I highly recommend the Fender American Deluxe.
First, I'd buy a used one as you'll save around $400 from a retail store.
Here's what I love about them:
* Noiseless pickups - and when I say noiseless, I mean DEAD quiet. The pickups are amazing and give you all that Fender sound. Alnico pickups can be noisy, I guess it's that 60 cycle hum thing.
* Locking tuners - FAST string changes.
* Aged pickguard and knobs, purely cosmetic, but I think it looks much better than stark white, which is what you get on a regular American.
* The newer ones have the S-1 switching system (gives you 7 pickup configs, I think), the older (up to early 2000's) have the standard 5-way switching system.
What I don't necessarily like is they have abalone dot inlays. To me, it look a bit off on a Fender, a bit too "flash" if you will - again, purely cosmetic. I wish they would have done them in clay dots like the old Fenders.
You'll have no problem picking one up in GREAT condition on ebay in your price range. If you're more inclined to stick to your lower end $600 range, I'd go for a used regular ol' American series strat, you can pick them up left and right on ebay for $600.
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