Best Strat

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dakota
  • Start date Start date
D

Dakota

New member
I was looking at the Eric Clapton Signature Strat. Does anyone know if there is a beter strat for about $1500?
 
I have owned Fender, Don Grosh, and Melancon. I have played Anderson, G&L, and other strats quite a lot.

Here is how I rank my findings:

5: Fender - Great history, but now sadly a product more than an instrument.
4: Don Grosh - too expensive, especially considering the crappy bath-tub route. I don't like Don's fretwork at all. Don't like his nitro-finish either.
3: Anderson - A modern take on the strat. Awesome fretwork. Nice finishes. A little too expensive to be a good value.
2: G&L - Much more solidlly built than Fender. The tops aren't the best, but the guitars really have soul, and feel like the real deal.
1: Melancon - Again, a more modern take on the strat. Wonderful fretwork and absolutely unbeatable finishes - on par with any PRS or McNaught you can bring to the table. Hands down the best value on a hand-built strat today.

I'm a huge Melancon fan! I got mine brand new, with a Louisiana Swamp Ash body and figured Maple top for $1600 bucks! Plays like a dream, looks like a dream. You could get one without the maple top and with a standard finish for much less, and it would blow a Clapton strat out of the water, in my opinion. And just as a parting shot: I would never buy any signiture model. Sig model = overpriced.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com
 
Another vote for Melancon, I owned a Vintage T for some time. Fit and finish were the best I've ever seen.
 
I don't know if this helps but I'm a fan of the 1956 Strat. I'm not talking about reissues either.

Anyhow, I've gotten to use one a lot. I went looking for my own but never ran across one. I started looking among "Strat" style guitars for something with that vibe. I eventually found a G&L George Fullerton. Mine was one of the initial run which had the three bolt thick V necks. They now make them as a four bolt slim V neck. I got mine NOS. I doubt there are any other new three bolts left so you'll be looking at used there. Anyhow, you can do it well within your price or higher if you'd like as G&L offers a range of finishes/woods. I believe mine cost me about $900.

Steve
www.mojopie.com
 
I love guitars!!! All of them!!! I love the tele and the strat, I love my Jackson Dinky, I love my Fender Tele, I love classical nylon string guitars, 12 string guitars, Takamines, Ovations, Ibanez, PRS, etc.

Talking about strats, my guitar teacher, when I was just learning to play had a 1976 Fender strat much like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2549781871&category=47069

and IMHO it was an awesome guitar. Played beautifully, sounded amazing with the customized a la Malmsteen (DiMarzio HS-3 on the neck and bridge and scalloped frets from the 15th on...) Great guitar; IMO that is the BEST STRAT!!!

Carlos
 
Dakota:

When you say better, how so? Quieter? Better fit/finish? More versatile?

???

You'd help us if you were a little more specific. What are you looking for? What are you worried about?


Paj
8^?
 
The best Strat is mine.

1964 - nice flat rosewood board, Gibson frets (before I got it) really nicely worn blonde finish, great sounding pickups - knopfler in the middle/bridge position and Stevie Ray in the front pickup.

Oh yeah!
 
Specifically, I want a great sound. Good looks are a bonus, but not necessary. I will use it mostly for rhythm playing, so I'd like each string to have equal loudness when played. I'll be using medium strings, so the guitar must be durable. I like medium strings because I'm used to playing an acoustic and I like the similar tension of mediums on an electric.

I've played some strats that I was told were set up for lead playing, and when I strum a chord, some strings are much louder than others. I assume the pickups are responsible. Well, I don't want to have to mess with the pickups much.

Action is important. I'll set her low, maybe allow just a hint of buzz. And once I've set her, I don' want to have to mess with her everytime I change strings or the temp goes up 20 degrees. I want a solid guitar. easy to tune, stays in tune.

I was leaning towards the EC sig strat based on the user reviews on www.harmony-central.com.

Thanks for the tip on the Melancon! I have never heard of Melancon before. And they have even beter reviews on harmony-central!

I may have to get me one of these Melancons!
 
I can't say if it's the best strap out there, but I just bought an American Fat Strat with the Texas Special pu's and it's pretty sweet. Took it down to a friends gig that was playing last weekend, and two of the guys used and they both loved it.
Jason
 
If you don't mind buying used (and they maybe hard to find) the Fender Strat reissues made in Japan in the early 90s are excellent bang for the buck guitars. Look for the "Made in Japan" label on the back of the neck near the body, not on the headstock. However, last time I looked, people we're getting hip to this and the prices were going up.
 
I bought a Fender Strat deluxe. It has a Floyd Rose bridge, roller nut, locking tuners. It keeps tune very well.

It also had lace sensors that I didn't really like. So I bought some Texas Style pick-ups and changed them out. The guitar has a great beautiful tone now.

Also, the maple necks finger board seal is pealing off. Shity work by Fender. I can always fix this problem.
 
Dakota:

(1) You've received some great tips on "strats" already (except that Tele low blow)

(2) I always viewed the Clapton strat as a lead piece, but the PU are as noise-free as you are ever going to get on a stock Fender (Powerhouse strats are remarkably quiet for about 1/3-1/4 the cost of a Clapton strat).

(3) You have some specific requirements, so I would actually shop and try out strats until I found the model that fit the bill and felt right. When I was buying my Les Paul, I tried out over 100 before I found the one that felt right and met some basic requirements. It's felt right ever since. When shopping, my strat was the fourth or fifth one that I picked up. It just felt right and sounded fine. Sold! I did care that it was a Fender but I could have been persuaded otherwise. At that point, the brand or where it was made didn't matter to me at all.

(4) The strat is probably the most imitated, duplicated and mass-produced solid body on earth. A quick check of my recent copy of MMR (Musical Merchandise Review) shows that new "strat-pak" strats are selling for ~$45 wholesale---and somebody's making a profit on that!


Good Luck,
Paj
8^)
 
After an 8 week wait last week I final recieved my 70's reissue fender strat. Black with rosewood neck. Love it to death already. The neck feels awsome. The sound is very straty so to speak. A lot more so than most that I've played. I was hopeing for that hendrix and Blackmore sound and definately got it. The first guitar Ive had thats brand new. And it felt even better after a few days of playing it. The build and feel is very solid. Definately worth the money. I splurged on a vintage case too. Why not!

Scott Tanlsley
One happy new strat owner

www.feel-rock.com
 
i bought an american made fender strat in about 98. maple neck, sunburst pattern. i have never played on a better strat in my life. i always take it with me when i work at studios just as an option for who i'm working with, and it always gets used for something because of its killer tone and ease of playability.

fender all the way.
 
Like Freeform, I bought a basic over-the-counter US of A Strat in 98. (Lake Placid Blue).

I could not be happier. Great for rock, blues, country and pop.

Dollar for dollar it's terrific, considering that it's an American made, professional quality guitar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top