Another Mex Fender query

Blackhorse Slim

I haven't played a Mex strat before, and I'm thinking of buying one. Does anyone know what the differences are between these and the US/Jap ones? Apart from the obvious

Different quality pickups? Neck? Hardware? What would need to be upgraded to turn a standard Mex into a top guitar?

I'm currently playing an SX strat, I have in the past played US Fenders, Musicman and G&L strats and teles. The neck on my SX is similar quality (believe it or not) but the stock pickups were pretty poor, the trem was terrible, the nut was plastic and the tuners (and hardware in general) very weak. I have replaced the pickups with some decent but unspectacular single coils from GFS, they are far better than the stock SX ones and more than adequate.

So here's the deal - whether to continue to upgrade the SX, or flog it and buy the Mex? Any ideas, similar experiences, opinions?

Dord

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

I haven't played a Mex strat before, and I'm thinking of buying one. Does anyone know what the differences are between these and the US/Jap ones? Apart from the obvious

Different quality pickups? Neck? Hardware? What would need to be upgraded to turn a standard Mex into a top guitar?

I'm currently playing an SX strat, I have in the past played US Fenders, Musicman and G&L strats and teles. The neck on my SX is similar quality (believe it or not) but the stock pickups were pretty poor, the trem was terrible, the nut was plastic and the tuners (and hardware in general) very weak. I have replaced the pickups with some decent but unspectacular single coils from GFS, they are far better than the stock SX ones and more than adequate.

So here's the deal - whether to continue to upgrade the SX, or flog it and buy the Mex? Any ideas, similar experiences, opinions?

Quality wise between the stock Mex and an upgraded SX, I found there to be little difference. If you're looking to get a better guitar but still stick to the Fender name then the Japanese Fenders are where its at. The quality on them is pretty dang good, some of them use USA pickups also.

Johnny Storm

Well, IMHO it's hard to give a direct answer. First of all Fender do a very large and confusing range of MIM strats some of which are higher quality than others. I think MIM strats have bodies made of more pieces of wood glued together than MIA ones (this probably has no impact on the end quality of the guitar). Hardware and pickups a re usually cheaper on MIMs but possibly not on the higher end MIMs. The level of finish may often be cheaper - ie they screw the string trees directly into the head with no spacer which IMHO looks ****.
FWIW all Strats come with plastic nuts despite what Fender description says.
My opinion is that MIM strats are good value (but you are still paying for the Fender name). IMHO you definitely need to get into the shops and try them out in person.

Blackhorse Slim

Yes, the Jap Fenders have a great rep, but they're expensive. I won't be buying from a shop, but I could try out a few MIM strats I suppose. I'm looking at buying second-hand or online. I'm not married to the idea of owning a Fender, it would be nice, but I want a quality strat with a maple fretboard.

I didn't know about Fender nuts - the one on the SX was nasty, kept catching the thinner strings making it difficult to tune. I've fixed it, but I wouldn't expect the same problem on a Fender.

As a slight aside, any word on the quality of Korean-made Fender guitars? This is on my 'possible' list, and I'm sure I read somewhere this range is Korean.

red_ice

Johnny Storm wrote: »

FWIW all Strats come with plastic nuts despite what Fender description says.

Only thing plastic on my strat is the pickguard

My strat has a maple neck. I love it, everyone whos played my strat has commented on how well it plays and how bright it sounds, yet its a mexican. I have a few guitars and bass', and if my house went on fire, i would go in and get the mex, i love it, its my fav and it also has sentimental value but thats not the point! imo its a damn fine guitar. Each to his own Blackhorse, if you want it get it.

Johnny Storm

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

I didn't know about Fender nuts - the one on the SX was nasty, kept catching the thinner strings making it difficult to tune. I've fixed it, but I wouldn't expect the same problem on a Fender.

As a slight aside, any word on the quality of Korean-made Fender guitars? This is on my 'possible' list, and I'm sure I read somewhere this range is Korean.

There's nothing wrong with plastic nuts as such, as long as they are cut properly. I am 99.99% sure that all non-Custom Shop Strats come with nuts made from Cyclovac - a plastic which Fender refers to as "bone". Don't ask me why :rolleyes:

I have one of those MIK Lite Ash Strats. I think its great. Very bright, snappy tone which is the essense of strattiness for me. Very playable. Good pickups.
However a few months after I got it many of the frets came loose in their slots and it was expensive to fix. Getting that fixed cost about 70% of the new cost so it was not a bargain at the end of the day. ( I got a new nut at the same time (bone of course )). If you do a search I'm sure you can find my many posts about this guitar. If you do buy one of these online be prepared that you may have to ruthlessly send it back until you get a good one (which is what I should have done).

