I'm pretty happy with the guitar.

Did a lot of research first before deciding on the Player model. The price was a huge selling point compared to the American models. Neck straight, frets flat and fret ends were perfect. But, here's where things almost went wrong (no stars removed as this was Amazon, not Fender).

When it arrived, I was disappointed that somehow Amazon didn't get the memo that guitars are double boxed when shipped. Mine was shipped in the Fender box only - wet (it was raining), dinged up a bit in one corner and a hole puncture. After opening the box and inspecting the guitar, I was relieved to see no damage.

I was a little worried about ordering a guitar from Amazon but it arrived in perfect condition. The only issue I had was the delivery guy left the box out in the front yard instead of at our door. But we were able to get it right after it was dropped off so it didn't have to sit out there.

The guitar looks and plays great. This model line is made in Mexico but sounds and feels just as good as Fender's American line of guitars from what I read. Personally, without having experience with both lines, this one is just right for me especially for the price. I was looking to upgrade from my first starter guitar which is a entry level Epiphone Les Paul Special.

The design and frets feel much more comfortable and I really like the strings Fender puts on theirs. The body feels great, not too heavy and not too light. The pickups sound amazing. 3 single coil pickups that allow you to use a 6 way switch selector. I have yet to use the whammy bar. This guitar really holds in tune or very close to it every time I go to play it.

Overall being a beginner, this is a real upgrade for me. I would even recommend that someone who is just beginning to learn to play consider starting with this model if possible.

I am very happy with my purchase! Thank you Fender!

Everybody knows that the fender Stratocaster is a great guitar. I so I will leave it up to other reviewers to praise the instrument. I managed to be in the right place at the right time and pick one of these up for $625. That's a great price so I don't have much room to complain, that said- typically the fender Stratocaster is shipped with a soft gig bag. Mine was not. Annoying. They also typically come with a whammy bar. Mine did not. Again, annoying.

Otherwise, the guitar was packaged well, the delivery went smoothly, and everything looks to be in great condition. I can certainly recommend this purchase, just keep in mind that if you do, you may need to also budget for a case and a whammy bar. Whammy bars are like $10 so, not a big deal. Cases on the other hand, those can get expensive.

For the price of this Fender, albeit made in Mexico, this is a great value.

I've had many MIM Strats over the years since Fender started making them in Mexico. This particular Strat is the best of the bunch, in my opinion. There is some definite heft (weight) to the guitar which I found surprising since I don't recall the orginal MIM Strats (the ones from +20 years ago) having much heft to them.

The Floyd Rose Special is pretty darn good. People complain that it's not as good as the FR Original. Honestly, if I were to close my eyes and play both, I really couldn't tell the difference. As for longevity, who knows? I don't beat on trems so it'll probably last a while for me.

The pickups are just ok. If you want more of vintage sound they're decent enough. But for that hard to modern rock sound they do fall short. However, a pickup upgrade/replacement should alleviate that issue.

Right out the box, after a quick tuning, the guitar felt pretty good. I did have to lower the action and adjust the tremolo ever so slightly (just a half turn of each screw in the body). Other than that, there wasn't anything else that needed to be done to have it playing the way I like it. The neck is smooth and the frets are nicely finished.

The packing wasn't very robust so I am pretty surprised it arrived in pristine condition.

Bought this as a "new" guitar, and while it came in the fender box, it had clearly been reboxed.
The tremolo arm arrived broken, which isn't a big deal, but unfortunate. Part of the tip had been removed, and was not in the box. Much of the protective tape had already been removed from the guitar. It did not come with the tag for it.

All that aside, the guitar itself is in excellent, like new, condition and is genuine.