Hi everybody,

As said before in these forums I live in a small seaside town in Greece which is really beautiful, but doesn't give me the chance to try any of the instruments I buy before I buy them. So, I'd like people who've seen, played this guitar (Classic Player 50's strat) give me their answers to some questions I have.

1. Will the guitar need much work on intonation if I change the strings to 009 ? Will I have to play with the truss rod or simply the saddles ? Very serious question, since I don't have the skills and there are no luthiers in my area.

2. Is the hum coming from these pickups more audible than the one coming from an American Standard Stratocaster ?

3. Is the guitar as versatile (soundwise) as an American Standard, or is the 50's character very strong in it ?

4. Is this guitar lighter than an American Standard Ash Strat ?

5. Do the differences between this one and the American Vintage '57, justify the huge difference in price (In Europe 622 € for the 50's and 1500 for the American '57) ?

6. Can the owners post here various close photos of both colors under different lights so as to help me choose the one I like more ?

Excuse me for asking so many things but it's really difficult cluelessly buying a guitar and hoping it'll be as you believe it will.
Greetings from Greece...

_________________
Fender Classic Player 50's stratocaster in Shoreline Gold
Takamine EG 361 SC
Super Champ XD

1. you really should take the time to learn how to maintain your strat...sepecially since there are no techs in your area. I would recommend that you read some books and start taking things apart. Get a cheap $50 strat from GC so no worry if you screw it up. Most strats ship with 9s.

2. if hum is a concern, get a strat with vintage noiseless or HBs. I would guess that they amy hum more than a am std.

3. two identical strats can sound and play differently... purchase from a retailer that has a solid return policy so that you can return it if it doesn't have the sound you're after.

4. have the retailer weigh the guitar for you before it ships.

5. i'm not sure that there is a direct correlation between price and performance. I have cheap Fenders that sound and play better than more expensive models that I own

6. sorry, I don't own the model your looking at. I prefer the 60s classic player.

_________________
Robert Moog - "Hey... where do all these patch cables go?"

Uh...the OP lives in Greece. No Guitar Centers there. And please tell us at which GC you found a Strat for only $50.

I agree that most Fender Strats ship with 9's...except the Classic Series being discussed here ship with 10's.

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

edit: Correction. I was originally describing the Classic Series Strats, not the Classic Player Strat. Sorry for any confusion.

Hi Petros. That is a lot of questions. I'll try to answer also.
1. Going from the Classic Player's stock 10's to 9's shouldn't be much of a difference. But every guitar reacts differently since it's made of wood and every piece of wood is different. Let the guitar settle in for a couple of days with the new strings and then check it out thouroughly to see if it will need some adjustments. Like Strataholic suggested, read up on the subject to setting up your own guitars. Start here http://www.fender.com/support/stratocas ... _guide.php

2. Hum is about the same.

3. Both are very versatile. There isn't much difference between the Am Stds and Classic Player. Both have 2-point trems and other modern amenitites. There really isn't much of anything "50's" about the Classic Player 50s model except the name.

4. Every piece of wood is different. Even guitars of the same model can vary in wieght.

5. Price is a personal preference. If you can afford the AVRI '57, then go for it. If you can't, then get the Classic Player. Both are great guitars in their own right. It depends if you want vintage or modern features. It would be more appropriate to compare the Classic Series 50's Strat to the AVRI '57 since those both have all vintage styled features.

The AVRI '57 and the Classic Player Strat do not have much in common. The AVRI '57 is obviously a recreation of a 1957 Strat. The Classic Player is a hybrid of modern and vintage features (more modern than vintage). The AVRI is vintage through and through and will play differently than the Classic Player. The closest thing Fender Mexico has to the AVRI '57 is the Classic Series 50's Strat. There are more differences between the two other than just where they are made. Different, hardware, nitro vs polyester finish, different pickups, wood selection, case vs gig bag, etc etc. Check out each guitar's specs in the "Product" section here at the top of the page. You decide if it's worth it.

6. Not sure how pics would help because a pretty looking guitar can still play like a dog. Try searching Google pics of each model or check out the pics of the models here on this site. Here are some detailed pics from all anlges of a Classic Players Strat: http://www.elderly.com/fmic/items/FCP50S-SHG.htm

Good luck!

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

Fender Squires are a dime a dozen at GC used online!

_________________
Robert Moog - "Hey... where do all these patch cables go?"

To follow up on this thread,

Does anyone have both of these strats to compare.

The Classic Player's 50's strat and the CS 56 NOS RI, how do both compare??

I don't own either, but it is a safe bet that to say that the Custom Shop '56 better blow the CP 50's out of the water since it is probably something like 5X the price! Taking the huge price gap out of the equation, those two are still very different guitars and listing the differences would take up a good amount of bandwidth here

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

The CustomShop did do a Classic Player guitar.

I think that was the inspiration for the Mexican Classic Player series.

_________________
No no and no

Yes they are custom shop designed. I have a CP50. Really nice guitar. The fit and finish on the guitar is superb. It would be different than the AV because of the modern things that they put on the CP. Nice, nice guitar though.

_________________
Squier Classic Vibe thinline telecaster
Squier JM Black1 partscaster
Line 6 Pod XT Live
Peavey VT Classic 212
Vox AC30 Amplug

Thanks very much guys. Everybody helped me a bit. I'm really jealous in all of you !!! You are able ( especially you living in the US to choose even the wood grain of your guitar !!! Here you can see only what you'll buy. Maybe 5-6 different examples from the whole fender series. Now add to that the abnormal difference in price and you'll see how difficult it is to play the blues here !!! Anyway thank you all sooo much and post whatever ideas you might have cause you are very helpful. Greetings from Greece...

_________________
Fender Classic Player 50's stratocaster in Shoreline Gold
Takamine EG 361 SC
Super Champ XD