Fender Strat buying help

[_brian_]

I was wondering if anyone has tried the HSS standard american strat? I am a big fan of my telecaster but have been looking to buy a strat. I would just like to be able to get a wider selection of sounds but don't know whether to get the HSS or the SSS?

It's cheaper online & my local music shops don't have the HSS version, here are the specs;

http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0117000706

Chears

[Codmate]

Get an SSS strat and a Les Paul

[Greg_L]

Originally Posted by Codmate

Get an SSS strat and a Les Paul

+1 to that.

[Thurgood]

I have wanted the HSS w/ Floyd Rose for a while, go for it. I played one and liked the feel. ( I already have a strat, tele and a paul + some others, thus not in the market for a guitar). But you should buy it.

[Greg_L]

i think if youre just looking for an HSS guitar with a floyd-rose, you should look into one of the million ibanez HSS/floyd strat clones that are out there. youll find one considerably cheaper than an American strat, and some of them even have 24 frets. just a thought. or, if youre just set on wanting a humbucking strat, buy it. strats arent the most popular guitar on earth for no reason.

[Violent5]

Seeing as you have a tele already, I'd go for the HSS. Its never gonna sound like a les paul but is going to be much more versitile then the SSS. I don't really use the bridge single coil on my strats. It seems 95% of the time I'm using neck/mid or neck pickup. I also prefer a true humbucker in strats rather than the mini's that fit into the single slot. A real humbucker always sounds thicker/crunchier/meatier/meaner to my ears and thats what I use humbuckers for most of the time.

In my opinion an American Strat is a great guitar for the money.


Violent5

[GONZO-X]

i would STRONGLY urge you to do the research, and build your own.

now that i've built my own strat to my own specifications, every other real strat i pick up off the wall just makes me go 'meh'.

the key, is either having strong luthier skills, or having a really good luthier in your area, to do the finish right, and to set it up right.

[_brian_]

Originally Posted by GONZO-X

i would STRONGLY urge you to do the research, and build your own.

now that i've built my own strat to my own specifications, every other real strat i pick up off the wall just makes me go 'meh'.

the key, is either having strong luthier skills, or having a really good luthier in your area, to do the finish right, and to set it up right.

The nearest i got to building my own guitar was back in school, i designed & built a drop leaf table, i was that lazy i ended up converting it into a single leaf instead of a double leaf, and it fell over - that isn't handy. It is something i would like to do when i'm retired - build & sell my own guitars. I really don't have the time sadly.

[_brian_]

Originally Posted by Greg_L

i think if youre just looking for an HSS guitar with a floyd-rose, you should look into one of the million ibanez HSS/floyd strat clones that are out there. youll find one considerably cheaper than an American strat, and some of them even have 24 frets. just a thought. or, if youre just set on wanting a humbucking strat, buy it. strats arent the most popular guitar on earth for no reason.

I had an ibanez steve vai, it looked nice but didn't sound that great, i tried to get used to the feel & neck dimentions, just didn't feel right though - it's the same with gibson guitars, i love the sound but can't get used to the neck width & feel.

[turnitdown]

I really like Strats lately..... an HSS would be cool....

Another option (to help confuse you ) would be a Charvel model 6....

I have one from 87... it's an SSH, neck through, and they are really cheap on Bay, etc.... Or an Ibanez, or.....

Eh.... just get the Strat HSS.... I'm pretty sure you'll be happy going with your first instinct......

I think Fenders are good deals for the money.... wish I could say the same for Gibson Les Pauls these days......

[Greg_L]

Originally Posted by _brian_

I had an ibanez steve vai, it looked nice but didn't sound that great, i tried to get used to the feel & neck dimentions, just didn't feel right though - it's the same with gibson guitars, i love the sound but can't get used to the neck width & feel.

well im no gibson expert, but i know that gibson used many different neck designs. i think a '60's' neck is slimmer and more contoured than the popular '50's' neck, though i may have that backwards. some people like a big block of wood in their hands when they play. anyway, most strats do have a nice feeling neck, though i personally hate bolt-on necks.

[cephus]

Although my strat is SSS, I can see where it'd be pretty cool to have a humbucker in the lead position. I have a duncan quarter pounder in there, just because it almost sounds like a humbucker, but with more noise! Hooray!

I used to play a HSS kramer that was pretty versitile. I had a push pull pot so I could split and tap it. Like if I pulled it out, it was low output single coil and if I pushed it in it was WWIII.

That's a figure of speech. Not the real WWIII going on in the mid east right now.

[_brian_]

Yeah there's a button hidden on the scratchplate on the fender hss strat, the configurations sound crazy - you can have all pickups on at once

[_brian_]

What are your views on the pick-ups the fender hss strat comes along with? my tele just has the bog standard american pickups.

[Tadpui]

My friend bought an american strat HSS in the last year and he loves the hell out of it. He's always been a strat guy and his new baby serves him well. So I can say that at least 1 strat lover in the world is enamoured with the american standard HSS.

[big country]

you can always buy parts and put one together and have a tec check it
out.Im still waiting on a deal on a good neck for my tele.Ive got a p-90
at the neck ,and a strat pup in the mid,and a stock bridge pup,and a
fishman bridge . my dream tele. 4 guitars in one. gibson, strat,tele,acoustic
all in one AXE. 5 way, two volume knobs and one tone.