NGD last week!

[JB_From_Hell]

Some of you may have heard I got a screaming deal on an American Standard Strat last week. After some mystery, I discovered it's a 1987 model. Further adding to the excitement, I pulled the pick guard to find it's loaded with Texas Special pickups.

I've had it nearly a week, and after many hours of playing, I gotta say it's a keeper. I played an MIM Standard a few hours ago at the shop where my kids take music lessons, and it's interesting how much louder mine is unplugged. The MIM was also significantly heavier. Maybe it has to do with the swimming pool route. Who knows, I'm not that concerned about details, especially considering I paid $150 less than the sticker on the MIM, plus I got the OHSC and Texas Specials.

Pics to follow!

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: NGD last week!

I can't wait to see pics! Congrats again on the steal of the year so far!

 

[LazyLightning]

Re: NGD last week!

Must have pics...............

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: NGD last week!

How are the frets on it? Almost 20 years is a long time for a guitar to go without being refretted.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: NGD last week!

More like 28 years.

There's some wear, but the previous owner used 9s and really low action, so not as much as you'd think. Could've been refretted, too. He passed away, and I bought it from his son-in-law, so I don't know all the specifics.

At some point, I want to get the neck planed a hair flatter and the biggest stainless frets available.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: NGD last week!

Congratulations.

Enjoy your purchase, no matter what anyone else thinks about it.

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: NGD last week!

Congrats again JB. A good guitar is a good guitar.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: NGD last week!

JB...

I may not have made it clear in my post in the other thread, but I am very happy for you that you have found such a wonderful guitar. My sincerest congratulations.

Enjoy!

Bill

 

[blaise.brown.7967]

Re: NGD last week!

I'm a newbie, but congrats on that STRAT!!

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: NGD last week!

I also recently bought a MIA that I really bonded with. Only a month or two has passed since then and I've already purchased parts to modify it. However, that says much more about my preferences and addiction than it does about the guitar. I have never even for a moment regretted my purchase and I've only played two other Strats in my life that I've felt were as good.

My point is that I fully appreciate how you feel about having found a special guitar ... perhaps from among many others that were very good but just didn't quite measure up. Serious congrats!

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: NGD last week!

... but I am very happy for you that you have found such a wonderful guitar.

After showing it to my dad and telling him the circumstances under which I got it, he said, "You know, you bought a keeper. You didn't get to buy it because he wanted to sell it."

Honestly, it creeps me out a little to think about, but he's right. I'd rather my friend's stepdad hadn't died, but this one feels different than the rest, where the owner consciously decided to let them go.

 

[ibis]

Re: NGD last week!

A good guitar finds its keeper they say. They also say you find what you're looking for in the last place you look.
Whatever, cherish your new soul mate!

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: NGD last week!

The red is darker than the pic looks, but you get the idea. What looks like a toggle switch between the knobs is a broken pot. It had black metal knobs, and the set screw was tightened against one of the posts rather than between. No biggie, just picture another white knob that says "TONE"

It has the TBX tone control on the middle and bridge pickups. I'm thinking about wiring it to the neck and middle and giving the bridge a standard tone.

 

[Securb]

Re: NGD last week!

How are the frets on it? Almost 20 years is a long time for a guitar to go without being refretted.

My Iceman has 35 years of playing on it and there is still plenty of meat on the frets.

 

[Securb]

Re: NGD last week!

The red is darker than the pic looks, but you get the idea. What looks like a toggle switch between the knobs is a broken pot. It had black metal knobs, and the set screw was tightened against one of the posts rather than between. No biggie, just picture another white knob that says "TONE"

It has the TBX tone control on the middle and bridge pickups. I'm thinking about wiring it to the neck and middle and giving the bridge a standard tone.



View attachment 62002

That is a beautiful axe. I would imagine you have been staring at it endlessly with a poop eating grin on your face. Congrats.

 

[rgand]

Re: NGD last week!

Congrats. Looks great. A pot is easy to replace. Thumbs-up.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: NGD last week!

Looks good!

 

[Demanic]

Re: NGD last week!

Thumbs up!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: NGD last week!

It's a good color, and it's officially vintage too, so I would never do something irreversible to it like sand the neck.
Your hands will get used to it perfectly after a few months.

The only mod I ever do to Am Std strats is upgrade the pickups and rewire it to Eric Johnson wiring, where you can find the right tone for the bridge, while leaving the other two wide open.

The color you have actually works great with every plastic combination Fender makes. You could say that of every Fender, but it's really true with that shade of red.....white, parchment, mint, tortoise, black, pearl, red pearloid, mirror, engine turned aluminum.....all of them work!

I think if I had just bought it, I'd install a parchment pickguard and black pickup covers and knobs.
The middle one is parchment.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: NGD last week!

I steel-wooled the gloss on the neck down a little. Nothing crazy, just enough to make it not feel like I'm playing a piece of plastic. I know, it probably hurt the value, but the very first guitar I owned was a '69 Mustang, and I never played it because my hand sticks to thick neck finishes, and I bought this thing to play.

I'd never considered parchment with black covers. I'm gonna have to try that out.