Fender Mexico Deluxe Powerhouse Stratocaster
This is a Stratocaster made at the Mexico factory (Deluxe series) from around 1997 until the mid-2000s. It looks like a standard Strat, but opening the back cover reveals a 9V battery compartment, indicating it has active electronics.
Until just before this era, the quality of Mexican-made Fenders was not considered good. However, starting in the 1990s, their quality became almost indistinguishable from USA-made guitars. I’ll cover the reasons for this in another article.
A major feature of this guitar is the bottom knob, which functions as a boost (0 is normal; turning it increases the boost amount). This allows you to get a thicker tone or deeper distortion right at your fingertips.
Additionally, a “dummy coil” (a coil that doesn’t produce sound) is embedded under the pickguard, between the pickups. This apparently acts as an antenna, designed to cancel out only external noise (hum noise).
This guitar isn’t great at producing that aged vintage sound; it has a more modern, hi-fi feel. It’s incredibly practical and easy to handle, like a good partner. You can really rely on it when it counts… though the downside is that if the battery dies, it stops making sound.
What I love about this guitar is how powerfully it performs when you need it, its great playability, and this metallic gold color. I don’t think you can call this guitar vintage. Still, it’s been over 20 years now… no wonder I’m getting old…
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