Options for hardtail with vintage frets?

[vinyl_key]

The hardtail isn't quite as important to me as the trem can always be blocked, but it'd be nice to have one anyway.
What does Fender have in terms of vintage frets? I can't stand even the medium jumbos. Budget is pretty limited (hey, I'm a poor college student, ok?) but I like to know my options beforehand. I'd hate to have to spend $250 to re-fret a $400 MIM

Thanks,
v_k

 

[TS808]

The hardtail isn't quite as important to me as the trem can always be blocked, but it'd be nice to have one anyway.
What does Fender have in terms of vintage frets? I can't stand even the medium jumbos. Budget is pretty limited (hey, I'm a poor college student, ok?) but I like to know my options beforehand. I'd hate to have to spend $250 to re-fret a $400 MIM

Thanks,
v_k

In terms of an affordable hardtail, the only one that comes to mind is the Robert Cray signature strat which is MIM. It gets some pretty good reviews and that is the only one that comes to mind.

There are quite a few with the vintage frets with trems, but I can't think of many hardtails that Fender makes anymore. Years back they made some 50's strats that were hardtails.

You may wind up just having to block a trem.