Stratitus is not some incurable disease. You just adjust the pickups. Which is a must on a stock guitar almost always.
Another thing that can act like it is rusty strings. Not rust you can see, but normal micro-corrosion on the underside of strings. But almost always it's the pickup height.
It's like I've said before, you don't buy one Strat blind. You physically play 10 of them and maybe one will speak to you. If not, try another 10.
Nice concept in theory, but not practical in Las Vegas. Stores these days only carry a limited amount of demos. And they are not representative of the guitar they need to order and have shipped in for you to purchase. They might not let you in the store when you return the ninth guitar and ask them to order another. 
Thats retail limitations.
Its pretty obvious what the Internet purchasing limitations are. If you start ordering and returning 10 guitars the company will soon put you on their blacklist.
So I think in this market your philosophy isnt credible.
Stratitus is not some incurable disease. You just adjust the pickups. Which is a must on a stock guitar almost always.
Another thing that can act like it is rusty strings. Not rust you can see, but normal micro-corrosion on the underside of strings. But almost always it's the pickup height.
Do a little more research and you will find that lots of folks report several touted fixes (including pickup height adjustment, coil wrapping, rust removal) DONT fix their issue. I spoke to Fender Support and they admitted its an issue that there are no clear answers for. My Fender authorized luthier concurred with that evaluation.
I'm left-handed and live in North Carolina. Not exactly the guitar capital of the world. I can't just go out on any day of the week an find a lefty American Strat around here.
It's patience. When I take trips I check out stores. I look routinely around town and they come up here and there. It can take years to amass a collection that is exactly what you like.
If you are impatient and buy/sell/buy/sell as if the next piece of gear has the answer for you, it's not as satisfying a journey as biding your time and finding that right piece of gear. Like I said, it's like falling in love. It actually means something to you. You then have a relationship with the guitar. A story. I remember each buy like it was a trip to Paris. Internet buys have nothing on that kind of "find". I'm sure you've experienced this at least once.
That's been my experience, so I don't try and force acquisitions. Las Vegas being what it is, I'm sure the Righty Market for guitars is excellent.
If you think YOU got problems, try being a lefty! There are guitars, like your Variax, that aren't even made for us.
Unbelievable thread. Kudos to all you guys for being this patient with a thread opener who is not willing to follow a single advice you gave him.
Do a little more research and you will find that lots of folks report several touted fixes (including pickup height adjustment, coil wrapping, rust removal) DONT fix their issue. I spoke to Fender Support and they admitted its an issue that there are no clear answers for. My Fender authorized luthier concurred with that evaluation.
There is literally nothing on a guitar you can't alter and therefore fix. It's not a Psychological Disorder. It's wood and metal with all interchangeable parts.
In your case, not worth it as it's too new, just return it. Someone telling you a guitar can't be fixed is putting you on. That's like saying your car can't be fixed.
Nice concept in theory, but not practical in Las Vegas. Stores these days only carry a limited amount of demos. And they are not representative of the guitar they need to order and have shipped in for you to purchase. They might not let you in the store when you return the ninth guitar and ask them to order another. Thats retail limitations.
Its pretty obvious what the Internet purchasing limitations are. If you start ordering and returning 10 guitars the company will soon put you on their blacklist.
So I think in this market your philosophy isnt credible.
man... I totally disagree with your proposition.. if you're gonna live with a guitar and bond with it, you've got to spend the time to search for it... period. The great ones don't just show up on your doorstep in a box without some serious effort to find it first. Research is key amongst internet buying but still that is clearly fallible. I'd hypothesize that most of the players here put their hands on a guitar, actually many of them, before they buy... otherwise, within months, it'll be out the door for another. I find myself searching all the time... and playing a lot.. some to resell and others to keep; a stable is something that takes time and effort. So at least for what it's worth... maybe spend more time touching, feeling and listening before the next strat... instead of looking for the best deal. 
Wow. With all the help here, a normal person wouldn't be this way.
So the luthier tried lowering the pickups and it didn't solve the issue?
I have a Fat50s on my strat in the neck position - and I surely had to lower the pickup considerably. It's now probably about 14/64 from the strings on the lower E. Any higher and there's a nice case of stratitis.
Stratitus is not some incurable disease. You just adjust the pickups. Which is a must on a stock guitar almost always.
Another thing that can act like it is rusty strings. Not rust you can see, but normal micro-corrosion on the underside of strings. But almost always it's the pickup height.
Another possible cause is a rattling part of the tremolo or the springs. I had that with one particular strat in the past but that could be fixed with a bit of glue or wax.
But as you said: Almost always it is the pickup height. And I also find it highly unlikely that a luthier or even the Fender support don't know how to cure "Stratitus". This is stuff that even the guys at Leo's shop in 1954 knew and of course Fender support knows how to deal with it.
Stratitus is so easily cured it's not even funny.
Another possible cause is a rattling part of the tremolo or the springs. I had that with one particular strat in the past but that could be fixed with a bit of glue or wax.
But as you said: Almost always it is the pickup height. And I also find it highly unlikely that a luthier or even the Fender support don't know how to cure "Stratitus". This is stuff that even the guys at Leo's shop in 1954 knew and of course Fender support knows how to deal with it.
Stratitus is so easily cured it's not even funny.
That is true. I typically put a block on my tremolo to improve sustain and keep better tuning. I've just not been lucky to have found a great Hard Tail bridge yet.
