How much should I spend on a strat...?

Shadow1psc

Shadow1psc

New member
Morning guys,

I've got this GAS for a strat. When I grew up my dad's main guitar for a long time was a nice Candy Apple Red American strat. No bells and whistles, just your standard 90s era well built triple-S strat. Every once in awhile I'd get to play it and I'd always feel special because I got to play Dad's 'nice' guitar (whereas I started on a $90 Squier strat :14:). As you can tell by my sig, I mostly aim for super-strat, hot, humbucker/tremelo loaded guitars, but I do love the blues, SRV, texas rock and such. My dad has a strange love for Yngwie that also kinda rubbed off on me, so when we would jam to hot blues/texas shuffle style backing tracks to improve our improvisation, he would often call my playing 'Neo-Classical Blues'.

Anyway, the guitar ended up going to a friend (that's a long story), and for the longest time I've been content with my gits, but there's something about a Candy Apple Red strat to me that just is calling my name lately. I don't follow Fender in the slightest though, and a quick perusal of Guitar Center this weekend didn't really leave me feeling like buying a strat from them was a good choice, so I figured I'd ask you guys - Which strat should I aim for, and what is a good price point? Are the big differences still MIM strats vs. American Standards? The things I will be playing on it would range from SRV to Yngwie, will a stock strat get me through those tones if I'm playing through a Mesa Boogie Mark V?

And of course, I'd really like it to be Candy Apple Red, but if you guys tell me the Yngwie signature strat is the way to go for sound/quality/versatility reasons, I'd consider it. I don't think price is an issue for me, I haven't bought a guitar in awhile and my wife is willing to let me go HAM, but if I'm being honest with myself, this guitar will be more of a sentimental and niche-use instrument for me, so I don't expect to need to break the bank.

Thanks in advance for any advice and wisdom!
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

Spend $0 on a strat, buy a Les Paul instead! I kid, I kid. Strats are nice, if you are going fender... I would either spend full price on an american in candy apple red or buy a MIM one and upgrade the parts you are not happy with.

imho though, I would check out a warmoth body, they can finish it in candy apple red even and you can select the wood this way. You could either buy a fender, warmoth or USACG neck from here and choose your own electronics. The end result will be a better guitar that is truly yours.
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

Is this a nostalgia trip or do you want a guitar that you can keep for life?

Amongst the Fender product lines, the key words to look for in the specs are Select and Premium. Bodies made from tonewoods thus described will deliver consistently where lesser materials will disappoint. If your budget allows, go for the Deluxe American series.
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

If you dont mind buying used, then by far the best value is in used USA strats. Look on the gear page classifieds. There a bunch of USA standards for $6-800
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

Funkfingers said:
Is this a nostalgia trip or do you want a guitar that you can keep for life?

Amongst the Fender product lines, the key words to look for in the specs are Select and Premium. Bodies made from tonewoods thus described will deliver consistently where lesser materials will disappoint. If your budget allows, go for the Deluxe American series.
Click to expand...

For me, if I buy a guitar I'm assuming it's for life. I'm no elitist, just because I know I'm going to be stuck with a guitar doesn't mean it has to come factory american/custom made to my specifications. Look at what I'm rocking in my sig, I love my cheap RG's as much as (if not more than) my ESP/Charvel. Having said that, I definitely recognize the difference between a $350-$500 guitar vs. something that would normally be considered a $1,000 (mid range) guitar.

Where I'm uncertain is Fender's nomenclature. I know based on an Ibanez model name/number its relative value as a new or second hand guitar, and generally dollar value equates to the quality of the guitar. Buuuuuut, if I'm just going to have to replace the pickups regardless (will I?), is the difference between a low end MIM and a mid range MIA Standard that big?
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

scottish said:
If you dont mind buying used, then by far the best value is in used USA strats. Look on the gear page classifieds. There a bunch of USA standards for $6-800
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I have no qualms buying used and I frequent the Trading Post, GC's used wall, and even Pawn Shops every now and then. I hardly see American Standards in a configuration/color I'd like, people really seem to love em. I do see plenty of $1200 strats, or some beaters. I almost caved and bought the Jimmie Vaughan strat in White (my GC had one used for $499). But I think unless I see something too good to pass up (or in a nice green, which I'm pretty sure doesn't exist), I'm going to hunker down and shoot for Candy Apple Red.
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

i've also noticed that the fancier and more expensive guitars come setup from the factory perfectly. maybe that's not generally true. ??
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

JeffB said:
How much should you spend on a great Strat?




