Strats

[Rick V]

or this one

[BlueSkyJaunte]

No, buy this one:

[herr_oberst]

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by stuartj

Doug, dont buy a Nash "relic". They just look stupid.

Being as youre in the US, US Strats are easy to come buy and cheap. The Mex stuff is generally very good and well priced. Really the biggest consideration is the config. I prefer vintage spec with their silly neck radius and trad arr angement of vintage bridge and three single coils- but a more modern strat with a flatter board and maybe a HB in the bridge is a good guitar

Ive owned many strats, and my favourite, which goes out to work every weekend is a 1991 Jap 62 reissue. Late 80s, early 90s JPN, cant go wrong (depending on condition ofcourse).

Strats can be a minefield, but being as theyre all Partsocasters, nothing is unfixable. Just find one you like and buy it....

BTW- the USA Eric Johnson sig model is a very very good strat, good as Custom Shop without the price tag.

Im craving an Eric Johnson strat lately. I hate the single ply pick guard but thats an easy change. Great guitar!

I feel the same about the Nash. Played a few of them and they do feel nice but I think most of their relic jobs are way over done. I have seen a few Nash teles that were quite nice looking though, when not over done

I loved my standard american strat. If i couldnt get an Eric Johnson model I would get the std American model and make a few changes to it

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by stuartj

Have to say Im not a rap for the trend to low watt valve amps. Doesnt make much sense to me. Ive got a little 5w amp in the house at the moment- its still way to loud and frankly sounds like a cardboard box witrh its stupid 8in speaker. Last night I was using a pair of Brit handwired 20w 2x10 Cornell amps- a "Plexi" (Marshall JTM) and a Romany (tweed). Both really nice, WAY too loud for home but neither powerful enough to give the clean headroom needed with a drummer and bass palyer.

Ive got a 35 year old solid state Yamaha cdmbo I use at home. When it eventually dies, I'd get someting like a Line6 with all the shizz- loopers, drum machines, tuner, FX, amp sims- all built in. Chuck it away 12 months later when it packs up.

my main amp is a vox ac-15 handwired. i find that it has great tone at lower volume if you wanna use the 7watt mode or master volume. you can also bypass the master volume all together if need be. keeps up with a drummer no problem. so far its my favorite amp. i have always lived in small apartments or in homes close to neighbors and have been able to squeeze good tone at reasonable volume with tube amps that are 15 to 22 watts...i even got good tone out of my Twin Reverb at low volume but that thing had to go. Twins are just not practical in my opinion

Anything less than 15 tube watts is crap for playing with a drummer

[stuartj]

Heres my favourite, 1991 62 JPN reissue. Used to be horrid poly tri-burst, now its nitro sonic blue. Cant remember how many p/ups have been in and out of this guitar, or how many times its been rewired, on its second set of frets....its been extensively meddled with. I think its has Suhr pups in neck and mid and Fender CS Fat 50 in the bridge at the moment. Every little trick I know for strats has been applied to this guitar- trem set up, bridge block, springs.....i think it sounds and plays pretty good. Strats have come and gone, this one has stayed.....

[ramonesfreak]

yup thats a perfect strat, at least it looks that way from here. sonic blue is my fave color for them. nice job

[72doug2,2S]

I've only played a few so far, but this is my favorite as of last weekend.

The FENDER® Deluxe Lone Star™ Strat® combines the thick, high-output tones of a genuine US-made Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Plus humbucking bridge pickup with two Texas Special™ single-coils, giving you an incredible range of tones to work with. The Alder body, "C"-shaped solid maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard also contribute to this guitar's tone and easy playability. The Fender Deluxe Lone Star Strat is an incredible value, and it looks spectacular, too!

I live in driving distance from Sweetwater.

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by Astroboy

Now, if you're really getting serious.....
Nashguitars

.

Nash is good stuff.
Want really, really, REALLY, serious?
D'Pergo Custom Guitars

Insanely pricy...

[89911]

I've owned this guitar since 1997 as part of a love for the guitar. I don't really play as much as I should so this is just sitting in its case. Some day!

* VINTAGE '62 BODY AND NECK STYLE

* NITROCELLULOSE LACQUER FINISH

* TINTED NECK

* MEDIUM JUMBO FRETS

* PEARL DOT INLAYS

* SPECIAL OVAL PEARL INLAY "1997" AT 12TH FRET

* BROWN SHELL PICKGUARD

* THREE TEXAS SPECIAL SINGLE-COIL PICKUPS

* SERIALIZED NECK PLATE

* GOLD HARDWARE

* 3-COLOR NITRO SUNBURST FINISH

* SERIAL NUMBER 0332 OF 1,997 MADE

[Shuie]

Few things on earth are cooler than Fiesta Red Stratocasters...




Here's one of the Masterbuilt 50th Ann. of the '54 that Fender did in 2004. These were pretty awesome replicas of the originals. Fender did a great job with them. They collaborated with the big time early strat collectors to get all of the little things that were unique to the prototypes and early production '54s dead nuts right on these. Probably the best effort to date by a large guitar company at a faithful recreation of an original. Beautiful strats.

