Greetings all,

I've been a long time Les Paul player, but as I've got older and my musical tastes have diversified, I've fancied getting a Strat as well for a long time. I'm now in a position to get one, but sadly can't afford an American strat so was looking at a Mexican Standard. After a bit of research I noticed the 50's classic player strat, which got great reviews back in 2008 when it came out at the bargain price of £499 here in the UK and it seems to be a step above the standard MIM strats.
Unlike a lot of other guitars, I've noticed the price of these has increased and is now about £600 (in sunburst).

I was wondering if this guitar is still a great strat and still a bargain or have Fender brought out something else that's better for the price?
Also are they that much better than a standard MIM?

Thanks very much in advance.

_________________
2012 Cherry Sunburst Custom Shop Deluxe Strat
2015 Black Eric Clapton Signature Strat
2015 Olympic Pearl US HSS Deluxe Strat
2013 Aged Cherry Sunburst Plus Top HSS Strat with FR

Hi Nik73 and welcome to the forum!

The Classic Series '50s Strat and the Standard Strat are both excellent guitars but they're also quite different from one another. The CS50 has a Soft "V" Shape neck, 7.25" fingerboard radius, Vintage Style Single-Coil pups, while the Standard has a Modern "C" Shape neck, 9.5" fingerboard radius, and Standard Single-Coil pups. You can compare the specs of these and other Fender guitars here: http://www.fender.com/products/guitars)

As for which is "better", the question is which one is "better for you" because everyone has different tastes and different playing styles. I would suggest trying both out and seeing which one suits you.

HTH

Cheers!
BM

_________________
This is the Blues. Are you listening?

I would consider the extra money to be worth the step up from a Standard. Both great guitars, though.

If you are looking for the absolutely best value for your money, do consider the Squier Classic Vibe line. I was *very* impressed at how the 50's strats played in store. Hard for beat for their price if you can live with the headstock decal.

Actually I think this poster is asking about the Classic Player '50's Strat, not the Classic Series '50's Strat. The Classic Player has a modern 9.5" radius and American Vintage '57/'62 pickups with a rw/rp middle pickup. It also has a non-standard 5 way switch.

Thanks for the replies guys. Yes, I am asking about the Classic Player Series rather than the Classic Series. It seems to be a really nice guitar for the price. I just wanted to make sure there isn't something similar/better that's come out since it's release.

_________________
2012 Cherry Sunburst Custom Shop Deluxe Strat
2015 Black Eric Clapton Signature Strat
2015 Olympic Pearl US HSS Deluxe Strat
2013 Aged Cherry Sunburst Plus Top HSS Strat with FR

Oops. Sorry, my bad.

_________________
This is the Blues. Are you listening?

[quote="Nik73]Thanks for the replies guys. Yes, I am asking about the Classic Player Series rather than the Classic Series. It seems to be a really nice guitar for the price. I just wanted to make sure there isn't something similar/better that's come out since it's release.[/quote]

That's a tall order question considering what's actually come down the pike in product since it's release in '08....Road Worns, Pawn Shops, Black Tops, American Specials, American Vintage....Ouch!! Galuska put together a really nice instrument if that package suits your hands and your style, but you really have to play 'em yourself to decide.

_________________
"Another day in paradise!"

CP50s IMHO is an awesome guitar, however the mim standards
Are a great buy. I don't know, like doc said ,
try as many as you can, theres also the American special strats
Texas specials pickups.
Happy hunting

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

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

Hey there. Frequent visitor, first time poster. I have been a Les Paul player for 15 years until last week, when I picked up a classic player 50s in sunburst. I must have played at least 7-8 Strats in my local music store until a good buddy of mine let me play his Classic Player. I was really looking for a great Strat on a budget and it definitely ticked all the boxes. The slight v in the neck, vintage tone but with modern features blew me away.

Anyway. I got mine from Thomann shipped to me in Belfast for £501. It's a b-stock guitar mind you. But there wasnt a blemish on the guitar, I couldn't be happier!

Ian

I've pretty much decided on the classic player 50's strat, but now have the colour dilemma!! It's between the two tone sunburst or the shoreline gold. Virtually every guitar I have is sunburst so I fancied something a bit different, but the shoreline gold looks very different depending on which picture you look at. On the Fender site it looks more silver, almost pewter, but on other pictures it's blatantly gold (obviously). They look like two totally different colours.

