Fender Stratocaster Shootout Elite v. American Standard v. Mexican Standard

[@SuperParve]

The Fender Elite sounds amazing!

[@8BALLJOHNSON]

Very informative, and very non- biased. Each model has it's own features and strengths for the price. You get what you paid for, but with a Fender instrument it's worth every penny. Thanks guys!

[@nthewind07]

Well, I absolutely love the elite. In fact I was shopping for a Les Paul and the sales girl showed me the elite, and put in my hands for a test ride. I have also been wanting a Strat, but they always seem to be more on the miss side of hit and miss for me. Play-ability, sound, feel. I've always been bugged by the noise of the pickups. Well, I think Fender hit a home run with the changes to this guitar. It feels good, it plays better than all the Strats I've ever played. No noise from the pickups, and so many options for the sound. I think you can get the sound you are looking for with the pots, and pick up combos. It is just such a versatile guitar, and lighter than the Les Paul, which can equate to more playing time. This has quickly become one of my three favorite guitars to play of all time. I'm sure there are better out there, but perhaps a bit out of my price range. Love the case, and all the accessories that came in it, were a very nice touch. It even had the allen wrenches and instructions on how to set up your own intonation which I thought was cool. I've always done my own, but I liked the simple explanation, and actually liked the measurements they gave a starting point.

[@nathanjones4065]

Around 7-8 years ago, maybe more l bought a second-hand MIM Strat in shell-pink with the faded white/green pick-guard. The guy selling it (from the small guitar shop near where l lived at the time) said "This belonged to a guitar-player who's in a band touring all the time, and it stays in tune like you wouldn't believe".. l thought "he's just trying to sell it here", so anyways l ended up getting it and believe me when l say it has NEVER gone out of tune EVER. The play-ability and feel of it is extraordinary too. l now have an elite-Strat and a Music-Man Valentine, and yes they are amazing instruments, but for the "do-re-me" the "Pinkie" is unbeatable and plays just as well as the other two, in fact sometimes l think it's marginally crisper-sounding..

[@flightfollowing9860]

Comparison time links Clean Bridge: M 7:36 S 8:14 E 8:56 + 9:04 Clean Bridge+Mid M 7:44 S 8:22 E 9:14 Clean Mid M 7:51 S 8:29 E 9:20 Clean Mid+Neck M 7:59 S 8:37 E 9:28 Clean Neck M 8:06 S 8:44 E 9:35. American Elite S1 Switch On 9:50. Dirty Bridge M 10:35 S 11:12 E 11:48 + 12:07 +12:28 Dirty Bridge+Mid: M 10:53 S 11:29 E 12:45 + 13:08 My impression is that the MIM Strat has the weakest sound. The Standard (with humbucker) is the twangiest, the Elite in my opinion has the most well rounded and dynamic sound.

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

FlightFollowing thank you for that!

[@8BALLJOHNSON]

Also, I might add that you really can't determime which instrument is the right one for you just from the price-point and how the instrument sounds in a demo. You have to pick up the individual guitar and feel how it plays, hear how the pickups respond with your own ear, and the overall feel of the neck and the guitar itself to know which one will suit your needs and ambitions. So I'd reccommend getting out there and playing one (or all) of these instruments yourself at your local guitar shop and see which one is best for YOU. After all, it's all in the way you play that makes music yours.

[@kevinpaul1719]

I love the Lace Pickups, they were stock on my 1993 Strat. I am putting them on my Mexican Strat this week. The coil spilt and 7 way switching. The Mexican Strat is a winner for me because of the roll over fell of the neck. Light weight was a blessing this past summer, I played a few art festivals and fairs. My Les Paul's got time off.

[@professorstein5855]

Lace sensors weren’t stock in American Standards. They were stock on the Strat Plus (gold lace sensors), the Strat Plus Deluxe (red, silver, blue lace sensors) and the Strat Plus Deluxe Ultra.

