Might buy a Fender Strat... ...But which one? Help!

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Fmmahoganyrush

Fmmahoganyrush

Pleads the 5th...
I've been thinking about picking up a strat, so I go to music stores, and browse Musicians Friend for ideas, and end up being more confused than when I started. How many different styles of strats is Fender going to come up with, and what REALLY is the difference from one to another? Or, should I simply scan EBAY for an original '56, and scrap the new ones all together. I don't care what it looks like, it just has to sound sweet, and play nice. Any input is GREATLY appreciated. (My birthday was a week or so ago, and my wife still doesn't know what to get me... ...So I'm thinking....) Thanx, Tom.
 
I love my American Deluxe.... the feel and tone are amazing!

Bruce
 
You can pick up two supposedly identical Strats, Teles, etc and they will be different. I did this exercise a few years back when choosing a Tele Plus..........had three new ones at home side by side, each was marginally different from the others.
So get out and play as many as you can, some will beckon you to play them and one of those will be the right one. Let the guitar choose you.

Peace..........ChrisO :cool:
 
ausrock is right....I handled/played with lots of different ones, used and new at a guitar store about 40 miles from here.......all of them were good (well, except for the chinese one...seriously the hardware was the real give-away), but one olympic whiteMIA 1984 called my name in a big way......beautifully set up, no dings......had a feel to it........and it's mine, all mine.........gibs
 
Yeah; it's nice to play a guitar without knowing anything about it-How old it is, what pick-ups are in it, the price!!!! etc. I don't really agree in ordering a guitar as all guitars are different in some shape or form (even like the above have mentioned, being the same model). You've got to try and be open minded. Look at both new and second hand. PLay all the guitars through the same set-up (hopefully similar to your own).

Oh yeah; get a tele and not a strat, LOL.
 
Here's mine:

http://www.netcolony.com/image.cgi?url=/arts/epizeuxis/stratok3.jpg

http://www.netcolony.com/image.cgi?url=/arts/epizeuxis/stratx.jpg

It's a _very_ clean, all-original L-Series worth a mint, but it's not all that _as a guitar_. If I were serious about Stratocasters (which I'm not), I'd get an American Hardtail in ash, like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1479612392

I don't like the natural finish, but it seems to me to be just about the best possible Stratocaster _as a guitar_: No wretched tremolo, no overpriced "custom" foolishness, maximum sustain and tone, modern frets and fingerboard radius, good price. Note that this one went like a shot. Any serious player would have instantly recognized a real find.

If that one would have been in blonde or vintage butterscotch w/black pickguard and maple fingerboard, I would have bought it myself, unplayed.
 
Tom, I'm gonna get zapped for saying this, but I bought a mexican standard a couple years ago. Bought an american deluxe last year because the finish (natural) was so damned pretty.
In a blind taste test I honestly couldn't tell the difference.
Sold the deluxe in May to make taxes.
 
BTW, it should go without saying, but if it isn't a Fender, it isn't a Stratocaster.

Allow me to correct my egregious and thoughtless error of referring to the stupid whammy bar as a tremolo, when any moron knows it's a vibrato. Unfortunately, I was thinking of how people always misspell tremolo when I was writing this.

Shame on me.
 
new amer strat for ib 7 string player

I just received a white blonde ash American Strat from MusiciansFriend.com. It came with a case, tool kit, even a strap - I was a bit surprised given rumors I'd heard since being exclusively in an Ibanez vacuum.
I have a modified Mex Strat also. I work alot with my 2 Ibanez 7 strings, a Universe and 2027 and the new American Series is very impressive across the board. My understanding/experience with the Mexican made models is they are 'effectively' capable of 'Strat' but will not hold up as long and do not have quite the cadillac/ trully polished feminine feel of the American and above models. But as long as it holds up can be difficult to tell the differences for many practical purposes.
I appreciate many find nuances in seemingly identical guitars that make one better than the other. Personally I care about tolerances, design, and quality control. As long as those are on the up and up my fingers and mind will fill in the gaps.
If you haven't already, please check out Fender's pages and particularly the forum:

http://www.fenderforum.com/forum.html

Whatever you decide Happy Birthday in advance and good luck,
Jeff
 
Re: new amer strat for ib 7 string player

1 1 Meta 2 2 2 said:
If you haven't already, please check out Fender's pages and particularly the forum:

http://www.fenderforum.com/forum.html
Click to expand...

