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Post subject: Recomend me a Strat
Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:08 pm
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Well...I've been playing a Fender acoustic for a while now, and I have a strat style electric guitar, and now I want to get something new....I obviously had to go for a Strat. The problem is that I don't know which one to get with such a huge choice out there.
I'd be playing rock (kinda like the Red hot chili peppers...but usually just the average) and blues.....and pretty much everything else. My budget is about €2000 ($2700) --street value of the guitar.
I was looking at the Custom Shop Stratocaster Pro, but something just tells me that that's an American Deluxe strat with a Custom Shop logo on it. .....And I'm not a big fan of aged finishes since I believe that a guitar should be aged from playing.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:19 pm
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If I had $2700 bucks to spend on a Fender, I would just buy an american vintage, I mean that's practically as good as it gets.

I would personally go with the american vintage 62.


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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:21 pm
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Would that make the sounds I needz?


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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:39 pm
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Hi, only you can make that decision of which guitar is best for you. What works for me or what works for others may not work for you.

Play the guitars of your choice and take your time deciding. The World Tour doesn't start tomorrow...does it? haha

If it feels good in your hands, has the desired action & tone,plays like butter that's the guitar for you no matter what it is.

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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:52 pm
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maybe something custom shop.... go to a store and try out as many as you can, and see whats best for you.... you may even end up buying an american and saving yourself some money if you like them enough


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Post subject: What kind of Strat
Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:56 pm
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I'm kind of funny. American Strats are the bomb. Oddly enough, though I paid a couple of Franklins for a tex-mex strat. I love the tone. only complaint I have is that in a raucous group it might not cut through as well on distorted settings. I put an accoustic bridge in it, and it works very well with a keyboard player, bassist, drummer, and accoustic guitarist. I like small tubies for amplification. You can drive them harder if your stage levels are reasonable.


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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:11 pm
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Guitar_Hurricane wrote:
I would personally go with the american vintage 62.


Sandwich wrote:
Would that make the sounds I needz?


pretty much

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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:46 am
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Thanks for all the advice guys.
..I won't be getting the strat soon (I need to save the money up) so maybe something new that I like will come out in the next year or so.
I'm the kind of person that likes to have the latest technology and so on so the Strat Pro was my first choice, but the closset classic finish is turning me off it.

Which guitar out of these would you recommend
62/57 hot rod strat
American Deluxe Ash strat
Custom Shop custom classic strat
Strat Pro

...I know you're probably thinking that the custom shop ones are obviously better, but it seems to me that those two particular guitars (especially the strat pro) are just ordinary American deluxe series guitars with Custom Shop written all over them and for double the price.


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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:59 am
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I recently bought both a '62 and '57 Vintage Hot Rod, and am still in awe of both. Best guitars I've ever laid my hands on from Fender. Both have a unique voice and play like dreams. I haven't been so inspired by a guitar in years. My first guitar was a MIM Strat 11 years ago, and I've owned and gone through every other make and type of guitar out there. I recently decided to take a chance that going back to a great Strat might be just what the Dr. ordered to re-inspire my playing. I did the right thing! Both guitars are my #1 and #2. I guess my first 7 years of learning/playing guitar on a Strat embedded more muscle memory than I would have thought. I feel most at home on one. Sorry for the ramblings, but out of your list I highly recommend the Vintage Hot Rod's. :)


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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 10:01 am
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Thanks....what's the difference between the 57 and 62 except the pickups?


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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 10:19 am
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57 has maple fretboard and 62 has rosewood and the sunburst colors are a little different

