My 2008 American Deluxe Stratocaster V-neck S-1. This one called out to me... and I listened.

The amps:
-Super Champ XD (fun tube hybrid 15W)
-VOX AC4TV (all tube 4, 1, .25 W)
-Crate GX-15 (the junker... I can plug headphones into 15W)

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)

Hey, thanks again for the nice words...

Sorry about the size of these images!

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)

Don't apolgize about the size... We like big pictures and lots of pixels to get the detail... Awesome aquistion and really touched by your story. God bless and welcome. Love that 2 tone burst on the deluxe. Just a wee bit jealous

Man i thought i was bad for having small practice amps knocking around the house. Mine dont hang around in trio's ganging up on multieffects processors and generaly acting like louts.

Lovely deluxe mate, if mine looked like that i'd post more pictures of it. A very attractive light grain on that body.
Good to hear of anyone kicking that godforsaken disease in the balls too.

Well done that man.

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No no and no

Thanks again for the lovely words... good mates abound here!

Yes, the 2-tone is nice... don't get me wrong though... my old '86 sunburst is no slag either. There is something about that vintage 2-tone... and what you can't see from the photos is how the pick guard is this greenish vintage white looking color. Man, it's the mutts nuts! I'd have to say, and for a lot more reasons that one, yes... I'm a blessed man for sure.

Both Strats play similar, but not exactly the same. Each has it's own tone. The MIJ uses basswood while the Am Dlx uses alder... this might be one reason. The necks (both in cut and woods)... again... similar, but not exactly the same. Then, of coarse, they use completely different pups and tremolo.

The good thing for me is... both tickle my fancy. I love playing them. I'll still give another guitar make/model a glance, but I've no reason to wander. I mean, that grass... well... it might appear to be greener from a distance, but... it there's no way in hell it's going to feel as good to the senses as what I've already got!

I just finished a nice session... trying to learn The Church and old REM songs via tabs. My musical tastes are still stuck back in the heyday of the 80s... alternative stuff mostly, but I do appreciate many other styles as well. I can rock out to The Jam... then turn round and dig some Thin Lizzy... go figure. Oh well, a man must never look for logic in the chambers of the heart. I tell you mates... listening to music is grand... playing music... well, that's just the next higher lever of enlightenment!

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)

Funny that... those amps in question just won me some free tickets to see Coldplay. No joke. I just got a call one hour ago from the music store that sold me the VOX and Fender... I had entered a contest awhile ago and completely forgot about it. What a nice little cherry this is putting on my, already mind-blowing, desert! My wife's more into them than me... so I'll take her... like some kind of teenager date night. :^)

My favorite band The Church is playing this Sunday... I'm trying to figure out how make that happen. Peter Koppes is one of the guitar players in the band (Marty Willson-Piper is the other) and he totally rocks the Stratocaster. Not in the butt rock sense, but rather in rhythmic overlays that completely immerse the mind and soul.

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)

Kudos to you, sir!

Peter Koppes, from The Church, rocking the Strat. I had an amazing time seeing these guy play the other night. This is my third time (1988, 1998, and 2009). He's got a lovely melodic overlaying style... then he can still riff out some really fantastic energy when needed. I've been a devoted fan of The Church for over 27 years now... one of the best underrated bands in the world.

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)

So you sold the coldplay tickets then???

Whats that 1x12 marshall combo he's using? DSL or 900?

Checking out the Church now.

Their an entertaining interview.
http://www.thechurchband.com/news/index.phtml

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No no and no

The Church are Aussie legends! Nice to see they still have a following overseas... Under The Milky Way brings back some bittersweet memories... my highschool bandmates always wanted to play Unguarded Moment but for some reason we never got it together. Now Mrs mondo wants me to learn it!

Ha! My wife would not be happy if I got rid of those tickets mate!

You know, I don't know my Marshall amps... not sure on that one. I will say that those smaller amps, fed through the PA, are really perfect for the smaller theaters. Not that that's new or anything, but it struck me... that... when I was looking around the stage. I was so close to guys on stage... I could've given their Blundstone boots a good shoeshine... two bits!

Another thing... Marty Willson-Piper was plugged into a Matchless amp (and a couple other models)... so I'll show my ignorance then... I thought Matchless to be motorcycles!

I have found, over these 27 years of following the lads... and supporting them, that their patience for interviews has become strained... odd really. I guess, given these guys are all over 50 now, that they've heard it all... and don't give a rat's rosy any longer. You know, that lead bass player, Steve Kilbey, he's a real eccentric dude... in that Clockwork Orange sort of way. Nice enough though.

I did get the opportunity to meet them after the show. Yes, like a giddy school girl... I went round back to their Sprinter truck (Mercedes delivery trucks) and found them hanging around chatting with a few fans. I had them sign a new book, I purchased at the show, about them. I talked Aboriginal rights with Peter Koppes... and RICs vs Fenders with Marty Willson-Piper! Oh, it was grand! Those guys really are good people, but... like I was saying... they've been around this planet a few times over... seen it all so to speak... so... I had to keep that in perspective when wax'n poetic with them.

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)

Very nice! Yes, The Unguarded Moment... great song! I pulled the guitar tabs off the internet (I've never had the mind to learn to read music) and have been strumming the chords the past few weeks. The fact that The Church use two guitars... makes things a bit difficult, but the basic chords sound like the song so... I try to croon to my wife, but she just goes upstairs to get away!

I love the fact that this forum has so many different folks... from all over the world. Makes for more interesting posts I do think. I'd love to visit the land of OZ... someday I will... I've been told you need to take a month to see things there... as it's so vast. I'd like to rent an old Rover or Cruiser and go off exploring the, not so tourist, sights and such. I'd for sure buy up a buttload of new Blundstones (they fetch $150 over here) and tour the ARB factory. In any event, that cost a world of money for such things... maybe when I'm retired then.

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)

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"Boomshanka... may the seed of your loins be ever fruitful in the belly of your woman" (Neil -The Young Ones)