Who makes the best Strat???

[Aaron Cheney]

Well....who?

Grosh? Suhr? Melancon? Keeley? Fender? G&L?

Who???

I'm talking current production, not mythological vintage ghosts. In other words, if I wanted a great new strat, where should I look?

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

 

[jonathanl]

Edit:

I just read a post reading you had a Strat already, so, ignore what I said But still, I don't think there's anything wrong the "Fender Stratocaster"...



---

I've never even heard of the first 3 companies.

I thought Keeley was a effects guy..

I don't think you can go wrong with a Fender Strat really. If you have the $$$, then an American strat, but I hear sometimes the MIM Strats are decent too depending on your budget.

I haven't heard a G&L, but seeing how it's Leo's last company, it should be decent...

 

[acidrock]

Who makes the best Pizza?
Who's the hottest chick around?
Who is the best football/baseball/basketball player ever?

Your question invites answers that are totally personal preference.

My answer would be Fender,based on the fact that anything else is a copy.
Now some of the copies may be better than the original.I know that at one time there was a company that made upscale versions of Danelectro guitars but the name eludes me right now.

 

[ScooterMcTiny]

Jerry Jones guitars makes the dano copies...quite nice guitars...especially the baritone

 

[jimistone]

there is only 1 company that makes strats......Fender.....EVERYTHING else is a COPY of a strat

 

[Kramer]

I'm talking current production, not mythological vintage ghosts. In other words, if I wanted a great new strat, where should I look?

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

Fender of course.

 

[gbondo9]

G&L
The quality of G&L far surpasses that of fender, especially in the last 10 years or so. And the pricetag is actually on par with the craftmanship.
After playing a G&L, I would never own a fender.
IMHO,
Todd

 

[TheGuitarMan]

there is only 1 company that makes strats......Fender.....EVERYTHING else is a COPY of a strat

Right, because Fender is "the real deal."

No more of this apple and oranges, "It's all subjective" bullshit. Opinions can be wrong and God damnit, some guitars are just plain BETTER than others!!!

 

[Buck62]

G&L
The quality of G&L far surpasses that of fender, especially in the last 10 years or so. And the pricetag is actually on par with the craftmanship.
After playing a G&L, I would never own a fender.
IMHO,
Todd

I second Todd's opinion, and I happen to own a G & L.
The only new Strats by Fender that are comparable to a G & L are the custom shop ones... and you're talking big $$$ there.

Besides G & L, any Tokai Springy Sound, Goldstar Sound, or Silver Star made before 1984 are the finest Strat copies ever to grace this earth. It's as if Leo himself inspected each and every one personally. They're still not too hard to find and they're worth every penny. I've played a 1982 Springy Sound and it's on par with the REAL Strats of the late 50's/early 60's era in every aspect.

The Silver Star was originally distributed exclusively in Japan.
Here's one I found on eBay that looks really sweet...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2515941834&category=2384

 

[Gidge]

G&L is THE Strat, no question.........

 

[mjbee]

a company that made upscale versions of Danelectro guitars but the name eludes me right now.

Hondo?

 

[DaveM]

I'd have to agree that G&L makes a good guitar. At least they did a few years ago when I was checking them out.

Similarly, I'd say the best Les Paul comes out of the Heritage company.

 

[KaBudokan]

One of the guys at the PRS Forum did a high-end strat shootout recently. He ended up with a used Fender (a '97 special model) after trying out Anderson, Suhr, Grosh, etc.

Then he bought a Melancon, and is sticking with that.

If I had the cash, etc., I would check out the usual suspects (you mentioned), but would definitely think about...

Lentz and Callaham.

The Callaham means you'll be waiting a few years! The Lentz turnaround is supposedly not too bad - about 90 days or so.

Maybe also check out Tyler - they supposedly have something unique that players find hard to quantify. Plus, they have the psychedelic vomit finish.

http://www.tylerguitars.com/psychedelic_vomit.htm

 

[CDT-sHaG]

i played a G&L recently that was awesome..of course it was twice as much as the fender...

 

[Aaron Cheney]

I would look very closely at Grosh's stuff. I don't know if he builds lefties, but if he does I want one.

Do you know A-Sharp Music in Renton?

About 15 years ago, Skip (the owner of A# Music) along with 4 other guys, owned a chain called Music West, that had something like 15 stores in WA, ID, OR, and UT. I managed one of those stores for about 3 years until the chain went under. It took Skip about around 6-8 months to get his stuff together and open A#. Being two of Skip's best employees, Lyle and I were pretty much slated to staff the store once it opened, but I was unable to go that long unemployed and ended up getting hired at another place by the time the doors opened, so Lyle and Skip went it alone, until hiring some help a year or two later.

Yes, I know A# Music.

I've played many Grosh's there and I like them a lot. Grosh seems to really go for the vintage vibe, whereas other builders look for a more modern take on the strat. I guess I prefer the latter to a certain extent.
I guess what I'm looking for here is opinions on Suhr or Melancons approach, for example. Even better would be the opinion of someone that's acutally played and compared some of these small builders' guitars.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

 

[Son of Mixerman]

Does Lyle still work at A#? I haven't seen him in a while.

I bought my drum Machine there. Ive played alot of guitars there. Skip is pretty cool. Its the only Boutique store within my reach. Too bad I can't afford anything there. One of my friend used to buy alot of stuff from A#, in fact Lyle replaced my best friend Jim McCarty as lead guitarist after Jim quit. Rick Tucker and Lyle apparently didn't get along. I spent 2 hours in there playing a Vally Arts custom. I can't get to A# right now, there is a huge construction project blocking 180th at West Valley.
You worked Music West Aaron? Not the Store at the top of s.w 43rd/180th...above the hospital? You sir are a curse if you did! Ever bad musical experience I ever had seemed to stem from places you worked at!
It spooky in here sometimes!

SoMm

 

[charger]

I think if you want a seriosuly killer strat, you could have it put together by a good tech using parts from Warmoth and stewmac and come up with something as good or better than any high-end strat, for a better price.

The quality and availability of aftermarket parts has never been better. I had the opportunity to try out one of the new Gotoh/Wilkinson "vintage" trems the other day (a 6-screw instead of a 2-post, but funky looking like a Wilkinson) and it's miles better than the old standard. Likewise, nuts have advanced incredibly over the past few years, locking tuners are better and cheaper than ever, and some of the finished bodies coming out of Warmoth are stunning. You can get killer pickups from Lawrence (or Duncan/Dimarzio if you're so inclined) and there are lots of people out on the web (like Custom Rewind) who will custom-wind pickups for your individual needs.

It's definitely easier and cheaper than ever to get a truly custom, unique guitar, well below "Custom Shop" prices.

 

[TheGuitarMan]

I'd say the best Les Paul comes out of the Heritage company.

Indeed.

 

[6gun]

I think if you want a seriosuly killer strat, you could have it put together by a good tech using parts from Warmoth and stewmac and come up with something as good or better than any high-end strat, for a better price.

that makes a lot of sense. is the new wilkinson bridge widely available?

 

[Toker41]

Remember when a Fender Strat, or a Gibson les Paul, or a BC Rich Warlock was just that? When the hell did all this Mexican, Epiphone, Platinum series crap flood our music stores and put thier grubby little hands on our hard earned money? Why the hell does a Epiphone cost $900??? I'm willing to bet not one of us has come across a nice Epiphone, or Mexican Strat.