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Post subject: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 6:09 pm
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Location: On the bank of the West Fork of the Susquehanna River in N. Central Pennsylvania
Yesterday I ordered a Lone Star strat and it should arrive on Tuesday. I got the black one. They have two Texas Special single coils and a Pearly Gates full size bridge humbuckers.

I played one of these several years ago and liked it. I'll be finding out how much I like this new one but I'm wondering if any of you have experience with this guitar.

I guess it is the sister to the Roadhouse sss strat and they are made in Mexico with some American parts.

You don't see these in the catalogs often but they seem to be a couple of the nicest MIM strats.

The guitar has a lot to live up to I guess, even though it is a MIM version.

I am looking forward to it and hope I get a good example of one.

Any feedback from those who have these or have played them substantially will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 7:36 am
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Too bad, there's no MIM Big Apple to fit the bill :cry:


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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 7:41 am
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I liked those Big Apples too chromeface 8)

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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 4:27 pm
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Any other knowledge of the Lone Star strat? They are real nice items, I would suppose some players here would have them.

Thanks in advance for you consideration of sharing your info.

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Duffy Bolduc
On the South Bank of the W. Branch of the Susquehanna River

". . . all the things that use to mean so much to me, have made me old before my time."

Gregg Allman, "Old Before My Time", "Hittin' the Note" cd.


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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 5:01 pm
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1Duffy1 wrote:
Any other knowledge of the Lone Star strat? They are real nice items, I would suppose some players here would have them.

Thanks in advance for you consideration of sharing your info.



The original USA Lone Star was probably one of the finest all out Southern Rock Guitars you could get.
The Mexican I am sure is wonderful but the transition from 2 point to 6 screw tremolo will not be as stable on tuning.

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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 5:17 pm
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One trick I learned to loosen up a six screw vintage tremolo is to loosen up all the six screws, then snug down the two outermost screws. This method has loosened up a few of my vintage tremolos and made them much more sensitive.

Usually I "deck" my tremolos and just push down on them gently to get a little tremolo effect. I don't usually work them heavily.

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Duffy Bolduc
On the South Bank of the W. Branch of the Susquehanna River

". . . all the things that use to mean so much to me, have made me old before my time."

Gregg Allman, "Old Before My Time", "Hittin' the Note" cd.


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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 5:07 am
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I was once a happy owner of a '97 US Lone Star Strat....indeed, it was one fine guitar. Interestingly, I initially did not like the Texas Specials and had considered effectively converting the guitar into a Big Apple Strat. But once I got the pickups set right, I am of the opinion that the Specials are among the best sounding single-coils out there. I wasn't too impressed with the Pearly Gates +. Not that it sounded bad or anything, but it kind of left me wanting something more. Also note this: the coils of the PG+ are intentionally mismatched which contributes to its tonal quality, but it also means that the pickup isn't 100% hum cancelling. I did not find this to be an issue, but just passing this along so you don't think that something is wrong with the guitar if you hear any noise from the humbucker when using distortion.


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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:05 am
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Very interesting story. Do you still wish you had the guitar today?

I didn't know that it has the Pearly Gates Plus pickup. I'll have to check that out.

I played one of these about four years ago and really liked it. I don't know why I didn't buy one. I liked the Roadhouse too but have not purchased either. I have bought a lot of guitars, just not them. There are so many guitars available today and I have been concentrating on buying half way decent guitars as opposed to cheap guitars like Squiers, not that some of the Squiers are junk. I have been buying Gibsons instead of Epi's. Things like that. I have a very nice Am. strat sss. But I like MIM Fenders and have the '72 Custom and Deluxe RI telecasters which are two of my favorite guitars.

Also, ironically, I like my black Epiphone LP Custom with the real Gibson USA 409/498 gold pickups I put in it, better than my old style Gibson LP faded, brown, with a maple cap and twin chrome covered Burstbucker Pro pickups. The Epi Custom just sounds way better, is brighter but tameable and has a beautiful, complex sound, whereas the Gibson faded is duller sounding with less definition in the sound - maybe it is just old strings but I don't think so. I also like the sound of my solid, unchambered Agile cherry flame burst AL-3100, stock, better than the sound of the Gibson, for the same reasons.

I think he chances that I will enjoy this reasonably priced Fender Lone Star very much too. As I recall it and the Roadhouse were the nicest sounding Fenders I played that day I checked them out, and I played a "whole bunch" of Fenders of all price ranges that day and gave them all a critical and serious evaluation. I hope I get one that sounds as good as the Lone Star and Roadhouse I played that day. I think I liked the Lone Star better than the Roadhouse even though I was looking primarily for an sss guitar that day.

