Hi to everyone - just signed up I guess there are so many different reasons for choosing Fender as your main axe. The Stratocaster just got it all - The looks , the sound , the playability and let us not forget those curves ....... It just fits your body so to speak, wheather you're sitting, laying or standing up
What a miracle it is that Leo got all that right in such a short period of time!

Welcome!

Like I've said in the past, nothing beats a great Strat nicely tweaked!

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You dig?

I've played many guitars over the years, LP's, SG's and have always used strats 90% of the time. I took a break for many years and picked up my first tele in 2006, don't know what took so long to try a tele, but I'm hooked, Its my main axe now. I love the sound and feel, of fender strats and teles. If stranded on an island, my 2006 deluxe ash tele would be my one guitar.

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2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

When I started playing in 1968, I had an opportunity to buy a Fender Tele that was way too good to pass up. It was my only guitar for a long time as I could not afford anything else until I was much older. During those years I had strong cravings for other guitars, particularly Gibsons. It was a tone is always greener on the other side of the fence type of thing. Plus when you are young you tend to attribute the sound of your favorite players to the type of guitars they had. I also wanted a Strat badly, being a Hendrix nut. A couple of years after college when I had a real job, I bought my next guitar. It was a strat. I played that for a lot of years. Then in the late 90's I discovered the American Vintage reissues and had to have the '62 RI strat, which has been my main guitar ever since. Last year I bought a AVRI Jazzmaster. Along the way I came to the realization that I am a dyed-in-the-wool Fender guy. I still admire Gibsons to some degree, but I have never crossed over to the dark side. I am proud to be a Fender player. I always found the Fender story to be very intriguing and inspirational.

I never started out to be a "Fender-head" at all. My first Fender was the '78 Musicmaster that I rec'd free and restored, long story I've shared before. My first 6 string was an Applause acoustic about 5 years ago, but one visit to a Guitar Center and I played a Montara, I had to have one. And when I wanted an electric I played a MIM strat and the feel, comfort was undeniable so I had to have a Strat.

They all just felt right, pretty simple. No need to look elsewhere.

Great thread ABS,

My first electric was a stag tele copy, heavey, awkward, and toneless, I almost gave up. It sat in a corner gathering dust, along with the marshall amp I got with it. Finally I went up to my instrument store, with the intention of selling the guitar and amp back to them. I explained my reasons, and the dude said " wait here a sec". He came back out with a midnight blue MIM Strat, she was gorgeous. He plugged her up, handed it to me, and said "try this". The difference was night and day, I loved this guitar, and more importantly, the sounds I was geting. I took her home, and my Fender journey began. I ended up selling her (big mistake) and getting a Tele Custom 72 reissue. I found my soulmate in the Telecaster, this felt like an extension of me. The Tele has since become a part of me, and I've never looked back. I still own a few gibbys, and of course my Strat. But the Telecaster is the guitar for me, and always will be.

That's great. I have enough for that right now. I am going to make a trip to the music shop this weekend to play the Roadhouse and American Special. I have a friend that is wanting me to take him to get a new acoustic guitar. I am aldo going to see if those guitars stack up against the 72 Telecaster Deluxe I played a few months ago. I may go ahead and pull the trigger on the SCXD.

RK

RK,

I bought a SCXD last month sight/sound unseen based strictly on airbornestrats recommendation.

I hit a home run with this amp! It is perfect for me. You won't go wrong buying one.

Rick

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Old age and treachery will win every time over youth and enthusiasm.

"You can never have too many Tele's." A quote from my Sweetwater Sales Engineer

For a complete Tonal Pallet, I use a Strat and a Gibson. However, I only own one Gibson, I have 4 Fenders (3 Strats and an Acoustic).

I just have more of a connection with Fender, a Working Mans (or Womans) guitar, made to be serviced by the owner and take a beating. They're way more comfortable than Gibsons or just about any other guitar.

Just a Fender Guy I Guess.

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"Persistence Is The Father Of Invention"
-Crazy Old Man In Training

For me it's the feel and balance of the Fender Stratocaster. The guitar is just so darned comfortable to play. Nothing else comes close.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Kinda like a F-150 (not endorsing - an example), Fender has set and still raises the bar for quality products at a fair price.

Some other manufactures shipped their production over seas to give the stockholder a break, but they didn't reduce the prices to the consumer. Greed run amuck.

When you purchase a Standard made in Mexico, or a Squier made in Indonesia, or a American Standard made in the U.S.A., the price does reflect production origin.

The preferences and choices are up to the consumer. Either way you get quality for your buck.

I was hooked on their tube amps before I even tried their guitars.

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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 wanted to learn guitar... electric guitar.

I talked with a buddy who gigs with friends and has hand built a couple of real nice acoustics himself. He's a fairly accomplished musician. I mentioned my aspirations to him and that I wanted a good guitar and not something cheap and hard to play and told him I was thinking of a used Strat. He concurred that would be a good choice.

I found my MIM in the shop. Brand new even though it is vintage '05-'06 by serial number. The price was right ($485) and it sounded good to me.

Grabbed a couple of cheap amps and here I am.

If it doesn't work out for me I can likely get a good bunch of my money back. But those are not my plans! I'm going to learn to play if it kills me!

I chose Fender because the first electric guitar I ever played was a 1971 Honey Blonde Fender Telecaster. My friend who got me into playing had an amazing vintage collection and I played all kinds of vintage LP's, Gibsons, Fenders, Yamahas, Collings you name it. The Telecaster just always felt right to me and it was a love affair from the first minute...not to mention my buddy wouldn't let me play the other guitars for longer than 1 minute! But the Tele just felt right for me, standing or sitting, was comfortable and I loved the look of it.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Simply because I learned on a Tele and my hero Izzy Stradlin used one. I have become a real Fender head now although I do desire the odd Gibson and Gretsch. I'm pretty sure my amps will always be Fender though. I have a DeVille, Champ 600 and Acoustisonic 30 and I'm currently saving for a Super-Sonic, lol.
Love them, they are too cool!

CC

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Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5