hours and hours of trying this one, then that one, then this one again,.... and so on and on,.... I noticed myself always turning back to 3 strats, all from a different price level. First: the MIM Classic 60s player strat, great tone, great feel, beautifull finish (sonic blue), nice price! Second: The American Standard, maybe more versatile, more glassy tones, slim neck.
Last but not least: The John Mayer strat (reminds ma of a 62 reissue except for the fretboard radius), BEAUTIFULL guitar, fantastic tones,.....
1e: 900 dollars, 2e: 1700 dollars 3e: 2400 dollars...... HELP ANYONE?????

I like the classic players strat the best, then the Amer Std. I generally dislike most things John Mayer so playing a sig guitar of his would make me sick, but thats just me.

Do you plan to mod the guitar you get, if so go for the classic players since it is cheaper and will allow you to mod it and ned up paying around the same price as the Amer St.

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I got a black cat bone, I got a mojo too.

Go with the one that fits you best (and that you can afford).If you go for the best value, it may not be the best one for you and you will regret it later.I have 2 American strats and a SRV signature.If I had to have only one it would be the SRV ,not because i am a SRV wannabe, but because the neck fits my hand the best and I really like the Texas Specials.Forget about whos Signature strat it is, if it has all the neccesary ingredients, go for it .Sure you can mod cheaper guitars, but it may or may not be what you are looking for in the end.JMHO.

Me personally, I am not big on signature guitars. That being said everyone has their on opinions. I don't like things that copy someone elses specs. I like to try my best to make things my own. I will say that the signature strats, especially the SVR, Eric Clapton, and John Mayer models are generally extremely nice and do have great quality detail, overall great respected tones and so forth. I admire the signatures but don't own any nor do I plan on buying any. Example of mine is this, I love Kirk Hammett's playing (Metallica), but I would never buy one of the ESP Ouija KH guitars, simply because that was a "paint scheme" created by an artist for Kirk's personal guitar. I find that I love to look at the signature guitars out there and I find most of them fascinating. Some people do buy the signature guitars of their favorite artist more for a collectable just to have, and that is cool too.

What it comes down to is for you to buy what YOU want. If it is a signature model and you have the funds for that and it feels really good to you then that is your guitar. When I am purchasing a new guitar I go for 2 main things. One is the way it feels and plays to me, the way the neck fits my hand(I had said this in another thread that I love my 1983 Gibson Explorer 1 so mush because the neck fits my fretting hand like a glove). If it feels and sounds perfect to me then that is MY new guitar. Two is the price. If it is what I want and I have the money then that is MY new guitar. Go with what you can afford and the one that feels and sounds the best to your hands and ears. Good luck in choosing and when you get your new guitar home please post pics here, we all love pictures of guitars . Hope my long drawn out post helps some.


hotrod

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1983 Gibson Explorer 1 (main axe)
2004 Fender American Standard Stratocaster (Butterscotch on ash 1 piece maple neck and fretboard) (my baby)
2008 BC Rich Assassin neck thru(fun toy)
Peavey 5150 212 combo (early model) FREAKIN CRUNCH MONSTER!

As stated above, it's your decision, but the American Standard won't let you down.Great guitar for the money...... Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

You are going about it the right way: by trying a lot of guitars.

Your wallet plays a big role in your purchase too ... what can you afford to spend at this time?

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Exactly, and dont let the place of manufacture or the pricetag (unless its too expensive prevent you from trying one out.When I was looking in Feb I went from the MIM Standards on up and settled on an American Standard.Like Mike said , it wont let you down.

Thank you all for the replies. Ofcourse money is allways an issue but if you can afford it or not is also subjective, buy something now with the money that's in your wallet, or wait a while untill you have saved a bit more.... I don't want to ( I don't know how to say it because English is not my native language, I'm from Belgium) give in to the moment, I mean just buy it because I want to have it immediately. What's for the sig.series, I'm not a big fan either, I'm a big Knopfler and Gilmour fan, I'm not a John Mayer fan, but his guitar just feels, sounds and looks great!

Quality and price/value, I would probably go with the American Standard. Although, if I could afford it, I'd go with the JM sig. My friend has one and I absolutely love it. I don't care about the name on it. In fact, unless you really know your Strats, most people would never know it's a sig model just by looking at it, unless they were close enough to read the small signature. Again, if you can afford it, buy the JM. Otherwise, buy the American Standard.

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2010 American Deluxe Strat Sunset Metallic - Lindy Fralin Blues Specials in the neck and middle, Dimarzio AT-1 humbucker in the bridge.
PRS Custom 22 with solid rosewood neck
Mesa/Boogie Electra Dyne 1x12 combo
DRRI

i have an expensive tele, american strat and a squire. i play all three about the same but i depend on the one that fits me the best as far as neck, tone and playability. you could take a friend to the store and have them tie a bandana around your eyes, then hand you the three strats at different times and you pick based on feel and sound...

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"coretta" '71 tele thinline
"domino" '97 lonestar strat
"marie" squire strat
"lexy" jag-stang
"owa" martin 000

tone=fingers; fingers=tone

of the 3 strats you mentioned, is the 1700 am std a deluxe?

No, a standard, but I'm from Europe and I'm counting in euro's and at the current rate, it must be about 1700 dollars (in Europe Fender guitars are more expensive then in the States).

Id say give yourself another go round with them all again now that youve had a break from them and thought about it some.

I'd go for the $900 one because I don't think any Strat is worth much more than that and the line has to be drawn somewhere. This is unless of course, you have lots of disposable income in which case, ask yourself: After the novelty wears off, which one would you most want to be stuck indefinitely on a deserted island with?

As always, this is merely IMO, YMMV.

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You dig?

American Std. Really great guitar.