This is frequently an excellent resource, but unfortunately, there are some prime jackasses there with moderator status. Bring up a problem they find embarrassing and you may find you can't log on any more.

Oh well...you know, _people_.

Anyway, congrats on your new Stratocaster.
 
first of all i would figure out what you want. Do you want one with a humbucker? all single coils? Do you want one you can gut and put your own shit it. Bluesy tone or a rock tone? Old style bridge? New style? Floyd rose? I personally would not buy a new one Strat. I would check around at pawn shops (they always seem to have a lot of strats) and other used equipment dealers. I have 90 deluxe and I love it, i got it used and got a good deal. One thing to watch out for though at used places is them trying to pass a Mexican or Jap for an American. but there is an easy way to tell, loook at the serial number on the headstock and if it starts with MZ then it's Mexican and I personally wouldn't buy it, but I know people who prefer the mexican's to the Americans. I would definatley consider buying one used though, and if you got loads of cash, then buy a vintage strat. but if not just keep looking until you find that guitar that has character to it.
 
I got a Mexican Standard about 6 months ago. Since guitar is not my primary instrument I talked to several axe players. Although there was no debate that an American made Strat is better, I was told by several sources that most of the "parts" in a Mexican Strat are from the USA.

My Mexican plays wells, feels good and sounds good enough for my needs. Would I prefer better, sure - but for a $300 axe it does the job.
 
Well guy's, you're confusing the f^ck out of me, but thanx... ...It's getting me to think. I really did the sound that David Gilmour gets from his. He gets a mellow sound and can turn it into a screaming banchee. I like blues the sound - Buddy Guy - S.R.V. - Robin Trower - Jeff Beck... And the Strat seems to be a common denominator. And they all seem to use vintage stuff. I most likely wont be using the axe for gigs, just in the studio. I dont care what it looks like, what color(s) it is, or how beat it is. I do like nice looking equipment, but when it comes to my guitars, well, they all have their battle scars... ...It just HAS to sound and play wonderful. So I guess I'll just keep browsing (I have a knack to get my wife to dump obscene amounts of $$$ on music equipment for me... ...Don't ask me how) Thanx, and keep posting because I still haven't made up my mind yet. Tom.
 
mikeh said:
I was told by several sources that most of the "parts" in a Mexican Strat are from the USA.
Click to expand...
Yes, but they are not the _same_ American parts as in an American Stratocaster.
 
ausrock said:
You can pick up two supposedly identical Strats, Teles, etc and they will be different. I did this exercise a few years back when choosing a Tele Plus..........had three new ones at home side by side, each was marginally different from the others.
So get out and play as many as you can, some will beckon you to play them and one of those will be the right one. Let the guitar choose you.

Peace..........ChrisO :cool:
Click to expand...

You have a tele+? cool!!

What year and what colour? They didn't make a lot of those, I had the translucent blue one(blueburst?, frostburst? something like that), nice guitars, bought it around 91-94 or so. Great guitars, wish I never sold it.
 
pre cbs stats are godlike with very few lemons in those years even some of the later sixties fenders were relatively consistent but quality suffered into the seventies and never really came back. Some of the early squiers had a good feel but the fret wire was shit as well as the pups Ive played pro for many a year and layed it downed with some cool dues(not meaning to brag)but I can say with some certainty here where at my other postings I,m not much help. If you got the bucks and want that tone with that feel go pre CBS otherwise its hit and miss keeping in mind a really good tech can do wonders in setting up anything thats haveway decent. Buy the way I,m a huge HUGE marino fan good luck and beware of fake old fenders they are very good replicas I hear . Cheers Gag.
 
Emeric,

My Tele+ is about 4 yrs old, Blueburst. If you go to the "Desks" thread in the Studio Design forum you can see the bum-end of it and my 40th Anniversary Strat in one of the photos I put in a post there. I wont be selling either of them or any other guitar I have. They are here for the long haul.

Peace........ChrisO :cool:
 
If you have to ask us what to buy with your money, you better stick to fishing instead.
 
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