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MGR/Buzz Moschetti « Fender Mexican Stratocaster »
Published on 01/03/04 at 15:00Where: 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
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