New MK Fender

[Knopfler Fan]

Has anyone tried the new Mark Knopfler fender? If so, what are your thoughts?

Here are some of the details:

The USA MK Strat: Fender Texas Special pick-ups, D-shaped neck, rosewood fingerboard, kluson-type tuners, vintage tremolo, a three-way pick-up selector switch and a Hot Rod Red
swamp ash body. Limited availability so order from your Fender retailer now


KF

[64Firebird]

3 way switch? That's strange. Knopfler used to put tape on his switch to hold it "in between."

[gilwe]

You know, they think they should make a model that is as close as it can get to what he had. Actually MK had a two '61 strats, one had a maple neck and was used on the first DS album (sultans). The other one was painted red, and had a rosewood neck and a Dimarzio FS1 pickup in the neck. You can here it on Communique and Bob Dylan's "Slow Train Comin' ". The fat neck pickup is much noticeable on these records. Actaully the Texas Specials are not so similair as the CS '54s get... I have both of pickup sets installed on two different strats, and I think the TX are close to the Duncans installed on his Schecter but it sounds much Knopflery actually. However, I find my other Strat (japan squier) with the 54s much closer to the Sultans sound.

I wonder how sounld those 54s sound with an ash body strat...

[scottboyher]

Sounds GIMMICKY to me.. Like the re-issues that Fender puts out. They are hard to play. I would rather have a $400 cheaper American Standard then some of the re-issues they put out.

[Aaron Cheney]

Fender stays true the original artists' guitars about as well as Disney cartoons do to the original stories. I've just never understood the signature model appeal anyway....

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

[acorec]

Originally posted by Aaron Cheney
Fender stays true the original artists' guitars about as well as Disney cartoons do to the original stories. I've just never understood the signature model appeal anyway....

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

True. I did by a Richie Blackmore Signature Strat many years ago. The thing is made in japan, but is exactly like his. It is my best playing guitar. Blackmore really busted them good to make it true to the original. However, in abscence of the artist's input, Fender does take liberties.

[gilwe]

I think there are better/closer pickups than the TX special for Knopfler tone; definatly for what supoosed to be a 61 strat replica .... the same way they use the same pickups on SRV signature while most will agree they don't really sound like SRVs...
I still think the 54s are a better match, and custom shop do make custom pickups for their custom strats anyway...

[Aaron Cheney]

The problem is that Fender doesn't have contracts with all the manufacturers that might have made parts that were actually in say... SRV's strat. He used Van Zandt pickups from everything I've read, and Fender would never put those in one of their guitars so they use the closest thing they have - Texas Specials. Same w/ any other player that might have used after-market parts to achieve their tone.
Way back in the day I used to manage a music store, and I attended a Fender dealer's clinic once. The rep was giving us the low-down on some of the new signiture models, one of which was the new Jeff Beck, which back then had Lace Sensors in it. He told us flat out that Jeff Beck had requested that his signiture model just be a standard strat, but that Fender refused. They instisted it be a different configuration from anything else they already made so that they could market it a "sig' model" and charge more.

It's all marketing, boys!

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

[gilwe]

btw, did he really played lace sensors ? which one of them (gold ?) and on which if his records can they be heard ?

Thanks