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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 10:39 am
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Hi, I just registered on fender forums, so forgive me if I am repeating advice you've heard elsewhere. I agree with one writer who suggests you simply try various models out in person. If you read product descriptions, Fender Strats come in various neck shapes and diameters, C, V neck, and thicker Jeff Beck necks to name several. Also, the finish Fender puts on the neck, satin or poly affects how it feels in your hands, even with two otherwise identical neck shapes. Also, fingerboards are Maple or Rosewood. If you don't use the tremelo (whammy bar) then you might considr a hard-tail string-thru body strat. I have played Vintage 1960s strats, Am Deluxe with Samarium cobalt pups, sensor lace pups, and more. The variations you can find on Strats are almost endless. If you want a variety of sounds, you might consider a pickup configuration SSH, which has single-single-humbucker; or, consider a model with the S-1 switch that can give you a variety of sounds, some fuller like HBs. Some models come in both SSH configuration with the S-1 switch. I would consider American, or American Deluxe for resale value, should you ever sell it; they might hold value better than MIM or MIJ models, although I have nothing against these, and, their bang for buck value is high. A lot of trading goes on as our tastes change. Whatever you do try, also realize that Strats may not be set up properly on the showroom floor. Forgive me if you already are aware, some Gibson players may not have noticed, but on strats, each string has its own saddle with adjustable string height, unlike Gibsons that allow individual string intonation setting adjustments, but not individual string height adjustments; Gibson string height occurs by raising the entire bridge up or down at either the high and/or low end. The string height on Strats should be set for your own individual playing style. some like low and slinky; I prefer high off the board with heavy strings. the string height, and also how the overall bridge height assembly is fixed can also affect string feel and tension. I have tremelo bridges, but I block them (make them inoperable by putting in 5 springs and screwing in the trem claw tighter. Strat models allow height adjustment of the entire bridge assembly as well (two large screws), in addition to relative string height adjustments, which also affects string tension. The diameter of the strings on the showroom model also affects the sound when you try it. If the strings are old and heavily used, you won't be hearing the Strat's potential. If the strings are too slinky, you will also not hear the full potential. If you're serious about a particular model, ask them to verify how it is set up, and play it thru an amp as similar to what you'll be using. Then, test drive all other strats thru the identical amp, at identical tone settings. Keep the amp neutral, and see how the tonal qualities of each Strat differ. Each type of pickups varies widely; the samarium cobalt noiseless are highly recommended, as are vintage noiseless, and texas specials, with so many choices.
The size frets on Strats vary widely also; if you play blues and bend a great deal, a larger fret would be helpful. Notice on Fender.com how some come with medium jumbo, the John Mayer has unique size, and others with smaller frets. You will want to sample various types at the store; if you have too large of frets, the guitar will sound out of tune when you play open chords, as they tonation changes when you touch the string compared to pressing all the way down to the fretboard; the plus of large frets is easier bending, and allows lighter touch; downside is, if you're playing mainly rhythm, you may not need them, or want them. All the technical specifications are shown online, as you probably have seen for the Ash Am Deluxe and the customs you looked at. While I don't want to sound too conscious of resale value, you might look in the Vintage Guitar Price Guide to see how a particular model is retaining value. Prices online are another way to see if a particular model holds its value. I personally have traded online, but the downside is you cannot hold the guitar in your hand. So, going to a dealer is the best way; it is nearly impossible to appreciate a guitars sound and playability from the tech specs and description.
Finally, I also agree with another player's comments, who said one can never have too many. Chances are, as you keep playing, you'll come to realize the limitations of one single guitar. A Strat will never truly sound like a gibson, but, having one HB or dual-singles can approximate it, especially with S-1 switches.
Buy a strat knowing that you may find a very nice one, but, with an infinity of possible sounds, no single strat can produce them all. You might also consider the new VG strat; there is an awesome video of this on Fender.Com; that guitar is as close as you'll ever come to mimicking multiple guitars in a single guitar.
Again, I'm new to the forum, and forgive me if I have repeated previous postings. I am interested in following any additional replies, as I do not claim to be an expert, but I have owned several strats. Thanks.


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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 10:52 am
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^ very good advice... long to read, but if you read it threadstarter, you should find some useful information

welcome by the way


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Post subject: Re: What kind of Strat
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 11:14 am
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paul-david wrote:
I'm kind of funny. American Strats are the bomb. Oddly enough, though I paid a couple of Franklins for a tex-mex strat. I love the tone. only complaint I have is that in a raucous group it might not cut through as well on distorted settings. I put an accoustic bridge in it, and it works very well with a keyboard player, bassist, drummer, and accoustic guitarist. I like small tubies for amplification. You can drive them harder if your stage levels are reasonable.


