Love/hate for Fender HM Strats?

G

Gitfiddler

Well-known member
I have been seeing these around used, at not bad prices. Always wanted one back in the late 80s, early 90s. Didn’t seem like there was much love for the re-issue, quality-wise (crappy bridge).

Anybody love or hate these? For similar $, could always pick up an Ibanez 550 to scratch a similar itch.

Thanks!
 
Great guitars. A friend of mine had one from new back in the day so I got to spend some time with it, I always liked it despite the weird 25” scale length and the neck feels WIDE and flat.
 
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I remember them from the 80s.

In the really-real...they are forgettable. I think they had an R2 nut. That's a minus IMO.

I'd much rather have an Ibby 550 from the same era.
 
I bought one new when they were originally released. They were ok.Not bad if you wanted to get into a super strat on the cheap.I do remember the neck had a funky wide feel.I don't know what the new ones are like.
 
I used to work with a guitarist who owned one of the late '80s - early 90's Fender Heavy Metal series guitar. His guitar had a single humbucker, black Kahler Spyder tremolo bridge, black hardware, 25" 24 fret neck. It was a nice playing guitar and my first exposure to the Heavy Metal series guitars. Fender made a few different models of these guitars and they had a poster for all the different HM series guitar of that era. I was considering buying one, but went with an Ibanez RG-570 instead.

Guitar George
 
They are pretty cool, a friend of mine had one of the typical HSS ones. Definitely nothing spectacular, but the Super III humbucker some of these had is heavy.

The Kahler is a good unit if it´s complete and in working order, but I´m not sure about the availabity of replacement parts any more.
 
I have one of the early ones from the mid eighties. Single pickup, trem, 1 knob. The only problem in my recollection was it had a nut and the locking assemby on the head stock would snap strings if you went one turn too tight. It's had every pickup I ever bought in it. The JB sounds best to me. I replaced the neck with a Warmoth Maple. It had an old original Floyd when I bought it used for $175 years ago. The body is heavier and it is bright sounding. It's a better instrument than you can buy new for $1100-1300 USD with no case or bag these days.
 
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