Hello all. Been playing trumpet for 40 years so I know a bit about music and had goofed around with my dad's guitar as a kid but never spent much time with it. I finally decided I wanted to learn to play the guitar.

Figured I wanted to start out on an acoustice so I borrowed a friend's Yamaha. Played a few weeks, learned a few chords, few scales, and some simple strumming. Then had a chance to play Strat copy and found it MUCH easier to play than the acoustic.

So now it's time to buy my own. I don't want to spend a lot in case this turns out to be a passing fad or an irregular hobby. I have a few local options on Craigs List I'd like to run by the experienced on this forum. All of these are in the $300-$400 range and I'm assuming the condition will be similar and very good on all.

The options are a Fender Standard (MIM) 60th Anniversary for $300, a Fender Standard (MIM) for $300, a Fender Deluxe Players (MIM) for $400. I also have the option of a G&L Legacy for $350. I know this is a Fender board and hope that doesn't get me barred.

So, any thoughts or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Welcome and good luck. Any of the instruments you mentioned would be a good start for you. My only suggestion would be to play each one if possible and let the guitar pick you. Play them standing up with a strap not sitting on your lap. There's a big difference in the way they feel in those positions. Don't let fancy colors and sparkly hardware determine your choice. Let your hands and ears be the final determination.

+1 on the above statement play try each one if possible,but if You cannot and if You can afford the extra $100 go for the deluxe players strat its the closest to an American made as they come,in fact IMO it is basically an American made with made in mexico label,best wishes!enjoy

_________________
Everything belongs to JESUS!

1998 Fender Deluxe Super Strat
2008 PRS SE Singlecut

Marshall MgHD100FX single
Line6 Spider ll
Crate Kx 15


Digitech GNX1
Boss DS-1 pedal

Those are all great choices, but just like with used cars they may have developed some quirks, due to the previous owner's care (or lack thereof). Definitely try them out. If you fall head over heels with the first one you play, go for it. If you hate all of them, keep looking. Plenty of MIM Strats out there in that price range.

If that's a MIA G&L Legacy, that is an outstanding deal. At that price though, I'm sure it's a Tribute series. I would ask just to make sure. Made in Korea but with USA-made pickups. Still pretty decent. And there's nothing blasphemous about G&L, don't forget that company was the brainchild of George Fullerton and Leo Fender after they left Fender-CBS.

All - thanks for your advice.

ExiledonMainSt - Would the G&L have "Tribute Series" some where on it or "Made in Korea"?

It will say Tribute Series under the "G&L" logo, and should have a "Made in Korea" sticker on the back of the headstock.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

I would get the MIM Stratocaster over the G&L Tribute. The MIM will have a better resell price if you decide to not play guitar any more. The MIM Stratocaster will sell for what ever you paid for it. You can easily get $300-$350 for a MIM Strat.
The MIM Stratocaster/Tele feel and play very close to a MIA Strat/Tele, Some people say they feel the same. And the best reason to get the MIM over the Tribute is ease of getting parts. With Fender you can go to any music store and they will have different pic gaurds configurations tuners etc that will be a drop in replacement for your MIM guitar. Getting a picgaurd for a G&L will be a custom order and not always fit. You will have to drill holes in the body. The retail of a G&L is very bad. You can pick up a G&L Legacy USA for $550-750 with case. I speak from expriance.

Also G&L Tribute guitars are now made in Indonisa or China.

One down, the G&L. Guy didn't know what a Tribute Series was but said it was not made in the US. Add that with the fact he was very hard to talk to and got irritated at my questions - pass, too much work. Thanks to those who schooled me on the G&L, I learned a lot.

I checked out the Deluxe Players yesterday. Still haven't ruled it out but after playing it for about 30 minutes, I decided I wasn't fond of the larger fretboard radius (12"). I had no idea it would be that different over a Standard fretboard radius (9.5") but it makes a significant difference. Since I'm a newbie, I couldn't hear anything in the sound that disqualified it. I also didn't like the gold accents as much as I thought I would. Plus, the guy was a heavy smoker and the thing reeked. I can probably get the smoke smell out but certainly not what I had planned. None of these are deal breakers yet but this one isn't at the top of my list so far.

I've got the 60th Anniversary and the Standard yet to go. I'll keep you posted.

Good luck in your search. As you've come to realize, it's very important to get the thing in your hands to see if it passes the test. When you find one that "speaks" to you, you'll know it. Since you're a new player, it may be worth bringing along someone with more "in-the-seat" time with electric guitars. They may be able to spot some things that you may not have recognized otherwise.

Again, good luck and let us know how it turns out.

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2008 MIA Standard Strat 3-tone Sunburst
2007 Taylor 310 Acoustic
Fender Blues Junior NOS Amp
Digitech Bad Monkey OD pedal

I heard that, I wouldnt get it either if it reeked hopefully one of the other 2 You will like,I am a big Fender fan whatever You get will be nice

Hey man I owned a fat strat squierll not too long ago,it was pretty,pearl white had a vintage dark maple headstock,really beautiful that sounded decent,of course a MIM would sound better,but for a beginner certain Fender Squiers look pretty good and have a good sound for half the price of a MIM

Here is my old Squier ll fat strat,You might look for one of these if no luck with the other 2

_________________
Everything belongs to JESUS!

1998 Fender Deluxe Super Strat
2008 PRS SE Singlecut

Marshall MgHD100FX single
Line6 Spider ll
Crate Kx 15


Digitech GNX1
Boss DS-1 pedal

Done! I'm now the proud owner of a 2006 MIM Strat!

Got a decent deal ($275), plays very well, fits my hand well and looks nice. It's the Midnight Wine color, really pretty. Got a small ding and a couple of rubs but nothing significant. It sounds great, better than the Deluxe Players did, which surprised me.

So, I'm very pleased and love playing it. Now it's time to get good.

So how do you upload pictures on here?

Congrats!Good deal I almost bought the same model a few months back at a Pawn shop,I even put it on layaway but I felt as time went on I could get a better deal and my taste changed to a different color,glad I waited!

Enjoy and post some pics of the beaut!

to post pics just upload Your pics to photobucket,copy the direct link,open a new tab to this thread,click the IMG box above and simply paste the direct link in between the image fonts brackets!

_________________
Everything belongs to JESUS!

1998 Fender Deluxe Super Strat
2008 PRS SE Singlecut

Marshall MgHD100FX single
Line6 Spider ll
Crate Kx 15


Digitech GNX1
Boss DS-1 pedal

Here it is.