Tonefiend Forum

I gather the Fender branded 51s are actually solid all around, which couldn't really be said for the Squier ones of yore. The best thing about the Squiers was the neck and that they were getting blown out for $80 'cause no one had been buying. Lousy hardware, lousy pickups, and apparently some of the softest basswood used in guitars based on the reports of screws not staying in worth a damn. There was a reason there was a boomlet subculture of upgrading the hell out of those, which is that they needed help.

The Hello Kitty Strat seems to be discontinued altogether, so that must be secondary market gouging. Like the Trini Lopez reemerging as the Dave Grohl signature model, I wonder if it'll come back as the Joe Gore signature model.

Quote from NicPic on July 3, 2013, 02:39
the 51 I have is very solid...the pickups are dynomite,especially the bridge..yes its a squire,but its really no different as far as I can see from the supposed "upgrade" screws are screws..the only downside to My 51 is the frets are unfished on the edges...otherwise..its an awesome sounding/playing guitar...the bridge pickup has a really strong Van Halenish characteristic about it...

What Im saying is dont be fooled by the Fender BS...the only differance between an american standard and a mexican strat is is wood and pickups..the type of wood or pickups it has wont make you play it better...