ok im 19 and i have played acoustic guitar for about 8 years now
i have not yet played in a band but im probably going to start one...
so now im want to get my first electric guitur and i know its going to be a stratocaster because i played a couple of guitars and i like this one...

could anyone tell me which kind of strat would be the right one for me, because i don't know anything about the differences between them

I really like hard and classic rock(led zeppelin, deep purple,jimi hendrix), alternative rock and crossover(red hot chili peppers, audioslave, 311) but I don't want to only play one genre...so I need a guitar that is like an allrounder if you know what i mean

well I think i mentioned everything necessary...if there are any more questions just ask me
thank you for helping me

Welcome to the forum.

I guess a good question would be how much are looking to spend. For around $500 you can get a basic MIM Strat. If I were you, I would look at one with a humbucker. It will give you a little more crunch.

The cool thing about strats is that its fairly easy to customize them for your own personal prefrence. But you may want to start out with a basic one and work from there.

Spend some time trying a few out and see what works for you.

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2008 Fender Deluxe Fat Strat
1998 Gibson Explorer
1985 Ibanez DT350FR
Peavey Valveking

It sounds as if you'd like the American Special H-S-S :

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratASHRBLK/

A very good "allrounder" as you mentioned.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Hmm, I play a lot of Audioslave and in the first two albums, Tom mostly used a SSS config. Stratocaster. On the other hand Led Zepplin was mostly known to play a LP.

So I would recommend getting either an SSS American special and then putting an after-market pickup set in it or......

If your looking for a little less DIY, an HSS.

It's just that for me personally, a true Strat uses the SSS config.

And actually alot of the early Zepplin was recorded with a Telecaster and not a LP

Yeah, you can get a good Strat for 500 or so but take your time looking around.

Actually, some of my friends always bash the CBS era Strats but there some really nice ones actually. Again, take your time.

IMHO, I'd spend a bit more on the Strat, as you'll be playing it for a long time. An American Standard is really a good choice, and there are plenty of used ones that you can snag at a decent price. If you decide to switch guitars down the line, an American Made Strat will retain it's value a bit.

PS: I wouldn't worry too much about the precise guitars used by Page, unless you intend on getting a violin bow to whack it with.

well I want to spend about 700 to 1000 bugs(€ not dollars)

how about vintage guitars...i saw a lot of them on ebay but they are usually pretty expensive
are they worth their price or do you just pay that much cause they are "oldtimers"

what is the difference between standard, hss and sss?

Der
IMO you should take a day trip out to your local guitar shops, look at, touch, play and feel as many Strats as you can (they are all a little different) and then pick the one that looks and feels best to you. I assure you that this will not be the last electric guitar that you buy...unless you quit playing.

As far as "Vintage" goes....you will not be able to even come close to anything worthwhile with the budget you would like. Buy a new guitar and enjoy it every day...we will see you here again asking about which should be your next one.

I know it's cool to look at what guy's like Hendrix, Clapton, and Page were playing, but you really need to skip that exercise and get the just released "Der" model. You will like that one best....good luck

I gotta give that one a +1.

Honestly this question comes up in one form or another from time to time around here and in my opinion the answer is pretty much always the same...the best guitar for -you- is the guitar that feels good in -your- hands and sounds good to -your- ears. Most of the differences between Strats are usually pretty subtle (although there are certainly exceptions) but if you've been playing for 8 years already you should be able to recognize and appreciate them. The only real way to do that however is as jromanov said, to play as many as you can in your price range.

Now with that, I do have to say that personally I play classic rock, blues, oldies and even a bit of vintage metal from time to time, so I can appreciate that whole idea of having a good general all-rounder. In my case it's a '96 MIM Standard that I've upgraded the hell out of over the years...Callaham trem block, Duncan pickups, etc.. My #2 to this guitar is the '85 MIJ Squier Strat I picked up last fall...the only thing I've done to her is I put in a set of Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups. Again, good all-rounder.

