Yet another reason not to do business with GC!!!!

[/quote]No response yet as of 7/1.....Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

I've decided not to go forward with it presently. The bloom is off the rose so to speak. My enthusiasm for it has waned, all because some moron failed to push the right button on his computer keyboard.

I'll wait until the BG LTD is launched and see where I want to go from there. If the VHR is still available I am sure I can do business with The Music Zoo , which is local, without any issues, or haul my butt upstate to Middletown NY where I've done business before.

The 'deal' was attractive but not worth the aggravation and even though GC has a Showcase location in Manhattan I choose not to give that company the benefit of their incompetence, nor purchase anything of signifcant cost from them ever again. It's principle, nothing more. Brad, Mike or anyone elso of influence at FMIC reading this has my encouragement to give GC headquarters on the coast a heads up and tell them what's been written herein and on another related thread, not only by me but by others as well
Their online system is a total botch. It fails to accommodate or expedite in situations where such accommodations are the core of maintaining excellent business relations with consumers such as myself and others herein.

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"Another day in paradise!"

I have some excellent news, ZZDoc! My '57 AVHR is set to arrive on August 20th, give or take a few days. Hope it's a good sign for your order!

I opted for the 2-tone sunburst

Jeff Krause (relation to Todd????)of Fender Consumer Relations advised me today by email that the guitar is just missing from the website. I have reassessed my position with respect to my earlier posts and have decided to order it from The Music Zoo, a Showcase dealer not far from my home. It is where the first Road Show of this season was held in May of this year. I too prefer the sunburst. Hope that I will have it not long after you. Enjoy
Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

With which pickups the BG LTD is fitted? Vintage Noiseless, perhaps? The regular Artist Series has Lace Sensor Golds and active circuitry.

That IS the one million dollar question I have attempted pursuing the answer to with respect to that 'yellow' Strat for weeks now, isn't it. If past practices remain true, taking your baton and running with it, I would guess that they did same as with the old Clapton Lace Sensors and dropped the current Clapton pickups and active electronis into a honey blond body. and that the neck is a 10/56 generic soft-V. as per current. However, let's you and I endeavor not to start a Mayer, Gilmour, or Grigio Silverstone/Daphne Blue thread over this one. Mike was pretty definite when he replied to my questiion on his website.
'Nope!" "Gotta wait!"

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"Another day in paradise!"

Do you have pictures of that guitar? I recalled BG playing a similar Strat featuring an olympic white body with black polka dots during his induction at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Mexico-made BG White Polka Dot Strat had standard alnico pickups. Buddy's own guitar uses Gold Lace pickups with black covers and the EC active booster.

Review the posts on the Crossroads Concert. You'll find pictures of Buddy with the guitar. If you go back to the 2007 concert, you'll find it him there with it too. The guitar was taken apart by the Custom Shop crew in Chcago and catalogued for tfor an LTD project. zzSpectrezz was there and had a talk with TK about it. He mentioned the builder but it's slipped my mind at this writing. I'm late getting back to him on the matter.

The 'black on white' which we had some conversation about in these pages, long time past, and I've named "The Dalmation", was made exclusively for Buddy and is not available in production so I am told One of our Forum members owns a white on red which I believe was an FSR by some vendor. I onced owned a white on black which I upgraded with DiMarzio Vintage Blues pickups. I was ultimately swapped out for a '97 Clapton. I was a pretty decent guitar...a generic MIM V-neck...nothing more. An interesting project for me, but I moved on from it. I kind of like the look of this blond guitar. I don't see any reason why the Custom Shop would not do a "Dalmation' for an interested buyer.

What the 'tribute' guitar they are planning will be all about is anybody's guess. I can think of two possibilities.It may be a repro on his polka-dot stage guitar whose dot pattern is totally different from the MIM version, or some version of a 2-tone sunburst 50's which was his first. It's a waiting game at this point. ME says that the LTD will go in September but will offer no further information on it. The Tribute comes later.

Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

Back to topic - has the Hot Rod 57 in fact been discontinued? I've got the HR 62 which is a great strat in my opinion. The 57 would be missed.

Negatory on that. Go back 5 posts to my response to Toronado,
Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

http://www.fender.com/products/search.p ... 0100132809

It's back up on the Fender website. All good now.

Stll highlighting the CAR finish. Perhaps a nod to David Gilmour.

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"Another day in paradise!"

To me it makes no sense they're still loading this model with SCNs when Fender has moved to the N3s.

You're making the broad assumption that simply because Fender changed the pickups on the American Deluxe there should be an across the board upgrade on the entire line. Fender's never done that to my knowledge. The concept of the guitar as launched in 2007 remains unchanged, as it does with many other models. I'll reiterate something I've said before regarding these Bill Lawrence designed SCN's. I remember well when the Deluxe acquired them in '04. They were touted then as, you will often hear me say about Fender promotionals, 'the best thing sinced sliced bread' . So much so, did I believe this promo, that when I build a CS guitar based on the Clapton platform, I put SCN's in the guitar instead of VN's.
Nikininja, who bought a '57VHR on my strong recommendation, has nothing but praise for it, and the SCN's, which he's always maintained were a great design. I also concurred with him, in particular, when driven by a 25db midboost. For a fairly popular, but relatively low demand product like the VHR, the status quo seems appropriate. I'll give you an update after mine arrives. Late August, I'm hoping.
Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"