I have had my Standard Mexican Fender Stratocaster for 19 years now. It’s really the only electric guitar that I’ve owned. Well, I did have one second-hand one before that, but it was of really low quality and as a result a real pain (literally!) to play. The type where after a mere 10 minutes of playing there would be deep ruts in my fingers and a metallic smell from the rust! Maybe it was because I’d only just started playing, but I’m sure that even if I picked it up now I would have similar issues. Speaking of which, as I recall it always seemed to be heavier than it should have been as well. Anyway, it was discarded years ago!
But back to the Fender Mexican Stratocaster! When I bought it, it was way before the internet had taken charge of the retail world, and luckily there were a few musical instrument shops in my relatively small town. One of them specialised in sound equipment more than actual instruments, but they always had a selection of new but discounted Fender Stratocasters Mexican style! At my wits end with my first guitar to the extent that it was becoming de-motivational, this was a perfect opportunity for me.
The only thing to think about was the colour. I can’t remember what was available, but I ended up choosing a kind of metallic sky blue body with white scratch board. I think it cost about £370 and I may even have got an amplifier included, or at least discounted. I still have that Peavey Blazer 158 amp too, and use it in my bedroom for jamming around. It’s a lovely compact and portable size. I’m really proud that in this overly-materialistic era that I am still using my first main guitar as my principal instrument.
I suppose the main question though, is whether it still plays well? Well, yes, actually I think that it’s playing better than ever. I recently changed my strings, using a lower gauge, and it feels wonderfully smooth. The body is hardly scratched or dented and looks almost new from a short distance. There is some wear and tear around the fret ridges, something that is really my own fault. I am one of those musicians whose fingers seem to sweat a lot and leave behind a deposit that soon builds up if I forget to (or am too lazy to!) wipe the fret-board and strings immediately after playing. So unfortunately, at one time there was a build-up of green chrome-like grit next to the metal frets that had to be scraped out. Therefore, if there was one thing that I would change, it would be the metal fret ridges.
If you are considering acquiring a Fender Mexican Strat I would definitely recommend it based on 19 years of experience. Even if it doesn’t quite match your self-perceived standards when you are gigging, it is a great second-choice guitar to practice on around the bedroom, in the garage or at informal jam-sessions. It says a lot that I’ve never really considered it to be absolutely necessary to replace mine, other than for to have an instrument that can produce a completely different sound, for example for more jazz-oriented pieces.
