Strat Copies better then the originals

[uOpt]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

First of all early 1980s 2nd generation Ibanez Blazers and some Roadstar 2 models are right up there, and very cheap, so that you can spend real money on the best pickups and have some money to waste on pickup experiments.

In general if you want a really good Strat sound you will have to go through sets of used pickups since it's impossible to predict what you like and what your guitar agrees to.

Having said that, I am a fan of the AVRI Strats and if you pick an ugly one you can stay close to that budget. The MIM vintage reissues (not the MIM standard) seem to be very good, too, but you will have to exchange the tremolo. Some Fender MIJ (again vintage reissues) are good but some have random body woods.

Warmoth makes very high quality parts if you avoid their modernized stuff.

 

[chadd]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

I used to have an ESP Vintage + strat that was excellent, I really wish I still had that one.

 

[jazzems5150]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

If you're looking for a traditional style Strat, checking out some Fenders is worth it. I own an MIM Standard and a MIA Standard, and they're both really good guitars for what I traded/paid. I bought my MIA new and it needed a little bit of work to get it to my own preferences, but after a bit of elbow grease I have a really sturdy guitar. My MIM I picked up in a trade, it plays really nice compared to my MIA. It needed a significantly larger amount of work to play nicely, but at the end of the day I really enjoy playing it.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

I think it all depends on your preference. I am a big fan of both building and upgrading. I have upgraded a MIM Fender that played really nice, no where close to the American Deluxe I had but still a great playing guitar. If you are looking for a strat style--the Ibanez SA series are incredible guitars for the price. I just picked up on here for $139 that needed some TLC, but the neck has an incredible feel and the stock pickups sound great...just a thought.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

FWIW, here is how I could do a '50s Strat:
- MIM 50s reissue neck
- warmoth body, unpainted, their vintage style special item, must be alder
- callaham trem or if money is tight MIJ 6-point with GFS steel block
- SSL1s from ebay snipe
- pots, the Fender-branded CTS from ebay, come with capacitor

If it sounds the way I want I would paint or have painted the body. If not, ditch the body on ebay and try again, ideally trying it with a different neck first.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

Thanks for all the suggestions guys

I'm in Perth metro Gibson175, how are you going with the fires at the moment?

Its pissing down rain right now in the Blue Mountains so looks like all is well. My good mate Jason Beachcroft has just arrived in Perth yesterday. He started in Sydney heading north and is currently kayaking all the way round Australia (and tassie too). Give him a wave if you see someone kayaking past Cottesloe etc in the next few days!

 

[mojosman]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

This guy around my area has been trying to sell one of these for $200.

If my wife wouldn't flip on me I would snag it. He started listing it at $275. It has been re-listed many times, and the price keeps dropping. I think it would be great beater guitar. But I have three Strats now, and I can't justify the need for it.

These get decent reviews. Maybe you can find one of these used some place. If you have to upgrade hardware or pickups, you will still be way ahead of the game money wise.

 

[thespricket]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

I played a tokai springy sound 60's strat copy from the 80's that was one of the best sounding strats I've ever played. Wish I knew what pickups they used. Fender Japan also makes some really incredible guitars. I've never played or seen one what wasn't great.


Guitar->pedals->amp

 

[Bludave]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

Parts guitars are very cool, but if you are not into building it yourself save some more $ and buy either an Anderson or a Suhr. Either one of thes are exceptional guitars. Basically hand made but the cost more then double what you want. That said is ther us certainly nothing wrong with an Amercian Fender or a G&L


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[uOpt]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

Parts guitars are very cool, but if you are not into building it yourself save some more $ and buy either an Anderson or a Suhr. Either one of thes are exceptional guitars. Basically hand made but the cost more then double what you want. That said is ther us certainly nothing wrong with an Amercian Fender or a G&L


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I always though that Suhr is a bit out of line price wise for what is essentially a really good fret job and setup.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

Yeah they are pricey but they are really great guitars. Personally I would go for an Anderson. I like what he does with the neck heel. But truth be told as I said in my original post I would just see about finding a good high end us made or a custom shop. For me a really good Fender is hard to beat. I have two that I have replaced the necks, refretted,changed out the pickups and they are both really great guitars. Is an Anderson or Suhr going to be better? I don't think so but some players are reluctant to put that much time and $ into a Fender


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[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

G&L . . . if you want to go 'better' !!!

 

[LReese]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

I always though that Suhr is a bit out of line price wise for what is essentially a really good fret job and setup.

Actually buying a new Suhr is not that bad (actually less expensive if you work with the right dealer) compared with a new Fender Custom Shop as long as you don't go hog wild with the options. Its too much $$ for this case, but a worthy investment.

 

[stringbender11]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

I never think of a person buying a 'Fender' Strat because they necessarily think it's the 'best' Strat you can get. I think people buy them (myself included) because they want the Fender vibe, the guitar made by the original company that came out with it. I mean you see many famous guitar players that use Strats and could certainly have anything they wanted, but still choose to play the original, basic model. So I guess what I'm saying is, if better is only defined by materials & workmanship than there are many choices over a Fender - many mentioned in this thread already.

Oh and building a parts guitar can definitely yield a nice axe too, but the downside is if you ever sell it you'll take a beating. They just dont seem to hold their value as well as an actual Fender.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

I'd save up a bit longer, so you can increase your budget to about $1.4-$1.6K, and get a G&L Legacy, ordered to spec. Any color you want, you choose your neck profile/radius, frets, body wood, fretboard wood, etc. You'll get Fender Custom Shop quality on every guitar, and all of the basic specs that you want, for less money than you'd pay for a USED Fender Custom Shop guitar that was spec'd out by someone else. As long as you can get past the fact that it's "based on" a Fender, and not a "proper" Fender, it's a no brainer to get a G&L instead.

