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Post subject: HELP! I can't find the right Fender!
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 4:55 pm
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Hello everyone, this is my first post in this forum, so please excuse my noobness.


ANYWAY. I have a dillemna. I have been playing guitar for a while now (you could call me an ametuer), and I am going to college next year to major in Jazz studies. I am really looking for a journeyman's guitar to last me through college, and hopefully the rest of my life.

A little about me.
-I have 3 guitars, one is inactive, the other two are shredders (a jackson Rhoads and a Charvel, both rather vintage).
-I have 2 amps, a Marshall MG15 as my practice amp and a Fender Princeton Chorus as my main gigging amp.
-I own 3 guitar pedals, an Ibanez wah, a Phase 90, and a Boss Octaver.
-I play Jazz at school, but outside of school I play heavier stuff, usually Progressive Metal, but a smattering of Grunge, Punk, and Rock as well.
-I have a budget of $1000-1500, but it is rather flexible so don't worry if it goes over/under budget.

Now, what I am looking for.
-The most important feature is easily the finish. Since this guitar is going to stick with me for a long time, it MUST have a finish that ages well. I love the look of relics, but buying a relic is immoral, in my opinion. I heard that Fenders new polycellulose finishes are nigh indestructible, so I am a tad wary of that.
-MUST be new. This is going to be a guitar that I am going to associate myself with for a good chunk of my life, it has to be entirely my own.
-Tremolo is a must. Sorry, all of those who were going to reccomend the Billy Corgan Sig. I am deathly afraid of Floyd roses though, no floating bridges please.
-I am not too sure if a standard strat can achieve a good metal tone, so I am pretty sure that a bridge humbucker is needed, but I can mod afterwards if it doesn't. I already have a good quality pickup I can put in if needed.

Out of all of this, I think an MIA SSH standard would do, but I am not too sure about the finish.

Any help?

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I will probably mod this guitar considerably, which is a main reason why I do not wish to get a Custom Shop strat. Not only is this too expensive, but I could never bring myself to tearing apart a CS guitar. This doesn't mean that I should get an MIM and mod from there though, I want a high-quality instrument.


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:17 pm
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You're on the right track, to think about an HSS Stratocaster. I'll recommend that you also check out an AVRI Jazzmaster, and AVRI Jaguar. Heck, even the Mustang is a decent choice to check out.

Matt

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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:32 pm
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Ohh, easily the highway one HSS with an atomic humbucker. About 750 bucks.

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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:38 pm
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Dude I own an MIA 06 HSS with a DiMarzio Tone Zone at the bridge and a couple of Pro Track single coil size rail humbuckers in the neck and middle spots. It sounds fantastic.

DO IT
Buy the MIA in HSS and be happy.
You won't ever have to post "for the price it sounds great" because you went cheap and bought MIM or CII. (yeah, yeah they are good too but they aren't the best)

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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 6:47 pm
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But what about the finish? Don't 08 MIA's have a polycellulose finish which is resistant against relicing?


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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:38 am
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JMO Get a P-bass. :D


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:53 am
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Surfabilly wrote:
Heck, even the Mustang is a decent choice to check out.

Matt


The bridge on the Mustang is a Floater, though. I believe he didn't want one of those. I happen to agree with the HSS strat idea. I have a MIM standard fat strat with a trem and it does fine by me

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:56 am
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A pbass is not exactly what I am looking for. :\

Any more information about relicability?

Also, the Mahogany Strat was recommended as the mahogany would provide a warmth for jazz and metal, would this work, or would the alder of a Standard work better? What features am I losing when I go to the deluxe series? I always felt deluxes were standards with stripped down features and flashy inlays.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 8:56 am
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A pbass is not exactly what I am looking for. :\

Any more information about relicability?

Also, the Mahogany Strat was recommended as the mahogany would provide a warmth for jazz and metal, would this work, or would the alder of a Standard work better? What features am I losing when I go to the deluxe series? I always felt deluxes were standards with stripped down features and flashy inlays.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:03 am
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Sure the poly finishes are tougher than the old nitro finishes, but you can still ding them up easily enough. Life on the road is tough on guitars, no matter how careful you are they will get "relic'd" (I prefer the term "scuffed up").

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:09 am
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The poly finishes are great. Yeah, you can ding them, but as with a normal gigging musician, you need to take care of it. My MIM strat has played over 500 shows and been to countless practices, trips, parties, etc, and looks pretty close to being right off the shelf since I bought it in 94. I don't like that though.

My 98 mia I purposely try to relic a little here and there, so it looks like a musician's guitar, not a collector's piece.

So, the poly finish is about as good as it gets. If that still isn't enough for you, you need to take care of your guitar better or learn to love the relic look (which most people do).

Me? Having an older guitar that looks pristine is like the guy that has pure, blinding white tennis shoes and keeps them sparkling white forever. I hate that myself. NERD ALERT!!!


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:20 am
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What I am worried about is the relicability of my strat. I WANT it to relic, so I am worried that a polycellulose finish is resistant to ageing.

I idolize guitars like the Rory Gallagher sig.


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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:37 am
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kranoscorp wrote:
What I am worried about is the relicability of my strat. I WANT it to relic, so I am worried that a polycellulose finish is resistant to ageing.


Then yes, poly is made to resist aging. I put paint stripper on my red MIM 10 yrs ago (but I didn't sand the paint first or score it) - I just smathered it on overnight. Do you know that stripper didn't do A THING to the paint? Just shined it a bit. No lie. I figured the guitar is possessed and did NOT want to have the paint changed, so I left it alone. Apparently the poly is very durable, too much so for me.

My 98 MIA was black and I tried to relic it, but the paint is so damn thick, it looked a bit goofy. I just stripped it ALL off, refinished it in a vintage wood tone, and put two or three thin coats of satin poly on it, just to give it something. A couple scrapes to the corners of the body, to the headstock, a cigarette burn by the strings, etc.


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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:41 am
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hendrixfan99 wrote:
Ohh, easily the highway one HSS with an atomic humbucker. About 750 bucks.


+1 and it has a nitro finish to so it will age quite nicely!!

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:14 am
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kranoscorp wrote:
A pbass is not exactly what I am looking for. :\

I know, I was just foolin' about.


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