[banjo joe]

The MIM Strats are very good. Mine plays very well. Trash the pup's, though and install Seymour-Duncan's or DeMarzio's and you get a real screamer.

[sirshackleton]

I've got a fantastic MIA Tele from the early '90s, as well as a Made in Japan '66 Strat RI and a Made in Japan '69 Thinline Tele RI. Those old MIJs are great guitars for the money. I also have a MIM P-Bass that flat out rumbles. I love Fenders, but the crown jewel of the stable is my Rick 330/12.

[4wurdobsrver]

I agree, I also have a MIM Fender strat that plays very nice with a maple fret board. I have not changed the pups yet but thats a must do. the stock pups are too thin sounding and not good at all. I also have a Epiphone Sheraton 2 made in Korea in 95. Plays like a dream. Pups were changed to Gibson 57's, a classic and a classic plus. This is my favorite guitar now. The craftmanship coming out of Korea on these guitars is right up there with the best. Unreal for the low cost. IMHO

[flashbunny]

That's my plan. I used to have an american standard strat with the then-sorta-new fender lace sensors. Sounded nice but nothing special.

A little while ago I pick up a MIM fat strat for cheap used and after setting it up right it sounded incredible even unplugged. Much more alive and resonant then the american made one that would have set me back 4 times as much. Now I just need to pick out which SD pickups I want to swap the current ones with and I'll be set. But the stock MIM pickups aren't that bad to get by with at all.