It is funny how you walk away with another guitar or another perspective after you go into a big music store with a preconceived idea on getting just one very specific guitar. More than once I have returned home with something that I liked a lot better and I still have those awesome guitars, like my Schecter C1 E/A that I got a deal on for 327 and brought home when I was there looking for a black Epi G400 SG. The Schecter C1 E/A is a hybrid superstrat that I modded with chrome covered SD JB bridge and '59 neck humbuckers and had audio taper pots put in it. It is a totally awesome guitar and is one of my favorites today, and is actually in my will to go to a friend of my son's that is a great classically rock trained guitar player, along with a couple nice Marshall tube amps. I know he will appreciate the items. He used to borrow the Schecter from me for some gigs and always returned it to me nicer than when it left.

Anyway, I don't loan out equipment anymore and I'm really looking for forward to the Lone Star. I should get it tomorrow and I will take some pictures soon.

I am thinking of putting "Cobalt" strings on it - any opinions of that choice of strings? I can always put on regular D'darrio's.

Feedback appreciated.


93greenstrat wrote:
I was once a happy owner of a '97 US Lone Star Strat....indeed, it was one fine guitar. Interestingly, I initially did not like the Texas Specials and had considered effectively converting the guitar into a Big Apple Strat. But once I got the pickups set right, I am of the opinion that the Specials are among the best sounding single-coils out there. I wasn't too impressed with the Pearly Gates +. Not that it sounded bad or anything, but it kind of left me wanting something more. Also note this: the coils of the PG+ are intentionally mismatched which contributes to its tonal quality, but it also means that the pickup isn't 100% hum cancelling. I did not find this to be an issue, but just passing this along so you don't think that something is wrong with the guitar if you hear any noise from the humbucker when using distortion.

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Duffy Bolduc
On the South Bank of the W. Branch of the Susquehanna River

". . . all the things that use to mean so much to me, have made me old before my time."

Gregg Allman, "Old Before My Time", "Hittin' the Note" cd.


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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 7:15 am
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donnycraven wrote:
The original USA Lone Star was probably one of the finest all out Southern Rock Guitars you could get.


Renamed American Fat Strat Texas Special in 2000 and discontinued three years later.


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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 11:24 am
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1Duffy1 wrote:
Very interesting story. Do you still wish you had the guitar today?


I miss that guitar some kind of bad! But I like the new American Standard HSS Strat though.


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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 2:32 pm
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Didn't Billy Gibbons have something to do with this Strat or at least prefer it?

That's his pickup and he did like the universal route.

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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Tue May 21, 2013 5:36 am
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i play a usa lone star for many years. it is my main guitar. a good blues rock and rock guitar but after the years i changed the pearly gates to a sd sh-4 for more power. yep, my fave.i

enjoy your lone star.

cheers :D

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Post subject: Re: Lone Star Strat
Posted: Wed May 22, 2013 6:54 am
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I got it yesterday. Really nice. No defects and good action with no buzz. Works right and has a lot of tone control over all three pickups and five positions.

I am going to replace the stock strings with D'darrio's I have a fresh three pack of.

Thru my Peavey Delta Blues it sounds great on the clean. I haven't switched to the overdrive channel yet, probably today.

The tone control gives a range of sounds from the humbuckers and single coils; everything from screaming bite to smooth mellowness.

It feels real good in my hand as well.

I don't know why Fender doesn't promote these guitars more. They are a lot nicer, in my opinion, than the MIM standards, so is the Roadhouse. These are real nice guitars.

I can't think of anything I will mod right now. Possibly get the brushed metal Fender locking tuners as time goes by.

One thing I want to do right away is replace the knobs with chrome or black knurled tele type barrel knobs. I ordered some already. Tjhere are two types though, the P bass/tele type and the domed tele type. I want the flat top P bass/tele type that are larger diameter and have a gripping texture on the knurled knobs.

No big changes yet. I'm playing it a lot to get a good feel for it, which will take time. I'm in no hurry to change anything that affects the tone. This may stay fundamentally stock.

I'll get some pictures soon.

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Duffy Bolduc
On the South Bank of the W. Branch of the Susquehanna River

". . . all the things that use to mean so much to me, have made me old before my time."

Gregg Allman, "Old Before My Time", "Hittin' the Note" cd.


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