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Post subject: Deal or No Deal?
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:08 pm
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So, I had the urge to walk into Guitar Center tonight to check out the used gear. I intended to layaway a Gibson Les Paul or discuss buying one from another store.

I walk back to the used section and, of course, I see a few Gibsons on the wall. Most of them aren't really anything special except for one overpriced early '80s SG and a natural-finish '76 Explorer Reissue that's a little bit out of my price range. From there I check out the various Fender guitars; there's a pretty nice Mexi '72 Tele Deluxe Reissue for few ticks over $400 bucks, and another nice Mexi '50s Strat Reissue for $599. Some interesting stuff, but nothing that's really setting my a-double on fire.

That's when I notice the following guitar on the wall.

For the low price of $374.97 there's a natural-finish, Ash-bodied '70s Reissue Strat. I've always had a sort of weird quirk for '70s Strats so I start to check it out. The backplate is missing, but no big deal, and the cool '70s F-tuners have sadly been replaced with some auto-trimming, locking Planet Waves tuners. That's when I notice the lack of a serial number and Made In Mexico stamp on the back of the headstock. The neckplate has the serial number instead (if I recall correctly, it was something like V016XX). Then I notice the slightly yellowed pickguard has the outline of an American Flag sticker underneath the strings, and the headstock was intentionally made without one string tree.

Obviously, it was an American Vintage Reissue '70s Strat. Someone had bought it in, mistaking it for the Mexican Classic Series version, and priced it accordingly.

I put it back in layaway, and with tax and all I'll have just under $400 bucks in the thing.

So, now I'm torn. Do I replace the tuners and backplate and flip the guitar or keep it? What do you all think? Did I pick up a decent deal? Obviously, it's missing the case and needs about another $50 bucks thrown at it to make it right, but ...

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2006 Fender AVRI 70s Stratocaster: Natural Ash | Sovtek MIG 60 & A No Name Cabinet | Pedals & Junk


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Post subject: Re: Deal or No Deal?
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:14 pm
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Flip it or not? Obviously there's no rush. Play it a bit while you decide.


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Post subject: Re: Deal or No Deal?
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:02 am
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Great deal if all checks out.
Remove the neck when you collect it, should have something written

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Post subject: Re: Deal or No Deal?
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:37 am
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Buy it. Play it. If you bond with it, keep it. If you don't, flip it. Nothing wrong with that.


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Post subject: Re: Deal or No Deal?
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:56 am
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At that price, replace the tuners. I always remove the backplate, that's not a big deal. A couple holes won't bother me knowing I paid $400 for a $1,000 guitar...

I paid $300 for a Classic Player Stratocaster because Guitar Center didn't know what it was. I did buy a Wolfpack case for it for another $75. Then I paid $400 for an American Standard 3TSB Stratocaster because it didn't have a case. Sold the Classic Player for $600 without the case and bought the American Standard that had Texas Specials in it. Replaced the Texas Specials with Dimarzio Area pickups on a swap. Now its my number 1 guitar for a $300 investment...

You're in good shape to do the same...You'll get your money's worth out of it replacing the tuners...

Better get it out of layaway soon before the seller realizes what happened!

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Post subject: Re: Deal or No Deal?
Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:35 pm
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Thought I would update this thread with some pictures of the Strat I basically burgled from GC. After taking the guitar down, I can confirm that it is 100 percent USA built.

Image

Image

Image

Built on 06/05/06 ... just one day shy of having a very, well, curious birthdate. Also, coincidentally, my Sovtek Big Muff was built in June of 2006. Yes, the pedal and the Strat do work unusually well together.

Image

Image

I think I'll just keep this one. After setting up the guitar a little bit, it plays extremely well and is far more resonant than I realized when I first picked it from the used wall at Guitar Center. It also has better sustain than most Strats I've owned and tried out.

I'm going to replace the tuners with the correct set, change all of the plastic out to black, and probably modify the electronics. I'm thinking of putting a set of Fralin baseplates on all of the p'ups, changing the bridge pickup out to a tapped Duncan SSL-5, installing a 5 way switch, and having a master tone knob along with a blend knob for the tapped Duncan. This set up, I think, will allow me to have a highly versatile and pure Strat without having to resort to drastic (i.e. routing for a humbucker at the bridge) or gimmicky (i.e. a Hot Rails-type pickup) mods for the style of music I play (heavily blues influenced post-rock and post-metal).

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2006 Fender AVRI 70s Stratocaster: Natural Ash | Sovtek MIG 60 & A No Name Cabinet | Pedals & Junk


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