Members Yer Blues Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 I understand Made in Mexico guitars start with serial number MZ. My question is... is there a way you can tell what type of model the guitar is based on it's serial number. For example, can you tell a road worn Strat versus a standard Strat, both of which are made in Mexico based on the serial number? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TomCray Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 Call or email Fender, I think they can tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members etawful Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 I understand Made in Mexico guitars start with serial number MZ. My question is... is there a way you can tell what type of model the guitar is based on it's serial number. For example, can you tell a road worn Strat versus a standard Strat, both of which are made in Mexico based on the serial number? Easiest way is to call Fender customer service and read them the serial. They'll tell you exactly what it is, at least for any guitar made in the past 15-20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yer Blues Posted June 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 OK.. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yer Blues Posted June 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 OK, follow on question. Why is the road worn series more expensive than the Mexican standard series? Is there upgraded electronics or wood? The price difference makes me think it is more than jsut the fact the road worn models look cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jelloman Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 OK, follow on question. Why is the road worn series more expensive than the Mexican standard series? Is there upgraded electronics or wood? The price difference makes me think it is more than jsut the fact the road worn models look cool. 2 reasons...one, the roadworn effect is time-consuming and labor intensive, more so than just a sprayed catalysed poly...two, higher demand allows a higher pricing point... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yer Blues Posted June 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 2 reasons...one, the roadworn effect is time-consuming and labor intensive, more so than just a sprayed catalysed poly...two, higher demand allows a higher pricing point... So you are saying it is basically because they look cooler? Or atleast part of it is the work involved in making them look cooler? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 OK, follow on question. Why is the road worn series more expensive than the Mexican standard series? Is there upgraded electronics or wood? The price difference makes me think it is more than jsut the fact the road worn models look cool. They have upgraded pickups (tex-mex as opposed to standard ceramic), and the finish is nitro on the body as opposed to polyester on the standard series. Also, I believe more time is spent on the finish and setup. Other than that, the "mojo" some folks thing accrues from dings, finish mars and wear add to the price... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jelloman Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 So you are saying it is basically because they look cooler?Or atleast part of it is the work involved in making them look cooler? the work involved and the higher demand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yer Blues Posted June 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 So, is the road worn considered a higher quality instrument? I.e. is it worth the price difference or does that depend on if you think the look is worth the extra money? I see new they are going for almost $1,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gsh68 Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 I understand Made in Mexico guitars start with serial number MZ. Not quite - M stands for Mexico. The following letter designates the decade N = 90s, Z = 00sand the first number the year.The serial for 2010 is MXI0, and on US made models I0.(The "I" may actually be a "1", I'm not 100% sure) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 So, is the road worn considered a higher quality instrument? I.e. is it worth the price difference or does that depend on if you think the look is worth the extra money? I see new they are going for almost $1,000. Right you are. A lot of folks opine that the feel of the roadworn series is excellent (haven't ever picked one up myself, so I'll have to defer), but I'd be hard-pressed to justify purchasing one of those over the similarly-priced US standard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jelloman Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 So, is the road worn considered a higher quality instrument? I.e. is it worth the price difference or does that depend on if you think the look is worth the extra money? I see new they are going for almost $1,000. to a certain degree, yes...as BSman stated, better pickups, more time spent on setup and playability, more labor-intensive ntro finish etc etc... ...you're getting hung up on the WHY...they're gonna get whatever they feel the market can bear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yer Blues Posted June 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 The thing is if you get into the used market... you can get a road worn for $500 and up vs. American for $900 up. To me, $400 is a lot of money. I'm not trying to get hung up on "why" as much as I am on whether the price difference is worth it... i.e. American ($900) vs. road worn ($500) vs. MIM ($300). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 I haven't seen a road worn Fender for less than the standard $949 since the late, lamented Fender Fridays. Care to share where one can find a road worn for $500 (which is the current price for a Standard MIM...)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jelloman Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 The thing is if you get into the used market... you can get a road worn for $500 and up vs. American for $900 up. To me, $400 is a lot of money. I'm not trying to get hung up on "why" as much as I am on whether the price difference is worth it... i.e. American ($900) vs. road worn ($500) vs. MIM ($300). Gotcha...and you have just entered the dark realms...used prices tend to follow market demand closely...this month roadworns are hot so everyone jacks the prices up...next month it may be deluxe player strats that get hot... whether or not they are worth it is a purely subjective question...are the upgraded pups and worn finish worth the extra money TO YOU? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreaserMatt Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 2 reasons...one, the roadworn effect is time-consuming and labor intensive, more so than just a sprayed catalysed poly...two, higher demand allows a higher pricing point... I don't know about where you live, but we are tripping over them in the GC's 'round these parts, LOL (seattle)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreaserMatt Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 MIA & MIM are 2 VERY different guitars... when you play them you know where the extra money you spent went, as opposed to a std MIM vs. a roadworn MIM... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CoqBelliqueux Posted June 16, 2010 Members Share Posted June 16, 2010 Road worn vs. MIM The difference in price is due to gas prices. They charge you for the gas used in the pickup truck they use to drag the perfectly fine guitar on gravel to make it look vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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