Mexican Standard Stratocaster

[Paul in Colorado]

I came across a Mexican Standard Stratocaster today. I was really impressed with this guitar, especially after playing a "road worn" Strat for much more money. I think the guitar is a few years old, but is in great shape. The color is steel blue and has a rosewood fingerboard. The truss rod adjustment is at the headstock end of the neck, has "modern" style tuners and it has a vintage style trem. Can anyone give me an idea of when this guitar was built?

Those of you who own one of these guitars, what mods do you make? How are the electronics? Any set up tweaks or know bugs?

I was going to build another Strat, but this one has most of the details I want and I have a fully wired pickguard ready to go with some upgrades.

[bossking7]

I have one from '94. Great guitar, no mods or anything.

[Hiker]

The first four characters in the serial no. can be a help on these posts.

MN04 = 1994. MZ04 = 1994 (Approximate year). This helps us narrow down the fret size, factory pickups, and more. A photo would be appreciated, if you have one.

[Paul in Colorado]

I didn't get any pictures or write down the serial number. It was in a store and I won't see it again until Monday.

[milkshape]

I bought one from the local music shop 'cause I loved the color, and it really is a comfortable playing great sounding guitar. And as nice as Teles sound through a 5e3 that mexi start really wakes up through it. Hope it is still there on Monday and feels the same.

[Hiker]

If you can get more on the serial no. next week, that we may be able to help you narrow down more details about the guitar.

[alnicopu]

I like my mexi strat better than my highway 1. The neck is a bit chunkier and the frets aren't as "shred metal" big.

[Ringo]

The stock ceramic bar magnet pickups don't sound "bad", but they are fairly hot, typical mods are new pickups, some folks change out the saddles and bridge block, other than that they don't really "need" much.

I had a white MIM Std some years ago that had a set of Hot Noiseless pickups, I should have kept it, it played and sounded great!

The only other thing I can think if is the pre 06 or so MIM Strats have small frets, later ones have med jumbos, so depending on what you like for fret size that might make a difference.
Later MIM Stds also have a full size trem block.

REAL early MIM Strats have cheap pots , switch and sometimes tuners.

[telefunken]

I have a 2002 MIM. I changed the pickups to a set of Keeley "Modern" for an ever higher output(sounds great but I miss the sound of the original pickups). I will put the old pickups in another strat one day. I changed the tuners to locking. I put on a set of Graphtech saddle(you loose a bit of chime, but I haven't broke a string in 10 years) That's all. It's my #2 guitar after my Tele.

Notice the whole "Mexican" theme (flag colors)

[jonhart]

Get a nice set of pickups and put some CTS pots in it. That's all you realy need to do. Some poeple upgrade the tuners, tremolo, etc. but all you realy need is some good pups. I have Fender CS 69's in my MIM Strat. It's a very good guitar for the money.

[charlie chitlin]

I've tried to avoid Strats for years...I just worry that I'll sound too much like a "Strat Guy" because they seem to impart so much of their personality on the sound. To me, a Strat always just sounds like a Strat...and the comparisons are inevitable...Hendrix, Clapton Knopfler...
That being said...I gigged a Mexi Strat last night and had a blast.
Bone stock '91 that I just got from a TDPRI member.
Great guitar.

[Paul in Colorado]

Originally Posted by telefunken

I have a 2002 MIM. I changed the pickups to a set of Keeley "Modern" for an ever higher output(sounds great but I miss the sound of the original pickups). I will put the old pickups in another strat one day. I changed the tuners to locking. I put on a set of Graphtech saddle(you loose a bit of chime, but I haven't broke a string in 10 years) That's all. It's my #2 guitar after my Tele.

Notice the whole "Mexican" theme (flag colors)

Muy Caliente!

[Del Pickup]

My MIM strat is a 91 or 92 (can't remember which right now!) but it's a great guitar.

I swapped the standard pickups for Fat 50's which made it sound way better but just as big a difference was made when I swapped the standard pot metal trem block for a Callaham steel block.

Over the years I've changed almost everything about the guitar except the body and neck(!) but in standard form they're great guitars - and a lot cheaper than a US equivalent.

[JohnSS]

My MIM Strat is from 2003-4. No mods needed; very happy with it as is. Much better than my 77 Strat, which I traded for studio time.