$625.00

:bigthumb:
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I'm actually inclined to believe that :P But now what kind of strat am I getting for that price? A high end MIM/low end MIA new, or am I looking to get a nice condition used American Standard? Or perhaps an aforementioned signature strat?
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

In all seriousness, it is the only MIM strat I have ever owned or played that I feel is on par with any of the production USA models. Its not that the MIMs always sound worse or whatever, but they always FEEL different. This one does not..most likely because of the big upgrades in hardware vs most MIMs. The only thing that I feel does not compare hardware wise are the tuners. The MIA tuners are better, but I prefer the vintage style, so on a MIA I would have to replace them anyway. I will also not say I feel the KWS is equal to my old Malmsteen strat, but it sure as heck is equal/ better than any MIA standard, Special or HWY1 I have owned or played.

Frankly, I would rather keep it...but economics dictate I narrow it down to one guitar.

At any rate- IME, Strats (and teles) are so difficult to narrow down in playability and sound vs. price. Because of the multitude of things bolted together, and the variations in wood of the same species, you can spend $3000 on a Custom Shop relic that sounds like complete garbage or spend $300 on a chinese Squier Classic Vibe that blows everything else you have played out of the water. spending more money only guarantees excellent hardware, fit and finish.

Always good to play a bunch if possible and buy the one that speaks to you!
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

JeffB said:
In all seriousness, it is the only MIM strat I have ever owned or played that I feel is on par with any of the production USA models. Its not that the MIMs always sound worse or whatever, but they always FEEL different. This one does not..most likely because of the big upgrades in hardware vs most MIMs. The only thing that I feel does not compare hardware wise are the tuners. The MIA tuners are better, but I prefer the vintage style, so on a MIA I would have to replace them anyway. I will also not say I feel the KWS is equal to my old Malmsteen strat, but it sure as heck is equal/ better than any MIA standard, Special or HWY1 I have owned or played.

Frankly, I would rather keep it...but economics dictate I narrow it down to one guitar.

At any rate- IME, Strats (and teles) are so difficult to narrow down in playability and sound vs. price. Because of the multitude of things bolted together, and the variations in wood of the same species, you can spend $3000 on a Custom Shop relic that sounds like complete garbage or spend $300 on a chinese Squier Classic Vibe that blows everything else you have played out of the water. spending more money only guarantees excellent hardware, fit and finish.

Always good to play a bunch if possible and buy the one that speaks to you!
Click to expand...

As a general rule of thumb, I don't tend to buy a guitar unless I have played it, or someone I can see is reputable vouches for it. For instance, I wouldn't have GC order me a guitar just because they don't have it in stock, I'd have to play it (or it'd have to be a steal). Maybe I'll just keep perusing GC and the local shops until I find one that speaks to me for a comfortable price. So a nice MIM should be worth ~$500 and a nice MIA would be a steal between $500-$1,000 (the higher end if I'm absolutely blown away)?
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

The Eric Johnson strat comes in Candy Apple Red if you can find an affordable one. Its the best strat made in recent years IMO. You might be able to find one used. But play a bunch of strats that might fit the bill, the EJ among them.
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

Lake Placid Blues said:
The Eric Johnson strat comes in Candy Apple Red if you can find an affordable one. Its the best strat made in recent years IMO. You might be able to find one used. But play a bunch of strats that might fit the bill, the EJ among them.
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The new price tag on that EJ is a little much - I love it, but $1,800 new means I'm not going to find one close to $1,000. I might be convinced to spend $1,250 on a strat, but it'd have to basically be new and have some premium stuff going on.
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

Take advantage of guitar center and do the blindfold test. I did and came home w a used Mexican. Best $200 I ever spent.
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

+1 on the EJ - get a used one. It seems to be a step above the run of the mill Strats I've played.

Hang out on the TGP emporium. One will pop up there sometime.

FWIW, I never really consider color when buying a Strat. The one I did specify color on was a built to my spec Suhr S.
 
Re: How much should I spend on a strat...?

LReese said:
+1 on the EJ - get a used one. It seems to be a step above the run of the mill Strats I've played.

Hang out on the TGP emporium. One will pop up there sometime.

FWIW, I never really consider color when buying a Strat. The one I did specify color on was a built to my spec Suhr S.
Click to expand...

The color is a big factor on this guitar only because I a) would not buy another strat and b) Nostalgia is a great tool when creating music, at least to me. The feel of wonderment and the joy of getting to play Dad's 'big boy' guitar is a feeling I can channel. This is looking to be a one-off purchase fueled mostly by the great memories I had with my father's Candy Apple Red strat.
 
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