Highway one strat bodies

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I own a Highway 1 and have not been able to find anything refering to any part of it being MIM. That said, Fender doesn't specifically say the entire thing is made in the U.S. either.

its an american body with satin finish I believe...

Okay now I know... It's an american neck and body with a transparent finish.

Oh yeah... It has mexican made hardware(electronics, bridge, tuners, etc.)

Probably a newbie question, but for fenders which are neither made custom or made by hand, what's the difference between the US and Mexico guitars?

Does the U.S just have a better factory, or do they send their better materials there? or is it more of a better safe than sorry thing.

Mexican made have obviously cheaper labor. The mexican made strat has a two piece boy as opposed to a solid one piece body. I don't know about the neck but the mexican has cheaper hardware, electronics, etc.

yeah, mex strats have cheaper parts. The are exceptions to this rule though as many mex strats sound really good and some american strats sound bad. You gotta try em out first and find a gem.

Ah, but in general there are prescribed quality differences in the two right?

I thought maybe it was just labour (although I don't see how much labour can go into a factory made electric, or why mexicans can't do it as well as americans) and like they'd send their best wood stocks to the us, or that perhaps the us has the better factory machines, or better decision making staff or something.

Actually, I think the USA strats have a two peice body, MIM have a three. The USA strats I think come with noiseless pickups, rolled neck, probably more consistient fretwork between specimines, too. And the Mexican color choices can leave something to be desired. With MIM you're more likley to get a dud if you don't search around, but quality can be had. Play every MIM guitar you can get you hands on in the shop.

I've been on a Strat hunt for a while, the guitar I first learned on was my roommates' strat, and with that feeling in mind, I went out hunting for my own, little did I realize what a gem he has.

So by now I've probably played 50-100 MIM strats and 25 MIA strats, along with a handful of Japanese ones. The AVERAGE American strat is head and shoulders above the average Mexican strat, however, there are of course exceptions to the rule, particularly, that MIM strat my roomate had. In all those gutiars, I've never found another one with the same sort of feel his has, and nothing even close to the sound of his, which is deliciously stratty. In particular, his neck pickup has that almost grossly "sexy" way it rolls around... ahh.

Trying not to go off on too much of a tangent, but he doesn't even really play anymore, and the strat just gathers dust, so I think if he'll let me, I'll make him an offer on the guitar in the next 6 months or so. Even though I'm not a strat guy in any sense, when I need the strat sound, that's the guitar I want to be reaching for.

^ Yeah.. That strat neck pickup is Mmm... Mmm... Gooood!!! 8)

I read an article a year or so ago about "improved quality" in Fender factories and they had interviewed a Fender employee (almost certainly from marketing). He said that (if I rememmber totally correctly) the korean bodies had between 4 and 7 pieces of wood in them, the MIMs 3-5 and the US guitars 2-3.
I belive Fender keeps the one piece bodies for their custom shop.

If my daughters Squire is any example of the MIM, then I agree with the junk. Her mini strat sounds nasely and tinny. A very thin sound, and the workmanship is poor. I had to make some fixes to a new guitar. :roll: For me the sound of this guitar is rather poor and I would not have bought this one. But for a 9 yr old it is fine. The best I ever played was my buds 61 strat back in 77. This was an awesome guitar and sounded great. I had a G&L Legacy that I sold when my daughter was born that I wish I had kept :( , but the $$ thing.