Best strat for under $300-$400?

[univox5138]

I like my squier strat....and it was a great first guitar, but everything is cheap, and i don't think that it's worth upgrading almost everything except the main body. I bought a set of GFS pickups, so if everything but the pups are nice, that's okay. Suggestions?

[MrMunky]

Hunt yourself down a nice Japanese made Fernandes. They're identical to the Japanese made Fenders, except for the headstock design, and they're usually 250-400 bucks.

 

They are discontinued, so you'll have to find a used one. They suit what you have because the stock pickups are not exactly stellar and usually need to be replaced.

[Klisk]

I would go with the good ol' MIM Fender Strat on ebay. Especially one from the early 90's.

 

Just me, though.

[KjStrat62]

Mexican Strats!! I love em. Don't have any at the moment but they play great!!

[AbbeSauniere]

If you can find a MIJ Squier Silver Era Strat, they seem to go for $3-400, since everyone's after the 50-60's RI's. The pickups are pretty terrible, but workmanship is fantastic and mine is very resonant.

[inscho]

+1 on mexi strats

 

dont buy before you play it, the quality of mexi strats vary a lot in my experience

[LowEndThunder]

In this price range I would suggest a used factory built Carvin Bolt.

 

Very consistent, high quality American made guitars and you can get them cheap on ebay.

[english_bob]

It's a little bit different from a strat, but I played an Ibanez Blazer a while back that was nice. They come in various pickup combinations, one of which is s/s/s. Build quality should be very good, hardware should be decent at the least.

 

 

You may think they're fugly of course, but that's different.

[Ravelleman]

I'd go for a Jimmie Vaughan Sig Strat. They're great, supposedly.