[@antonioalbares]

I have an American deluxe with Gen 4 Noiseless (same as elite). I love it, it sounds amazing. That said, my singer brought to band practice a MIM with Fat 50's in it... oh boy what a sweet single coil tone.. it literally cut through the band.. I am about to drop my noiseless and get fat 50s

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

If you really want something that's going to cut, we really like the Fender Custom Shop '69 set. These are some of the most touch sensitive pickups I've played

[@OrchestraUnderGround3000]

They all sound good ! I do believe that Mexican doesn't cut thru as well . The American Standard MSS & Elite do cut thru a bit more. Also, I personally liked the Standard MSS although I do think the Elite was a clearer tone. I like the little bit of dirtiness in the standard. It is a good mix between the Mexican & Elite. I also prefer the rosewood fretboard . Nice review.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Rose wood is amazing. LOVE it probably too much. That feel when you clean up the fret board and the pits in the wood catch the oils just right and it feels smooth but not too smooth. Best feeling ever when you don't have to be Eric Clapton but still feel like you have all of the control in the world when playing.

[@Alchemist3333]

Nice video! I had no idea about the Mexican pickups having the magnet at the bottom. Every day is a school day! :)

[@hugomejia7810]

MIM Nice and original stratocaster sound's

[@BO-bb3fk]

I just purchase an American Elite. I chose the SSS N4 noisless coils, 3 color starburst with the Ebony fret board. No regrets. I actually think the American Elite Strats are under priced. Had this guitar been $3,000, it still would have been an excellent purchase and worth every penny.

[@djhall5]

I think the real difference is the feel. The Elite with the soft V neck and the satin finish is great to play.

[@rockroll7649]

The Elite sounds bright, clean, and crisp, but I prefer the slightly more warm sound of the MIM. Personal preference I suppose. The Elite is well-suited for dirty as it cleans the noise up a bit, though I didn't catch which pickups are on the MIM. Yeah! The amp sucks. I have a MIM that suits me just fine. I'm not going to run out and buy an Elite.

[@michaelluczak3019]

The Elite is phenominal!

[@jasonmendez3938]

I couldn't really hear a significant difference to justify the price on the clean sounds, but on dirty, that's when the elite really stands out.

[@professorstein5855]

(Copied and pasted from my comment to someone else) I always laugh when I hear someone think that you should HEAR the price difference. Sure, you can hear a difference, but that’s not all of the price difference. Could you hear the bi-flex truss rod compared to the Mexican single flex? Or what about hearing the difference between the micro-tilt adjustable neck and the Mexican strat that didn’t have one? Could you hear when he played the Mexican Strats 22nd fret - oh wait, it doesn’t have one. Could you hear how those fret ends were buffed so much smoother? Asking for a friend.

[@soofitnsexy]

feel also....the neck etc. U have to always try these guitars

[@ludoms100]

i would honestly chose the MIM than the other ones...

[@ephreimharris]

Yeah!

[@ludoms100]

Ephreim Harris Ebens eeeuuuuhhh.... i bought a 2016 american with a maple neck...

[@gordonbezanson4710]

Just gotta 2009 deluxe. Just a work of art. Beautiful guitar look just like that..1250 with case. Which I thought was a great price. And sounds a whole lot better through my katana 50.

[@vinnyrussian]

I have the elite and can happily say it's the best 2k (roughly after tax) I've ever spent

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Just spent 1750 on a limited edition surf green one just the other day. FUCK I probably shouldn't have done that. Soo much money. Family is going to chew my ass out about it. And they would be right to... But I can't fuckin wait for this super beast from fender. I think it's even better than high end custom shops. Perhaps not sound wise but that's fairly subjective. Know what's not subjective? The fact that custom shops don't have all of those sick modern features that make actually playing the fucking thing feel better...

[@gohjohan]

@@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342 , I'm kicking myself too because I bought my Elite 6 months ago. 2 months after that, the Ultra series came out.....

[@davocreative]

i LOVED the MIM sound, i dont know why.

[@andrewpolitano]

Probably because it plays well with a cell phone microphone. Honestly the American and especially the Elite sound much more refined, more 'rounded' if that makes sense. The MIM sounds just toyishly harsh to my ears irl.

[@davocreative]

Andy well thats your opinion, i prefer the less harsh sound of the Mim strat. And by the way i have a pair of High-end Bose headphones.

[@engell3707]

Andy you should get your ears checked honestly.

[@jimmuncy5636]

I must be tone-deaf, because I liked the MexiStrat best. The MexiStrat had more bite, intensity, and emotion; it grabbed my ear because the amp sounded like it was about to blow up. However, surely the Elite would sound best overall, right? How confusing! I wanted to like the new Elite because of its C and D-shaped neck. And the Shawbucker is boring. Maybe I should take up another hobby.