Another issue I once saw was the neck screws were too loose. Like I said, Strats are uber finicky. It took me a long time to truly appreciate them. Like having a cat for a pet.
I'd like to know what Luthier isn't so busy they can look at your guitar and adjust it right away. I've bought guitars from mine and done business for years but still can't get in during the day I call him unless I offer to take him out to lunch. Luthiers ALWAYS take bribes!!
It's like I've said before, you don't buy one Strat blind. You physically play 10 of them and maybe one will speak to you. If not, try another 10. The one that speaks to you is worth all the trying, and often comes, like love, when you're not really looking for it!
+1
The strangest thing - sometimes I find a Strat when I don't even want it 
Nice concept in theory, but not practical in Las Vegas. Stores these days only carry a limited amount of demos. And they are not representative of the guitar they need to order and have shipped in for you to purchase. They might not let you in the store when you return the ninth guitar and ask them to order another.
I would NEVER order a guitar of the same type - after playing a great one in a shop.
The one you may get - can sound VERY different.
I buy the one I played or nothing.
I would NEVER order a guitar of the same type - after playing a great one in a shop.
The one you may get - can sound VERY different.
I know, right? I was having a salesman try and push a Tele on me. I resisted cause I HATED Tele's. Never played one I liked up to that point. Too bright. Too twangy. Action too high. Too heavy. Edges hurt my ribs. Etc.
So I actively ignored him and told him to bugger off on a routine basis (we were buddies) cause I wasn't blowing THAT much money on a guitar I KNEW I didn't like.
This went on for 6 months.
One day, bored and looking for a Lefty to play, I picked if off the shelf, put it through a Fender Vibrolux and was STUNNED by what I heard, and loved the action.
It was a 52 RI and I put it back on the shelf. I figured It was the Vibrolux. Next week, picked it up and put it to a Deluxe 65 RI. STUNNED. Put it into a Marshall 2000, STUNNED. Where had this guitar been ALL MY LIFE?!?
That sucker sounded great with every amp I put it to. And in the Kemper, it's the same way. It's a beast. My second favorite guitar. From Hatred-->Love. It can happen. It does happen.
Guenterhaas, you seem to be missing the point here.
In my experience something DOES matter since SOMETHING was essentially flawed in the Strat thus causing this distortion that is so widely noted & documented as to have the name "Stratitus" given to it. My Soloist didnt have this issue. Niether did my Les Paul or boutique Esoterik. Just the Strat.
You are lucky it didnt affect yours. I am unlucky that it did affect mine. I will think twice before buying anymore Strats, thats for sure. Not interested in going thru this experience again.
I don't miss anything here, you just bought a bad guitar, that can happen if you order a guitar without playing it before. 
I never bought a guitar without playing it before extensively, maybe that's the reason I never had one with "Stratitis".
Guys ,
I will put it very straight .
Why do you waste your money, your time and you energy with rubbish guitars ?????????
Rubbish guitars are ALL stock Fenders, Gibsons , Ibanez ..you name it ....
All those "big:" names sells only one thing -the brand name - because Hendrix played it , because Him and Him played it .
Wood is rubbish, mechanical part is rubbish, fret work and fret quality is a SHAME , electronic is rubbish , work quality in total is bellow and beyond human understanding of shit work .One need to spend at least 100-200 $ on post factory set-up making rubbish guitar to sound so so normal.
For the same, or just a bit more money , one can buy boutique guitar and to be happy until the rest of his fucking life .
On my 3 mass produced guitars , I spend another +- 500 $ to make them to look and sound more polite , but they are still miles away from my boutique, hand made , no need for post factory set up guitars .
There is a saying - "one cannot make apple pie from shit " , that's it .
Why do you allow to Fender and Gibson (just 2 biggest ones) to continue to screw us , us humble and friendly guitarist population .
Fuck them , stop to buy rubbish !!!!
Now, you can kill me , but this is what is .
All the best , and wake up once forever !
Cheers,
Zoran
PS
For everyone wondering about this thread - this was a real reason of the thread - mass produced , from China parts and fake wood, fake pick ups , big name rubbish guitar (s) .
Sorry Las ( and everyone else) , but someone have to tell you a truth .
If you don't have enough money, buy Tokai , since every Tokai is better tan any fucking "big name " guitar I 've tried so far .
Fuck me. 
The reason people get Fenders, Gibsons, etc are they are simply the best sounding guitars around back in the 60's when Rock exploded world-wide.
So their popularity today stems from that fame and trying to recreate that sound.
While there have been times of greater and lesser quality, it was as true in the 60's that you needed to find a good one, or make one from various parts, as Clapton famously did with Blackie.
I am sure that boutique guitars also have some duds, even if just a smaller percentage.
The fact is, you can get an amazing MIM Strat and upgrade it's electronics, and still cost you way under $1k, but you can't possible find a $3k PRS for under $1k.
If you have the patience, you can find stellar guitars from any brand/model, you just have to pan for the gold, and panning takes time.
If you have the patience, you can find stellar guitars from any brand/model, you just have to pan for the gold, and panning takes time.
If you are left handed and live in Spain, you have to be very very patient... Unfortunately I only could try one of my guitars before buying it and there was only one in the shop. My Tele, Les Paul and Strat were all bought without trying.
