Is there such a thing as an affordable Strat?

BBB said:
Are you getting it to show it off or to play it? If you have cash to burn and care about impressing people that much, go ahead and get the more expensive Strat. If you want something that plays well and want to get a good performance for the price, go mid-priced.
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I am leaning towards the mid-priced used models...and I have to admit there's a wee bit of an ego thing going on inside my brain, owing to the fact that my heart is set on a real Strat and not a substitute. Perhaps when I have gained more experience, I can make a better informed decision on the next guitar I buy...till then, at least I can pretend to be a rock & roll legend...Maybe I'll even sign the guitar I get. :p

Thanks for all the replies, guys... Soon as I have the cash I'm gonna look around and grab me something'...I'll let you all know what I get and what I think of it. (Probably won't be for a while...I lost my job recently, and I'm not sure if I'm gonna get it back.)

Isaiah
 
Well, between interviews you can hit pawn shops and music stores! Just play a bunch of different stuff thru different amps. You might find ya don't even want a strat. You might find you're really a Tuba guy!:D
 
Good luck on the axe.

Sorry 'bout the job. Pick up a cheapie axe at a pawn shop because you've got tons of practice time on yer hands. ;)
 
Prism said:


I am leaning towards the mid-priced used models...and I have to admit there's a wee bit of an ego thing going on inside my brain, owing to the fact that my heart is set on a real Strat and not a substitute
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That's what I thought, which is why I gave you the advice I did. I didn't tell you to buy something else or that you were stupid to want what you do. I don't especially like them, but you and everyone else does, and what I like isn't the issue.

If a "real" Strat's what you want, you're not going to be satisfied with anything else anyway.

"Real" Strats - regular US standard Strats (my advice is don't bother with the overpriced specialty versions) are going new for $705 everywhere this month and can be had for that most of the time if you do a little shopping. Using this as a guideline, you should be able to get a good used US Strat from a private party for under $500. You live in a reasonably large city, so you shouldn't have that much trouble. Ask around, look at all the throw-away cheap classified papers and soforth. While you're saving up, educate yourself on the finer points of used instruments in general (and the Strat in particular) in the meantime.

Good luck! If you need any more help, ask.
 
two more cents....

I believe you can put anything you want on lay-a-way at a pawnshop or places like Music-go-round.

I also believe the school of thought that says, as a new player you would benefit from a quality piece that will not lie to you. You will have a more fair advantage while learning. You will also have better re-sale positioning if your tastes change.

The kid's dad next door bought Jr. a Cort Strato-sumthin-or-other. What an obnoxious, toneless, waste of wood and paint! Kid spends more time trying to keep the thing tuned than anything useful like learning scales or praticing his Eddie knee-bends!

Note: This is not the same guitar I tried to straighten the neck on by clamping neck between 2X4's and baking for 30mins at 375!:D
 
It's good experience for a kid to spend a little time trying to keep a cheap, untunable guitar in tune.
 
Re: two more cents....

getuhgrip said:
I believe you can put anything you want on lay-a-way at a pawnshop or places like Music-go-round.

I also believe the school of thought that says, as a new player you would benefit from a quality piece that will not lie to you. You will have a more fair advantage while learning. You will also have better re-sale positioning if your tastes change.

The kid's dad next door bought Jr. a Cort Strato-sumthin-or-other. What an obnoxious, toneless, waste of wood and paint! Kid spends more time trying to keep the thing tuned than anything useful like learning scales or praticing his Eddie knee-bends!
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Thank you Getuhgrip! You summed everything up wonderfully.


Isaiah,

Like I said earlier, "To each his own".
If your heart is set on a real 'Strat,
hold onto your dream and make it happen.
It will make all the difference in you and
your learning efforts because you have made
it so- your criteria, your weapon of choice on this
sonic battlefield is the time honored Stratocaster.

Find you a picture of your Strat and put it in a place
that you'll see it first thing in the morning and last
at night... and keep your eyes open to every opportunity
to learn something new, get ahead, save a little more.
Share your dream, but if any one tries to diss it ask them
when their battery was replaced last- you're dealing with
a ROBOT. It's your life, your stage and your show, man.
And don't let anybody tell you different. You are a one of
a kind, like that Strat- you are a MUSICIAN!

Follow your heart- it knows where to take you. Develop
a thirst for learning, and a humility to say "I want to learn
what you know". Share encouragement with others who,
like you, are learning too. Ours is a journey with the
destination left up to each of us. Love the journey and
it will literally carry you. Music, most ancient of all creations
of God is a rare gift given to but a human few. Love it and it
will express itself through you. Be true to it and yourself, and
all the great ones of it's keeping will speak your name in joyous
praise as one of their own beloved children.

