made. But a far better fit and finish, or even a $100 copy. This is the last thing I'll ever own with the name Fender.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Well, I won this guitar at the local McFadyen Music store...but it originally costs 350 bucks. Good Price?

Well, My guitar is very cool...It has three singe coil pickups a five way pickup switch two tone knobs and one volume it has a nice clean sound to it and great action. I'd like to clear up the whole urban legend that you can't have distortion without humbuckers...thats what amps are for. Humbuckers help but you can still crank out sick riffs with a single coil. It doesn't go out of tune very easily either and the neck feels so great in your hands. THe vinatge headstock is beautiful along with the jet black finish. Love it. I one day would like to upgrade to either a Hot Rodded American Deluxe Double Fat Strat, a Fender American Deluxe Toronado, a JagStang (kurt!), a Fender Mustang, or a Fender Jaguar but im gonna play this baby until it drops first.

Of course more expensive guitars like those previously mentioned above (i.e. Mustang) have better tonal ranges and sounds but for the price this is a great guitar...I believe the true passion of music however comes from the player so..for the price this guitar is kickin!

It is like a rock a few weeks ago i was playing it and the strap came off and it slammed full force down onto a metal grating heating vent the finish was UNTOUCHED...amazing? It is good and solid. I believe this guitar is underrated too much. It has great quality


This guitar is great. I love the sound. The standard sound. It is a true electric guitar. May not be fancy but this is true music. MUSIC FROM THE SOUL.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com