Best strat-style on the market today?

B

BennyD

New member
Hi Guys,

My Hamer Daytona has finally taken a crap and I'm not going to invest any more money into keeping it alive. What is the "best bang for your buck" strat-style on the market today? I'm hesitant to buy the big F because of build quality, but if its gotten better in recent years I may consider it.

My budget is like $1,000-1,500.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

You can get basically any G&L for 1 - 1.5K, and they're awesome.

You can get a parts build together that would shock and awe the townspeople for that much.

If you like relics at all, you can't do much better than Mark Jenny.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

You could certainly put a very nice Warmoth together for that and spec it out just as you like - there might not be quite enough budget to go in for the more exotic woods, but you'd get very well spec'd for that.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

New or used?

I like the "50ties" and "60ties" MIM reissues. The AVRI are very nice, too, more expensive but in your range. I'm not aware of build issues with those. And all their weirdo hardware and whatnot disappears when you eliminate the "Standard" (WTF misnaming) from MIM and MIA Strats.

Best bang for the buck are old Ibanez Blazers and some Roadstars. But they look different and you might have to mod them to put in modern trems and the like.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

G&L. You can get two Tributes with that budget, or one U.S.A-made Legacy or S-500. Legacys have old-style alnico pickups, and S-500's have ceramic bar pickups with adjustable pole pieces, kind of like Fralin's steel-poled Strat pickups (but ceramic instead of alnico). Tributes have the same hardware, electronics, and wood as the U.S.A. models. The paint jobs and fretwork are just cheaper, and you get practically no options to choose from like you do with the U.S.A. models.

Tributes smoke MIM Fenders for about the same amount of money. And U.S.A. G&Ls are basically Fender CS quality, but with plastic finishes instead of nitro, and at half the price or less.

The other thing is that G&ls have piss-poor resale, so if you are not stuck on custom ordering one to spec, you can get amazing deals on the used market, on both U.S.A. models and Tributes.

Personally, I am seriously Jonesing for a Legacy Special.

Hint: If you want "vintage" Fender-like specs (skinny frets, highly radiused fingerboard, V neck or U neck), you must special order. The standard setup is medium frets with a C neck and a 12 inch radius.
 
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Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

The Hamer is a mess, I bought it used and the previous owner put it through hell and back and I just don't have the time or patience to fix it. Belt rash all over the body, routed out strap button areas, the neck buzzes horribly on low E I've had two different luthiers look at it and try to fix it and they can't, it needs a new bridge as all of the screws are stripped and I'm missing the tremolo bar, back plate is completely missing as well.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

Nothing at all wrong with a Fender anything IMHO.

In that price range I'd buy a Classic Series and upgrade the pickups, get a hard shell case and have money left over.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

the guy who invented fire said:
Nothing at all wrong with a Fender anything IMHO.

In that price range I'd buy a Classic Series and upgrade the pickups, get a hard shell case and have money left over.
Click to expand...

Yup. High end MIMs are goodbargains in general. I have a roadworn tele which is just an aged MIM classic with nitro, 6105 frets and slightly upgraded pups...tex mex. I put some handwounds in it, and an electrosocket and its been a fine guitar. Big nasty brodcaster tones you gotta work for. I recently got a KWS strat which is another high end MIM and its the first MIM i have ever handled that really isput together and feels like a well done MIA strat. Just needs a pup upgrade..they are a somewhat brittle in the highs.

In your budget high end, I would be looking at the AVRIs, vintage hot rods, a knopfler or mayer strat.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

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Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

A Music Man Silhouette Special: plays much better than a Strat, and the the company was started by Leo as well. Also available with 3 single coils.

silouette_special-022104.jpg
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

All good suggestions. Jacksons, of course, are made by Fender (FMIC), as are Charvels. There is nothing wrong with Fender build quality. Heck, even Squiers are very well made these days.

I love G&L's for their tone and playability but the headstock is UGH-LY!!!
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

BTW, somebody who's camera-challenged is selling a K-Line Strat for $1000 over at TGP. There's your value right there.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

That's a decent budget that should allow for a nice MIA Fender.
 
Re: Best strat-style on the market today?

IanBallard said:
All good suggestions. Jacksons, of course, are made by Fender (FMIC), as are Charvels. There is nothing wrong with Fender build quality. Heck, even Squiers are very well made these days.

I love G&L's for their tone and playability but the headstock is UGH-LY!!!
Click to expand...

Aren't Squiers made of plywood?
 
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