Good afternoon guys!

Just wanted to swing by and say hello for the first time! Long time browser, first time poster myself. What a great collective of knowledge and enthusiasts on here.

So I wanted to switch up my style for a bit and decided to pick up a new guitar. I've been playing a Custom Shop Clapton strat for a few years now, but I don't want to wear the thing down with too much heavy gigging. I know, I know.... guitars are like vintage sports cars, they were built to be used. However, I still want to have a semi-nice guitar left in 5 or 6 years!

Thus I went on the hunt for a lean and raw stratocaster. I've always been a fan of the 50's style strats and sound. 60's rosewood never did it for me, nor did the 70's setup. I played a few at a local guitar shop and instantly fell in love with the MIM classic series 50's strat (in surf green of course!). Great sound, amazing feel, and beautiful finish not to mention light as a feather. Stellar job from the MIM shop. I was really blown away by the overall playability and presentation of this thing. The 7.25" v-neck is a nice change of pace from the Clapton 9.5" radius. Any reason why 9.5" necks are so much more popular these days?

Anyway, just wanted to share the love and introduce myself. Here are two poor quality cell phone shots I could get (one of the immediate guitar family!).

-Chris

Nice lookin' guitars you have there.

the fretboard radius is all personal preference, the lower numbers are easier to finger, while the higher numbers are easier to bend, well at least IMHO.

It's all what you like, and I think Fender uses 9.5 to try and make a happy medium.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

Nice lookin' Strats you have there. I like the green one. The aged covers and knobs look nice with the green color.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

I'm wondering. Do you mind telling me how does the MIM compare to the Custom Shop. Can you tell a big difference in Quality between the two. Or only a little difference or possibly any difference at all. I'm just curious because I plan to maybe get a Custom Shop in the near future. Thanks in advance for your opinion/comparison.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

In my case I would be comparing a 2001 CS 56 NOS versus a 2002 MIM Player Deluxe. I have to add the MIM has been modded, MIM vintage pups changed to SCN's, vint. tuners changed to Sperzel locking, last, push/push switch removed, new pickguard, knobs.

On the 56 NOS, I had to replace the tuners as the originals had issues. Exact Gotoh dropins.
( I bought the CS second hand )

The MIM has maple C shape neck 12" radius, 21 frets, Med Jumbo and 1.650 nut width.
The NOS has lightly figured maple V "Boat Neck shape, 7.25 radius, vintage style frets, 50's SSS Pups.

I switch between playing both, a slight adjustment to neck feel but other than that
The fit and finish on the MIM are excellent, but it is not really fair to compare an MIM with a Custom Shop. The level of finish at each price point is topnotch but the Custom Shop is aimed at a more defined minority. It is what it is and if you want true vintage sound, feel, look but without the $49,000 price tag than it is a thumbs up.
The MIM with the SCN's has a clearer sound but it depends on the song which works better.
Either way I have nothing but praise for all my Fenders.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Thanks again for the info.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

Nice Strat...I like the Blueridge too...is that a BR-140 or BR-160?

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Hi, Chris and welcome to the forum.

I'm with you on the Classic Series 50s Strats. I saw a Surf Green one at a local independent guitar shop and the finish caught my eye instantly. It had to come home with me after I played it.

I lived with the stock pickups for six months. Then I saw a set of SCN's marked down as a closeout item at Guitar Center and made the switch. Now it's one of my best sounding as well as best looking Strats.

Sometimes I leave it out just to look at it.

John

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

@John, it's almost terrifying how similar we are in taste!! It seems we have the same guitar AND the same amp! Gotta love that '65 Reissue Twin... Best amp I've ever owned. And I completely agree: the finish is what drew me in first. I'll probably be on the market for new pickups once these have served their purpose. Great to hear you're still enjoying it!!

@BlackCat, great eye!! It's a 160 - awesome acoustic for sure.

@Shane, it's funny actually. The Custom and the MIM are almost independent beasts, despite their shared qualities. The craftsmanship on the Custom is obviously notched up, with the finer details that the MIM lacks. The neck is a tad warmer, the edges a touch smoother... the usual bits that garner a hefty price tag. The Midnight Blue finish (I know, it looks black in the picture) is superb on the Custom... However, I'd definitely place the Surf Green finish on the new MIM Classic as comparable!

In my own opinion, some of the Custom Shop strats are way overpriced for what they are, or are not worthy of a Custom Shop issue. Some models are bland, yet some are really works of art. I'd try a few out and shop around. You might find the exact feel and tone of a Custom Shop in a nice MIA or even an MIM (gadzooks, did he just say that!?).

Cheers!
-Chris

Great guitar the 50's classic series.

They are wonderful!!

Seriously though! I can't put this guitar down!! It really is amazing how much personality these Classic Series guitars have over their generic, standard counterparts (in my personal opinion of course, I know we all have different guitars with different personalities!). And I'm starting to leave the guitar out for a bit after long sessions just to look at it.

Well done, Fender. Awesome.

Cheers!
-Chris

Yeah, the '65 Twin Reissues are fabulous amps. I have the Twin Custom 15 model with one 15 inch speaker and the clean tones are amazing. So, when is a Twin really a Single? When it's the Custom 15.

I liked the Classic 50s pickups but I didn't have a Strat with noiseless pickups at the time. I had also bought a Custom Shop '56 NOS Strat which gave me all the vintage 50s tones I ever wanted. I saw the marked down SCN pickups set at Guitar Center and decided to go with the vintage look with modern pickups. It's a nice combination.

John

Hmmm, leaving your Surf Green Classic Series 50s Strat out just to look at it and admire it... yes, you have it bad, Chris. I can relate.

John

cookieman...

Where did you get the 8-hole pearl guard? Like the way it looks, without all the clutter of 11 screws.