Don't get all excited about the "vibe" of the guitar. Concentrate on the basics, not dizzy desire. This guitar is not all bad. This is the rosewood board version, and that solves the "weird 9-12th fret" wear issue on the 50's versions. The guitar is neither as great as its fanboys say, nor as bad as the people say who are offended by the fawning. Check the boards and find out when and how this company will make you a sweet deal. Don't pay MAP. And play the heck out of the one they send; make sure it is a sweet one. Some are, some are not. I mean it; I've played a lot of these and they vary more than any other MIM Fender model that is regularly available. Maybe order 3 and keep the 1-2 best ones. The value I assigned is based on MAP. Get a deal and the value is very good.

This Strat sounds as cool as it looks. You will need a proper setup to get the most out of it - frets are a little too high once you get into the upper registers. Pickups have great vintage tone, nice and woody on the bass side and chimey on the treble when you want it. I love the feel of the sanded down neck.

Okay to start off I love the look and the sound isnt bad, but I just feels horrible the neck is extreamly awkward to hold and though it looks vintage it feels worse than a mexican standerd and thats half the price. the 7.25 neck is to thin and the shape is awkward. save your money and get an american or buy a mexican standerd for 300 bucks less.

If you dig the relic trend, this guitar will really blow you away. It feels like nothing else out there. And the sound is pure Strat. After a proper set-up this thing really sang. Stays in tune, even with heavy tremolo action. And is just heaven in your hands. Price is a little steep for a Mexican Fender, but it is a big step-up from the Standard. The hardware, electronics, pickups, wood and nitro finish really give this guitar a lot to love. After several weeks with it, I couldn't be happier. Very versatile and the pickups give you the power to play just about anything.

This guitar is such a great combination of elements. Quality wood (alder), pickups (Tex-Mex), and neck (rosewood) plus vintage hardware which give it an all-around excellent appeal and fantastic tone. I love the pickups on this baby and I'm glad they released a guitar with them in again since the Jimmy Vaughn. The relic treatment is pretty darn convincing, esp. because of the sweet nitro finish. It really does look vintage, but plays like a glove. I think the sunburst looks very much like John Frusiante's 62 Strats, if not ALL vintage 62's. It has that greened pickguard and sweet 3 tone sunburst. The sound is obviously the best part though and through my Orange Rockerverb 100 and a Vox VT50, it was a tone machine. Great versatility in the in-between tones, neck is very warm, bridge is hot, and even THE MIDDLE pickup gets it's due! Don't hear too many players rockin' the middle, but this guy sings uniquely. The bridge regrettably isn't a steel block, but I can't really tell any difference. It stays in tune extremely well when using the vibrato, I was impressed. I think the vintage style bridge is the best of tuning stability as my American Standard doesn't do nearly as well, even with an additional spring. These springs are angled toward the middle, a very popular and easy mod. My only beef is that the tone control isn't hooked up to the bridge. I want to always be able to roll off the highs when really rocking modern songs. Another easy fix.