Here are my babies. They are both among the best "Strats" I've ever played, including old ones from the '50's and '60's.

Here is my Legacy Rustic, in the very cool (and very rare - 95% seem to be blonde or Lake Placid Blue) "Blackie" color scheme. It's also rare to see them with light aging. Most dealers order them with medium or heavy aging:

And my one-off model. This was a factory prototype for a possible Brad Whitford signature model that never get put into production. The body and the neck are made of western sugar pine. This is probably the best sounding "Strat" I've ever owned. And it cost me less than an American Standard.

And here is what my next one is gonna be, a custom build. Ash body, Royal Purple Metallic, ebony fretboard, V profile, 7-1/2" radius, vintage frets, and a matching headstock. I'll eventually be loading it with mini PAF pickups. Retail price under $1,600. The same thing from Fender would probably run two to three times as much, and wouldn't be any better at all.

 

[qwerty]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

Give him a wave if you see someone kayaking past Cottesloe etc in the next few days!

Are you kidding me? I can't afford to leave in Cottesloe aha

Good to hear all's well.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

idk what companies build the parts over there, but for 938 USD you can assemble a guitar that's head and shoulders better than anything fender ever produced, IMO.

$228 for the best neck you've ever laid hands on

170-180 for a matching body

Then, hardware

$60 for tuners (need some flathead screws though, the ones that come with those tuners strip quicker than Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies)
$138 for a (IMO overpriced) bridge

Then a pickguard, and pickups.

But all top end equipment and parts still comes out under $1 grand, but idk what shipping is to australia. I figure many of these companies would be willing to send you the parts without too much trouble.

Thats a myth, a fender American Standard would blow that away in fit, finish , and tone. The only reason to go the route you suggested would be that you need a different neck spec.Or if for some reason you wanted a different body wood. Fender has the worlds best quality typical tonewoods because they can afford to source them at quantity more so than any other maker in the world. Warmoth, and others like them , or anyone else doesn't have that leverage, in general. Warmoth does make some great parts, and even some premium parts that are as good as any on Earth, but on average they cannot compete with Fender for quality vs. price.
Mighty Mite is fairly low budget stuff ( and sounds it), and although "licensed", isnt Fender American quality wood, and needs very extensive work after purchase.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

Here are my babies. They are both among the best "Strats" I've ever played, including old ones from the '50's and '60's.

Here is my Legacy Rustic, in the very cool (and very rare - 95% seem to be blonde or Lake Placid Blue) "Blackie" color scheme. It's also rare to see them with light aging. Most dealers order them with medium or heavy aging:

Great guitars, and better than anything I have, but if you actually think those hold a candle to a real 50-s 60-s strat, than you are out of you mind.I mean, I get it of you mean that they play more to your liking, wiht a flatter radius , and bigger frets and whatnot, but even so, theres nothing that feels and plays like an old start a, and to suggest your G &L's even come remotely close is a laugh and a half. They sound modern, , not vintage, and vintage will cost you 25,000. Thats because they sound and feel the best. By far.Thats according to only everyone , like, ever, besides a few of you here.

 

[jimijames]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

Thats a myth, a fender American Standard would blow that away in fit, finish , and tone.

Fender American Standards vary so wildly in quality I highly doubt that. Plus, with a parts guitar you fit the parts together and finish it yourself. So, given how conclusory this statement is, I guess I would respond "no."

Fender has the worlds best quality typical tonewoods because they can afford to source them at quantity more so than any other maker in the world.

This is like saying McDonalds has the best beef in the world, or that Starbucks makes the best coffee in the world. Fender has ridiculous volume requirements - there's no way they can buy high quality one and two piece blanks in quantities large enough to meet demand.

Warmoth, and others like them , or anyone else doesn't have that leverage, in general. Warmoth does make some great parts, and even some premium parts that are as good as any on Earth, but on average they cannot compete with Fender for quality vs. price.
Mighty Mite is fairly low budget stuff ( and sounds it), and although "licensed", isnt Fender American quality wood, and needs very extensive work after purchase.

Smaller operations have thinner profit margins - the only reason fender enjoys its market position is because it has generated large enough profit margins to expand to where it has. Big profit margins result from spending less, and charging more, on the end product. Market leverage allows a consumer of raw materials to negotiate lower prices, but that's price and I think you're confusing it with quality. Small quantity (like USACG or to a lesser extent Warmoth) can be more exacting precisely because they don't have to meet the volume requirements of fender.

Fender can streamline the process to produce uniform exterior measurements, but I'm not aware of any machine or software which can measure the suitability of a piece of wood for use in musical instrument, be it by resonance or density variance throughout the body, or something else that I can't think of right now.

Plus, what makes a good piece of wood for the purposes of a guitar is highly speculative. I don't think I've seen any studies/observations as to grain pattern, wood density, inc. which all vary pretty wildly anyway. People can't even agree whether quartersawn or flatsawn necks sound "better" so your argument that fender's raw materials are better because they can force lower prices on "higher quality" pieces is suspect as well.

Remember, with a fender, you're also paying for them to assemble it. You save the cost of labor when you do it yourself.

And, you aren't even considering the value of the 'fender' badge - two parts of identical quality command different market prices because of branding. There's a reason a "fender" necks like these are commanding around $350 even though I would put up a USACG neck (which would end up costing near the same anyway) against any of the necks on that listing, any day of the week.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Strat Copies better then the originals

The village idiot is back in town.
He fished and you bit.