Looking for Stratocaster advice...

[drwx]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Truth.
I've got an '87 that refuses to be de-throned,try as I might...

I've got an 87 mij squier strat that I love plus a few months ago I found an 87 mij fender contemporary telecaster with the SSH pickup config and the system one trem. I just love the shape of those mij necks.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Play as many strats as you can unplugged. This will sort the sheep from the goats and you can make your own decisions about which one is best. Some guitars will sing, some wont. If you live in the country, make it a road trip or weekend away to go to a city that has a few guitar shops and then go exploring.

QFT

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

80's MIJ Squiers have about as much in common with current MIC/MII Squiers as 50's Fenders have in common with current MIM Fenders. Or 60's Marshalls and modern import Marshalls.

 

[philthis]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

you know, I bought a Fender deluxe lone star strat for the sole purpose of making it a prototype guitar. It was only $600.00 and I began make minor mods on it to see how they effected the tone. I discovered I liked a humbucker in the bridge, not too hot or it would effect the "dire straits-Sultans of Swing" position 2 split between the humbucker and the middle pickup. I discovered I liked locking tuners-spertzel, I discovered I like bright single coils in a strat-It came with texas specials and I left them in. I replaced the crappy pot medal tremolo unit with a Super V blade runner and it radically improved the tone and sustian. I loved the maple neck and I loved the mint pick guard on it. Once I had my guitar the way I liked it, I then sold it and bought a used Eric Johnson strat to make the same improvements but on a very high quality built strat.
Maybe you should get something cheap and play around with it for a wile if your curious about tone and features. I had several double humbucker strats in the past but i wanted something with singles in the neck and middle position for a change and I'm glad I found what I liked. "F.U. tone" makes some great stuff to mod a strat with. check them out too. They do little refinements like-better springs on the back, and other mods to tweak your strats tone besides just adding different pickups. Check them out as well.

 

[drwx]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

80's MIJ Squiers have about as much in common with current MIC/MII Squiers as 50's Fenders have in common with current MIM Fenders. Or 60's Marshalls and modern import Marshalls.

Definitely... But can be had in the same price range as a MIM making it really a no brainer, regardless of the headstock saying squier instead of fender like the MIMs.

 

[TripleChillin]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Figured I would circle back on this post since I just picked up a MIM strat tonight! Found it on CL in my area and talked the dude down to 350 with a brand new fender gig bag. Thing still has the barcode sticker on the headstock; plastic on the back plate and nary a scratch on it - tuners are a little stiff but I figured I can buy and install locking ones myself. So far plays real nice, no fret buzz anywhere though the action is a little high.

I normally play on a Schecter C-1 classic and the neck profile feels way different; but in a good way! Plus the single-coils sound better on my VHT Special 6 Ultra vs humbuckers to me.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

If you want to customize your Strat's pickups and electronics, there's no reason to sell gear to get an American. You can build whatever you want out of a Squier. I customized 2 Affinities with pickups, electronics, and pickguards, and they came out great, nothing about it is inferior quality: Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard same as an American, tuners and bridge work perfectly. Not really any objective reasons to sell stuff to obtain more quality when it doesn't get you more quality.

The Affinity for $200 will have a satin finish on the neck I believe:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-affinity-series-stratocaster-electric-guitar

The Deluxe for $300 will have a gloss finish neck like the Gilmour strat you were talking about:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/squier-deluxe-strat-electric-guitar

I can't even believe that I'm going to say this...for once, I actually agree with Clint (except that the Deluxe model has a satin finished neck, not gloss).

That Deluxe in pearl white is what you want. You probably won't feel the need to upgrade or change anything about it.

Money well spent.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Go for the Black MIM Strat. I have a 2013 in flame burst, HSS. Very similar except the finish. Very comfortable to play. I like everything about it except it only has 21 frets.

I don't care about Squier. Regardless of its quality, it's a cheapo brand. I don't know 'bout you but it makes me feel cheap. Get the real thing.

Do you really have such a, how shall I say it, unintelligent and shallow reasoning ability?!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Are you thinking of this one?
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Jackson/Adrian-Smith-San-Dimas-Dinky-Electric-Guitar-Snow-White-Maple-Fingerboard-1333638271007.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWRWXGP&gclid=CjwKEAiA4dPCBRCM4dqhlv2R1R8SJABom9pHztHVs8Kzx-J_z-VbCZMBmG7NTId5p5KT4lP40rn3RxoCq3Tw_wcB&kwid=productads-adid^57619015002-device^c-plaid^143118044682-sku^1333638271007@ADL4GC-adType^PLA

That is the style I'm going for; my very first guitar was a cheapo squire knockoff from Sam's Club... Black with white pick guard. I kinda like the idea of getting a nice guitar with inverse coloring - plus I'd match my VHT amp pretty nicely...