[@bobbyberetta4206]

the only thing I like about the Elite is the neck

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

A lot of people like the MIM strats because they have that different style of pickup (metal poles with magnetic bars underneath) Like I said, buy with your ear. Also if you like the C and D shaped neck, I'm sure Fender will be putting those up for sale before too long. I'd go with the MIM strat, then swap out the neck. It'd save you a few hundred bucks.

[@gliddofglood]

You don't have to have the Shawbucker. You can get 3 single coils in other configs.

[@SuperGTRman]

U R PROBABLY TONE DEAF BECAUSE OF THE WAY THIS GUY IS BEATING THE HELL OUT OF THIS GUITAR...!

[@tecnoline57]

Hello, Congratulations on the tests. I would have to choose between a new STATOCASTER VINTERA 50 MAPLE NECK and a STATOCASTER AMERICAN ELITE MAPLE NECK ex demo (with guarantees) at the same price. Music genre: CLAPTON - GILMOUR - KNOFLER. I'll proceed to the tests anyway. Which would you choose? Thanks. I always follow you

[@TheRycooder]

The most SHRILL sounding video I've ever heard....why THAT AMP...just don't get it. I loved your description and what you were doing but that amp ruined it ALL for me

[@jmd_6145]

nice video , i like how you explain the guitars very good but i wish you had picked guitars that only had single coils, i have a 2011 mexican strat and now i know why it sounds bassy

[@danielhartman5086]

I like the sound of the American Pro out of the 3 guitars.JMO

[@soofitnsexy]

there was no american pro here???

[@SoCalDan530]

MIM sounded most authentic.

[@vzguitars]

Cool video. They all soudned great, but I think there is a noticeable difference between the Mex and American ones. I went to a guitar store yesterday and tried a bunch of Strats, and the American Elite HSS is just so much better in every single way! What was the song you were playing (first comparison, clean)?

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

Vlad Z Just a riff that I came up with and havent really used for anything yet

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

Vlad Z Things are a lot different now, the American Standard has been discontinued, and replaced by the American Professional. The new V-Mod pickups are a huge improvement, go check one out! we'll have a video up soon.

[@vzguitars]

Murphy's Guitars thanks for the response! That tune is awesome :) I tried the professional, but last years elites are currently discounted to almost the same price as the Professional series (even lower at some stores), and seem like a much better value for money!

[@jaycook2323]

Agreed! Elite all the way!!!

[@jorgef.ibarraadame9037]

Murphy's Guitars It souds like the "Stray cat strut" by The Stray cats...

[@joseruiz844]

Nice video :) What's your opinion on the N4 pickups? I did not hear very good things about N3 ones. Thanks!

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

most people didn't have a lot of good to say about the N3's. Our Fender product rep had one of the guys that helped design the new N4's come over at NAMM and talk about the differences. this isn't even the same pickup anymore. these are much fuller bodied, while remaining bright and lively. I'm a big fan, and we've had a great response from customers.

[@therealborischang]

They all sounded like ass recorded through that amp with whatever mic they used.

[@liampaulgilbert]

The MiM strat sounds more articulate and clear.

[@SuperGTRman]

IF HE GOT RID OF THE DISTORTION..WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HEAR THE DIFFERENCE!!

[@vinceanthony7046]

My elite is on it's way.

[@leftymadrid]

Vince Anthony -You probably already received your Elite. Just wanted to share, I got the Elite myself. After trying ALL the others, my personal opinion is that although the darn Elite cost me a bundle of money I can honestly say that the quality, playability, and the sound is tops!!! Very versatile and if you're not careful you can't help but to play the darn thing for hours. It's a guitar that will last and age with you, and as the weeks, months, years pass, you will notice the damn thing sounding better and better!! Put some good strings on and take good care of it, it will last a lifetime. In reality you get what you pay for and more with the Elite. I have had many guitars, good guitars, but this one still blows my mind. I am 56 now and just had to get it as life is so short. I hope you enjoy yours just as much as I am!!!!! Good luck with your music adventures.

[@jorgea3507]

Have a Fender elite, tobacco cherry burst, rosewood neck. Used only a few times almost mint. Selling, 1600$. Great guitar but switched to a different make guitar.