Might sound like a daft question, but does anyone what the "real" shoreline gold looks like?

_________________
2012 Cherry Sunburst Custom Shop Deluxe Strat
2015 Black Eric Clapton Signature Strat
2015 Olympic Pearl US HSS Deluxe Strat
2013 Aged Cherry Sunburst Plus Top HSS Strat with FR

Mate its a great entry to a strat.....We could give you other options for 600 pounds but hey....That'll give you the bug....... You'll become stratted and then the GAS will start......

10-20+ yo MIJ strats are a solid and sort after option at that money if your still looking and have the patience......

_________________

Hi Nik: Shoreline Gold looks like the larger of your two photos. The one you posted from this site looks so wrong I suspect it's a different colour entirely.

BTW: I so strongly recommend trying one of these before buying. Some of the CP features are significantly different than other models, particularly the fingerboard radius and neck carve. Important to feel and hear these things for yourself. Still, if you're buying online I notice Musik Productiv are offering the CP50 for £535 and free delivery:

http://www.musik-produktiv.co.uk/fender ... 59109.html

Are you within reach of London? If so, Steve Macari in the Charing Cross Road told me he sells more Classic Players than any other Fender model, which may tell you something about them. And that's a good shop to try one out.

One more thought, if you are looking for something between Mexican and American Standards in price and spec it might be worth seeing what Japanese Fenders Regent Sounds in Denmark Street or Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience in Hampton Wick have in stock or (in the case of the latter) can order for you. Charlie is the behind-the-scenes importer of the CIJ guitars you can find on this site:

http://www.guitar-emporium.co.uk/Fender ... Strat.html

I got my Fiesta Red CIJ '57RI from Charlie Chandler. Unrivalled quality at the price, in my experience.

More options for you to worry over!

Cheers - C

_________________

Thanks very much gents. The colour is weird as most pictures for that model show it as that grey/silver.

The problem I have Ceri is I live up in the Lake District with decent music shops for about 60-70 miles.
I'm thinking of taking the plunge and buying blind online. I've not heard of musik-productive, I take it they're reliable, good packaging, etc?

I have read a lot about the classic player 50's and the V neck sounds like a good fit for me as I have larger hands with longish fingers and tend to play with my thumb over the fretboard. I recently bought a Les Paul 60's tribute and love the slimmer neck on that. I know it's a risk buying blind, but money is an issue (isn't it always) and the cheaper I can get it, the better.
The Japanese ones do look nice, but that extra £100 might be a stretch.

Thanks again for the advice.

_________________
2012 Cherry Sunburst Custom Shop Deluxe Strat
2015 Black Eric Clapton Signature Strat
2015 Olympic Pearl US HSS Deluxe Strat
2013 Aged Cherry Sunburst Plus Top HSS Strat with FR

Another option might be to get a standard Mexican to tide me over for now and then look at saving for something like the American Deluxe HSS which seems like my ideal strat. Love that Sienna sunburst finish too. I'm just a little concerned that the standard might not stay in tune as well, sound a little weaker, etc in comparison.

Decisions!! It's driving me crazy and I thought Les Pauls had a lot of different models!

How I wish I'd bought a Richie Sambora Strat when they were around. Like rocking horse poo nowadays.

_________________
2012 Cherry Sunburst Custom Shop Deluxe Strat
2015 Black Eric Clapton Signature Strat
2015 Olympic Pearl US HSS Deluxe Strat
2013 Aged Cherry Sunburst Plus Top HSS Strat with FR

Hi again Nik: Musik-Productiv is another of the big sellers from Germany - like Thomann but sometimes better priced. Free delivery, and importing from the Euro zone is working nicely for us just at present. I haven't used them so I have no personal experience. But I wouldn't be worried about shipping across borders within the EU, if that's on your mind.

I understand your geographical problems, so I suppose buying sight-unseen might have to be the way you go. Always a bit of a risk, especially if you don't know the model in question personally. Still, the couple of times I've done it I got away with it so... good luck!

Cheers - C

_________________