Hi Folks,

I recently posted a similar question in the regular Tele forum on tdpri as I'm weighing up what guitar I want to buy - I'm not going to drop a ton of cash on a guitar to be my main axe unless it's fit for purpose! Although I've had a little play of all sorts of guitars here and there, I've only ever owned one guitar - An Epiphone Les Paul (of unknown vintage) that was a present about 8 years ago.

I love all kinds of Strat sounds the only thing I don't dig about the Strat sound is the horrible clicky / clucky / quack (of the middle pickup, right?). Please don't flame me!

Anyway, because there are a trillion different types of Strat out there, I want to narrow things down (a LOT) before I go out with a wad of cash in my pocket and start trying them out. I've read good things about various AVRI's and, of course, custom shops - and even good things about the regular American Standard... I have no clue about different pickups, different bridge saddles, different trems (if any), 3/5 way pup selector, etc. I'm pretty sure I want nitro finish though

Cashwise, I understand that you get what you pay for, but similarly I think £2k on a guitar is f*cking stupid - especially when there are guitars for half the price that play, look, feel, sound the same. So I'm thinking of the £700 - £1200 range - unless there's an absolute killer for £1250

So, what is the best current Strat or Strats?

You cant go far wrong with a american deluxe. Where abouts in the UK are you?

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South East England - London / Kent

I don't really know the difference between say, a Deluxe, a Standard, a Hotrod, an HSS, an AVRI etc etc Which is kind of why I'm posting...

What is it about the Deluxe that makes you recommend it?

Well on the deluxe you get premium everything. Noiseless pickups s1 switching (which offers some humbucker like tones), locking tuners, abalone dots, hand rolled fretboard edges (for a nice feeling neck), a contoured heel for good high end access. Great trem with a snap in arm. Finaly a very nicely made strat, a lot of people in the know cite them as being the nearest production model to custom shop quality. They certainly seem to provide all the stuff you will use and non of the superfluous stuff that you wont. I own a vintage hotrod and a customshop custom classic, i've currently got my eye on a deluxe and wondering which of the others should go to fund it.

Vintage hotrods are great guitars but if you want a all singing, all dancing strat the AM deluxe is the way to go.

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Not just because I have one but in your price range I'd go for the MIA Ash Deluxe! It has everything you say your looking for. Of course try one out if possible before purchasing one. It is also a must that the guitar be perfectly setup as the best guitar you can buy,will sound and feels bad if not set correctly. The larger stores are notorious for taking it straight out of the box and hanging it on the wall. Smaller shops do a better job of tweaking the guitar just right before displaying it! I got the cherry burst (#731) but look on this site and pick your color. Good luck and playing!! PS. take a look at the specs of the guitars you are interested in here on this site and see if it has all the features you require!

I don't really know what features I require!

I mean, I mainly like the look of maple boards, but some rosewoods look sweet.

Fret / Neck size - I've got no idea what would be easier to play, but I'm sure I'd adjust if this is my main axe? Or is there a consensus here?

3 way vs 5 way switching - no idea...

Finish: Nitro, definitely.

Bridge / Sadlle - don't know if it makes a difference with 2 strings per saddle or 1 string per saddle.

Pickups - no idea.

I know the 62 AV hotrods are really, really well received but I like the sound of the hand-rolled frets and contoured heel of the deluxe though! Shame there isn't a '62 AV Hotrod Deluxe! haha.

Hi Leo_Fender: welcome to the Forum.

(Look ladies and gentlemen, I'm welcoming Leo Fender to the Fender Forum. Ooooh - I feel all goose pimply...)

Leo, there's just too much variety to choose from to even start recommending one Strat without knowing a whole lot more about your tastes and playing.

The pickups on either Standard or Deluxe are good: your ears have to choose between them...

My advice: take a trip up to town and visit Regent Sounds in Denmark Street and Macari's in the Charing Cross Road. Both within easy striking distance of the railway station you'll arrive at. If Steve Macari himself is in that shop have a chat with him: his advice is good and he isn't the sort to steer you to the most expensive option if it ain't the right one for you.

Play the whatsit out of all the Strats you can lay hands on and see how they all feel and sound to you. Either the American Standard or the Deluxe will give you the rolled fingerboard edges which I think aids playability no end: so then you gotta decide whether the gongs and whistles of the Deluxe ring your bell or the more blue collar appointments of the Standard.

I have the S1 switch (on a Standard, as it happens) and feel it is very much an optional extra, but some here love what it does. Think about whether you need a single coil or a humbucker at the bridge, too. If you already have a humbucker loaded guitar then that would seem a good reason to go for a full SSS Strat, but each to his own...

