Fender Stratocaster, 1994 (Mexico)

If you're chasing that legendary, low-down blues bite without breaking the bank, this mid-90s Ensenada-built Strat is an absolute beauty.
 
This isn't one of the budget "Squier Series" imports from that era, it's a full-fat, silver-logo Fender Standard, built right as the Mexican factory was hitting its golden run. At a perfectly balanced 3.5kg, the solid poplar body has a fantastic natural wood resonance. The real magic though, is the played-in neck, that has spent the last three decades being broken in beautifully, leaving it fast, smooth, and incredibly comfortable for big string bends, fast runs, and expressive vibrato. It takes years of playing for that sticky, out of the box lacquer on the neck to be smooth and worn in, and this guitar has that and then some.
 
Cosmetically, it has a few marks and small dents on the front of the guitar, but nothing significant for a 30+ year guitar. The finish is Crimson Red Metallic, a colour unique to the Standard MIM line through the 1990s, with a deep cherry undertone that catches the light with a gorgeous metallic shimmer under stage lights, evoking pure Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton swagger.
 
Whether you want a reliable gigging workhorse with three decades of natural mojo, or a rock-solid foundation for a custom blues-machine build, this '94 Strat punches way above its weight class.
 
Features
Body Style: Stratocaster, SSS
Body Wood: Solid poplar
Neck Material: Maple
Scale Length: 25.5"
Pickups: Three single-coil
Bridge: 6-screw synchronised tremolo
Finish: Crimson Red Metallic, polyester
Weight: 3.5kg
Made in: Mexico (Ensenada)
Serial: MN4144712 (dates to 1994 per Fender's Mexican-made serial scheme)
Case: Gig bag