I apologize if this sounds stupid but what is the difference between a regular Stratocaster and a Mexico Strat?

They look the same to me. Is the Mexico Strat supposed to be cheaper?

The Mexican strat is just had a lower quality of electronics, the metal for the frets, and put together in Mexico. The US strat is assembled here in the States, most if not all the parts are made in Mexico. The sound in the American Strat is slightly better although this isn't always true. Some Mexican strats sound better than American ones just if they by chance get a nice cut of wood. Try a Mexican strat out first, the majority of what you pay for in an American strat is the genuine strat feel, it says American at the top so everyone knows how much money you spent. Personally I don't think it is worth is for the money, I'm not loaded so I can't go out and buy a guitar that expensive. And if I had the money I would probably put it into a Gibson Les Paul. I think it has superior sound but is far heavier. It just personal preference.

that was well put, taco!

basically, you get what you pay for. If an instrument, guitar or not, is $400 LESS than another (with the same brand name) you are basically buying a lesser instrument.

It gets a little tricky when you compare different brands, because sometimes you pay for the name, so I am specifically refering to similar brand instruments, and so were you

Florentin
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Hey i have a mexican strat, its my picture. For the 500$ u save its a great deal. the difference i think is that the american has the brandname of course and a softer neck making easier slides. American strat also has better sound quality

I always thought it was just snobbery... until I played them both!! Jap & Mex Strats are fine, but when you play a genuine USA Stratocaster you really really can tell the difference in quality and feel. So much so that I abandoned my plans to buy a new Mex one and bought a 10-year-old 'used' Strat Plus off "a well known auction site" instead! I paid about the same money, but got a great guitar with roller nut and Fender Lace Pickups... tons better than the Mexican-made ones.

Paul

The American Strat is by far better than the Mexican Strats, at least in my own experience.

I own an American Strat, and believe me, I didn't want to pay the price, but after playing and comparing the sounds and feel of each guitar, I noticed a big difference.