History of the MIM Fender Stratocaster?

I'm wondering if anyone can post or point me to a detailed explanation of the different kinds of Strats that Fender has made in Mexico?

I believe the first ones were in '91 or '92, and were labeled as Squiers.

What year(s) did Mexico start doing the 50's and 60's reissues?

I believe 2005 is the first year the MIM Standards started coming with jumbo frets and thicker sustain blocks. Were the pickups changed too?

I have a friend with 1999 Standard, and we compared it last night with my 2006 Standard, and the pickups on the 2006 seem a lot hotter too.

I also have a 2004 Standard, with the medium frets, and I never noticed the pickups on that one sounding noticably quieter than the 2005 pickups, so maybe they started using the hotter pickups prior to 2005?

I believe that 2008 was the first year they started making the Texas Roadhouse Strat, which is essentially a direct replacement for the US built Texas Fat Strat, which replaced the US made Lone Star Strat around 2001.

With the new Roadworns coming out of Mexico, as well as the Classic Players, it's hard to keep track of what's what...

I would be great to find a year-by-year and/or model-by-model of the different Strats that have been coming out of Mexico since the beginning.

I do not know the early chronology but the change to bigger frets, hotter pickups was in 2006, I understand, not 2005. I know there are Highway One "Mules" with mixtures of components and there may be some Standard Mules, too.

I've got one of the very early MIM strats - it's a 91 and it's got 'Fender' on the headstock not Squier.

I always remember reading somewhere that the Mexico factory was set up around 91 with the specific aim of making a wide range of guitars using US bodies and necks but mixing some of the Asian hardware parts - that's why the early MIM strats have the narrower string spacing which is actually the metric dimensions converted from the US imperial sizes.

So initially it was probably more of an assembly plant than manufacturing whole guitars.

That's what I've always been led to believe anyway.

My two cents :

Some differences I noticed between early MIM and later MIM :

I had a 1994 MIM Telecaster using Cor-Tek switch and pots. I guess electronics were asian (Cort). A later 2004 MIM telecaster had CTS pots, Oak Grigsby switch and Alnico Pickups.

A 2002 MIM Strat I have used to have CTS pots, Oak Grigsby switch and ceramic pickups.

My 2008 actual Strat has alnico pickups similar to American Standard ones (I said similar), CTS pots and oak Grigsby switch. The neck is thicker and the frets are jumbo models, close to Highway one models.

I liked the chrome red and electron blue they had for a little while. The chrome red was what I had for a couple weeks before I sent it back (neck was bad) and got candy apple red as a replacement. Very nice color that I'd like to see them offer somewhere.

My two cents :

Some differences I noticed between early MIM and later MIM :

I had a 1994 MIM Telecaster using Cor-Tek switch and pots. I guess electronics were asian (Cort). A later 2004 MIM telecaster had CTS pots, Oak Grigsby switch and Alnico Pickups.

A 2002 MIM Strat I have used to have CTS pots, Oak Grigsby switch and ceramic pickups.

My 2008 actual Strat has alnico pickups similar to American Standard ones (I said similar), CTS pots and oak Grigsby switch. The neck is thicker and the frets are jumbo models, close to Highway one models.

You mean you put alnicos in the 2008?

You mean you put alnicos in the 2008?

No, it was original pickups, alnico pickups looking very similar to american standard ones.

No, it was original pickups, alnico pickups looking very similar to american standard ones.

I thought that they came with ceramic pickups. Mine did, at least... a 2008. I took them out and put in some 57/62s.

quite strange, My 2004 Tele and 2008 Strat had ALNICO pickups...

All of the Mexican made Strats I've seen had ceramic magnet pickups.

All of the Mexican made Strats I've seen had ceramic magnet pickups.

Same here. That's one of the reasons that they are cheaper.

They started in 89 as a guitar factory before that they were packaging strings.

They really took off in the early 90's 92-93 satin finished necks.

In late 98 Fender quit importing most of tre Japanese Fenders they were using to fill this mid priced line and made the Classic series.

A few years later they made the Classic player series which are classic series with flatter fretboards bigger frets and CS designed pickups.

Same here. That's one of the reasons that they are cheaper.

that's strange. Why my Mex Strat and Tele have Alnico Pickups ???

that's strange. Why my Mex Strat and Tele have Alnico Pickups ???

How do you know they are alnico?

here are the specs for the STD Strat.

Model Name Standard Stratocaster®
Model Number 014-4600-(Color #) and 014-4602-(Color #)
Series Standard Series
Colors (302) Lake Placid Blue,
(306) Black,
(309) Candy Apple Red,
(332)* Brown Sunburst, *add $60.00,
(375) Midnight Wine,
(380) Arctic White,
(Polyester Finish)
Body Alder
Neck Maple, Modern “C” Shape,
(Tinted Satin Urethane Finish)
Fingerboard Rosewood (P/N 014-4600) or Maple (P/N 014-4602), 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets 21 Medium Jumbo
Pickups 3 Standard Single-Coil Strat® Pickups (Ceramic Magnets)
Controls Master Volume,
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
Pickup Switching 5-Position Blade:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup
Position 3. Middle Pickup
Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup
Position 5. Neck Pickup
Bridge Vintage Style Synchronized Tremolo
Machine Heads Fender®/Ping® Standard Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
Hardware Chrome
Pickguard 3-Ply Parchment
Scale Length 25.5” (648 mm)
Width at Nut 1.650” (42 mm)
Unique Features Vintage Styling,
Fender Transition Logo,
Parchment Plastic Parts
Strings Fender® Super Bullets® 3250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-3250-003
Accessories Standard Gig Bag
Case None
Introduced 11/2008
Notice Product Prices, Features, Specifications and Availability Are Subject To Change Without Notice