strat bridge angle

[sgt mukuzi]

i dont know about that Ears, half way thru a lick will do it.

the strat sounded bloody good thry the line 6 amp he had me going thru

[Rog]

I know minutiae is important to some people, but for fucks sake - its a bloody guitar! Play it and love it - that's what they're made for. Don't like it? Don't fucking buy it!!

[Ears]

I know minutiae is important to some people, but for fucks sake - its a bloody guitar! Play it and love it - that's what they're made for. Don't like it? Don't fucking buy it!!

That's dumb. Pay in haste, regret at leasure.

[Rog]

That's your opinion.
It differs from mine.

[sgt mukuzi]

I know minutiae is important to some people, but for fucks sake - its a bloody guitar! Play it and love it - that's what they're made for. Don't like it? Don't fucking buy it!!

That's dumb. Pay in haste, regret at leasure.

true; but, dont let the moment rob you of the meaning.

[crushing day]

Older Highway Series were 56mm measurements, but now you have jogged my memory, the customer who bought the new body did mention that the newer highways were the same as Mex's (his being an older model).

I wonder if the newer Highways are manufactured in Mexico, and assembled in the US plant with Mex parts?. That would make sense and justify the price difference between a Highways and an American series.

if you can find the pics of the Mexi Fender plant that were floating around, the big boxes of hardware all have made in taiwan stamped on the sides

[sgt mukuzi]

thats classic

[r4nd0m]

Before I bought my HWY1 Tele, I did some research. So AFAIK, this may still be true.

All bodies and neck were cut and processed in USA and sent to Mexico for painting and final finishing with cheap Asian parts into MIM Fender guitars. Some models may have USA pickups (reissues?)

HWY1 guitars have bodies and neck cut, processed and painted in USA (missing the poly finishing). Assembled with Asian parts and Mexican pickups. So the tuners, bridge and pickups are lower quality.

I supposed the quality of the wood depends on how many laminates to form a body. I understand its a maximum of 5 laminates now, but went to 7 in the past - don't quote me though I'm quoting from memory.

So Sgt Mukuzi, if the MIM plays better than the HWY1 ... buy the MIM I bought my HWY1 Strat for $850 secondhand (2 years ago), so they really don't hold their value. How much do you expect the MIM to lose in value $3-4 hand shandy?

[sgt mukuzi]

if i find the fender i can live with i suppose i would'nt factor in re-sale value because i would hope i could live with keeping it. the longest ive kept an instrument is six years, a MIJ 62 reissue. ive owned 5 fenders so far, wouldnt mind a strat plus to be honest. they dont make them anymore maybe a strat plus reissue 1600 for the HW1
2k+ for the usa but the difference at the moment looks to be a slightly darker shade of lacquer

[Rog]

I have 3 Fenders atm.
I've had one for 36 years and the other two for 10 years each.
All bought new.
Never to be sold (maybe LOL)

[r4nd0m]

The strat that I have longest is an old MIK Plywood Squier. Plays better than the HWY1 acoustically - gotta love plywood. Plugged in, not that great a difference Nah, I've got my strats ... I've grown up. Collecting Ibanezes with FR now need to keep up with my kid. I'll show him that I can pinch more harmonics than him in a minute.

Sgt, Which ever strat you buy, when you need to trade it .. I've got an ART Xtreme that I'll trade for it

[sgt mukuzi]

i have a floyd rose grassroots pointy horizon to trade for a strat

[handsoffmatt]

FWIW - I thought I'd throw my $0.02 into this discussion because I'm one of the biggest Strat fans around and have played one or two in my time....

Pretty much ANY of the variables that are under discussion here (pickups, cast/zinc blocks, bridges, lacquer, labour etc etc) actually DO make a quantifiable difference in sound and/or feel to your Strat. I know this from experience. There is nobody who tried harder than I did to piece together a top-notch Strat on a budget from various bits and pieces.

The reality however continues to be that in all but the most exceptional cases - you get what you pay for.

The question should not necessarily be "how good is a MIM Strat compared to a HWY1 / Am.Std or whatever". It should be "How much Strat do I need?"

I am a big fan of the Mexi Strats - they offer great bang for buck and will suit all but the most serious players. They DO have a number of "shortcomings" - average fretwork, zinc tremelo block (I assure you that you CAN hear the difference), cheap electronics and a bunch of other stuff, but these won't bother most players. The most glaring shortcoming of the Mexis is the pickups, which sound muddy and harsh to most people's ears. But when all is said and done, a stock Mexi Strat with a set of decent pups in it is a VERY respectable gigging guitar.

Does it compare to a US Standard? Nope. Hold a US Standard Strat in your hands - feel the beautiful neck shape, rolled edges and excellent fretwork and you instantly know you've taken a step up that a Mexi just can't quite reach the level of. But once again, how much guitar do you need? If it's going to be your number one gigging guitar, maybe the US Standard is a good option, but if you just want to to add some Strat flavour to your arsenal - a Mexi or Highyway 1 is a great way to go.

[Rog]

I agree about the rolled edges.
I love that feel on my Strat.
Other boards just feel crap in comparison - BUT - you can get used to anything.

[sgt mukuzi]

i will pop up shortly and have a look at the Hw1, i like the maple necked black mexy aswell at 999