Just because they're USA Fenders doesn't mean they're better. I'm still looking for a good American Strat. It's funny how people associate American made with quality.
i won't argue your main point, philosophically. my point is that the american standard is considered a professional grade instrument. as such, in order to get what is considered by many to be an instrument of professional grade, the starting point (used) is well below a grand. the same with gibson. higher-end studios, also vees and explorers are also considered professional grade. used, they come in at the same price point as the strat. in fact, they were, as new guitars, not
that far above a grand, up until very recently.
what i intend to infer is that for a grand, you should expect a guitar to be a great guitar, and not be surprised when it meets the standard. the one in the o/p sure is good looking though, which you wont
always see with the other guitars i mentioned. at least not as pretty as that one is. someday i will have a prs myself.
as to your other point, i don't understand how one american standard strat is different from any other quality-wise. i did have a weird neck problem with the last strat i had, but it was a fluke and not the norm. imo, if you cant find a strat you like, it's not the quality stopping you. it's the configuration, most likely. but people do associate american products with quality when it comes to guitars. the big 5 according to anyone you might ask is gonna be gibson, (tennessee) fender, (california) prs, (maryland) gretch (i know they only manufacture the custom shop guitars here these days, but the pro grade ones are japanese iirc) and rickenbacker. (california) all 5 are american companies. 4 of them still produce their pro-level guitars here.
