[straterfolife]

ok well i was at this pawn shop the other day and have a pretty good knowledge about guitars, i saw this pretty good sun burst fender strat for 225, no scratches or anything, looked pretty good. The only problem was it was made in Mexico. i was wondering if that was a good deal for a beginner or not?

[allthumbs]

Originally Posted by straterfolife

ok well i was at this pawn shop the other day and have a pretty good knowledge about guitars, i saw this pretty good sun burst fender strat for 225, no scratches or anything, looked pretty good. The only problem was it was made in Mexico. i was wondering if that was a good deal for a beginner or not?

http://search.ebay.com/MIM-Stratocaster_W0QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQmaxrecordsreturn edZ300
By the time you factor in shipping the better deals on Ebay would work out the same so The price is ok. Check against what they have against the different priced ones on Ebay as well as a new MIM strat in stores near you.

[doug russell]

Is it in $s or £s, either way it's a good deal.

[737blues]

Sounds like a good price! I wouldn't be put off by the fact that it's made South of the border. All standard Fenders have been for some time now and that Mexican factory is turning out some pretty decent guitars IMHO. The difficult part, if you don't know guitars, is identifying the exact model so that you can compare it's price against a new one. Once you do that it's just a matter of checking it carefully and evaluating it's condition versus the asking price. Just one general comment, for what it's worth: Doesn't matter what country you are in, contrary to popular opinion, secondhand dealers don't stay in business by selling stuff for less than it's worth and you probably won't have any recourse after purchasing if you're unhappy with it. Most reputable music dealers will stand by their products, so figure that into whatever you calculate you might be saving.

[Davebanker]

A mexican strat is a fine guitar to learn on...ez to play neck etc,,, Its just that the mexican strat will not be a collector item for many years.... But if it a learning guitar your looking for Its a good one...The very first Strats in 1954/55 sold for around 219.00 Esquires were 149.00 and a 52 Tele went for 179.00... Im not sure if that included case of not.... I opted for Gibson at the time a 1954 ES 350 for 410.00 case not included... still have it... magic word... practice.. Dave

[bluesguy]

I own a Tex-Mex stratocaster and couldn't be happier with it.

[Stratrat]

Mexican Strats go for $399 new, so that's not a bad deal (assuming we're talking $US) if it's in good condition. If possible, you should try to plug it in to an amp to make sure everything works (switches, pots, pups, etc.) before you buy.

You can go to just about any guitar board on the 'net and find pages upon pages of debate about MIM (Made in Mexico) vs. MIA (Made in America) Strats....none of which have ever reached any solid conclusion. The bottom line is that there are many people who like the MIM's just fine (myself included).