General Your general opinion of this product. Top Shelf from A-Z, top woods and electronics. Thanks Fender and American Musical Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Fender MIM 9.5" necks are a players dream Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Neck is fast with low action, controls are no problem, plays like a dream- Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? You can dial up any tone needed, the SD bridge is hardy and clean but can be easily tamed, the Tex Specs in mid and neck are bread and butter winners, you can go wrong here. Action How was the action out of the box? Almost ready to go, very musical guitar unplugged Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Perfect, no runs, drips, etc. Reliability How has it stood up over time? It'll outlast us all

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? ABSOLUTELY WELL PUT TOGETHER, IT SET UP RIGHT OUT OF THE BAR AND THE SET UP HAS HELD FOR MONTHS. VERY DEPENDABLE, NEVER HAVE BROKEN A STRING OR NEVER ANY PROBLEMS AFTER HOURS AND HOURS OF PLAYING. Reliability How has it stood up over time? YES, IT HAS PROVEN ITSELF TO BE ONE OF THE BEST GUITARS THAT I'VE EVER OWNED. General Your general opinion of this product. MY MAIN GO TO GUITAR, THE PICKUPS ARE GREAT AFTER GETTING USED TO THEM, TOP PRO STUFF. THANKS FENDER ! Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? NECK IS COMFY 9.5 RADIUS, FRETS WERE NICELY DRESSED FROM MEXICO FACTORY, FINISH WAS PERFECT, NECK IS THE BEST AND FAST. NO PROBLEMS WITH CONTROLS. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? DEPENDING ON HOW HIGH OR LOW YOU SET THINGS, THIS STRAT CAN PLAY A RICH MELLOW BALLAD OR IT CAN TWANG A DUANE EDDY TUNE. SET ALL PICKS AT 4/32" FOR STARTERS AND GO FROM THERE AND YOU'LL HEAR ONE OF THE FINEST SOUNDING STRATS EVER MADE. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? MINE IS THE ARTIC WHITE AND IT IS PERFECT, NO BLEMS OR RUNS, ETC. Action How was the action out of the box? ACTION NEEDED LOWERING FOR MY TASTE

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? very dependable Reliability How has it stood up over time? very high

Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? The only other Fender I have owned is an American Standard Tele, and I would say this (MIM) Strat is of very good quality by comparison. Reliability How has it stood up over time? Too new to talk about long-term reliability. But if you treat any instrument with care, it will stand the test of time. General Your general opinion of this product. The HSS pickup configuration enables you to cover anything, and you don't have to break the bank to get it. Quality is there, at roughly half the price of an "American" version. This is an affordable, "mid-priced" guitar, appropriate for recording, practice and gigs. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Love the weight of a Strat, especially after playing a Les Paul for 30 years. Fender does a great satin-smooth finish on the neck. Nice sweep on the volume control, especially if you like to do volume swells (without a volume pedal). Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? It's a Strat. Expect all the classic tones, plus the extra crunch and grind from the Pearly Gates Plus Humbucker. Just remember to adjust them to proper height for optimum performance and tone. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? I chose the black finish, which is glossy and flawless. Action How was the action out of the box? You should make the proper setup adjustments for best playability. You can take it to a shop. But, honestly, you can do it yourself with just a couple inexpensive tools. Follow the instructions in the manual & look for good online tutorials. I adjusted the truss rod, pickup height, string height, term/bridge and intonation.