On that particular note: don't discount Squier...there are some -very- fine instruments out there with the Squier name on the headstock. In fact something that you may wish to consider is that if this is your first electric, chances are you probably going to need an amp as well? If this is the case, then you may wish to stick with a less expensive instrument and put the rest in to a decent amp. After all, even the nicest, most expensive Custom Shop Strat in the world isn't going to do you a lot of good (especially in a band) without an amp. Squiers such as the Standards and the CV's cost a good deal less than even a Fender MIM Standard...I also have an '08 Squier Standard and for the $200 I payed for her brand new, she's a truly outstanding instrument! I would be perfectly comfortable playing either of my Squiers on stage thru a decent $400 amp....and I've been playing for quite a few years .

Now very personally I have to say here that while I know you're new to the world of electrics, to me I think the best way to get what you want is to really build it up yourself. Start with something that feels good to you. In the case of my '96, my wife bought her for me brand new in the late summer of '96 and at the time I really wasn't that happy with the sound...those old Mexican pickups just sound really flat and lifeless to me. That said, I -knew- changing the sound of a Strat (or most electrics really) wasn't all that hard. My '96 however just had a truly wonderful feel...and she still does.

Now to give you a point of contrast here, I also have an '03 MIM Standard that I recently picked up. Now although I'm still working on it, this '03 -is- a good guitar and I do like it (otherwise I wouldn't have bought it) but even though it's the same neck profile and such, it doens't have the same feel as my '96 does...except for being made about 7 years apart, they've both "MIM Standards" but they -are- two very different instruments.

So that's what I'd go for first...if you find a guitar that really has the feel you're after, -if- it sounds good too, great but if it don't, don't sweat it (unless you can find it all in one guitar for the same price). You can alway slap some better/different pickups in her later.

Lastly, a couple of quick words on "vintage". Ok...when it comes to vintage guitars, I typically find there's 2 mentalities...that of musicians and that of "collectors". A collector is primarily interested in such an instrument based on it's percieved "value" (and occasionally as a "show piece"). In this case it's not really too different from any other "antique"...it's something to be displayed in some hermetically sealed, environmentally controlled, glass case and ogled at while it (hopefully) continues to go up in value. That's not me. I'm a musician.

To me the -sole- value of a guitar is in it's worth as a musical instrument. Would I like to have a nice vintage instrument like a 50's or 60's Strat? Yea...you betcha! That said, you can also bet I'd play the crap out of it too (assuming of course I actually liked the way it played)! LOL!!! In my mind I don't see any point if having an instrument like that if you're not going to play it. The real question however is would I ever pay a good $20,000 - $$80,000 or more for a guitar like that? NO WAY IN HELL...not even if I could actually afford it!.

Here's the problem...because vintage instruments can often be quite "collectable", a good many of them end up with unrealistic prices. At a couple of local guitar shows recently I was looking at some vintage neck plates....ok...we're talking about a stupid, 4 bolt chunck of polished chrome or nickle plated steel. You can buy these things BRAND NEW on Ebay for around $10 or less. But because said neck plate came off of a "65 such and such according to the serial number", these people want $350 for it??? I don't think so!

So seriously...if you're just getting in to electric and your just looking for a "pretty good Strat", don't worry about vintage...drool over them from afar but get yourself something a bit more "contemporary" that's going to satisfy your need and the only way to do that is to get out and play as many as you can get your hands on.

Just my ever so humble $.02,
Jim

I agree with some of the others. I say go to a guitar shop, play as many guitars in your price range. A MIM Standard is a very good starter and generally run around $450 to $500 new. There are some upgraded models like the Deluxe, Lone Star, Road House, ect... If you have a little more money there is the Highway 1 and American Special. For a little more money there is the American Standard, then the American Deluxe.

Do you think you want a Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo? You may want to consider a Humbucker, Single, Single coil configuration for the harder (modern) Rock/Alternative. Just suggestions, but not necessary to play these Genres of music.

Basically go out and play as many as you can but don't buy. Wait a week, then go back and play just the ones you liked. From there you can get the one that you like the best.


Good luck on your quest, please post pics when you get it.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Good point! Infact some of those biting lead solos by Page were indeed a Telecaster!

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