Blackhorse Slim

I just read the previous thread about the MIK, Johnny, I have to say it's put me off a bit. I don't mind having to do some setup, I expect it, but a re-fret is beyond me.

I love the feel of my SX, it plays beautifully, although it does have problems. I will probably look out for a reasonable MIM strat (or MIJ if I get lucky), buy it, play it for a while and then decide whether to stick with it or the SX. Thanks for the input.

Johnny Storm

Good idea. I would still keep on trying MIM strats and other guitars in shops to see what kind you prefer. Then buy online or second-hand.
FYI Japan Fenders have excellent quality and IMHO are great value but virtually all of them have vintage (small) frets which you may or may not like.

nij

Reviews of Mex Fenders vary greatly around the internet. Some people say they are crap, others say they've played American's for years and cannot tell the difference.

I've got a MIM SSH Strat, and it's nothing short of superb - stays in tune, neck it fantastic, tone is awesome. I may change the humbucker, but apart from that, it's really good.

deaddonkey

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

I haven't played a Mex strat before, and I'm thinking of buying one. Does anyone know what the differences are between these and the US/Jap ones? Apart from the obvious

Different quality pickups? Neck? Hardware? What would need to be upgraded to turn a standard Mex into a top guitar?

I'm currently playing an SX strat, I have in the past played US Fenders, Musicman and G&L strats and teles. The neck on my SX is similar quality (believe it or not) but the stock pickups were pretty poor, the trem was terrible, the nut was plastic and the tuners (and hardware in general) very weak. I have replaced the pickups with some decent but unspectacular single coils from GFS, they are far better than the stock SX ones and more than adequate.

So here's the deal - whether to continue to upgrade the SX, or flog it and buy the Mex? Any ideas, similar experiences, opinions?

I would put pickups you like in it, maybe some fretwork if needed, a new good quality bridge and some nutwork, some tuners, i've always thought that the SX body and neck were fiiiine platform for upgrades, i've got no hate for those guitars, neck pocket fit and body wood quality are generally as good as/better than the mexican standards.

saying the nut is crap because it's plastic is a load of crap, the nuts on strats since 1954 have been plastic (melamine resin), bone nuts have only come stock on a couple of guitars, very, very rare. there's def. a bone nut on the eric johnson strat.
bone nuts are a pain in the ass to work on, and the smell when you file into them is disgusting.

Giblet

I find MIM vary greatly. I like mine, but I've played some horrible ones. Mine is 15 years old though.

SxE Punk

Personally I like to upgrade and fix cheaper instruments to make them more personal, than pay more than its worth for a guitar that will have problems anyway. Cause lets face it, no instrument is ever perfect out of the box. But at least you won't be worried about ****ing up when you fix the niggling issues on a cheap one.

Blackhorse Slim

deaddonkey wrote: »

saying the nut is crap because it's plastic is a load of crap, the nuts on strats since 1954 have been plastic (melamine resin), bone nuts have only come stock on a couple of guitars, very, very rare. there's def. a bone nut on the eric johnson strat.
bone nuts are a pain in the ass to work on, and the smell when you file into them is disgusting.

I thought the mid-range and higher guitars would have graphite or similar nuts. Also there are different types of plastic nut. The one on my SX guitar is not good. I have two other guitars ( a superstrat and an archtop) with much better ones, but I couldn't tell you what they're made of.

Ravelleman

red_ice wrote: »

My strat has a maple neck.

I hate to be a pedant here but all regular strats have maple necks. The fretboard might be rosewood but the rest of the neck is usually maple!

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I only have experience with some of the higher end Mexican models, particularly the artist series guitars, but, on the whole, I've found them to be high quality guitars. My MIM Robert Cray Strat is a quality guitar. The fit and finish is excellent. The fretwork is great. The neck is snuggly attached to the body... The Buddy Guy Strat I tried was also excellent, as was the Muddy Waters Tele. The Jimmie Vaughan Strat, which is usually held in high esteem on the interweb, was a lemon though. The bridge was misaligned, which meant that the trem wouldn't move. It sounded quite nice though. I'm an unashamed fan of Mexican Fenders. Personally, I like a lot of them more than the American Series range. They've never really inspired me.