[Sharkfin]

I have a 2001 MIM strat that is my main axe. I have modded it though, noiseless pickups & a callaham trem. Also, I ended up swapping the neck for a jazzmaster neck. The original neck was fantastic, but needed a refret after 7 years of playing. Rather than trying to find a competent luthier in my area I just put on a JM neck that my friend had lying around.

<-- Pic in profile, it's the green one.

Some of these MIM's are every bit as good as their MIA counterparts, although I do believe that the quality is not as consistent. It's recommend to play many MIM's in the store and compare them. Some people bring scales with them to the store to compare weights.

[gtrguru]

My 95 MIM has been modded. The first thing I did was install a humbucker to the bridge position. Later I replaced the pups with vintage 50s for pure strat quack.

My latest mod was a Callaham bridge which has drastically improved the sustain. I still want to change out the electronics one day.

[Paul in Colorado]

I put it on layaway yesterday. I forgot to write down the serial number and take pictures. I did notice that it had vintage style frets, the rosewood 'board is pretty light and the plastic is still on the pickguard. The total was $359 and some change with tax. It includes a gig bag and trem arm. Did I do good?

[Jakedog]

Originally Posted by Paul in Colorado

I put it on layaway yesterday. I forgot to write down the serial number and take pictures. I did notice that it had vintage style frets, the rosewood 'board is pretty light and the plastic is still on the pickguard. The total was $359 and some change with tax. It includes a gig bag and trem arm. Did I do good?

Paul, it sounds like an MIM Standard. Price on a brand new one is $549 at GC now, so take that for what it is. With the vintage style frets, it's definitely an older model. You say "steel blue", which leads me to believe it's either Agave Blue, or Electron Blue. Agave is kind of a lighter, grey/blue, electron is a very brilliant medium-dark blue. Electron was a GC exclusive. Pretty cool looking color. Many here love the Agave.

With the vintage frets and lightboard, you're probably looking late 90's or early 2000's. They didn't switch to medium frets until 2005 or somewhere in there, not sure of the exact date, but I remember thinking "it's about damned time".

I've never been a fan of those bridges, they are quite a step down in quality from the US vintage bridge, even though to the casual eye, they look virtually identical. I have also never been a fan of the ceramic pickups used in those models. They can sound ok to some people, great to others, I always found them to be rather harsh, dark, and clangy compared to a nice set of alnico pickups. They do handle dirt well, and are a good shade hotter than standard American pickups, I just don't find them to be all that pleasant to the ear when compared side by side with something nicer. The tuners look identical to Am.Std. tuners, but are copies made by Ping. They are very serviceable, and I never had any trouble with them, but they are not as smooth as the more expensive models, and the ratio is different. Pots and switch should be the exact same as the Am.Std. model, good stuff there for sure.

SOme of these had nice big chunky necks, kind of D shaped and fairly fat. I didn't care for those, but lots of folks absolutely love them.

These are pretty solid guitars, especially for the money they go for. With some modding they can be made into pretty nice axes. If not for the vintage frets, I could deal with one with a bridge/block and pickup replacement.

[Paul in Colorado]

I'm already planning on replacing the electronics. I have a pickguard waiting with a Lollar rewound bridge pickup and two from a St. Blues guitar I had that got stolen. The bridge might get a replacement eventually. It needs to be adjusted so it lies flat on the body. Maybe a couple more springs and a claw adjustment. I don't use the trem much. I can live with vintage frets. The only other mod is that I have a half completed circuitboard for an Alembic Stratoblaster that I may install. I'll see how it sounds stock first.

Now I need to go get some gigs to pay it off.

[J. Hayes]

bought it used, but mint condition. I don't have it anymore as my 18 year old grandson, who's one helluva guitar player, wanted a strat and I had six of 'em in my collection. He tried 'em all out and settled on the MIM guitar as he thought it played the best and sounded the best for what he needed. I even have a 2000 MIA Clapton "Blackie" Strat that he passed over for the MIM guitar.... I wish I had it back but he's up and coming and I'm over the hill so that's that... Here's a couple of shots with the MIM and the Clapton. The MIM has the rosewood fingerboard.......JH in Va.