Let us know how you get on, huh?

Cheers - C

Thanks for the great replies guys!!

Yeah my name is Leo so I registered on another forum as Leo_****** and another forum with a similar name again, then here it seemed natural to add "Fender" onto the end - and BAM, without realising it, I became Leo Fender haha.

Hmm, I know there is a LOT of love for AV '62 HotRod and AV '57 HotRod - and I really dig the descriptions of the tone + I dig the look + Froosh has a genuine '62 which always sounds amazing - but I really like the hand-rolled fretboard and contoured heel (for easier access to higher frets) of the American Deluxe models. I even notice the distinct lack of rolling / contour on my LP neck sometimes - especially playing near the nut. Generally speaking though, I'm new to Strats and I'm not really sure what features would suit me other than what I've listed (e.g. nitro - although I could possibly forgo that if I had to).
I'm also a little worried about a) trying guitars through crap amps in a shop b) noisy guitar shops make it tough to hear what's going on tonally - also, it can be hard to really tell the difference between a couple of guitars anyway (when the difference is subtle) - like I probably wouldn't notice some differences unless I was A/B/Cing for a fortnight at home!
This is the main reason why I'm asking around for advice, because I don't want the tough task of trawling through every single strat available - I'd rather have an idea of a few models that might be suitable, then I can get stuck in trying those out - and finding good examples of those models.

How would an American Deluxe compare to an American Standard to an AVHR '57 / '62?

And do all of those come in nitro, or just the 57/62?

FWIW on the '08 standard front, my friend has one of those and loves it. He used to hate Strats - had a Les Paul custom and a 60th Anni Tele - then BAM, bought the '08 last year and he couldn't be happier.

Yeah, I'd stop worrying about the nitro. It's only available on the reissues (and the Highway One, of course) and you'd have to lose a lot else regarding modern playability to get that old fashioned paint.

Nice if you like that sort of thing, but hardly the most important issue.

So you've already narrowed it down to three or four guitars: now it really is sensible to choose between them with your hands and ears.

Regarding demoing in shops: if you have something like a pocket POD or even a Vox Amplug why not take it along? Then you can belt away on sounds you already know and the earphones take away some of the discomfort that some people feel about trying guitars under the glare of shop assistants' gaze.

I definitely would not buy a guitar on the basis of what I heard through an Amplug, but it gives you some space to loosen your fingers and wig out, and when you're gettting close then you can ask to hear your final choices through a real amp in the booth.

Just a thought...

Cheers - C

hey leo, if you have the cash, im sure nikininja will agree with me(well maybe,lol)
go with american vintage 57 hot rod, it has scn neck,bridge and a dimarzio tone zone at the bridge, which in my opinion is the best hot rod out there. the scn are noiseless pus. meaning no 60 cycle hum, at high vol and high gains. as for custom shop, that is totally preference related.
you need to know exactly what you want before you dish 2-3 g's american dollars. im guessing youre into from blues to classic rock to alittle heavier rock. av 57 hr is a great guitar for that.

good luck on your stratojourney.

Booth? I've only ever been in one shop with a booth and that's closed now

Good idea on the headphones, shame I don't really have anything like that - great idea though to get used to the feel / playability before zoning in on tone...

Easy solution! Just stick to the neck pickup and get yourself a '60s Vintage Reissue Strat (MIA) ...

IMO that is.

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My other guitar is a Strat.

Oh man, there's a sale on-line (until tomorrow) with a '57 American Vintage Hot-Rod 2-t Sunburst / Maple neck. £899 shipped. YUM!

Shame I haven't ever laid my hands on one!! Saying that, it's as easy as pie to sell things on these days - forum classifieds / the 'bay / gumtr-craigsl etc

Is there any / much difference between the '57 and the '62?

Also, are there any Strats / pups which are more / less prone to the horrid quack? SRV even had that vomit-inducing tone about 2% of the time, thankfully not any more than that!

I'd rather not get an instrument where I deliberately had to stay away from a certain pickup! Saying that, if the quack is equally present on all Strats / middle pups then so be it.

About five years!

Sorry I had to

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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

If you decide an a deluxe and are going to buy online, i would first try one out somewhere because the necks are super thin. i had one and just could not get used to the shape or size, and i've never had that issue with any other strat i've ever played. many people apparent;y like them, and you may be one of those. But i wouldn't buy a strat with a neck this different w/o being sure you like it first because if you don't you'll lose a few hundred bucks selling it. I also didn't care for the SCN pickups, so if you are hoping to not have to buy pickups i would also make sure you like those because they are different than regular single coils. They're well made strats to be sure, but they are a pretty wide departure from the norm in those ways and you really should try b4 u buy.