Bernier,

As the sages said here, it’s one guitar at a time. Big differences. Mexi strats are something you don’t want to buy online.

Major difference in the pickups. If you can get a good neck and body, that’s part of the problem.

USA strats have individual magnets for the poles, alnicos. The Mexi’s and Squires have pickups that have inert slugs on each string, powered by a weak iron magnet underneath.

This is mixed news. The USA pickups are more powerful and focus on the string with a more narrow field. There is also less of the total coil used in proportion, giving a brighter sound. Give and take.

The Mexi brands use the weaker iron magnet which covers more of the coil in proportion. The pickup is weaker, and fake by purist standards, but gives a broader response spectrum. Result is a weaker pickup that is not as shallow. More beef at a lower output. All comes down to what sound you are looking for.

At the risk of destroying the pickup, the glued iron magnet on a Mexi or Squier fake can be torn off. Two choices… Replace the bar with a stronger magnet (neodymium as from kjmagnetics) or gently press out the slugs after removing the iron bar, and replace with real magnet cylinders (again, www.kjmagnetics.com your best and least expensive route). Don’t do the N52 grade cylinders because they are too powerful and will distort the strings, and therefore make the guitar ultimate metal but impossible to tune.

You can end after rework with a well-chosen Mexi clone that is superior to any high end vintage USA model hanging on the Guitar Center wall.

Best,
John K