I BOUGHT A FENDER AMERICAN STANDARD STRAT SOME MONTHS AGO AND I REALIZE THAT THE BODY IS MADE BY 4 PIECES. I WONDER IF SOMEBODY COULD TELL ME WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO BUY THE BEST QUALITY 1 PIECE BODY. IF IT IS A SHOP IT HAS TO BE ONE THAT WORKS WITH INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CAUSE IM FROM ARGENTINA.

I WONDER TOO IF SOMEBODY KNOWS THE DIFERENCES BEETWEEN DIFERENT TYPES OF BODY WOODS: MAHOGANY, ALDER, ASH, WALNUT AND MAPLE. WICH I THINK ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT STRAT BODIES ARE MADE OF.

THANKS FOR THE HELP!

MARTIN

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP

I KNOW THAT FENDER DOESNT SELL GUITAR PARTS, BUT I CANT BUY ANOTHER GUITAR JUST FOR THE BODY... I PAID $2200 FOR THE AMERICAN STANDARD I BOUGHT (THATS $1000 MORE THAN WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT IN THE US) BECAUSE OF SHIPPING TAXES, SALES TAXES AND THINGS LIKE THAT... I´VE SEEN SOME WEBSITES THAT SELL 1 PIECE STRAT BODIES FOR $200 AND SEEMS TO BE THE GOOD ONES...(I GOT TO ADD THE SHIPPING TAXES AND STUFF, BUT ANYWAY IS A LOT MORE AFFORDABLE THAN BUYING ANOTHER ENTIRE GUITAR)

I COULD SELL MY STRAT AND BUY ANOTHER ONE WITH 1 PIECE BODY BUT IT IS SURELY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MINE AND THE WORST OF ALL.. IM LEFT-HANDED AND PLAY AS LEFT-HANDED.. ITS HARD TO SELL A LEFTY GUITAR...

ANYWAY, ARE THERE A LOT OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 1 PIECE BODY AND A VARIOUS PIECES? BECAUSE THOSE SITES SELL THE 1 PIECE BODY FOR $200 AND THE 3 PIECES FOR $170... THERES ALMOST NO DIFERENCE...

What is your obsession with a one piece body??? You got a great guitar, go out and play it!
3 or 4 pieces is perfectly acceptable for an American Standard. Leo Fender himself designed his guitars to have multi-piece bodies from the very beginning. I doubt there is a sonic difference between one and multi-piece bodies. If there is a difference, it probably comes down to the wood used for the guitars you are comparing. EVERY piece of wood is different even if cut from the same tree (cut higher or lower along the trunk). The 1 piece might be an unresonant dud. 1 piece bodies are prone to warping too I found out from the research I've done, try googling it.

p.s. YOU'RE CAPS LOCK IS ON.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

It does seem that a higher percentage of the first strats had one-piece bodies. My 1954 has one, in fact.



Thank you for debunking this "One Piece Bodies Warp" myth. If it were true, I think I'd have seen at least one that had warped. I haven't. Has anyone?

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Actually, I have. It was a red 1956 one that was warping in an arch toward the back from top horn to bottom horn. Not only was the finish splitting in numerous places but most of the pickguard's screw holes were stretched and split as were most of the pickguard screw holes in the wood themselves and the whole area around the backplate; not a pretty sight! In spite of all this, it still played fine.

There was also a Clapton Signature Strat I had in the '90s. Around the jackplate you could see a slight curving of the wood toward the back of the guitar where it stretched the jack cup screw holes and had also stretched and split their screw holes in the wood.

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You dig?

If you still want one I think you can probably get one from Warmoth

Yup, you really can't to wrong with a Warmoth body. And I second the notion that a 1 piece doesn't make even a neglibible difference in tone. Who knows when too many pieces begin to detract from the sound of the guitar. A two piece strat is fine by me. How many pieces in a Les Paul, for instance. At least two in the back and two more for the top.

I worked for Gibson in the 80's, and the guys in R&D said that the problem with too many pieces of wood is not the extra pieces, but the glue between the pieces. Glue doesn't transmit the vibrations as well as wood. Gibson admitted that during the 70's they used a lot of pieces in their painted guitars like the Les Paul gold top because they were cheaper to make (using scraps) and guitars were selling so fast that quality went out the window. In the 80's they wanted to beef up the quality and started paying attention to how many glue joints were in their guitars.

IMHO, if you run across a one piece body it's nice to have, but to put any real value on it doesn't make any sense. In the early days, Leo Fender had access to lots of inexpensive ash in large chunks and it was just plain easier to use one piece and avoid the edge planing, gluing, and clamping necessary to make a multi piece body.

Thanks for the information guys!! after all there´s no need to buy a new one... I´ve checked warmoth and the body i want is available for only $700 (?)
without shipping costs...
so I´ll keep playing my 4 pieces body´s strat that sounds pretty good after all..

THANKSSSSSSSS
...AND MY CAPS ARE ON AGAIN.

PHILL COLLINS SAYD: TURN IT ON TURN IT ON AGAINNNN. SO I TURNED MY CAPS ON...
...AGAIN

A red 1956, huh? Was it a one piece body? Unlikely if it was a solid color, I'd say.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Yes. Yes. Agreed but it was.

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You dig?

How do they know it was a one piece body?

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.