American Strat

American Strat
How to tell the difference between a Mexican made Strat and American made Strat?

I want to get a Fender Stratocaster. I want a good deal on a used American Strat cos I heard Mexican ones are of a riskier quality. How do you know if its American? I dont wanna get scammed.

Just so you know some models of Mexican Strats are excellent quality. If you are a beginner they would be your best bet.

However, if you really want an American then there are two ways you can tell easily:

1. Mexican Fenders have Made in Mexico written on the headstock, just next to the serial number.

2. Mexican serial numbers look something like this: MN94858484 or MZ3212366. You will notice that there are two letters: M and Z (or N). The M stands for Mexican and the next letter just relates to the decade of production. American Strats on the other hand will simply look like this (if they do have visible serial numbers) Z493940 or N3048584. They will not be prefixed with the letter ‘M’.

Be warned though, you will not get one of these guitars cheap. They will be at least $1000USD, for the cheaper base models. Personally if you are a beginner or are not a serious performing musician you cannot go wrong with the Mexican Strats.

Hope this helps :)

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