Buying a strat

[White-Noise]

Hi Chaps,

Normally when asking about music and guitars I would have been on the Petrucci forums but I have not been on there for a long time.

I would like some advice from you guys as I fancy picking up a strat and getting back into the guitar. There are a few ones out there and finding some clear info on google isnt as straightforward as I expected. I know I need to get down wembley guitar centre and try some out but want to know what I am looking for beforehand.

I used to play guitar all the time a few years back and this was for 2 or 3 years straight. However over the last 3 years I have not touched it but now I am really really hankering to get back into it and I fancy treating myself to a new toy as I have a few quid land on me unexpectedly.

Ive been playing on my old Ibanez, but I was aiming for a totally different style back then. Its got different pickups and is geared toward the more metal sounds, it doesnt feel right, I cant get it to sound right and I fancy a change. Recently I have been getting into the stones, blues and SRV hence this move!

I was looking at the Standard Mexican strat on GAK which seems in the ballpark I want to spend but I am bemused by the variety of models! I had a look at some of the Tele's but I dont think that is what I am looking for.

Thanks!

[Matthew_Eames]

The Mexican strats are pretty good, I have one and it's a fine guitar, though I plan some hardware updates/shielding in the near future to quieten it down, the overall build quality is fine, it's only made 30 miles out of the USA and more so for the lower labour costs rather than components (necks and bodies come from america apparently)

I love mine, have played USA strats at £1000 (Lefty in Sunburst) and I have to say mine didn't feel noticably inferior to it, though I do like the look of the 60's player strat (which is basically the same as mine but a bit more authentic vintage)

The problem with guitars is that there can be a fairly big difference between different examples, worth playing one before you buy

Sunburst and Rosewood would be my choice.



This combo sounds amazing, not as balls out as a les paul (can sound a little thin when trying for classic rock) but positions 4 and 5 (mid/neck and neck) are perfect for blues stuff (even out of a 70's marshall...so long as you tone the gain down a little) Very easy to play aswell, I much prefer the neck to the thin and flat ones you find on Superstrat's

Edited by Matthew_Eames on Friday 21st November 13:12

[bennyboysvuk]

My dad has a Strat which I believe was made in Japan in 1994 I think. I gigged that guitar quite a lot and it felt pretty solid and never let me down. The only issue with it was that the pick guard on it didn't quite sit flush with the body. I now own a 2003 USA Strat which apart from the extra fret and slightly fancier bridge doesn't seem all that different. The pick guard certainly sits much more flush and is a thicker plastic compared to the Jap Strat. The pickups look slightly different in that some of the poles in the USA Strat are raised whereas the Jap Strats pickup poles are all flush with the pickup, though both guitars sound very similar.

Neither guitar has ever let me down and it seems to come down to how you set it up more than anything.

[bigbadbikercats]

White-Noise said:

Hi Chaps,

Normally when asking about music and guitars I would have been on the Petrucci forums but I have not been on there for a long time.

I would like some advice from you guys as I fancy picking up a strat and getting back into the guitar. There are a few ones out there and finding some clear info on google isnt as straightforward as I expected. I know I need to get down wembley guitar centre and try some out but want to know what I am looking for beforehand.

I used to play guitar all the time a few years back and this was for 2 or 3 years straight. However over the last 3 years I have not touched it but now I am really really hankering to get back into it and I fancy treating myself to a new toy as I have a few quid land on me unexpectedly.

Ive been playing on my old Ibanez, but I was aiming for a totally different style back then. Its got different pickups and is geared toward the more metal sounds, it doesnt feel right, I cant get it to sound right and I fancy a change. Recently I have been getting into the stones, blues and SRV hence this move!

I was looking at the Standard Mexican strat on GAK which seems in the ballpark I want to spend but I am bemused by the variety of models! I had a look at some of the Tele's but I dont think that is what I am looking for.

Thanks!

I'd say that the main thing on the agenda is probably to decide whether you want to go for a "vintage" or "contemporary" vibe - vintage would be the old fashioned 6-point trem, relatively skinny frets, "tight" (7.5" - 9.5") fretboard radius, and traditional pickup voicing while contemporary would imply the more modern 2-point trem, chunkier frets, flatter (12" or so) fretboard, and more modern pickup voicings. Sorry, but there's no alternative to playing lots of guitars. life's tough sometimes - I'm generally a vintage kind of guy myself...

My Strat's a late '80s Japanese '60s re-issue and I recently spent a long time working my way along the rack (and up the price range!) in a local dealer to see how much I'd need to pay for something convincingly nicer (the answer was "more than I'm willing to pay" as it turned out so I kept the Japanese Strat and I've now got a PRS Mira!) and for me the outstanding instrument, both for its own qualities and for hitting the "bang for buck" sweet spot was a Mexican built "'60s Classic Player" (which in spite of the name and my stated preferences is actually more in the contemporary mould (2-post trem, 12" fretboard radius) - a very, very, very nice guitar (apparently with a lot of Custom Shop input into the design, hardware, and pickups), a noticeable step up from the regular Mexican "Standard", and an absolute steal at ~£450.

