I quit playing guitar several years ago and did a stupid thing - I sold my Fender Protone Strat bought in the mid 90's. It was a vintage blond color, close to the Mary Kaye finish. I loved it. I loved the finish, it was nice and light and sounded good. I switched jobs several months ago and it turns out nearly half the people that work there play. I overheard them talking about gear a lot and it got me re-interested in playing again. These are pretty cool guys to jam with. I still have a MIM tele, but to be honest this thing is like a heavy block of wood compared to my blond strat.

There's little chance of hunting down the exact same guitar, I've given up on that. But, should I hunt down another Protone vintage blond or move on to another strat? I love rockabilly and the tele is plugged into a Blues DeVille 212. I play Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Link Wray, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, etc. Buddy's my favorite and I've always loved his three tone sunburst strat. I definitely want a strat.

Sorry for the long post... but to finish this off I don't have a ton of money to throw down. I figure I could find a Protone if I wait long enough for around $250 (I'm guessing) but I also liked the three tone sunburst 60's road worn strat for $950. I don't know if those road worn guitars are worth anything but I'm going to go down and play one soon.

Thanks for your time!

Welcome to the forum! If it were me I would just get an American Standard or buy a used MIA strat. Don't flame me as I know MIM are great guitars and he could get a used one for his $200. I would also go down and try out a Road Worn.

+1 get a nice guitar

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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

Okay, that brings up a question. My MIM tele got bumped somewhere during the time it wasn't being played. The paint (if it's even paint) is so thick it just chips away. I had to sand the area to keep it from spreading. That's some ugly wood under there. I want to get as far away from that as possible. I want a nice light body with real paint. Do the MIM Strats hold up better than this tele?

Different finishes for different model. A chip in your Tele could have been repaired with a drop fill in most cases a very easy repair. And the poly finishes that chip like that are the toughfest there is.

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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

I would try hunting a good guitar for whatever you can afford.... its possiible Ive seen good stuff on ebay .....

If you're serious about playing again, be a man and go out and get yourself a American Standard, be it used or new. You'll find it quite pleasing. Good luck.

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"You won't part with your's either"

Fender American Standard Stratocaster 2006

Fender Standard Telecaster 2007

First let me welcome you to the Forum.

I would go and play as many guitars you can within your price range. You will find "the one". Good luck.

To answer your question, if you are willing to pay for a Road Worn do yourself a favor and try an American Standard. Not an elitist by any means, but if you can afford a Road Worn I think you will like the sound better from an American Standard. My next suggestion is the Classic Players series and then maybe the Highway 1 series (although the HWY 1 Series is geared more for Metal, but it may play better to your liking). 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

"Yea, I had a guitar that I really liked and I sold it and now I'm kicking myself in the butt..."

I really wish I had a Strat for every time I've heard someone say that. Of all of the guitars I've purchased over the years (over 20), I've only sold -3-...and technically I didn't sell them, all three were instruments that I didn't really care for so I traded them for better gear that I needed. I have had a couple that I've taken apart, but they're still around in one form or another. I really just don't get why someone would sell something like a guitar that they actually like. In any case though, I have to agree with rkreisher..play every guitar you can in your price range and sooner or later you'll find the one that's right....you may even discover that it's not a high end expensive instrument that was made in the USA.

And in regards to Play3r's comment...a real man doesn't have to prove himself by blowing a wad of cash on an American Standard...only a true neophyte feels the need to prove his manliness in that way. Sorry but that comment was pathetically lame.

Just my $.02 worth,
Jim

+1 on the MIA. If you have the cash, absolutely get the best you can afford if you're serious.

MIM's are good, but they're for people with budgets or that aren't serious just yet.

If you appreciate the finer details of a quality guitar, get the MIA. If that doesn't bother you and you want the lowest, rock bottom "bang for your buck", MIM's aren't bad.

+1 Go for the best you can get. You'll never regret getting an American Standard Strat, you might want to look into a reissue strat as well it might meet you're sound a bit better. Regardless play as many as you can, you'll find the right oen for you.

Guys, thanks for all the advice. I went to my local Guitar Center this weekend and the place was absolutely packed. No chance to play anything, really. From reading reviews and hearing some samples, I really liked the Fender Classic and Classic Player guitars. That Lake Placid Blue is easy to look at but I've heard it's a heavy guitar with a finish much like my chipped Tele. I don't want another heavy guitar.

True, I've been temped to just buy one but I've held off. I'm going to go back during the week and play as many as I can. I thought the MIA Strat was well over 1K. The Road Worn guitars fit like an old t-shirt but do seem a bit gimmicky.

I dont agree with that put down of MIM strats, i have a USA, a Japanesse and a Mexican, the Mexican has SCN pick ups and plays and sounds as good as my USA, i am a serious musician and have at times preferred my Mexican even over my 1976 Gibson Les Paul Custom, now thats a serious guitar. (same price as 3 USA strats by the way) describing what could be someones pride and joy as rock bottom and bang for your buck is wrong, If you cant get a good sound out of a Mexican and you "need" a USA strat then its your playing.

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12 guitars 2 hands not fair!

There was no put down of MIM's - I have one, and it was my main guitar for about 5 yrs and a few hundreds shows. It's a great guitar - but it is, what it is. A budget version of a MIA for people that can't afford a MIA. Fender did not decide to build MIMs "just because" or to give another variety of guitar. They're soley for the purpose of saving money and cutting some corners to make a a cheaper version of the MIA. Some people (myself included) can totally tell the difference and appreciate the more refined MIA, easily. I can jam and sound great on a Squier, but I don't "want" to play one when I can afford a nicer guitar, that's nicer to play. Just like I "can" drive a Hyundai for a car, but I'd "rather" drive a Acura or a BMW. They both "do" the same thing, but one is much much nicer and enjoyable for certain people.

Also, I didn't like the feel of the Road Worns. Looks? Cool. But the maple fretboards are just discolored. You don't feel that wear at all, like a custom shop or a neck that's really been worn through from years of playing. Instead, it looks like they just roughed up the wood, discolored it, then finished the whole thing. So it "feels" like a brand new neck, it just looks worn. That would have been the selling point for me, that actually worn neck feeling.

we should just crack open a bud and listen to some clapton,

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12 guitars 2 hands not fair!