Made In Mexico Deluxe Player's Stratocaster Vs G&L S500 Tribute - Tonal Differences Explored 

I just got a G&L tribute S-500 and I am blown away. This could easily be my main guitar. I cannot put it down. Great review.

the pull up is in the middle tone knob, not the volume knob

This may be controversial, but I hear more definition out of the S500 pickups. Yes, there is more output from the S500 pickups, but for me, the pickups on the player strat are a little muddy. Perhaps it's just my personal preference, but the player Strat sounds like there's a blanket over it's signal whereas the S500 sounds clearer and more articulate. I say this even though to my ears the player Strat is naturally brighter in EQ. Thanks for the demo. I loved it!

I like the Fender cleans better. The G&L tremolo sounds are so organic. They are incredible. The G&L has a more modern sound too. I like both of them and they definitely have their place. I'm still enjoying the G&L Thinline style Tele that you "sold" me. LOL. Always good to see and hear you Tony!

Thanks for the demo! I like the G&L much better tone and trem wise.

This was great, man, thank you! I've always been a hum bucker guy and never really cared for Strats but was thinking maybe I should pick one up, and I was debating between these two exact a models: a MIM Fender or G&L. Your demo makes it pretty clear that an S-500 is the one for me. Cheers!

If you set the tones at about 6 or 7, you can get close to the classic S sound. Turn them up to 9 or max, and that is something that I do believe Stevie Ray or Jimmy would love to have!

G&L's Legacy has pickups closer to the Strat than the S500. Everything else is the same except the pickups and the switch (on the S500) that turns on the Bridge pickup when playing the middle and neck pickups or the Neck only. The Legacy might be something to consider. Probably will be my first Strat type.

Nice comparison, I’ve been intrigued by the G&Ls.

I've got a 2019 SSS and 2021 HSS Player strats, and a 2020 Legacy and 2021 Comanche. I love them all but the G&Ls were less money and give you more. The Legacy has their standard alnico pickups and sounds a lot like the Fenders but was on sale for $300. The Comanche is fantastic, the best of all of them, the MFD pickups are amazingly full range, they sound like a strat with more of everything. Sweetest sounding pickups I own, clear and full with plenty of highs and lows too. Noise-canceling, anyone who wants an S-Type should try the G&L Comanche. Got it on sale four months ago (MF) for less than $500.

I love my DP Strat from around 2008. It's my main single-coil guitar. It just suits my rig and preferred tones. Works so well with dirt pedals.

Once you play a G&L, you forget all the rest (sorry Fender)

I own the S500 , added NMB hot rails and a few other upgrades and honestly don't think I could find a finer guitar for the amount I spent for it.

Great comparison. The G&L has almost P90 tone compared to the Strat.

I'm looking at the S500. Going back and forth between that and the Comanche. However I'm leaning toward the S500 because it can go from shimmer to beast.

I've been thinking about the S-500 or the Player Stratocaster for my first electric (just started playing last year). I'm surprised that there aren't many other videos comparing the Mexican Strat with the Tribute S-500, since they're similarly priced. This video really makes me want the S-500, those sounds are incredible, although the Strat does sound really good too. My only question, is, how's the tuning stability with the trems on both of these?

I did a bunch of research before buying my 2011 s500 tribute and don't regret it at all. It uses the same pickups as the American version, you can get that heavier tone, or use the bridge and neck pickups alone kinda imitating a tele type guitar . The bass and Treble knobs rather than the tone knobs are far superior in my opinion as well. Love my s500

The middle, treble knob is the push/pull pot!

Wow so much option of tone!

I want to like the Fender because I don't know anything about G&L or even what those initials stand for. But I prefer the G&L.

Thanks!

That S-500 is from Indonesia?

I think you should compare with legacy and not s500

What accent is yours? it looks a british man who moved to Texas