contemplating strats... what should I go with?

H

handelmanic

New member
Hey everybody, I'm new to the forum, my account was just accepted and activated, and the reason I joined was because I had this question to bring before y'all...

So I've been playing for close to three years now, on a Korean made Fender Toronado GT HH, a guitar which I adore not just for being one of those funky and odd discontinued siblings in the Fender family, but it's great feel and tone.

Except... it's not that guitar of the greats, that American legend... the Stratocaster. So I've been thinking about going for a strat in the near future. I think I can more or less count out anything made in Mexico or overseas, but the question is do I the easy thing, and get an American Standard... or build one? I've been browsing lately the sites for Carvin and Warmoth, I'm especially interested in Warmoth's chambered strat bodies, because I want this guitar a lot for jazz, and I think that would be a nice compromise for a hollow bodyish tone in a strat style guitar without all the feed back worries of a true hollow body.

So what do y'all think? I realize builds aren't cheap, but hey, a new American Standard is a $1000, and that is about how much I would be willing to spend on a nice strat that I can have a long term guitar/player relationship with. Thoughts? Thanks.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

Ya gotta have one good Fender strat in your collection or else, you'll still want it after you build one. The American Standard Strat runs around a grand and is a kickass piece, but for a little more the American Deluxe is nothing short of custom shop quality. I'd go for the AD HSS model. Oh wait, I did! :D

 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

I'd look for a real nice Fender Jimmie Vaughn Strat. I'd try out a bazillion of them and buy the very best one: the one that played the best, sustained the best, had the best resonance and that made me feel like playing. Someday, I'd maybe replace the neck and middle pickups with Duncan Antiquity Surfers and Antiquity Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup. That's what I'd do.
 
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Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

Do not discount the Mexican Standards. They have come a long way since being first introduced in 1989. The new 2009 models are really nice instruments. I wouldn't hesitate to gig with one at all.

If you must have an American made Strat, look used. You'll save a lot of money going that route. But if you want new, look at all the options and play a bunch of them.
 
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Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

ErikH said:
Do not discount the Mexican Standards. They have come a long way since being first introduced in 1989. The new 2009 models are really nice instruments. I wouldn't hesitate to gig with one at all.

If you must have an American made Strat, look used. You'll save a lot of money going that route. But if you want new, look at all the options and play a bunch of them.
Click to expand...

+1... I would look for a used highway one and save yourself about 500 bucks or check out a new vintage vibe squire, close your eyes trust your hands and ears and save yourself 700 bucks. I played a few and they all have been up to par with my old american standard.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

Welcome to the forum!

Like the other guys have already said, you can't go wrong with a MIM strat. They're great guitars. I also have an American Deluxe strat, but find that I like to play the MIM strat more. The HWY1 strats are another good choice. I'm kinda rough on my strats, so beating up my Am Deluxe just doesn't feel right. That's where the MIM strat shines - it takes a beating and I don't have to feel bad afterwards.

I don't often recommend building guitars - I like to feel, play, and hear how a guitar sounds before buying. You can't do that with a kit. Once you find a guitar you like, you can always tweak it to your specs later...
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

I agree a billion times...do not overlook the MIM Fenders! They are the real deal. I have a Classic 60`s and its alot better than some USA made guitars that i`ve owned in the past. And lets not forget,Mexico is in North America!
 
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Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

Since its your first one, I'd suggest buying an off-the-shelf Fender. If you feel like it needs a bit of an improvement, do some mods. Don't pay attention to American, Mexican, etc. Just play them all and pick the one you feel is best. Fender seems to have the Midas touch these days - every new Fender I've played lately has been great.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

Lewguitar said:
I'd look for a real nice Fender Jimmie Vaughn Strat. I'd try out a bazillion of them and buy the very best one: the one that played the best, sustained the best, had the best resonance and that made me feel like playing. Someday, I'd maybe replace the neck and middle pickups with Duncan Antiquity Surfers and Antiquity Texas Hot Custom bridge pickup. That's what I'd do.
Click to expand...


Big +1. If you are willing to stray outside of fender then look at used, or new, G&Ls.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

also there are plenty of strat-style guitars out there so you have a lot of options if you don't jive with a fender. and don't count out the hardtails! maybe not "true" strats, but they sound more stable and round IMO which is good for jazz.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

Hey everybody, thanks for the feed back thus far.

I should point out that I'm looking for a stratocaster style guitar, not necessarily a Fender, so if anybody can recommend good imitations one might not normally think of (ala Immortalsix), that'd be extra cool. Whatever the case, the next time I'm in guitar center, I'll keep the mexican made strats in account.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

i would just go play all of em you can. all of the fenders DO seem to be pretty good these days.

i played my 07 MIM today, and it really sings nicely thru my champ. i had never played it thru that amp before
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

i'd go for the american standard, give the real deal a chance.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

MikeHSS said:
i'd go for the american standard, give the real deal a chance.
Click to expand...

MIM`s are the real deal also. They`re made by Fender in an official State Of The Art Fender factory. If you want to get technical,only the Leo Fender era (1946-1964)Fenders are the real deal.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

If it was my call man, and you want to get a great strat for the price, shop around for the best MIM you can find, and when you find it, get a nice set of pickups for it.
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

...For jazz though?

The Strat didn't become a "legend" based on its jazz prowess in any case... But on that note, I'd either suggest something double-fat, or the use of lil 59s or something...
 
Re: contemplating strats... what should I go with?

i'm a huge strat fan and the American Standard mode lis a winner for me... i love that model.... and a true Fender will have a higher re-sale value over a parts guitar anyday... something to keep in mind...

i've been trying to buy a new American Standard in Candy Cola for sometimes now but everytime i get close another strat seems to come my way... my American Standard is 20 years old now and i want a new version for my strat collection oneday... the Candy Cola one the local shop has just happens to be one of the sweetest strats in the store...
 
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