Personally, I don't think guitar forums are ANY indication of the number of Strats that have been modded. It's just like other parts of this Forum - for every unhappy soul who comes on complaining about something being wrong with his guitar or amp, there are undoubtedly thousands who don't frequent forums, don't have any problems and couldn't care less about it all. They just play.

I guess it just drives me nuts how many newbies come on this Forum with a first post like: Buying my first Fender - new pickup suggestions?

GMAB

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

People come for help and a sense of community. Most hope to meet helpful, friendly people.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

holy $@!&, that is the most badass version of Kumbaya I have ever heard!

LMFAO!

Who's got the marshmallows?



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

First off don't fall for the line that a pickup and /or hardware swap is necessary if you buy a MIM or Squier Strat.Jimmie Vaughn Strats with their Tex-Mex pickups are deadly right out of the box.As for the vibrato,spending time doing a proper setup is crucial to turning an alright guitar to a player's dream.Have a good objective listen to several Strats and try not to be influenced by preconceived notions.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I know the mim's are great. I played one through a blues junior, and it sounded incredible. Those are mods that I was thinking about way down the line.

With the mods you are talking about, buy a MIM that you like and make the changes as you go. Why spend big bucks on a MIA when you are really only leaving the body as is.

Yeah C patter, I think that is the best option. Although I wish I had 3 grand so I could get a Godin Passion series guitar! After the MIM I'm gonna try and save up for a Princeton or a DRRI, if not I'll shoot for a blues Jr. and call it a day.

I know this is Fender's home town, but if you like the DRRI, I would advise strongly against buying a Blues Jr. There are much better choices for the money, the Egnater Tweaker 112 Combo among them.

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Jim Bordner
Gravity Music - www.gravitymusic.com
Composer, producer, Egnater Artist

would u vote against the DRRI 2?

i wouldnt advise against the drri, however im going a different direction.
are you looking for a flatter radius?69 pickups?
mim classic players 60s, 12 inch radius, cs 69s, 2 point trem, 60s neck with vintage tuners

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

i wouldnt advise against the drri, however im going a different direction.
are you looking for a flatter radius?69 pickups?
mim classic players 60s, 12 inch radius, cs 69s, 2 point trem, 60s neck with vintage tuners

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

well eventually, I like the idea of a compound radius I like the thinner necks but I still want it to feel good, not too wide so it fits in my hand easy, the 69's are almost def what I want in pickups, and I think I want more modern tuners, locking, or high gear ratio. How much do the tuners matter as far as stability/keeping in tune? Do you really get a different/better tone from the vintage tuners? Even if, I think I am leaning toward something more modern. The only "vintage" thing I want is a nice set of pickups, and really I am just looking for a quality set of alnicos 5's, not necessarily vintage.

No, the DRRI is a swell sounding amp. I almost bought one myself, but I found I could get a lot more out of an Egnater Rebel for fewer buckazoids.

I'm not saying the DRRI isn't a good amp, because it is. I'm just saying that IMO, a Blues Jr. will never get you into that territory that a Deluxe Reverb covers.

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Jim Bordner
Gravity Music - www.gravitymusic.com
Composer, producer, Egnater Artist