[nostatic]

The realities with Fenders (and in fact all production instruments) is that you really should play a bunch of them and buy the one that you like - ideally with no regard to other factors such as logo, color, etc. Of course color does make a difference. We're humans and some people care about aesthetics, so it is a factor.

I've played great MIM Strats and lousy ones. I've played great MIA Strats and lousy ones. I do tend to take a "prefer to buy one made in the US" approach but that is up to the individual (especially when it comes to the low cost Asian builds). Without getting parfy, there are some issues with some of the factories overseas.

Fwiw I also do not like the trend to jumbo frets. I vastly prefer the "vintage" size small frets. Those are only available on the plain reissues, both MIM and MIA. Actually the MIM 60's reissue can be a nice guitar - I've played some great examples and new it can be had for way under $1K. Most guys seem to love the jumbo frets though so ymmv.

If you're really into it though, I'd plunk down more money and get something from a small builder like Tom Anderson, Suhr, Lull, etc.

[Heel n Toe]

I was reading this guitar discussion on a Facebook page for local blues players and afficionados the other night... seems like it would fit right in here...



HJ - The Outt Saloon w/Lil' Jimmy F August 2012

AL - digg'in the Les Paul! what year is it?

HJ - It's a 2006? Model 1960 Classic - one of the few I have ever loved... It has Harmonic Design Z90s (Very strong bucker sized P90 type single coils) which accounts for the cool cream color on the pickups... great playing and sounding...

AL - Very cool...post up some sound clips!

HJ - If I ever get any...

JB - That is one heavy guitar.

HJ - Lighter than most of them....

HJ - With the Z90's, the effect is kinda retro, more like an old Jimmy Page/Zeppelin thang...

JB - The grimace says "heavy" unless it is shocking the piss outta you.

AL - ...the grimace is due to the amp...he should be using a Bogner....

JB - HJ is experienced with pricey amps. The magic is not in the box.

AL - Hmmm...i guess i know nothing about tone...right HJ?

HJ - The two men making these comments are both frighteningly good players. Mr JB (The Voice) is sort of a traditional Soul/Rythym & Blues player with an encyclopedic knowledge of chords, who's natural frugality requires him to take inexpensive instruments and a Champ Amp to even the stadium venue. Mr. AL is his polar opposite, and would have to cut Eric Johnson & Eddie VH some slack should they happen to be in the neighborhood. His weapons of choice include obscure boutique guitars and Bogner amplifiers. Myself, I am a Classic Rock hack, lucky to be able to put two notes together via a Custom Shop Tele, the pictured LP, and a much worked on Fender Vibrolux. In either case, both gentlemen are incorrect as to the nature of the expression on that face - it is designed to cover a flub, and deceive the audience into believing I play with 'feel', when in reality I am totally lost while performing during a graciously invited sit-in with the Lil' Jimmy blues band...

AL - HJ...too kind...however i doubt you flub...get someone to vid the face & playing during a set so we can all hear the vibe!

JB - Thanks, HJ. My frugality also helps make those cheap asian guitars sound good with rootless chords, movable shapes, and pedal tones--my favorite tricks.

JB - You know this Mr. Pricey shi+ gets me riled up, and it has been a constant source of irritation to me that you think only an expensive guitar is capable of making music. If that is the case, I should be hearing a helluva lot more music from all these US Gibsons and Fenders. What I do hear is the bragging.

HJ - I simply like the style, feel, and weights of American Gibsons and Fenders, and some of the accurate reproductions. These just happen to be rather pricey - but that's after trying out all the both cheap AND expensive ones that I didn't like or turned out to be pieces of crap! It's hard to find any guitar that suits... only Paul I ever really liked for example... Never professed to be able to play one...

JB - It is a subjective matter, and I have never had the money to indulge in speculative purchases of high end instruments. I have to make do with what i have--and I have done damn well at it. I get tired of being singled out as flawed by my instrument choices. I wish that could be dropped as a subject of discussion.

HJ - It was a compliment regarding what you can do with almost any stick of wood - I don't do as well with everything I have tried...

JB - Ok, thanks, I just get so much of this dumba$$ "but it's an Epiphone" stuff that I could puke. They wouldn't say that about a 60's Epi, which I have played, too, but with less satisfaction--a certain dullness of tone and response in the electrics. The worst SG I ever played was an American 1969 I had. I'd pick any Tokai or Epi or Vintage Icon over that. My motto is 'suit yourself'--I don't prescribe rigs, just the willingness to try, to connect.

AL - Ok...time to weigh in...although 1 guitar on my wall is pricy...the one that makes 75% of the tracks is a modified pos ibanez...scalloped neck and 1961 fender single coils...i use the high end guitar for when its required...no bragging here and i dig the sound...not the instrument...matter of fact...i typically get tweaked when i get handed a coors lite vs. A real beer...so mr. JB...keep up killin it with what YOU like...dont listen to anyone puttin you down...for me..if you think i have passed judgement...i did and do not...i am thankful for what gear i have and continue to search for tone...regardless of what the headstock says...

