- Learn how Mexican and American Stratocaster guitars are made
- Understand the differences and similarities between them
- Find out which Stratocaster type fits your needs.
- Also, check out our Les Paul vs Strat shootout
The Differences Between the Mexican and American Strat
Throughout the article, we’ll dive into each of the differences. However, here are all the differences at a glance:
| Stratocaster | Made in Mexico | Made in USA |
| Build type | Factory-made | Handmade |
| Electronic hardware | Made in Korea or Fender (Mexico) | Made by Fender (USA) |
| Body | Factory-processed Alder wood | Hand-shaped and polished Alder wood |
| Fingerboard | Maple/Roasted Maple | Maple/Rosewood |
| Fret Size | Jumbo Frets | Narrow & Tall |
| Nut | Synthetic Bone | Real Bone Material |
| Bridge | Korean-made | Chrome Nickel Bridges |
| Guitar Finish | Gloss Polyester | Gloss Polyurethane |
Manufacturing Process
One of the most notable differences between these two types of Stratocaster guitars is that American ones are made by hand, while Mexican Strats are mass-produced in Ensenada, Mexico.
The manufacturing process of American Fender Professional guitars takes place in a factory (Corona, CA), but Fender’s long-standing artisans create, refine, and assemble all the pieces by hand.
By contrast, Mexican Stratocasters are made of pre-built parts arranged together by machines. On the upside, brands like Fender have always invested in cutting-edge technologies, so the quality doesn’t suffer one bit in this case.
Another apparent difference when comparing handmade vs factory-made Fender Strats is the attention to detail. Although humans are prone to error, they are also capable of innovation. Professional guitar builders who’ve created thousands of instruments over the decades often come up with new ways to make things better. Machines, on the other hand, do what they were programmed to do.
Electronic Hardware
A guitar as iconic as the Strat is largely defined by its electronic components – pickups and pots may be tiny, but they have an incredible impact on the overall tone, sustain, and sounds the guitar can produce.
Even though Fender produces the majority of parts its guitars feature, the brand outsources a couple of components, and this is true for both Mexican and American Strats.
The pots for Fender guitars come from Taiwan. This wasn’t always the case. Fender used to source its potentiometers from Centralab, Stackpole, and even telephone pots from CTS back in the 50s and 60s.
As the story goes, the company bought such a huge bulk shipment that they were stuck with these dated pots for almost a decade.
Nowadays, Taiwanese solid-shaft, split-shaft, and push-pull pots are shipped to Corona and Ensenada before being installed on Stratocasters.
The main difference here is that Fender’s factory in Corona has everything it needs to produce proprietary pickups.
Mexican factories only produce their pickups for the MiM series, while pickups for the Player Strat are sourced from Korea.
Check out our post on the best single-coil pickups for your Stratocaster.
Body
The main difference between American and Mexican Stratocaster bodies lies in the tonewoods, or rather in the way these tonewoods are processed.
All Mexican Stratocasters, including the Player Strat, Player Strat HSS, and the Limited Edition Player, feature bodies made of solid Alder.
Compared to other tonewoods, Alder lies in the “perfect middle” on the quality spectrum. It is neither bright nor warm, which is one of the reasons why some Strat players feel like their guitar sounds like everybody else’s.
This is not a drawback by default since skilled players know how to use this extra “room” to fine-tune their tone with the right pedals and amps.
American Professional II Strats feature bodies made of thoroughly refined Alder. Remember, American Stratocasters are handmade; their bodies are polished to perfection, and Fender’s experts handpick only the finest pieces for their guitars.
So, this is a case of “Alder versus Better Alder”.
In my opinion, American Stratocasters offer a much fuller, more responsive tone because of the way Fender artisans use, shape, and improve Alder tonewoods.
As far as dimensions go, they are almost identical. They have the same shape, weight, width, and hardware layout. Even if you knew what you were looking for, it would be nearly impossible to tell them apart if they remained unplugged.
- Also, check out our post on the key differences between the Stratocaster HSS and SSS.
Fingerboard
Fretboards/fingerboards don’t bear as much weight regarding the guitar’s tone; certainly not as much as the body. However, the tonewoods used to produce these parts still affect the tone somewhat.
The Player Strat and the Player HSS guitars feature the same type of fingerboard made of maple wood, while the Limited Edition Player Strat has a roasted maple fretboard.
Regular maple has an exceedingly bright tone, while necks made of roasted maple have even more top end (at the expense of lower end).
American Professional II Stratocaster guitars feature rosewood necks. Rosewood since on the opposite end of maple on the sonic spectrum.
It’s extremely warm and makes the tone rounder, fuller, more focused, and brimming with lows.
As a side note, rosewood is also porous and extremely dense, which makes it ideal for the beautiful finish American Strats are known for.
Fret Size
I had to carefully read the specs charts of all Stratocasters to discover that they don’t have the same frets. As you probably know, fret size is often used to determine whether a guitar will be used for rhythm, lead, or both.
What all Strats have in common is that they have 22 frets each. However, all Mexican models feature medium Jumbo frets, while the American Professional Stratocaster features narrow & tall frets.