OMG!! That is hideously ugly!!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

No, I didn't do anything like that - coating a neck myself or removing the finish. My preference is only from comparing guitars with finished and unfinished necks. I owned an Am std Strat with a maple neck so the whole neck was coated, and I've compared that to my affinities with no finish at all. I like the unfinished way better. I also owned an Am std P bass with a rosewood board, so all of the neck except the fretboard was coated. I compared that to my affinity p bass with steve harris pickup - completely unfinished neck with rosewood fretboard, I like that better. Other guitars I have with coated necks: mustang, jaguar, lp, 335. They can sound good to me, but the unfinished necks on my 2 affinity strats, strat mini, and affinity p bass just sound way better to me - more natural. You can hear the brilliance of the guitar and pickup better instead of having it masked with nasal cowboy tone.

I ate an apple the other day. Today I ate an orange. I liked the apple better.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Really? That's faulty reasoning? How the composition of a musicial instrument has an effect on its sound? No sorry that isn't faulty reasoning, that's 100% sound reasoning and common sense. I have multiple different Fender style guitars with finished necks and while I can tell the difference in sound determined by their shape and design, they all somehow share the same crisp, nasal tone. I also have 4 guitars with bare unfinished necks (my affinities with rosewood board are bare, no finish at all) and for some reason none of them have this tone! They sound organic. I've tried the same pickups in several of the guitars too. I can figure out what sound is coming from what. Same thing as being able to tell the difference between strings.

OK, Clint, you're back to your usual nonsensical self again.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Wouldn't that suggest that the theory is correct if the finished neck guitars are different but they all share a similar tone characteristic? Same with the unfinished neck guitars.

No.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Hmmm...I guess the unique, specific tonal qualities attributed to say basswood or mahogany are bullcrap cause wood is organic and it varies from one person to another.

OMG, are you sure you wanted everyone to read this?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

The notion that the sum of a guitar's materials determine the total sound is not an opinion, it is a fact. I am smart enough to differentiate between the sound of the guitar itself and the nasal sound produced by a gloss neck. "Grain structure" does not produce a nasal funky sound.

Actually I did come up with a double blind study for you guys. I have 2 affinities with the same wood, same strings, set up the same. They sound completely different unplugged. Why could this be? The answer is that 1 has single coils and the other has 3 humbuckers, 2 of them covered. The difference of the surfaces under the strings around my picking hand are what's creating the difference. 1 the majority is plastic from the pickguard and the other the majority is metal from the hb covers. So there you go. 2 identical guitars sounding different because of a different surface for the strings to resonate off of.

Are you really sure you are smart enough to analyse how smart you are?

My professional opinion as a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst is that you have proven, too many times to be ignored, that you aren't.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Alex, I understand these issues:

"The acoustic tone of a guitar is based not from the strings so much as the vibration of the air from the surface of the body. Different area to vibrate, different material, carved top vs flat, a pickguard, any vacant area if enclosed air under the guard all make differences."

I'm able to separate that out. I'm not inept.

The finished neck fender style guitars I have/have used: Am std strat, Am std p bass, mustang, jaguar,
Unfinished Affinites I'm stoked on: 2 strats, strat mini, p bass.

Very nice picture. If you have all those materials and experience you should easily be able to figure out that coating the neck changes the sound.

There is nothing more to be said. You have adequately dug your own hole.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

I was joking man. I have no idea what your ethnicity is. I'm able to separate reason from emotion. Unlike some people.

Uh......yyyyyeeeaaaaahhhhhhh.

Problem is, I'm not so sure you know what "reason" is.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Really nice guitar. Beautiful. If your tuners have little screws in the ends of the buttons, you can loosen them to make them less "stiff".

Before you even think about "upgrading" anything on that guitar, play it a lot for a couple months. Get used to what it does and how it feels. You may find that you don't really want to change anything about it. At the very least, you will have a better understanding of exactly WHAT you want to change.

Good luck, and congrats on a very nice instrument acquisition.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Do you really have such a, how shall I say it, unintelligent and shallow reasoning ability?!

I am a victim of branding, just like any other guy who burns 200 bucks for expensive stompboxes while the difference is very subjective. Is it really there? Or is it the 'feel good' effect? You believe what you want to believe.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Looking for Stratocaster advice...

Alright, let's be nice to each other. And get back on topic. It looks like the OP found his guitar.