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Post subject: Strats are tough
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:30 pm
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Playing at a gig last night, I'd just swapped from my Custom Deluxe Strat to my Tele, placing the Strat safely (I thought) on the guitar rack. Halfway through the next song, I somehow managed to step on the front edge of the rack, catapulting the Strat across the stage.

Fortunately it just missed hitting the drums, and the stage was carpeted so it had a relatively soft landing, but it was still a heart-in-mouth moment, I can tell you! At the end of the song I picked it up and gave it a very check over, but nothing seemed amiss. When I changed back to it a couple of songs later it just needed a quick retune.

When I got home late last night I checked it over more carefully and there wasn't a mark on it, thankfully. The only thing I could find was that the neck had ever so slightly moved out of alignment so the bottom E was a bit close to the edge of the fret board. Two minutes later that was sorted.

Big thanks to Fender for building tough guitars :-)


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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:34 pm
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Good ol' Stratocaster, Forever faithfull and reliable! :D


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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 12:49 pm
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You have to work to kill a Strat......!

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:mrgreen:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 4:10 pm
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+1


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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:00 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
You have to work to kill a Strat......!

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:mrgreen:

Arjay


Every time I see that photo I just can't help cringing and thinking Pete was just a total AZZ! What a waste!

T2

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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:35 am
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I'm glad that Arjay posted the pic of Pete Townshend as it ties in perfectly with what I wanted to post.I read an interview with Pete once and the interviewer asked him what his favourite guitars were and he said Fenders without hesitation,stating that Gibson especially were flimsy,delicate junk.He said that Teles especially were the hardest guitars of all to smash but that all Fenders were just about indestructable.

Pete's guitar smashing period came about literally quite accidently.They were playing at a venue that had a very low ceiling and during one of Pete's patented leaps the guitar's neck hit the low ceiling and broke off at the headstock.Pete had to think quick and then proceeded to do a very theatrical smashing of the guitar and did it in such a way that it lookes like it was his intention.As luck should have it several music magazine representatives were there that night and gave play by play accounts about how the Who's "madman" had destroyed a perfectly good guitar.When the word of this got around their concerts were sell-outs with most people shouting "Smash Yer Guitar." and Pete being the consummate showman wouldn't dare disappoint his followers and went along with the fan's prompting.Understandabley Pete soon tired of all of this as he felt that people were now coming to their concerts for all the wrong reasons and after destroying thousands of dollars worth of guitars,started to phase it all out. This also put a big dent in the band's overall revenues too and he figured that it just wasn't worth it.

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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 6:16 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
You have to work to kill a Strat......!Arjay

Took Hendrix awhile but he managed to. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:35 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
Took Hendrix awhile but he managed to. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 8:37 am
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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:07 am
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guitslinger wrote:
Pete's guitar smashing period came about literally quite accidently.They were playing at a venue that had a very low ceiling and during one of Pete's patented leaps the guitar's neck hit the low ceiling and broke off at the headstock.Pete had to think quick and then proceeded to do a very theatrical smashing of the guitar and did it in such a way that it lookes like it was his intention.

It was at the Railway Tavern, a famous north London venue on the '60s pub circuit. The inside of the Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy album was covered in a sepia photo of the Tavern in memory of that heritage, I seem to recall.

In the version I heard Pete telling he took a leap and put the guitar headstock right through one of the low ceiling's panels, which broke the neck. At which point the audience started to laugh - and it was that which so enraged and embarrassed him that he proceeded to destroy the guitar, which produced a satisfyingly shocked silence amongst the previously giggling crowd.

I don't remember ever hearing what guitar it was. Probably a Rick', I would guess from the date. But I don't know.

By the way. Fenders are tough for sure. Dunno about Gibs being flimsy though. I watched from six feet away as Pete bounce one hard on the floor several times; it was a guitar he'd been playing for several years at that point and must have already taken a lot of punishment, and it seemed to survive well enough. (This was one of the wine red LPs, in 1980.)

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 6:39 pm
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Nirvana use to smash their gear so they wouldn't have to do an encore. I wonder how many Fenders Curt tore up?


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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:11 pm
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the front man in my band is a tele man, maybe we should start duelling? i love the fact that leaving his cheap epiphone dot leaning against an amp will get me anything from a telling off to a sacking, yet finding a stand for the high end tele is considered a waste of time.

one wonders what the cover to the clash's "londons calling" would look like had the photo been taken 30 seconds later. would we see joe strummer clutching his wrist and crying?


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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 11:34 pm
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In the late 70's there was a music store in Houston, TX that had a smashed tele for sale. They claimed it had been destroyed by Townsend during a concert in the Astrodome. The body had a huge crack in it but the neck was still in one piece and bolted on.

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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:58 pm
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My '75 I bought in '76 is covered with dents and dings from all sorts of tip overs and drops. Aside from one refret job, I've never had to do much beyond changing the strings. My luthier says the neck is straight and true and the guitar is in excellent condition. And people tell me the CBS Strats are crap. Mine has done quite well in the thirty-six years I've had it.


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Post subject: Re: Strats are tough
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 9:14 am
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Just builds character and mojo. Strats are meant to be used and abused.... that's why they have replaceable parts!

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