Best Strat for about $700,-?

Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Edgecrusher said:
Ummm no its not not in Italy. Anything you order here from a retailer when it hits the border they slap you with a bill for 26% of the stated value of the goods. Hell they made me pax taxes on used personal items that were sent to me from home just because we declared a value for insurance purposes

There is no such thing as sales tax in Italy


What states have to pay sales tax? When I left in Idaho there were no sales tax on internet purchases.
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26%? Try 40... Oh, and 600% for cars!
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

LRS said:
+1. Used American Standard is hard to beat. To the OP: if you insist on new, a Mexican Classic Player can be very good. '50s with maple neck and 9,5" radius, '60s with rosewood and 12" radius. I've got the latter 2nd hand for €450,- that would leave budget to look for a nice 2nd hand tube amp like Fender Blues jr as well. you're welkome to give the classic player a try, I live in the area of The Hague.
Cheers,
Chris


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Kinda busy lately, but I'll see if I can make some time to hop by, thanks for your offer! ;)
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Wolferine92 said:
This is the point in buying from outside the EU.
Understand though that inner-market is one concept, every EU country pay the same to get something inside the EU.

Long story short it is probably not worth it buying from outside the EU. There are exceptions like labelling the goods as a gift etc. but not all shippers want to work with that.

As a fellow Dutchman I can suggest second hand upper Mim or lower Mia strats. Try and haggle a bit if you must. Mij strats are pretty great too but not so common here. The 80s Squiers pop up every now and then. serial numbers start with JV, just google 80s JV squiers and enjoy the read;)
I am not so knowledged at single coiled guitars so couldnt help further. Second hand gives big bang for the buck though!
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MIJ strats aren't that common indeed here, though they more often placed on secondhand websites in Belgium, and I don't mind driving some km extra for a good guitar. ;) (Although I'm 16 and my father probably does mind lol)
Can't find much JV's here too, but I'll check them out, thanks!
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Mad-Max said:
Being as how American Standard Strat's go for around a grand in US money new, they can definitely be had for around 700 or even less if you look hard enough. You can never go wrong with a Standard American Strat. They just play phenomenal and bleed tone.
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playas said:
Nice idea, I´ve never seen one for anything approaching €500 in europe though. I´d expect closer to twice that for second-hand.
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Secondhand American Standards go from €500,- (if you search very good) till €1000 or even higher sometimes overhere, also depending on the year.
However, I do think there are better guitars for those prices, but I might be wrong?
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

If you are in Europe you can also hunt for the very first MIJ Fenders, which were imported to Europe first in 1982 and 1983 when Fender had the Fujigen factory switch from Greco's Strats to their own.

They were labeled "Squier by Fender" at the time in that place but the various labels don't mean much if you get the Fujigen goods.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Has anyone tried the squier affinity HSS strat? Never tried one and thinking about getting myself one of those
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Bartdef said:
Secondhand American Standards go from €500,- (if you search very good) till €1000 or even higher sometimes overhere, also depending on the year.
However, I do think there are better guitars for those prices, but I might be wrong?
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Don't be afraid of the name. If you want a strat type of guitar for that kind of money, I don't think you can truly get any better than the real deal. I played an American Standard Strat not too long ago that played like absolute butter, and sounded great. There's really not that much else that can truly compete in that price range.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

I'd get a G&L Legacy HB on the used market. You can also get a used Tribute Legacy HB for about half of that budget or less, and it would be about 80 percent as good as the U.S.A. one. Or you could get a new Tribute model and still come in under budget.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

candyman said:
Has anyone tried the squier affinity HSS strat? Never tried one and thinking about getting myself one of those
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Garbage.

The name "Squier" is probably the guitar brand name that has the least connection to usability.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

One principle I learned by experience: when you are trying to keep it cheap, for any particular model you are going after, the cheaper you go, you have to play that many more of the model to find that magic one that came off the assembly line with everything within tolerance and playing well.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Mad-Max said:
Don't be afraid of the name. If you want a strat type of guitar for that kind of money, I don't think you can truly get any better than the real deal. I played an American Standard Strat not too long ago that played like absolute butter, and sounded great. There's really not that much else that can truly compete in that price range.
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Hmm, okay, if you say so ;) I'll give some a try, thanks!
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

ItsaBass said:
I'd get a G&L Legacy HB on the used market. You can also get a used Tribute Legacy HB for about half of that budget or less, and it would be about 80 percent as good as the U.S.A. one. Or you could get a new Tribute model and still come in under budget.
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Thanks! The Legacy HB sounds really good, I'll keep 'm in mind!
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

beaubrummels said:
One principle I learned by experience: when you are trying to keep it cheap, for any particular model you are going after, the cheaper you go, you have to play that many more of the model to find that magic one that came off the assembly line with everything within tolerance and playing well.
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That makes sense, thanks!
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

uOpt said:
Garbage.

The name "Squier" is probably the guitar brand name that has the least connection to usability.
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+1
Tried some, your refrigerator probably does a better job being a guitar than than those things.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Bartdef said:
+1
Tried some, your refrigerator probably does a better job being a guitar than than those things.
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It is WELL known in the Fender collector community how amazing vintage MIJ Squiers are. Those instruments were made with American hardware, assembled in Japan.

Assembled so well, Fender had to put a halt on production because the Squiers were competing too well with their USA models.

Search eBay for a late 80's Squier. They can cost well and above your $700 budget.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

Also there are many reasons to buy a non-Fender "strat"

A big one being the fretboard radius. If you are not a sideways vibrato user, the 9.5" radius is one of the most annoying obstacles you can have on your guitar.

The Godin Session has a 12" board.
The Yamaha Pacifica has a WHOPPING 14.5" board! You can vibrato and sustain for hours!

The Aerodyne Strat is actually a shorter scale 24.75" guitar. So, it's really not a traditional strat. It will be darker and spongier.
 
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Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

On terms of the g&l guitars, they are great! I had a g&l legacy tribute, and tribute asat special. Great guitars for the money, and would be just as good, if not better in some cases, than fenders. They are wonderful for the money
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Not all Squiers are bad, some are better than others but that can be said about any guitar company. Yes they are on the lower end of the quality spectrum in some cases but I've got two Bullet Specials that are pretty darn sweet mainly because they're one pickup and a volume knob. I'm absorbed by their simplicity. These are the ones that came out of the Indonesian Cort factory in the early to mid 2000's. Besides, they're a great canvas for noob modders like me because if I seriously mess it up I'm not out a $500+ guitar.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

Not true about MIJ Fenders, whether they are called Squier or not. There are some problems. The trems are always US-spaced (as opposed to MIM Strats), but they can have non-steel blocks, some of which hold on to the arm badly. Bad pickups are common. Stupid tuners as bad as American Standard are common. Some have bulletproof plastic paint, many have random wood for the body. Thinner bodies can happen (just like early AVRI). Some have rosewood board but still a skunk stripe. Others have paint so thin it can fall off in hand-sized plates.

Whether they are called Squier or not is really meaningless since the same guitars can have a fender or a squier label depending on whether the target market was the US, Europe or Japan.

A 82 or 83 Squier will always be great, at least after a pickup change, but you need to watch out.
 
Re: Best Strat for about $700,-?

IF you are within a 700 dollar budget I would find the best 500 dollar guitar you can buy (new or used) and then spend your last 200 on great guitar work by a great guitar tech. Adjusting action, intonation, minor fretwork etc and good strings can make all the difference in the world. Learn to read music as good and fast as if you took Evelyn Wood - and take lessons for your next 16 years - I am pretty sure you won't regret it!
 
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