If this seems "a little over the top"... well, good. Some are so mendicent and shitbrained. Actually believing to advise you well,
they would clip your wings. Not everyone in life is blessed with the ability to specify their desires. Where you are is your choice.
Your talent is there whether it is expressed by a cheapo or the
real thing. Because YOU are the real thing. Find and buy your
Strat and learn it as intimately as your own thoughts. Do it.
I'll be out there. Somewhere. Buying your albums.

'scuze me, while I kiss the sky!
Faithmonster

P.S. Do yourself a big favor. There is a video about a young
classical guitarist who learns the depth and the soul of music
when he takes a break from the school and studies the blues
"the hard way". It's called "Crossroads" and it features Steve
Vai doin' some vicious guitar work not only on his Ibanez JEM
but on acoustic too. Tell me about it later. F/M
 
# There is a video about a young classical guitarist who learns
# the depth and the soul of music when he takes a break from
# the school and studies the blues "the hard way". It's
# called "Crossroads"

<Sigh!> Could have been a great movie it it hadn't been so hopelessly miscast! A grittier approach (consistent with reality instead of the Walt Disney concept of sanitized blues for Kute Kids) with plausible actors and darker direction would have kept this from being such a waste. One can only bear so much of Ralph Maccio rolling his eyes and trying to be adorable.

Tarrantino should have made it. 8-) Think about that for a while and see if you don't agree.

I'd forgotten how badly I was disappointed in this film.
 
Yeah the movie was a bit cheezy.. but Tarrantino? Were the blues greats involved in Mafia or smuggling activities? What roles would Steve Busheme (sp?), Clooney or Samuel L. Jackson play? Where do the Vega brothers fit in all this?

And I can't imagine Tim Roth holding a guitar!

Cy
 
Investment gurus and movie critics...

Steve Vai was the only one cast well in that movie. True.

Tarrantino would have HOPELESSLY FUCKED IT UP. With
"plausible actors" and "darker direction" it would have
ROYALLY SUCKED.

It's the message- and the music. Something so simple
and clear yet so damned complex for some. Read INTO
it what you want- to each his own. Just don't screw it up
for someone else.

Faithmonster
 
Re: Investment gurus and movie critics...

faithmonster said:
Steve Vai was the only one cast well in that movie. True.

Tarrantino would have HOPELESSLY FUCKED IT UP. With
"plausible actors" and "darker direction" it would have
ROYALLY SUCKED.

It's the message- and the music. Something so simple
and clear yet so damned complex for some. Read INTO
it what you want- to each his own. Just don't screw it up
for someone else.
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C'mon, guy, don't be shy. Go ahead and tell us how you REALLY feel!
 
Is there such a thing as an affordable Strat?

or knowing whats genuine or whats a genuine fake :-))

Whats affordable like how much do you want to spend ?


Ive posted previously re this very subject my opionion is buy between 54 and 64 if you can afford to do so if not its a lucky dip between the rest of the years.

yeah there were some good guitars after theses years but i guess its a matter of opionion on that subject essp after the company changed hands a few times.

The myth so many are sold on died along time ago along with a great deal of their players who played those very instruments

sure i myself own a 60,s stratocasters but i will tell you this even way back in the times when this company were making those guitars most people pay stupid money for these days they were not always made perfect or made with all the wood you thought they were made with ive seen real bad examples of these very guitars and once you saw what the body was made out of it looked nothing like alder to me :-)

this is what id be looking for

japanese made stratocasters whichi think are now no longer made

fernandes st7 or st8 these strat copies i think they were taken to court for just before they re profiled their head stocks and changed their production

tokai as well made some nice strat copies early on some even had alder bodies as well these guitars take a few mods to make them real nice have them cloth wired fit staggered pole piece pickups usually customshop pickups are pretty consistent but you need to decide what sound you want.

replace the crappy cast bridge with a gotoh vintage reissue these bridges are the real deal and work dam well too you can even set your strat up to have the bridge float this way you can bring the guitar back into tune pretty easy id fit real nickle strings like a set of ghs nickle rockers as well for that great old vintage sound

fit a switchcraft jack and original us pots earlier stock if you can find them as the recent stuff aint quite the same fit a crl 5 way switch and im sure you will be happy with all as stated above

i myself also own a dakota red fernandes st7 with the same mods as above yes and i kept all the original parts as well so when im ready to sell it it can stay real not that it would be an improvement but originality is important essp when one wants to make the right money back

this guitar of mine even has a birdeyemaple neck with slight flame all for the cost of the mods and what the guitar cost me which was not much at all and im still in front this guitar plays as good as any of the stratocasters ive heard but i guess in the end you either buy a name or you play a guitar that does the job just as good believe me its not all as hard as you may think

cheers

wayne
Melbourne Australia
 
# Ive posted previously re this very subject my opionion is buy
# between 54 and 64 if you can afford to do so if not its a lucky
# dip between the rest of the years.