[@jayzbond007]

I wonder what the tone would sound like if all guitars had the same picks, would the mim be just as good as the more expensive am std? that would be a more interesting demonstration.

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

Googlegenius well, when you look at the MIM instruments its not as simple as MIM vs USA. the MIM guitars depend largely on the series. the mexican standard (the one in this video) has "magnet below pickups," so the poles are plain metal with a magnet glued to the back. when you begin looking at the mexican deluxe and classics those have fender custom shop puckups, which are very close to what's in the US standards, and the new mexi deluxe pickups (vintage noiseless) are simmilar to the american elite's (not nearly as nice for multiple reasons). I tell people all the time, its easy to look at it like american vs mexican, but there is so much diversity in each of those classifications. look into the mexican classic series, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[@koendebie4872]

Unfair comparison on bridge and bridge-middle positions. You should have taken a Mexican HSS standard.

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

I'll keep that in mind for future videos, thanks for the input!

[@robertocorrea7491]

I've played both, i dont think there is much difference in tone between the american and the elite (of course the elite has more options to change it), the elite is a guitar much more comfortable, compund radius and neck, they really make a difference, because of the lower action, and of course its very confy.

[@jimmuncy5636]

Do you have that clear plastic protective cover over the Shawbucker pickups? If so, wouldn't that make a significant difference in sound?

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

It wouldn't make any sort of real difference in tone. Some people just prefer the sound of the MIM guitars

[@nthewind07]

I think he is referring to the thin peal away plastic. Taking it off of mine made a difference.

[@styx85]

It's hard to imagine how the thin peal-away plastic could affect tone. It has a magnetic permeability of 1, the same as air.

[@jimmuncy5636]

***** Wouldn't it interfere with the magnetic transmission? Are you a sound engineer? I've never heard of "magnetic permeability." I'm not trolling you. Just seeking information.

[@styx85]

James Muncy Here's a quick introduction to the term: www.duramag.com/techtalk/tech-briefs/magnetic-permeability-why-are-some-materials-attracted-by-a-magnet-and-others-are-not/ Essentially, non-ferrous materials like wood and plastic are completely "transparent" when it comes to magnetic fields. They aren't affected by them and don't interfere with them.

[@john2759]

Thanks 😊

[@mrblues1981]

i didnt get straps on cable on mine just a strap locks

[@picazzo5150]

They all sound good when played clean. With a little dirt, you start to hear a difference. I'm not a fan of the Shawbucker pickup. There are better sounding pickups than this one. Feels like Fender pulled a gimmicky move with marketing the HSS versions. Granted the guy works there now but we don't need to have his named plastered all over these things.

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

The bright side is they aren't charging more for the HSS. When you work with Fender as much as we do you begin to learn that they LOVE charging more money for stuff.

[@icfree8901]

whats the name of that first tune?

[@guitarplayer5611]

Mexican sounds most organic! Overall best imo

[@donaldtrump2078]

Nice guitars for cheap skates!

[@danielali9908]

It sounds amazing! And what's the name of the first song?

[@MurphysGuitarsBountiful]

It's an original song by Aaron

[@chrisfelix7257]

The American standard is the perfect guitar in every way 🤟🙂

[@eardiverful]

The Fender Elite

[@selrod55]

Can't here 1000.00 dollar differene. Do you??

[@anthonydavella8350]

cant spell a difference between here and hear

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Not a big difference on face value but over time the higher end ones last longer and need less maintenance. Also hold up better with higher gains and more variety of effects. Buying a cheap guitar that's around the 300 dollar range is a nice money saver but has long term problems... And isn't the best feeling to play. Around the 1000-2000 range is ideal for good guitars. Higher than that is pushing it and often custom shop and those are slightly better/slightly worse than a elite for the sake of argument. A custom shop guitar might sound better to you in a subjective manner but custom shop guitars don't have a lot of the modernized features that a elite strat has. If you can find me a custom shop guitar that has noiseless pick ups, truss rod on the body, contour back ends etc etc then I would love to see that. So yeah... My advice is to buy american guitars in the 1000-2000 dollar price range and you're basically getting the best shit that the guitar world can offer. Gotta say though... Many guitars in the super low price range are quite well made today. Squire, gretsch, and sterling for example have stepped it the fuck up recently.

