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Post subject: Strat Road Stories...Give us your best!
Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 9:47 am
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Roadie
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Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:46 pm
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Location: Jamestown, TN
How has your strat changed your life or someone's life around you? For good or Bad?

Disappointed, dejected, and all out angry, I strode into Guitar Center with the expectation that I would just have to suck it up and learn to deal with my Gibson Guitar Tuning issues always being in my life. After all, no other guitar can sound as good, right? Face hanging low, exuding the air of, "everyone look at me and see what tonal failure looks like"! I tried everything, new nut, new strings, different windings, you name, it I did it. Still not satisfied!!!! Employee #1 walks over and can read my body language with prophet like precision! "Having tuning trouble, huh?" What? I gasp as I grab his arm like a man lost in the desert with no water for days that has found a Gatorade! He smiles and jovially says, "come with me, I have your answer!" I follow this Guitar YODA with excitement, yet the surety that all was a loss and could not be redeemed for my ears had a one tone theory. He reaches to the wall and his hand becomes large in my eyes as he bypasses anything Gibson, Prs, or the like and goes towards a, uh....FENDER STRAT????? What? You mean, that quacky duck like guitar thingy?
He places in my hand a Fender Strat Deluxe Sunburst, and a small smile materialized from my face, but I made sure to keep a slight grimace because I knew that no matter how this sounded, it was impossible to please my professionally trained ear.(Pause for Beavis like laughter) He carefully ushers me to a 57 Deluxe amp, and plugs it in, and cranks the gain. I expect a sound reminiscent of a bad country song from 19, whenever, and suddenly as my pick graced the strings of this gift with action that was perfect, balance that was ballet like, and a color that made you misty eyed, the freight train of tone pulled into the station and let out its warning blast that the Alpha Male had arrived and everyone shouldst boweth downeth! Yes, I now own it, and a Godltop Strat Deluxe, and I even have a Fender Screen Saver! Why? because Strats rule the tonal universe with powers of the wood and string nymphs, filling the ears of boys and girls everywhere with hope and faith that tuning stability is not only possible, but has a name....FENDER ladies and gentlemen, FENDER! Nuff said.... 8)

My newest girl:
Image


Last edited by jasonk931 on Mon May 13, 2013 8:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Road Stories...Give us your best!
Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 1:23 pm
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Rock Icon
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Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
The tale of how I got onto Strats...

1989
I'd always liked certain things about Strats. The upper fret accessibility. The six tuning heads all on one side. The basic shape of the body.
I didn't like the single coil pickups, the junk trem and the general air of boredom surrounding the guitar with the lack of sharks teeth inlays and rounded headstock.
I'd made my mind up, metal guitars all the way for me. Had a nice Charvel and an awesome Dean when Dean only used to make serious guitars. My life course was set. Was in a great band (Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist of that band died May 4th :( ). Had a huge rig. A '73 Plexi with a couple of 4x12s, Art, Lexicon, Zoom and Boss rack. And even had someone to control it for me. We were gigging constantly by 1991. Life was utter bliss. I was only ever sober during my day job hours. Had a fantastic girlfriend. The world was my lobster.
(this is starting to read like a Vinnypop story!)

So by the mid 90's the girlfriend becomes the fiance, the band is well and truly knocked on the head. The gear is up for sale at a price I still find painful.
1995, married, not even a ropey acoustic to my name.
1996, I've been deserted, the bint has run off with some fella looks like an extra from the Land Of The Giants film. I'm incredibly upset, depressed, can't function, agoraphobic, had so many problems I didn't have any room for solutions.

Then the ray of sunshine beamed in through my door in the form of Ian Proctor. He came round with a cheapo Encore Strat he'd paid £30 for. Said "I want a guitarist for my band, take this and get yourself together". This guitar was terrible. Neck so twisted you couldn't play it below the 6th fret. However the sound of those cheap singlecoils had me smitten. Band...yaaaay. Within a couple of weeks I'd got some tools together and was back doing my day job. Soon as April rolled around I was into the Inland Revenue for my tax money back. When it landed I was off guitar shopping for a Fender Strat. That was the end for me. I've plenty of other styles of guitar and now I hardly take any of my Strats out. I can't be without em though. When it's studio time the Les Paul goes for the singer to use.

Image

Only one guitar for me when things is going to be permanent

Image

Even still got a super strat but only use that for foreign gigs cos I don't care if the baggage handlers smash it.

Ian died October last, cancer of everything (seemed to me). I'd loaned him a Charvel 291 (a Charvel traditional Strat) a couple of years before hand, which he raffled off to raise money for the hospice that were caring for him. The person that won it, gave it back to him. :D

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Post subject: Re: Strat Road Stories...Give us your best!
Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 5:32 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:55 pm
Posts: 723
Aint nothing gonna beat that story Nik

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Post subject: Re: Strat Road Stories...Give us your best!
Posted: Wed May 08, 2013 7:37 pm
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Roadie
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Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:46 pm
Posts: 235
Location: Jamestown, TN
Amen, Nik, Amen!


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Post subject: Re: Strat Road Stories...Give us your best!
Posted: Sun May 12, 2013 2:02 am
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Joined: Sun May 12, 2013 1:14 am
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the o/p gave me a good chuckle. the other one was touching. i haven't been a strat guy long enough to affect anyone with mine. besides, i'm a terrible player. :lol:
but there were other people's strats that deeply affected my life. jimi, dick dale for starters.

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let your anger be as a monkey in a pinata... hiding amongst the candy... hoping the kids don't break through with the stick!


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