Hi,
I wanted to mention a potential option to bring your TexMex pups to the foreground in your group...Seymour Duncan foot pedal TwinTubeClassic that has a true pass-thru, and two fully adjustable distortion channels. While pricey, it has received great reviews. I bought one used online, and it was defective; the on/off footswitches should be silent; mine is noisy; no wonder it sold so cheap! My mistake....D'Oh! It is only powered by it's own AC adaptor (no battery). Also, a less costly option is a Seymour Duncan "Pickup booster," which is perhaps a simple db gain footswitch, similar to the 25 db push/pull switch on the Eric Clapton. They are available online from either Seymour Duncan, or the usual retail outlets...worth a look! The Pickup Booster would be a more tonally neutral approach to boosting your Tex Mex sound...

I was wondering if you could explain the "accoustic bridge" for a Strat. I seem to recall a Fishman pickup for Tele's. Please let me know about this, and if there are wiring diagrams available for a 3-single coil Strat with SMCs and S-1 switch? I would love to be able to add an accoustic sound, if that's what this bridge is all about. Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: What kind of Strat
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 1:52 pm
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ProfessorStrat wrote:
paul-david wrote:
I'm kind of funny. American Strats are the bomb. Oddly enough, though I paid a couple of Franklins for a tex-mex strat. I love the tone. only complaint I have is that in a raucous group it might not cut through as well on distorted settings. I put an accoustic bridge in it, and it works very well with a keyboard player, bassist, drummer, and accoustic guitarist. I like small tubies for amplification. You can drive them harder if your stage levels are reasonable.


Hi,
I wanted to mention a potential option to bring your TexMex pups to the foreground in your group...Seymour Duncan foot pedal TwinTubeClassic that has a true pass-thru, and two fully adjustable distortion channels. While pricey, it has received great reviews. I bought one used online, and it was defective; the on/off footswitches should be silent; mine is noisy; no wonder it sold so cheap! My mistake....D'Oh! It is only powered by it's own AC adaptor (no battery). Also, a less costly option is a Seymour Duncan "Pickup booster," which is perhaps a simple db gain footswitch, similar to the 25 db push/pull switch on the Eric Clapton. They are available online from either Seymour Duncan, or the usual retail outlets...worth a look! The Pickup Booster would be a more tonally neutral approach to boosting your Tex Mex sound...

I was wondering if you could explain the "accoustic bridge" for a Strat. I seem to recall a Fishman pickup for Tele's. Please let me know about this, and if there are wiring diagrams available for a 3-single coil Strat with SMCs and S-1 switch? I would love to be able to add an accoustic sound, if that's what this bridge is all about. Thanks!


It's been a little while, but I believe the accoustic bridge is the X-Bridge by Barcus/Berry. I added a B/B preamp to the setup a few years later. It's pretty thin w/o the preamp. It has a switchable mono/stereo jack, activated by a button with the tip of your guitar pick--so it's not accidentally changed. If you switch it to mono both electric and accoustic come through the tip of the 1/4 inch plug. If switched to stereo, you would use a split stereo plug. Tip goes to an electirc amp, and the ring, or sleeve, goes to an accoustic amp--or a DI. There is also a three-way mini-toggle that selects electric, electric/accoustic, or accoustic. The middle tone knob has been disabled, so that it can serve as a blend knob for the accoustic p/u. (I should have a concentric tone knob installed for the middle p/u.) When the guitar is in full accoustic position, the volume knob serves as the volume for the accoustic pickup, and the blend knob is disabled. The end tone knob adjusts the tobne for the electric neck/bridge p/us, with the blade switch at position 5 it bypasses the tone control (typical Strat setting--I've nrver really gotten that. My custom Warmoth strat copy has an always active tone knob. It's also push/pull hummer/single bridge p/u).
I don't I have a schematic, b/c it was actually on the axe when I bought it. I did have the preamp added. But I'm far from a techie, so had it done by a good tech/luthier here in town.


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