Standard Mexican Fenders are great as modding platforms as well, if you get the urge to fiddfle with it little later (and when you have money to spare!).

The Lite Ash Tele I tried was ok. I really didn't like the neck, but that's personal taste, I guess. They're solid instruments though. Nice pickups and normally a nice body too, though the poly finish does look a little thick on the natural ash for my tastes.

BarryCreed

yamaha pacifica......?

rondo guitars...?

Blackhorse Slim

Ravelleman wrote: »

I hate to be a pedant here but all regular strats have maple necks. The fretboard might be rosewood but the rest of the neck is usually maple!

----

I only have experience with some of the higher end Mexican models, particularly the artist series guitars, but, on the whole, I've found them to be high quality guitars. My MIM Robert Cray Strat is a quality guitar. The fit and finish is excellent. The fretwork is great. The neck is snuggly attached to the body... The Buddy Guy Strat I tried was also excellent, as was the Muddy Waters Tele. The Jimmie Vaughan Strat, which is usually held in high esteem on the interweb, was a lemon though. The bridge was misaligned, which meant that the trem wouldn't move. It sounded quite nice though. I'm an unashamed fan of Mexican Fenders. Personally, I like a lot of them more than the American Series range. They've never really inspired me.

Standard Mexican Fenders are great as modding platforms as well, if you get the urge to fiddfle with it little later (and when you have money to spare!).

The Lite Ash Tele I tried was ok. I really didn't like the neck, but that's personal taste, I guess. They're solid instruments though. Nice pickups and normally a nice body too, though the poly finish does look a little thick on the natural ash for my tastes.

With a name like Ravelleman and a link to japanaxe.com in your sig, you're surely more of a Fernandes man? One of my other guitars in a Fernandes

Yeah, I'm tempted by the Mex. Just trying to justify buying one when my current strat has similar pickups and solid alder body. And I will be modding, sooner or later. GAS in full effect.

Dord

BarryCreed wrote: »

yamaha pacifica......?

rondo guitars...?

The Pacifica is a good guitar but I think the OP is trying to go up in terms of quality not along the same level.

Rondo Music don't make guitars so there's no such thing as Rondo Guitars, they're merely the distributor in the U.S. for SX and some other budget to low-mid range guitars. Besides its off the point.

I saw that someone was talking about the lite ash series, I heard they're good guitars. But just reading Johnny Storm's post about his MIK Lite Ash Strat and the frets coming loose! :eek: How bad was it?

My 80's Aria bass had a couple of loose frets but given its age I kinda expected the fretboard might need a bit of care. I got it sorted but it sure did cost a bit.

Johnny Storm

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

Yeah, I'm tempted by the Mex. Just trying to justify buying one when my current strat has similar pickups and solid alder body. And I will be modding, sooner or later. GAS in full effect.

FFS Just buy the ****in' thing already!!!!!

And don't forget to post plenty of pix here when you do

Blackhorse Slim

Johnny Storm wrote: »

FFS Just buy the ****in' thing already!!!!!

And don't forget to post plenty of pix here when you do

That's what I get for posting a serious question on a gear-heads' forum

I've just done a deal for the MIM, picking it up next weekend.

Thanks for the input, yez have all just cost me a bundle

Ravelleman

Joe Robot wrote: »

Rondo Music don't make guitars so there's no such thing as Rondo Guitars, they're merely the distributor in the U.S. for SX and some other budget to low-mid range guitars. Besides its off the point.

Actually, you're wrong. They don't own the SX brand but Agile and Douglas are their own. True they don't make them themselves but then neither do Fernandes or Michael Kelly or Washburn etc... They're all made by generic Korean and Chinese guitar factories to the guitar company's specs. You can buy SX from a lot of different places. But Agile and Douglas are Rondo Music's house brands. You can't get them anywhere else.

Ravelleman

Blackhorse Slim wrote: »

That's what I get for posting a serious question on a gear-heads' forum

I've just done a deal for the MIM, picking it up next weekend.

Thanks for the input, yez have all just cost me a bundle

Nice one. You know the rules though. If there are no pics for us when you get it, it doesn't exist...!

nij

Hey guys, I've recently had the opportunity to play an American Strat and a Mexican Strat, one right after the other, and I have to say, I noticed absolutely no difference whatsoever! I can only imagine that the American stays in tune for longer after heavy whammy bar use (just a guess), but sound wise, and playability-wise... no noticeable difference for me.