Jumbo frets are perfect for rhythm players. Their size makes fretting single notes and power chords a breeze, but they could be better for soloing and shredding guitarists.
Narrow and tall frets, on the other hand, are excellent for solo guitarists. Playing rhythm on a Strat with frets like these might require some getting used to, but it’s perfectly possible.
Nut
The guitar nut separates the guitar’s neck from the headstock. It needs to be sturdy so that the strings remain stable.
This nut is almost the same on American and Mexican Stratocasters. In both cases, it’s made of nut; however, synthetic bone was used for Mexican Strats while real bone material was used for American ones. Performance-wise, the authentic bone nut is just slightly sturdier.
Another minor difference is that:
- Mexican Stratocasters come equipped with a 1.650-inch nut
- American Strats are supplied with a 1.685-inch nut.
You’d need a telescope to spot this 3mm difference, even though it doesn’t bear almost any impact on the guitar’s performance.
Bridge
Many guitarists overlook the importance of a quality-made bridge. Poorly designed ones and bridges made of flimsy material can adversely impact not only the sound but also the overall volume of the instrument.
The latter is why Mexican Strats are sonically inferior to American ones.
To elaborate, Made-in-Mexico and Player Series Stratocasters feature Korean bridge models. These bridges aren’t known for their sturdiness and use somewhat dated systems to keep the strings together.
The guitars from the American Professional II series feature chromed nickel bridges that harness a 2-point screwing system that offers unparalleled string security and sturdiness.
- Check out our post on the best Strat replacement bridges!
Sound
Mexican Player Series Stratocaster guitars sound just a “bit” different compared to their American Professional II counterparts. That one was a shocker to me since they’re worlds apart price-wise.
On paper, the specs of American and Mexican Strats are small enough to have you expect that they’d sound similar. After all, even though American artisans process the Alder wood differently from Mexican artisans, it’s still Alder at the end of the day.
Both types feature Maple necks, while the Rosewood fingerboard of the American Strat isn’t as game-changing as some would claim it to be.
If the same player used the same amp with an American Strat and a Mexican Strat, even experienced guitarists would find it impossible to tell which one’s which.
Experts with trained ears, though, would notice that American Strats have a warmer, rounder timbre with a stronger attack.
Mexican Stratocasters are slightly “chirpier” compared to the American versions. You’ll need a robust distortion pedal (or gain settings cranked to 11) to attain the bellowing rock & roll tune American Strats are famous for.
Guitar Finish
Most people decide whether they like a guitar’s finish by looking at it. Is it sparkly, elegant, simplistic, or, more importantly, does it complement your style?
This is the question I often ask myself before I decide I like the aesthetics of a particular guitar.
The story with American and Mexican Fender Stratocasters is a bit different. Not only do they look different – but they also feature different kinds of guitar finishes, each bringing a set of unique drawbacks and benefits to the table.
All Mexican Stratocaster models pack a gloss polyester finish, while American Strats feature a gloss polyurethane finish. If you’re unfamiliar with either, polyester is almost entirely solid (96%), while the surface of a polyester finish is half-comprised of solid content.
Polyester finishes are much easier to apply, and they’re generally quite durable. Moreover, you can clean your guitar with anything you have at home since polyester is almost impervious to household chemicals. Sadly, those are about the only positives about it.
Featuring semi-liquid, almost sponge-like “ingredients”, polyurethane isn’t necessarily sturdier, but it’s far more heat-resistant. It’s also almost immune to hardcore stains and scratches, unlike polyester.
Price
Arguably, the first and most important difference between American and Mexican-style Strats that most players are concerned about is the price.
Better tonewoods, the fact that they’re handmade, and superior hardware are just some of the reasons why American Stratocasters are almost twice the price of a Mexican Strat.
Let’s have a quick rundown on a model-by-model basis.
The cheapest Strat in the Fender’s store is the Player Stratocaster. It costs around $850 and is among the cheapest Fender guitars overall.
The Player Stratocaster HSS is a tad more expensive, with a price tag of around $880. Minute details set them apart, so it’s up to you whether you feel like paying the extra $30.
The first Strat over $1,000 is the Limited Edition Player Stratocaster. With a noticeably more elegant finish and refined aesthetics (while everything else remains virtually untouched), it comes available at approximately $1,050.
And then there’s the American Professional II Stratocaster – better known as the “base” American Strat. It starts off at $1,700, which is almost twice as much as the “base” Player Strat.
The story with the American Professional II Stratocaster HSS is the same as with the Player HSS – same specs, different colors, and finish options, and you’ll pay $50 extra for it ($1,750 price tag).
Wrapping Up
In summary, Mexican and American Stratocasters may have a thing or two in common, but they’re different in nearly all aspects.
From the hardware and body design to playability, sound, aesthetics, and price – they’re more dissimilar than alike.
That is not to say that the American versions of the Stratocaster guitar are “better” per se. Sound perception is subjective, and the same can be said about anyone’s financial situation.
In my opinion, American Strats are superior to Mexican Strats but not twice as good to warrant such a steep price gap.
Before you go, check out our post on Fender Strat vs Tele (5 Key Differences & Which to Buy)!
