A lot of people think that they (USA Strats) are the bees knees, actually. It's something that quickly disintegrates under closer scrutiny.
The earlier J-Strats prior to about 2000, were actually not that bad, they enjoyed what I'd call a "quality" revival, and were quite well done, the earlier the better. Companies such as ESP and Schecter sprang up in part due to the demand for after market quality Strat replacement parts which were way better than the OEM, after Fender was sold.
The difference is quite profound. You have to consider the cost, versus what you get for it. In some rare cases I have come acoross MIM's that were not that bad, in terms of set up and for the money. The problem is the consistency of that happening. Its like "getting lucky". The Japanese tend to be much more precise, less money driven to scrimp on the quality of components, and in general have a certain pride about their standards of work. The same can be said for Korean made mid lines, although that has shown some decline over the last 5 years. The Korean Showmaster Strat by Fender with its Seymour Duncans, was an attempt to match the quality and features of their Korean Counterparts, and were actually not that bad, but these didnt last long, I suspect because the cost points were such that they couldnt maintain the quality levels to compete.
If you brought in an Affinity, or a Starcaster, I would most likely expect to find a ton of issues with it, from the soft die cast tuners to the intonation and adjustment screws. I had a client bring be a USA Tele with Birds Eye Maple neck that was flawless, and had Swamp Ash and sweet Seymour Duncans. It was set up perfectly and yet played terribly, and to me that epitomizes what I generally find.
I had a running offer where I am, come plug in your stock Fender Strat, next to my stock G&L Legacy, same amp same settings. Plug your Tele, next to my ASAT. If you beat it, you get $100.00 no questions asked. That has been 6 years as a standing challenge, and guess how many have won? (I've been challenged 6 times).
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