Fender American Deluxe Strat V Neck (Black $1499 Alder Body Gloss urethane
Fender American Vintage '57 Stratocaster (black $1599 Nitrocellulose Alder body
Fender American Standard Stratocaster (Black $899.99 Alder body Polyurethane finish
Fender Classic '70s Stratocaster $749.99 (black Ash body Polyester finish
Fender Custom Shop David Gilmour Stratocaster NOS (NOS Black) $4000.00 nitrocellulose finish on Alder body & Neck New old stock is the one with no damage, or worn marks.I’ve been doing a little research on some of the new Stratocasters on Sweetwater .com and was wondering if someone could tell me some key differences in tone with these Strats. Obviously there is some key differences i.e. price, body material, finish, pick-ups, but for example is the David Gilmore strat for $4000 sound twice as good as the Vintage 57 strat? I’m sure there is a lot of opinions out there and the more the better.

Thanks in advance;
Randy

Honestly all the different choices that are out there for people to choose a guitar that will fit their taste. One would really need to play them to see it it is the one for them. It has been my experience that there are subtle differences even between two models with exact specs. This is why I alway play before I pay. Ultimately for me playability is the key to purchasing a guitar. Everything else I can change if needed.

I know this was not an answer to your specic question, but ask 10 Strat players these questions you most likely will get 10 different answers.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Your "research" must include some hands-on sampling.

The guitar that speaks the loudest to your emotions and your ears will be yours.

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

A good buy right now IMHO is the American Standard. You can get it for about $799 with the Fender $100 off rebate.

Also, the American Special, my favorite is a good buy also and it already comes with texas specials. No need to do any changes on that strat IMHO. Sounds and plays great off the rack.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzbk7moRbQ4

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http://www.youtube.com/user/gmlasam

I like the AV '57 config.

Welcome.....But....Kind of a ridiculous comparison Don't you think...
David Gilmour versus 57 Vintage Strat
Gilmour's was pieced together from various 1960's Strats, with many modifications.
The 57 is as it would be from 57.

You really have to go and play a good number of different Strats and find out what you like or don't like about each one and base your decision on that.
I had a Billy Corgan Strat which a few people said..." Great Strat isn't it.. " "Well No...." for me it was the worst Strat I ever played, I found the sound worthless for my playing and the way it was set up did not appeal to me whatsoever...
So it is a very personal and subjective experience, what works for me will probably be not good for you.....
A case in point is my Stratopartster I build, I loaned it out to Mark Cutler for a few weeks, I wanted a critique....but when I got it back, I was floored that he really loved it, I did not think he would...So if I suggest One of your pics it may not be great for you...

BTW...How long have you been playing and is this your 1st Strat or have you been a Fenderite for a long time... That is a big variable...

Ciao...Happy Sampling...

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Thanks everyone for the input and some great points. “53magnatone” I did not know that the Gilmore Strat was a conglomeration of different strats thanks. I did own a 2003 hardtail last year but sold it after I played my friends Custom shop relic. The action and the pick-ups or maybe the trem helped the tone I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m not into the relic thing myself but this bad boy sounded nice. What amazed me is that he did not even know the specs on his own guitar.

I'd also highly recommend playing them before purchasing. There's a lot of options out there. To narrow down choices I would determine which neck radius I preferred first. There's Strat models out there with 7.25", 9.5 and 12" to name a few and they all play very differently. Then there are the various neck profiles, pickups (pickup type - humbucker, single coil and model VN, Texas Special, etc.), electronics (active vs. passive), bridges (hardtail, various tremolo options), fret sizes (and number of frets - some Strats have 21, some 22) and of course color.

You really need to play them to find out which one you prefer. What one of us likes may be totally wrong for you. My advice would be to play as many different models as you can. You'll know when you've got the right one in your hands.

-Darryl

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My one wish when I die is that my wife doesn't sell my guitar stuff for what I told her I paid for it...

Yah! my Wife thinks everytime you sell a guitar or a pedal you should get more then you paid for it.

Is the wife familiar with the words "fat" and "chance"?



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

She's been hanging out on TGP forums.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

And you thought you had problems

Agree the current (or 2nd hand up to 5 years old) American Standard is a great guitar. Lightweight, lovely neck, reliable and good value for an icon. It'll probably need setting up, but so do lots of new guitars, and generally it's a DIY job.

But $799...? What a bargain! In UK they're £975 minimum. How do I emigrate?!

Cheers - Peter.