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The Horse Before The Cart
Poll ended at Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:40 pm
If it ain't broke, don't fix it, give it a chance first. 76%  76%  [ 16 ]
If it ain't broke, fix it any way, why take chances? 10%  10%  [ 2 ]
Not being able to leave well enough alone will make me do it eventually. 10%  10%  [ 2 ]
It could be either, depending on my mood swings. 5%  5%  [ 1 ]
Total votes : 21
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Post subject: Cart Before the Horse?
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:40 pm
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Rock Star
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Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:33 am
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Location: Mars, the angry red planet.
It seems incredibly widespread that even before the particular Strat (and model) is selected and bought, many have the 'upgrade' components lined up first.

For example, and I must confess: I knew EXACTLY what I wanted my Strat to sound like even before I selected it. So, firmly knowing beforehand that NO production model Strat had anything near the exact sounds I wanted, I had the pickups even before I went to buy the guitar. On the other hand, I decided to give the bridge, block, heads and electronics a chance which worked out just fine for me.

Decide where do you fit in. Here's a poll just for the fun of it:


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Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:48 pm
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2007 4:02 pm
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Location: Pennsylvania
i mainly keep stuff stock... fits my needs, but i may upgrade a few of my guitars pups in the future, but i dont go into a shop knowing a guitar won't satisfy my needs


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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:01 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:48 pm
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Location: Houston
I keep mine stock since I buy what I wanted in the first place. I will confess to the desire to buy a MIM and hot rod it a little bit, just don't have the time right now.


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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:43 pm
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Rock Star
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Location: Washington
After the initial modification craze of the '70s died down (brass parts and hotter pickups), I went back to stock (when I could, but unfortunately some parts were "lost to time" and unrecoverable). So only a couple of my guitars don't have their stock pickups.

A lot of these pickups are pretty expensive now (10 years ago a set of Texas Specials or '57/'62s were only about $100), so instead of spending $400 on a MIM strat and dropping $200 on pickups, why not just buy a US Highway One?

Oh, I did buy a Highway One a couple years ago!

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My other guitar is a Strat.

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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:19 am
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Hobbyist
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:40 am
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Location: Lockport NY
hmmmm....... why do i feel somewhat responsible for this thread??? i stick by what i said b4 - give stock strats a fair chance at life!!


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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 9:37 am
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:53 am
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Unless your a professional musician looking for a special sound, I don`t see why a stock guitar is not good enough. Replacing pick ups and other parts sends you to the custom shop, and unless you`ve got the big bucks to build a custom guitar I would leave it alone. The Strat is a great guitar out of the box, why mess with something that Fender has improved over time.


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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 1:05 pm
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Roadie
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Posts: 232
I agree with leaving a guitar as is stock. It amazes me how many times I run across some of the “greats” licks while messing around and realize that I not only have figured out their riff but my sound is almost exactly as theirs. To give some examples try any of Clapton’s ‘70s solos or SRV’s in the 4th position, Most of Nirvanas first album in the first position and most of the Chili Peppers stuff in the 5th position. 5 way selector 2 tone knobs and a love for playing the strat is limitless as is. Now to each his own I won’t chastise anyone who does modify their guitar, but don’t overlook how great this guitar is ………….as is.


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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:28 pm
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:27 pm
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I keep one Strat completely stock and use the other for those times when I want to experiment.


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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:41 pm
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Professional Musician
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I wanted to vote "fix it till it's broken" but that wasn't an option.


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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 2:52 pm
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Amateur
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Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 5:24 pm
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Location: Ontario, Canada
If you're looking for a MIA strat to be worth $$$ someday you better leave it alone..... or at least keep the original parts in a safe spot lol..... Neither of my MIA strats have stock pickups.... but I didn't customize them..... I picked up an '82 with Seymour Duncans dropped in it..... and I have the SRV sig. strat... which has the Texas Specials in it (that is stock for that guitar though)..... but I'm yet to have a MIA strat with stock pickups in it.... so I'm really not sure how the stock ones sound lol..... I have a stock MIM..... the pickups sound pretty bland in it.... that may be upgraded someday..... may not? lol


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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 4:39 pm
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Roadie
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i modify all my guitars. there is almost nothing that was there originally on my guitars. even if I don't buy new equipment for it, I will usually retool things. I don't try to find a guitar that has everything that I want, I just go to the store, and find a guitar that feels great. Then I will add what I require to it.

I've been my own guitar tech since I was 13 years old.


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Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:21 pm
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Roadie
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Well, all I can say is this:

1. I'm not going to blow 2-3 grand on a high end Fender Strat. Chances are it's not going to be in stock anyway. (Leftie, and I refuse to buy something I haven't played first.) That leaves me with low-to-mid range guitars to choose from in terms of price.

2. I love the way a Strat plays, I love it clean, and I like the sound of the middle single coil pickup. I'm dicey on the neck pickup, and I don't like the sound of the bridge single coil...so, chances are I'm going to replace it. A typical set up for me is to leave the middle pickup alone, and replace the pickups in the bridge and the neck. At the heart of this is the question of having a guitar that can be played against any type of music. I like Seymour Duncan pickups...good stuff. If they're available, and I've got the cash, I'll have 'em slapped in.

3. I love jumbo frets. If the frets are getting a little worn, I'll get these installed. Playability and the ease in which to play...biggest concerns vs. resale value.

4. If I get custom work and end up with a guitar that costs around 900 bucks overall, plays great, and I love it, then what is it to anyone else?

Hey, you bought it. It's yours, do what you want with it. And as someone who typically buys a guitar and keeps it, I don't have too much interest in sitting on something like a mid-ranged guitar with the hopes it'll gain value.

(I have to admit...I can't help but equate this debate to buying a car like a mustang. Some will argue to leave it stock, but other folks like me will want to soup it up at the first opportunity. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.) :wink:


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