JB - No, Alan, it's OK. I am poor and work unskilled labor jobs, so I need advice on everything, and get it. I listen to people trying to beat their PRS's into emitting something listenable, without success. They are on top of the world looking down on guys who play basswood guitars.

HJ - PRS is very good at marketing to people that believe guitars should look, feel, and sound like generic pieces of high end FURNITURE. You can get a beautiful $3000 coffee table, or a really nice actual wood one for under $200 at World Market. Having been in the unfortunate position of having enough money to buy a PRS, and several of the SE models, I found them to be heavy, colorless, flat sounding and without body resonance or character - and frankly quite useless and ugly. You will only find the very rare successful professional (in a specialized genre) that prefers them - but you will see plenty of both new and old Fenders and Gibsons, even Epis on the big stage. Isn't it funny how that famous guy you admire is usually holding some old piece of well crafted, well aged junk that happens to have a certain voice to it, rather than the latest flamed/bookmatched/highly stylized piece of eye-candy crap? My guitars are individuals I have searched for for years, which felt right at the outset, had 'something in them', and then were painstakingly worked with to try to bring 'that something' out. Notice - the Paul has a very ordinary, plain, unfigured top - geez, and what a surprise - the whole body resonates when played... I happen to like the ugly blue Relic Tele because it feels like the real wood I learned to play on, and has a familiar, friendly sound & character to match...

HJ - Finallly, to me and me only - money is no object in the quest for a wonderful instrument that I feel good about playing - but I have taken a $99.00 Dan Electro to a job, and it gave me a night to remember...

JS - it ain't the bat, it's the batter. dollar signs just don't matter.

AL - Yep...I've had a custom PRS...and it ain't part of my collection anymore...was a very overrated guitar...I basically have 4 guitars...a Tak acoustic - sounds phenomenal in front of a ribbon mike...the Tom Anderson Custom (pricy)...middle of the road Ibanez neck through the body...for that heavy rock riff stuff, and then my favorite...the cheap 200 Ibanez in which I scalloped the neck and single coiled it to death as I stated earlier...the rest of the herd has been sold because I don't need it...I'd rather put the $$$ towards mic preamps and studio gear...still runnin my 2002 quick silver dual processor, DP 4, MOTU converters and an API preamp...

JS - some of the jap-o-casters i've seen over the years had the ability to sound better than the real thing. i saw chuck prophet recently and he was making incredible music on a fender squire tele. i am very fortunate to have found my les paul when i did, back in '74. a band mate had bought it in '72 and paid all of $200 for it. i have ruined what ever collector value it might have but, it sounds great to me. my favorite amp is my little electro M-8. it's 8 watts of 1950's single ended class a hell. i got it from a guy at fort jackson for $150 and wouldn't take anything for it.

[campbellcj]

My son plays an American Standard Strat (recent model) though a Vox AC15. I've mainly been learning acoustic but borrow his rig once in a while. Great combo and the Vox sounds sweet at at-home practice volumes but is still plenty loud for studio practice or gigs with his band.

[Les Paul]

My son in his gigging days. See if you Strat guys can tell me what it is.

[attamz]

My 57ri strat has been the best guitar I have owned to date in tone and playability. I will never get rid of this one.

[Les Paul]

50th Anniversary 2004

[72doug2,2S]

Originally Posted by nostatic

The realities with Fenders (and in fact all production instruments) is that you really should play a bunch of them and buy the one that you like - ideally with no regard to other factors such as logo, color, etc. Of course color does make a difference. We're humans and some people care about aesthetics, so it is a factor.

I've played great MIM Strats and lousy ones. I've played great MIA Strats and lousy ones. I do tend to take a "prefer to buy one made in the US" approach but that is up to the individual (especially when it comes to the low cost Asian builds). Without getting parfy, there are some issues with some of the factories overseas.

Fwiw I also do not like the trend to jumbo frets. I vastly prefer the "vintage" size small frets. Those are only available on the plain reissues, both MIM and MIA. Actually the MIM 60's reissue can be a nice guitar - I've played some great examples and new it can be had for way under $1K. Most guys seem to love the jumbo frets though so ymmv.

If you're really into it though, I'd plunk down more money and get something from a small builder like Tom Anderson, Suhr, Lull, etc.

So to resurrect an old thread, I was in Guitar World last night playing guitars and I could not believe how much I loved playing the Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster '60s version. It is made in China, Rosewood fret board, medium Jumbo frets, light weight, double binding, sunburst, and price is $399. Sweetwater has the same deal.

I have to agree with you Nostatic. It seems all the guitars are different. Play as many as you can, and hopefully you'll find the right one for you.

I'm still paying off the garden shed, so I hope to have this by Christmas.

[scottmandue]

Wish you were local to me, I would ask you to come over take this for a test drive:

[VaSteve]

From what I have heard/read, the Classic Vibes are very good guitars. I don't know personally.