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Post subject: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:01 am
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Hey guys!

This summer while I'm working I've decided I want to save up and buy a new Fender Stratocaster.

My style of play is Texas Blues (heavy with SRV).

I was wondering if you guys could give me a general overview of pros/cons of guitars MIM MIA and MIJ. Also wondering if you have any advice for me on buying a guitar which will suit my style of play.

I currently own a MIM Telecaster Blackout Deluxe and love it a bunch, but I want to try some new guitars!

My price range is around 800-1400$.

Thanks for any help!
Nick


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:09 am
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are you at all close to a store that has a reasonably good supply of Fenders?

If you do, then - go and test drive as many as you can and compare, your hand and ears are going to tell you better than we can really guess as to what is a good fit for you.

regarding "country" of origin, the USA made ones will hold the best resale value, I think that goes across the board. But - the imports are nothing to just disregard off hand.
The pros and cons can be debated until time ends. A good strat -- is a good strat.. find one, and you're done..

with your budget, - If I was in the market, I would probably be looking at a USA standard strat.

and If you really wanted to go the extra step, you could drop a set of texas specials in there at some point (your SRV comment).. those pickups aren't for everyone. But you may find he stock pickups do everything you're asking.

Let us see what others can say..

Good luck!


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:55 am
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Buy used whenever you can from reputable sources such as Guitar Center's used gear. You can find an SRV strat for around $1k.

Since that's what you are looking for and that's what you have the money for, seems like a no brainer to me.

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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:49 pm
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Hey Guys.

Thanks for your replies.
I agree that I need to try out a bunch of guitars but I was wondering if you could maybe narrow down my search, and maybe narrow down to a few guitars which have that SRV sound.

I also really liked the idea of adding on those Texas Special pickups. I think that would be a fun project for me considering I've never really done anything to a guitar 'custom-wise' before.

Cheers


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:44 pm
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I just received a Road Worn 60's strat and I get get really authentic Hendrix, SRV, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd tones. Very impressed with the guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:09 pm
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Consider buying a Strat right now during the Spring Break Sale that ends March 31st if you are looking to buy new...

Your price range is extreme so it is tough to narrow down by price but easier by your SRV taste. SRV played strats with Custom Shop Texas Special pups.

EDIT: Subsequent posters are right... SRV never actually played Texas Specials. They were designed by the Custom Shop as sort of an homage to him post-humously for use in the tribute signature Strat.

At the high end you are in range to buy the actual SRV signature Strat. You might also consider the Mark Knopfler sig Strat. Both feature Texas Specials. SRV has a pao ferro fretboard and the Knopfler has a rosewood fretboard. SRV has the "upside down" trem system.

At the medium: Check out the American Special Strats. They all feature Texas Specials and the HSS models have two Texas Specials and an Atomic humbucker for more of a Texas boost. The single coil Am Spls are maple fretboard while the HSS are rosewood. Am Spls feature the 70s large headstock which some like me absolutely love and others hate!

At the lower end of your range: There are two Mexican Strats in particular - The Deluxe Roadhouse and the Deluxe Lonestar. The Roadhouse is a 3 Texas Special Strat with a maple fretboard. The Lone Star is a 2 Texas Special and 1 Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Plus humbucker (think Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top, Texas Blues) with a rosewood fretboard.

Finally, there is also the MIM Jimmie Vaughan sig Strat: 3 Tex Mex single coils with the bridge coil wound extra hot. Maple fretboard.

If you are a consummate SRV and Texas Blues fan... these are the Strats you need to be looking at and test driving without a doubt.

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my gear:

Jackson USA Phil Collen PC-1
Warmoth Custom-Build Stratocaster (The Andersong)
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster
Fender Mustang GT40
Eleven HeadRush w/ two Alto TS212 FRFRs


Last edited by Tiger J on Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:46 pm
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SteelyRayVaughan wrote:
and maybe narrow down to a few guitars which have that SRV sound.


:roll:

SRV would sound like SRV if he played a Turser Strat through a battery-powered Pignose.

His "sound" came from his soul and his fingers -- NOT his gear.

Do what the others have recommended and go play as many different Strats as you can get your hands on. "Your" guitar will let you know it's for you based on how it feels in your hands and how it sounds through your amp rig. If you begin this search with any preconceptions you're likely to be disappointed at the end.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:51 pm
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A Strat is a Strat. Many people like to change the pickups to influence the sound a certain way, which to my mind is a better value approach that spending more on a sig guitar that promises the same. Sigs are a marketing exercise for guys that can't ever have too many guitars.

SRV played all sorts of Strats, and even had a deal with Tokai at one time and played their Japanese SpringySound copy. Still sounded like himself whatever he picked up.

These topics remind me all the yootoob covers that sound great, featuring excellent players who use all the 'wrong' gear. Like the guy who does Pink Floyd covers and sound just like Gilmour, but plays a G&L Tele.


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:46 pm
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[quote="RetroverbialDo what the others have recommended and go play as many different Strats as you can get your hands on. "Your" guitar will let you know it's for you based on how it feels in your hands and how it sounds through your amp rig. If you begin this search with any preconceptions you're likely to be disappointed at the end.

Arjay[/quote]


Good advise, this is the only way to go!


