Originally Posted by: spanky10940I gotta jump in on this one... As they said, either is good but definetly try it before you buy it. I have a Mexi fat strat and I love it. But I will tell you that they had another in the store when I went to try an amp out and it didn't play ANYTHING at all like mine. A friend said the same of the tele's. The beautiful thing about them is that they are so versitale. You can play just about anything with them.

About the Gibsons. I do like them but some of the epi's, which are IN my price range, (another point) feel like plastic. Not all of them, mind you. I don't wanna go pissing off the Gibson crowd. They've got a good thing going on. But if I was to get a Gibson, I'd have to save and get the real thing. They're sooooo worth it.

The only thing I would raise is that Fender does make all their own instruments (Japanese, Mexican, Squier, etc., as far as I know) but Epiphones are made by Samick, so for the price tag, I'd probably go for a comparable Ibanez if you like the humbucker sound.

As a random side note if you haven't seen one yet, Squier makes a hybrid instrument called the Squier 51- The thing goes for $150 and is essentially a hybrid tele-jaguar. Best made Squier instrument I have ever seen- I guarantee that they put Fender's name on it and double the price. It has 1 neck single coil and 1 humbucker in the bridge position, but it has coil tapping so you can split the humbucker.

I had a Fender Strat and although I loved the sound of it, I HATE trems, and this thing has a hard tail instead of a fulcrum, which is cool, solid tuners, C shaped neck.

I still have a Mex-Tele, and this Squier eats it's lunch, I am sad to say. I would definitely suggest checking one out- they SMOKE, and I usually won't touch a squier with a 10m pole.

peace

p.s. hard decision. to me tele was more rugged and had a better sound, but the strat is the quintessential rock and roll guitar and is more versatile. If you go that route, get a real Fender one, not a Squier, but in Squier's defense, the 51 is one of the sickest little sleeper's of 2004.