DerekMcC
I've read the comments since I joined a couple of days ago and have hit two local guitar stores to try out some strats. I realize that I don't have any real experience with tremolos, but I've played 7 or 8 of them in two days and the trems seemed to all be set up differently. That includes a used American standard from a couple of years ago, a used '84 model (weird trem with springs in the top and no rear routing), two baja's, some standards and a Fender's Classic Player '50s Strat.

The last one felt pretty good to me. It is new for $779 plus 9% sales tax. That seems like a lot for a MIM, but it felt good and might be fun to learn the tremolo stuff on, even though it has a very "non-surfy" two tone sunburst. I have read the standard online reviews; one of which even mentioned surf guitar.

Do any of you have any experience with this model? Is it at the right price point?

It is $20 less than M.F. (if you ignore the tax) and is from a trusted shop two miles from my home.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

Go here young man http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-50s-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=510136

Well out here in the Antipodes that sounds like a bargain, we're paying upwards of $1,000 AU - about $1,100 US for a MIM strat.

I'm personally a big fan of the 2-tone sunburst. It's such a classic look, and not something you see all of the time.

As for the trems on the Strats, there are basically 2 different kinds: The Vintage 6 screw, and the 2 post American Std. I don't have a lot of experience with the vintage trems, but I play an American Standard and love it. I don't believe it's a standard option, but mine also has a tremsetter in the back of the guitar between the springs. It's essentially makes sure that it always returns to tune after a trem dip (some I do a LOT). This might help with your tremolo issues. Do a search on Musician's Friend and you'll see it. I might also recommend trying your basic standard MIM Strat. I think that they are the perfect Fender "starter" guitar. You can grab one for right around $400 USD, and feel OK taking it apart and tweaking it to see what you like.

• Jamie
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Hi Derek

The guitar you have been looking at is not a MM Classic Players Strat It is the Fender Classic Series '50s Stratocaster Electric Guitar they are a bit different on the specs the 50s has a 7.5 neck radius and the Players has a 12 neck radius and a 2 post trem. I have both types and they are great players and are value for money if it feels and plays ok then go for it. I have no regrets about my two.

Have a good day
Rich

Hi Derek -
I think I can shed some light here - I bought the exact guitar you're looking at (even the 2T burst) a couple months ago. I have to say I was VERY impressed with the quality and setup of this guitar right out of the box (I bought from MF). The 3 piece body is hard to see the seems on, and the finish is excellent, better than the last Amer Strat I had. I wasn't sure about the neck, either the 50s soft-v contour or the maple fretboard, as I usually prefer neither, but I have to say this guitar is very easy to play - this may also be due to the 9.5inch radius, which I do like very much. The gloss finish on the neck is excellent, and I've found my hands work pretty well on it.
The trem was setup perfectly, with low but no buzz action - again, better than most guitars I've bought online or on ebay. The trem works smoothly, but I have to admit I have trouble working the old style 50s short bar smoothly enough for surf - I much prefer the JM/Jag style trem, but that's me. The pickups are Amer vintage pickups - to my ear, very low output but a sweet sound. I didn't buy this guitar for surf, but have tried it with my Showman/Reverb setup, and the neck pickup sounds very good - the bridge is very brittle, but I didn't play with the amp EQ. Pickup selection 4 (from front to back) is interesting as it is the neck and bridge pickup together, NOT the middle/bridge. This is an interesting sound for some surf songs. I think the pickup sounds are a matter of personal taste - these are good pickups, but not really my taste for surf (I am really a JM player for surf, and also have a Tokai Hummingbird reissue that I like).
Finally, the guitar I got is pretty light - 7 3/4 lbs by my home scale. It's very comfortable and makes some great sounds, but I plan to use it mostly for blues and ancient rock. This is mostly because I really like the JM pickups and trem for surf work. But I do think they designed an excellent guitar here, and I haven't always been a Fender fan. Again, the truly amazing thing to me is the fit and finish - I got a great version, and would hope they're being consistent here.
This guitar also comes in shoreline gold, which I like (my JM is that color).
I hope this is helpful - I'm still getting to know this Strat, but I'm pretty impressed so far. Cheers and good luck!

Thanks for the info groucho26

"I'm always getting you angry, it must be my accent or something." - Columbo

I think that you should go for the classic player. I have a classic player 60's and it plays very well. My teacher first thought that it was some kind of an american high end model when he first played it, only the poly finish was bugging him (the AVRI have nitro...). The price isn't really that much higher than that of the normal classic series, if you think about the nice american pickups and better hardware. At least I would definitely go for the classic player between these two. In my country a guitar like that for 630€ is simply a bargain .

...sorry for my english

yaaay first post!