# yeah there were some good guitars after theses years but i
# guess its a matter of opionion on that subject essp after the
# company changed hands a few times.

There were no changes of any kind in production of the L-Series until the end of 1965. Zero. CBS took over with the end of the L-Series at that point. Up until then there were no changes at Fender at all. The 1964 being the end of "Pre-CBS" Strats is a myth.
 
Trebles!

The Church RULES! I never get to say that to anyone!

Just following the thread when I came upon your quote. Now I have it stuck in my head. I have nothing relevant to the Strat question, though.


Nate :D
 
Thanks Nate yes that is a quote from Mr Kilbey Himself nice to see someone else here knows of the church.

quote There were no changes of any kind in production of the L-Series until the end of 1965. Zero. CBS took over with the end of the L-Series at that point. Up until then there were no changes at Fender at all. The 1964 being the end of "Pre-CBS" Strats is a myth. end quote

Now for the facts

1) There were no changes of any kind in production of the L-Series until the end of 1965. Zero.

Hmmmm anyone have a copy of Normans Rare Guitars if so turn to page 42 and 43 you will clearly see the slight cosmetic difference its called a transition logo so this in turn makes the above statement redundent. and that was in 1 9 6 4.

2) quote CBS took over with the end of the L-Series at that point. Up until then there were no changes at Fender at all. The 1964 being the end of "Pre-CBS" Strats is a myth. end quote

hmmm quote The 1964 being the end of "Pre-CBS" Strats is a myth end quote

I THOUGHT YOU SAID THEY BOUGHT THE PLACE SO I GUESS THE MYTH ENDED THERE :-)

And yes there may have been a few late 64 bodies and parts hanging around but would you really know what all the different factory markings were or even the subtle differences that existed essp how the routes were cut and all else was done some food for thought there the only way your going to know is if you yourself repaired or built these very guitars ive seen at least 5 of these guitars on benches including my own.

original factory tags and paper work is also handy to have guitars with a tracable history are alot easier to follow up then the rest of the so called originals they seem to sell gee fender must have made so many back then and so many survived essp custom coloured models next time you consider buying an old stratocaster ask the shop if he/she has all the paper work tags and tracable history if not caution there are many fakes that are so dam good they are undectable i know i myself have seen 2 like this so dont believe all you see is as it is buyer be ware.


goodluck


regards Wayne
Melbourne Australia
 
I can't quite follow all of Wayne's post and my own point is not terribly clear, so I'll restate it:

The Strats made in late '64 when Fender was owned by Fender were _identical_ to the Strats made until late '65, after the sale to CBS was made "on paper" at the beginning of '65. CBS did not take actual control of Fender for nearly a year and all personnel, materials, methods and management were unchanged until that point. The so-called "Pre-CBS" Strat that was made in '64 was produced identically until nearly the end of '65, when CBS took over actual control of Fender and the line began to change.

There is no difference between the Strats produced in late '64 until late '65 and these are only distinguishable by serial number or date stamps inside. They are identical L-Series Strats in every way.

There were changes made in Strats in 1964, but this predated -and had nothing to do with - CBS or the sale. The paper transfer of ownership in early '65 had no effect on Fender production until CBS began to exercise control over the company nearly a year later.

Hope that's clearer.
 
You guys aren't gonna believe this, but I've just taken a sudden liking to the Les Paul Standard Epiphone guitars. My friend had a fake, but I don't understand why you'd want a fake when the real thing can be had for $350-$500 new. Anyway, I'm going for price here, and damn-it but the Les Paul looks so much more stylish. I'm a sucker for aesthetics.

Isaiah
 
Prism said:
You guys aren't gonna believe this, but I've just taken a sudden liking to the Les Paul Standard Epiphone guitars. My friend had a fake, but I don't understand why you'd want a fake when the real thing can be had for $350-$500 new.
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To most of us, an Epiphone "Les Paul" _is_ a fake.

"Real" Les Pauls are made by Gibson.

This isn't to say that the Epiphone imports are or aren't nice guitars, it's just that they are copies.
 
Geez, leave it to a naive dweeb newbie like me to say something stupid. I'll admit I was a little confused as to which ones were "real" or not. Either way, the fake looked and sounded great... but I'm gonna have to take a closer look at the real ones. :p

Isaiah
 
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