Probably the last time you will ever see this Fender Strat for this little

I apologize in advance if you're too late to grab this one, but maybe you won't be if you get to it fast enough.

I was scanning around and found this black Stratocaster. It's a Mexico build, and the selling point of it is really simple to understand. It's an open-box special that's selling for...

...under $500. Well under $500, actually. What's wrong with it? It's a "blemish" open-box, but there's nothing wrong with it otherwise.

The cool part is that you still get the warranty. That's the single biggest advantage of buying blem/open-box over used (which usually has no warranty at all.)

I seriously dig this Strat. It's the last outgoing Mexico Standard with those oh-so sweet ceramic magnet pickups that aren't used anymore. This is not the new Player model but the older (and arguably better) Standard.

For many, myself included, this is a near-perfect Strat. Truss rod adjustment at the headstock (thank God,) ceramic magnet pickups, full size body, "spaghetti" Fender logo instead of "transition", 6-screw bridge, standard neck connection (meaning no micro-tilt which never really worked right anyway), standard proper 21-fret neck with normal size frets, standard proper electronics, single string tree, black-on-black with parchment color plastics and single piece maple neck.

Is this a special edition Standard? Yes, it is. All that means is a Mexico Standard with an American Standard appearance, which is the best of both worlds.

If you have the cash, grab this one.. if it's still available by the time you read this.

If you did miss out on the open-box, it's still available as brand new for a little over $500 at the time I write this in June 2019. Still a great deal for what it is. If you wanted The Last Great Fender Standard Strat, well, this is it. And the price is right.