This is just random and i wonder if anybody is like me but...

I bought my very first Stratocaster back in December and i still havent taken off the stickers on the front or back....

Is that weird?

I think subconsciously i feel if i take them of it will cease to be new or special somehow....although i've already gutted the pickups and replaced those..

The same with my amplifier...it still has the promotional tags on it.

What do you guys think?

First thing I do is take them off, loosen guard screws if needed and take pickguard con#om off Why keep it coverd?

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Yup, stickers off for me instantly. For me, it's like buying a car with leather seats, then putting covers on them to keep them good for when you sell it? Don't really get it I'm afraid.

Rip the darn things off!

I always take stickers off. Anytime I see tags or stickers left on anything, I can't help thinking of Minnie Pearl.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

^LOL!

I take them out too!

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2010 Gibson Les Paul Studio (Silverburst)
2007 Fender CD-60 (Sunburst)
G.A.S-ing for a Fender Stratocaster HSS with floyd rose

Nothing says "I'm not really sure if I'm going to keep this guitar" like leaving the stickers on. I'd say take them off, stick them to the plastic bag that your case candy came in if you want to keep them. Plus, if you leave them on too long and go to take them off later, you may run the risk of discoloration (uneven fading) of the plastic.

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“All music is folk music, I ain't never heard no horse sing a song.” Louis Armstrong

Take them off. First like a previous poster said, they will make brighter uneven spots on the scratch plate if you take them off later. Also the longer you leave them on, the harder it mat be to get them off. It looks kind of silly too.

+1

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As a first-time guitar owner I asked this same question earlier in the year. I took them off after the good advice of the Forum. I know the "new" look is hard to shake...but in time you won't miss the stickers and whatnot...by then it will just be your sweet guitar

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"There is more to life than increasing its speed." Mahatma Gandhi

Owner of:
-2008 American Standard Strat in Candy Cola Red
-Vibro-Champ XD
-Fender CD-60 Acoustic (Sunburst)

I can remember when you bought a new Fender guitar, it came without any stickers, plastic or case candy....but it did have a great G&G HS case!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I left mine on my Highway 1 for about a week, then peeled the protective covering off the pick guard. When I got my Squire CV it instantly came off. I left the protective film on the back plates until they started to peel, then took them off.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Before I even played a note when I got my Tele home I peeled all the stickers and plastic off.

I leave the american flag sticker on, all others come off.

I peeled the front sticker off very carefully and it's now in a picture frame...(is that even wronger than leaving them on?).

And I was one of those dopey ones who didn't realize the plastic covering was even on the pickguard and when it started to bubble up thought I was just a really mad shredder who was making scratches in the guard itself with the pick. The plastic is now removed. But each to their own.

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2008 MIM Strat w 3-tone sunburst
2002 LP Special Ebony Faded
2008 G-Dec
'59 Reissue Bassman 4x10 combo
TS 808
DS 1
Gretsch 6120DS (on loan)

Exactly--and if you get to them sooner, rather than later, you may be able to "save" them and put them somewhere else.

Then again--it is your guitar.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.