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:06 pm
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Awesome advice from all of you, especially the informative post from Tiger J.

I realize that the sound comes from the player, but I don't want to be a laughing stock, caught playing Texas Blues a guitar that was built for death metal (of course I'm not THAT stupid but you get the idea).

I just wanted a starting point where I could go to a store and have in mind some of the guitar that will give me a more southern-blues sound and tone.

Tiger J, thanks so much, you perfectly answered my question!!
And to the rest of you, thank you as well for the heads up :).

If anyone else has anything else to add, I'd gladly read it too, but I feel satisfied already with your answers and don't want to keep an old thread alive too long :)

Cheers

Nick


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:11 pm
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Sorry, one last question:

I don't think I'll be able to buy any guitars until around June because I don't have much money right now. Since this Spring sale is on, I feel I should capitalize but will not be able to. I see the MSRP on the Fender Site for the American Special Strat HSS to be around 1250.00.

Is this the normal price, or lowered for the Spring Sale?

If its the lowered price, how much higher do you think it will go up to after the sale is over?

Thanks

Nick


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:39 pm
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SRV used Van Zandts.


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 11:54 pm
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As an avid SRV fan and someone who obsessed over SRV tone for years, I feel like I might be able to help you out a little bit here.

1) Get to a local Fender dealer and play every Stratocaster. Ignore which ones are "bluesier" to you or not. If there's ever been a guitar that I really wish that I wanted, it would be an SRV signature Strat. I've played many of them, but try as I might I can't get myself to like them. They have great tone, but they don't feel right to me. To Stevie, yes, but to me no. Surprisingly, I found that overall my favorite stock Fender Strat is actually the Eric Johnson signature Strat! I like Eric Johnson, but I'm not a huge fan who obsesses over his rig like I do over Stevie's. But honestly, I think the EJ Strat felt and sounded better for me. So ignore marketing words like "SRV" and "Texas" and find the Strat that's best for you! It may be what you think, or it may not be.

2) I used to be a devout believer in Texas Specials. I still love them. But I've also learned that I can get "Texas Blues" tone out of literally any single coil guitar through any tube amp. It truly is your fingers. I ended up building myself a Custom Strat when I needed a pro level guitar, with the help and advice of members of this forum, and I got some American Standard Strat pickups for it. At first, my plan was to swap them out for Texas Specials as soon as I could afford some. But as I played my guitar, I realized I was getting perfectly good blues tone with what I had. I still haven't changed the pickups out, and I've really grown to like the tone of guitar so much that I don't think I will.

Also, just a side note but SRV died before Texas Special pickups were ever released. His signature Strat didn't come out until 1992. I'm also pretty sure he played the stock pickups in #1, or at least I know he did in the early part of his career.

3) You can play whatever kind of music on whatever kind of guitar you want. I started out playing blues on Squier Affinity Tele (borrowed from my brother until I got my Squier Strat set up). Now my main gigging guitars (in addition to my Custom Strat) is a pair of Telecasters! Albert Collins played a Tele with a humbucker, which may have been more suited to playing hard rock by conventional ways thinking. I once saw a country guitar player show up to a gig with an Ibanez RG, and it sounded good! The blues guys I see around town play all sorts of guitars, pretty much anything you can think of. In fact, most blues guys will just play whatever's available. So don't discount your Tele too much, just because it's not marketed as a blues guitar doesn't mean it can't be! :D

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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 3:09 am
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I've got an SRV Strat and i like particularly the fat neck and the texas pickups it brings. To me the guitar feels and sounds perfect however i noticed a quite big difference with the strings i'm using. I feel that the .11's with 52 fat bottoms from D'Addario produce the best sound so far. I'm using a VOX Tube Amp and a TS9 Tube Screamer to produce the SRV sound more or less.

Still, i'm a fairly new player and my ears are not that developed yet like a very experienced player so yeah, take this with a grain of salt.


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Post subject: Re: Advice on Buying a New Stratocaster
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 6:29 am
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SteelyRayVaughan wrote:
Sorry, one last question:

I don't think I'll be able to buy any guitars until around June because I don't have much money right now. Since this Spring sale is on, I feel I should capitalize but will not be able to. I see the MSRP on the Fender Site for the American Special Strat HSS to be around 1250.00.

Is this the normal price, or lowered for the Spring Sale?

If its the lowered price, how much higher do you think it will go up to after the sale is over?

Thanks

Nick


Right now a Fender American Special can be bought at Guitar Center for $699. After March 31st they go back up to $899. You may be able to get a $100 off or 15% coupon to bring the price down after March 31st... but probably not by as much as the $200 discount on this current Fender promo sale. You can also get an American Standard Strat w/ a hardshell case for under $1000 right now which is close to unheard of.

Don't pay much attention to the prices listed on Fender.com... they are much higher than any retailer actually sells the guitars for. Guitar Center, Zounds, Musician's Friend, Sam Ash... all of these retailers will give you an accurate guide as to the lowest price Strats are being sold for new (not including coupons or other sales.) But this Fender Spring Break sale is a very good sale. Much better than average discounts.

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my gear:

Jackson USA Phil Collen PC-1
Warmoth Custom-Build Stratocaster (The Andersong)
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster
Fender Mustang GT40
Eleven HeadRush w/ two Alto TS212 FRFRs


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