Played a MIM Strat today for the first time!

[Katastrophe]

Went to Strait Music here in Austin today to check out some guit-fiddles. They only had one MIM Strat, in 3TS, for $399.00. Took it into their amp room and plugged into a small Fender amp (I think it was a Blues Junior), and an Ibanez Tone Blaster.

Impressions? VERY well built guitar. The neck was great, and tight in the pocket. The action was downright slinky, and very low. The paint job was just about perfect.

Tone? Once I got the Fender amp dialed it, those sweet, clean Strat tones came out, as long as I used the neck and middle pup. I could've played for hours, with that bell like chime and glassy tone. EXACTLY what I was looking for in terms of clean tone. The bridge, however, was muddy, and I never could get it to sound quite right. For some reason, it didn't have that Strat single coil tone, either clean or distorted. Dialing way back on the gain of the Tone Blaster gave me a really cool, overdriven AC/DC kind of sound that I liked.

Gripes? A couple. Why does Fender have to use those teeny frets on the MIM models? The neck would've been much better with slightly larger, taller frets. I guess I'm just used to the monster jumos on my other guitars, and it's a minor gripe, anyway. The C-shaped neck had a great feel, I just wish there was a little more to it. I guess in my rapidly advancing age I'm starting to get away from thinner necks, toward something more substantial. Again, a minor gripe.

Also played a MIM Tele today, and that was way cool, too. Excellent fit and finish, and that trademark twang was ever present. LOVED the sound of the neck pup.

Compared those guitars to an Ibanez Artcore (sort of a 335 copy), which was in the same price range. No contest. While the Ibanez was okay, for the money, the Fender won hands down in terms of playability, and fit and finish.

Gonna see if I can find a Jimmie Vaughan or a Deluxe Player's Strat to play next, and compare...

[Tone2TheBone]

Loved my MIM Stratocaster when I first picked it up and will love it till the end of time. The build is incredible for the price. I have absolutely no gripes about mine. It simply rocks as good as it looks.