So i've been saving for 2 years, which merely brought me a 1500euro's (=2500 dollars).
so you can understand that buying my new main axe will need some serious thinking and time.
I'm really fond of Srv and John Mayer (Hendrix, clapton,.. too).
But wanna stay unique as well. Buying a signature strat wouldn't be unique at all (and the wide neck may not be comfy for my small hands.)
So what should I buy? what wouldn't make me regret at all and would give me lots of tone varieties?
So basically I want a strat with that hot, punchy tone (think john mayer and srv) , but stay original.
I've thought of the deluxe strat
A 65 nos strat
70's reissue
A standard strat with other pick-ups (texas specials, cs 69,..)

Hello! Is this us 1st Fender?? Try to get a guitar that fits u the best, meaning a guitar with a tone that suits the type of genre u play. There is no such this as a unique or "copycat" when u buy a signature model. Its ur music and style of playing that is the most impt!! Afterall, don't forget the main reason behind playing guitar. If u want a bright and punchy tone, u might want to consider the 57' RI, though the neck is a bit diff from modern strats.

You've got to try them first hand, there is no better advice... I for one after years of guitar playing thought I liked the CS-69's when I first heard them on a friends guitar but ended up selling them two weeks after installing them and buying Dimarzio area 58-61-67.

An American Standard or Deluxe would be a good place to start... but you've got to hear the pickups LIVE yourself... you can end up with something really counter intuitive at the end. I used to hate the SCN's on my deluxe because I expected a replica of the "vintage" 70's sound that I had in my first strat, later on I came to admire them as good versatile pickups.

My advice to you would be to buy the guitar first, play it for a while until you are fully familiar with its capabilities and sound range before you decide to change the pups.
Cheers and good luck

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Member # 85477

"Remember"

Sir you've a wide array of guitars to choose from.

Personaly I think you wont go wrong with either the American Standard or Highway1, and you'll have enough money left over for an amp. The deluxe is a dream but yeah scn's aren't to everyones tastes. Infact the money your looking to spend you could search for a 2ndhand customshop guitar. If the euro and sterling are still around equal. I've seen a few pieces on ebay lately around the £1500 mark.

All quality guitars and are going to get you into the kind of territory you want to be in. The sound primarily is dependant upon you.

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No no and no

I've owned many Strats over the years, and if I could do it all over again, I'd just keep saving my money for Custom Shop instruments. I know it sounds somewhat like a waste, but really, the only guitars that I'm ever comfortable playing anymore are the ones that come out of the CS.

Go do some playing, pick the type of neck you want, the tone you like, and at least give a '60 CS Strat a try, NOS or Relic... you won't regret it.

I agree that a highway one or american standard is a good place to start.You can get a descent guitar /amp combo for that price.As far as a "unique" sound with an artist series, I have a SRV and sound nothing like SRV.The whole idea about thicker necks not being good for small hands is a myth.I have sausage fingers and My SRV is more comfortable to play and as better fit than my 2 MIA strats.I would play a variety of strats and keep an open mind.I usually play a strat unplugged to find the neck I am looking for and go from there, but thats just me.

You have already received some great advice here. One thing I would point out is that if you like the SRV tone you will want to consider a guitar with Texas Special pickups as a base for building that tone. I dont think an Artist Series guitar will take away from your uniqueness. There are some great configurations in those models, and it is not always easy to see the signature on the guitar from the audience. The modern "C" shaped neck seems to work well for alot of people with various hand sizes. Play alot of guitars and you will find one that feels right for you.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

American Deluxe all the way! There is a nice range of custom colors, the playability is awesome for guitar that's somewhat mass produced, the sound options of the S1 might interest you, but certainly won't interfere with the classic strat sound, and the price for quality is actually better than a cs axe that might not play any better given equal setup, but offers a more individualized paint/hardware scheme. So much versatility and playability for great bang for the buck; what's not to like there?

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

Wow guys, that's some very useful advice !
Thanks to all of you !
Never expected to get plenty replies this fast. .

I'm still not out of it though.
Atm i own and mexican HSS strat. The neck is comfy (I hate the humbucker though) , but then again i have never tried any other fender than this strat.
2 of my friends own an am strat , which i can't beat.
That's why i've been saving this long.

So Basically: primairy objective: It should be comfy
The second-hand custom shop idea really suits me.
so i'm really wondering now: John mayer sig, Srv sig, cs-guitar?
On the internet i've seen some great deals too lately:
65 Nos stratocaster for 2500 dollars (nice color, but lil scratch on the side).
60cs second hand for 2900 dollards.
a second hand Jm strat for 2000 dollars.
a american strat with lindy fralin blues specials PU for 2000.
GOSH This is so difficult!
More advice is always welcome

High-quality used is never a bad idea. They've almost always been well taken care of. Do that and swap in a different humbucker in your MIM and you'll have two stage-worthy axes!

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

My friend sit down in the shop and play them to see what "feels" right. For myself, I avoid the signature series guitars because they cost too much (and they aren't going to make you sound like your hero anyway. That comes from the guitar, the amp, the processors, and mostly THE HANDS).

My main advice is buy the best/most guitar that you can afford. Good guitars aren't cheap and cheap guitars aren't good. What I'm saying is, if you can afford it buy a USA made Fender (Strats are my favorite), if you can't afford the MIA, buy one of the high end Made in Mexico models. In the long run, you won't regret spending the extra coin.

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

The SRV guitar specs were not what Stevie used. It is unfortunate that people believe they will get Stevie's sound by buying the guitar with his initials on it. He began talking to Fender about building a special guitar for him but died before the plans were completed. Stevie's family members made the final decisions about that several years after he died. Stevie did not use a pau ferro fretboard nor did he use Texas Specials. His pups were custom wound and the current Fender pups that most closely approximate Stevie's are the C/S Fat 50's.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I agree with you completely BMW-KTM regarding the guitar specs wont get you that exact tone. I doubt very many of us could pick up Stevie's actual #1 and get the same tone. I do think that Fender tried to do what they could to manufacture a Sig. guitar that could serve as a building block toward achieving that type of tone, but the guitar is only one piece of the puzzle. I wish it was that easy to duplicate the masters.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

Id take a look at some vintage hot rods and some deluxes. Those were the two I keep coming back to for my next purchase. I really like the 62 hot rods most.

How about an Eric Johnson Strat? Even if you aren't an EJ fan, the guitar is amazing- like a 1957, but with brighter pickups and a fabulous neck, and custom shop style nitro-cellulose finish.