I dunno, maybe I'd have to be playing the American one for longer to start noticing any flaws with the MIM, but I'd definitely recommend the latter, especially if you want to customise it a bit.

Blackhorse Slim

I bought the MIM at the weekend, Midnight wine w/ maple fretboard. Needs a little trem adjustment but otherwise plays and sounds great. Pics shall be forthcoming when I can borrow a decent camera!

guitaro

Hi all, Just reading this..... May I make a few sugestions?

I bought a used fender lite ash a few months ago (made in Korea). These are far superior to a mex strat and rival a standard US in my opinion.
They have X3 excellent Seymour Duncan made Alnico pickups. The neck is a "C" shaped (slightly curved fretbord) and is a birds eye maple, far superior to a standard US or mex neck. Tremolo is good and a 2-point system.
They are discontinued but can be picked up used for 300-350 euro's.
Get one and do the folllowing:
1) Change the crappy plastic 5-way switch for an Oak Grigsby as in a US model (5 euro's)
2) change the volume and tone pots to a set of 3 "short shaft" CTS made (US) pots 250K value (cost 15 euro). The lite ash strat has X3 crappy Cor-tek made 500K pots. All US strats use 250K pots, Duncan advises 250K pots for this set of pickups! They are designed for vintage tone.
3) Strip out all the crappy cheap wires used between the switch and pots, use wax covered cloth wires instead (wire costs 1-2 euro per foot).
4) the tone cap must be changed!!!! they shipped with s**ty ceramic caps worth 5cents each. Put on an orange Sprague cap, they cost 2 euro's each!. It makes a massive difference!
5) change the crappy plastic top nut, bring it to a shop, they will make a bone nut for 10-15 euro's.
I have done all the above and the guitar is amazing!!
PS I am a qualified electronics service man
It sounds like a lot to do but you should be able to do this work in a couple of hrs.
The most important changes tone wise are the 3 pots and the cap. You can upgrade them for 20 euro's! Look for a guitar parts supplier on ebay (get one based in the UK, avoid import taxes).
Enjoy the sweet soft vintage tone!!!:)

Quattroste

Great advise dude and after reading the thread I would have recommended that the OP upgrade rather than buy new as he kept mentioning that he loved the feel of the SX. I feel this is very important to a guitar. Like the feel, and modify to suit.

However, did you notice this thread is (just gone) 2 years old!!

Blackhorse Slim

Just noticed this is back! Here's an update from the OP;

The Mex Fender is far superior IMO to the SX, in sound, tuning stability, bridge etc. The neck on both guitars is similar, but the vintage-style SX neck has smaller frets than the Fender. I like the feel of the smaller frets when sliding (with my fingers, not with a slide!) but the bigger frets on the Fender make bending easier.

I'm thinking of going all the way and installing some Fender noiseless pickups. I might do it myself, or I might get a guitar tech to do it. I have changed pickups before, it's no big deal, but if I was getting it done by a tech I will ask him to change th epots and the cap too, sounds like good advice.

Or I'll leave the Fender as-is for now, and upgrade the pickups on my 20-year-old Korean Hondo 335 with some Seymour Duncans. One really great guitar, or two very good ones? Decisions....

guitaro

Cheers Quattroste. Better read the rules again... I'm new to this kinda stuff!:D
Another good option is to just search ebay for "fully loaded scratch plate". I've seen a fully loaded Eric Clapton fender strat scratch plate with all the goodies.. for $250US. Get one and drop it into pretty much any strat copy. Once the neck is nice and you do the action/intonation You'll have a super Axe, real cheap.

One thing I forgot to mention that I've done to my lite ash strat is to Shield the pickup cavity's. On a single coil guitar you get humming noise in the neck and bridge positions. ie. positions 1 and 5 of the 5-way switch. In positions 2 & 4 it becomes a humbuckerish mode where the two pickups combine, therefore cancelling the noise! Buy a roll of the copper tape for 10 euro's online. It reduces the noise dramatically. Most strats use a black conductive paint in the cavities but it's ****e.... worth using the tape!
OLP make lovely budget guitars, beautifull neck quality IMO. the Yamaha Pacifica's are decent too:D