[@anthonydavella8350]

@@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342 I have like 12 guitars, some expensive, some not.

[@donharrold1375]

It’s more obvious when you actually play them. They’re all good. Fender don’t make bad guitars.

[@professorstein5855]

I always laugh when I hear some dumb ass think that you should HEAR the price difference. Sure, you can hear a difference, but that’s not all of the price difference. Could you hear the bi-flex truss rod compared to the Mexican single flex? Or what about hearing the difference between the micro-tilt adjustable neck and the Mexican strat that didn’t have one? Could you hear when he played the Mexican Strats 22nd fret - oh wait, it doesn’t have one. Could you hear how those fret ends were buffed so much smoother? Asking for a friend.

[@DizzyKrissi]

Even with the horrible amp sound the Elite sounded best imo

[@RobertScott-ne4sk]

ive had usa and mex strat.that nex was ok not bad but the usa was creamy sounding it was better than mex strat

[@vzguitars]

+Robert Scott Yeah, you don't get the creamy sound from Mex ones, sadly. Makes a huge difference if your in to clean bluesy licks!

[@RobertScott-ne4sk]

Yea its got to be USA stat for me,had both usa mex n mex was knowhere near as good

[@8BALLJOHNSON]

+Robert Scott Definitely man, I started out with a Mexi but as soon as I got my American I never looked back :)

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Not just sound because that has a lot to do with how good you are, how well the tune holds steady, what kind of music you like to play, what strings you use, the pick ups you're rockin, they style of play you're abusing, and of course the effects, pedals, tone settings, amp type etc etc... But FEEL is also very important. Not fun to play a guitar that's too heavy for ya, too bulky for ya, too hard to bend strings on, too sticky or sluggish and not slippery enough. Frets that stick out and stab you are also shitty. Hard to be a good player when your guitar is broken garbage lol.

[@SuperGTRman]

the tone control should have been used to ease up on the Shrill sound of the pickups...

[@enacku]

those elites aren't going for $1,799 anywhere

[@therightisright8276]

Should do the test with a 12" spker equipped tube amp. That amp sounds like garbage.

[@ivanmaguina4974]

Buena comparación, pero debió usar una Fender Mexicana HSS para ser mas justos. Saludos desde Perú.

[@troyfrost1980]

Hi " this is Troy can I get a catalog from y'all. email back.

[@romeo34889]

sound sucks..didn't hear watdaf you were saying...

[@trueworld3857]

Again there's no way of telling what any of them really sound like playing them.You need to get down to your music store and check them out.The elite and standard are too expensive.

[@bandicoot5412]

Ther's only one Strat there

[@engell3707]

Yeah, the no shawbucker one.

[@MisiekASG]

8:05 8:44 9:35

[@boyetmaranan5544]

the elite is not natural sounding strat . i still choose mexican fender practical tone and money .

[@wyattsdad8561]

This doesn't seem like a fair comparison for some reason. Maybe I'm seeing it wrong.

[@SuperJONAGO]

Elite...

[@suloporto27]

same shit, different prices.

[@ekostopoulos]

The Shawbucker sounds horrible.

[@soofitnsexy]

worst humbucker ever created

[@ekostopoulos]

@@soofitnsexy Don't forget the Atomic Humbucker. It makes the Shawbucker sound wonderful in comparison...

[@soofitnsexy]

@@ekostopoulos whats an atomic humbucker? i hate the shaw v mods even more,,,,played the professional series and didnt like it

[@ekostopoulos]

@@soofitnsexy It is a horrid pickup they first introduced with the American Special series and they've been using it to destroy otherwise nice guitars ever since. It's supposed to be a JB rip off, but sounds nothing like it.

[@soofitnsexy]

@@ekostopoulos im old school when i play a tele or strat I want full bright poping fender chime! single coils of course! been shopping alot recently here in nyc and the new fender line ultra professional etc. is really dissapointing

[@5tw8se74]

Man bun. 😂

[@theartfuldodger935]

Uh huh. Two words: Ernie Ball.

[@josephliptak]

A disgrace to have n4's and humbuckers on a strat. The mim sounded best because it signifies what a Strat is.

[@8BALLJOHNSON]

Very informative, and very non- biased. Each model has it's own features and strengths for the price. You get what you paid for, but with a Fender instrument it's worth every penny. Thanks guys!