--
JG

[satchbot]

I know people who have had build quality issues with Mexican Strats and they advise get a Jap or US one instead.

[chevy-stu]

satchbot said:

I know people who have had build quality issues with Mexican Strats and they advise get a Jap or US one instead.

I think they stopped making the Japs, so they upped the price of the better Squires and Mexicans to fill the gaps..

[satchbot]

Thanks Stu. Still, a well looked after second hand Jap will be okay

[suthol]

Said before on another thread, have a look at Kingman pickups, they are made in Brisbane and the who's who of customers is very impressive and could be a good upgrade on an out of US copy.

Google is your friend.

Me I play a Shergold so these pickups are not suitable for my main instrument but a few of my mates swear by them.

[bigbadbikercats]

chevy-stu said:

satchbot said:

I know people who have had build quality issues with Mexican Strats and they advise get a Jap or US one instead.

I think they stopped making the Japs, so they upped the price of the better Squires and Mexicans to fill the gaps..

They're still around but at the moment (officially at least) they're Japanese home market only and you won't generally find them at official Fender dealers. There are one or two people (e.g. here bringing them in from Japan on an independent basis. Not cheap mind but they're certainly nice guitars - on the basis of comparing my '80s '60s re-issue (if that makes any sense...) with a whole bunch of Strats in my local dealers they're easily on a par with the U.S. built stuff and you're well into Custom Shop territory to find something convincingly nicer...

--

[bigbadbikercats]

suthol said:

Said before on another thread, have a look at Kingman pickups, they are made in Brisbane and the who's who of customers is very impressive and could be a good upgrade on an out of US copy.

That's Kinman rather than Kingman - Hank Marvin (amongst others) swears by them. Personally I've got a set of Bare Knuckles "Irish Tour" pickups in mine and they're ace.

--
JG

[dern]

Have a look at the highway one model... good compromise on the american vs price thing. I love mine.

[bga]

dern said:

Have a look at the highway one model... good compromise on the american vs price thing. I love mine.

H1 are very nice, I loved mine. I put in a set of bareknuckles in (which I do with most of my guitars) which made it even better.

[suthol]

bigbadbikercats said:

suthol said:

Said before on another thread, have a look at Kingman pickups, they are made in Brisbane and the who's who of customers is very impressive and could be a good upgrade on an out of US copy.

That's Kinman rather than Kingman - Hank Marvin (amongst others) swears by them. Personally I've got a set of Bare Knuckles "Irish Tour" pickups in mine and they're ace.

--
JG

Yep, having a senior moment, I was going to do the link and got lazy.

My young brother uses Kinman pickups on the solids he makes so really should have got it right.

There is a very useful young player in Oz named Brett Kingman, my son's name is Brett ( who doesn't play a note ) but maybe this is how it got into the subconsious.

Dave King

[White-Noise]

Thanks guys for all the advice.

Those pickups have some nice sounding clips on their site. I will get down the shops and try some out when I find the time! Thing is I can save a fair few quid buying online mail order, ive not done this before, do they need setting up or do I just fit strings and go?

Ta.

[JimCross]

My experience of Strats is that there is incredible variation between examples. I absolutely wouldn't buy one I hadn't played. I also wouldn't necessarily go for the most expensive (I played a USA standard which was FAR better than a USA Deluxe in the same shop).
I also wouldn't necessarily go for a new one. With you budget I'd be tempted to try to find a used one (you could probably get an American one for that money).
I would also recommend keeping some of your budget to get it properly setup (not by a normal guitar shop, but by a proper guitar tech), including fret dress etc. It makes a huge difference to the way it plays. They way they come out of the factory is, IMO, unacceptable, and they always need a proper set up.
Another option to consider rather than a Fender is a G&L (the company Leo Fender set up after he left Fender). Same Strat vibe, but often with better build quality.

As for getting that SRV tone, the real key is the amp. Crank a Fender valve amp to the max and you'll start getting that vibe. Having relatively hot wound pickups helps, as well as phone wires for strings, and an unbelievable amount of talent.

And if you want to listen to some more of that great Strat tone, I think John Mayer has arguably the best tone out there at the moment... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6sPmTgPvx28&feat...,

[chevy-stu]

JimCross said:

My experience of Strats is that there is incredible variation between examples. I absolutely wouldn't buy one I hadn't played. I also wouldn't necessarily go for the most expensive (I played a USA standard which was FAR better than a USA Deluxe in the same shop).
I also wouldn't necessarily go for a new one. With you budget I'd be tempted to try to find a used one (you could probably get an American one for that money).
I would also recommend keeping some of your budget to get it properly setup (not by a normal guitar shop, but by a proper guitar tech), including fret dress etc. It makes a huge difference to the way it plays. They way they come out of the factory is, IMO, unacceptable, and they always need a proper set up.
Another option to consider rather than a Fender is a G&L (the company Leo Fender set up after he left Fender). Same Strat vibe, but often with better build quality.

As for getting that SRV tone, the real key is the amp. Crank a Fender valve amp to the max and you'll start getting that vibe. Having relatively hot wound pickups helps, as well as phone wires for strings, and an unbelievable amount of talent.

And if you want to listen to some more of that great Strat tone, I think John Mayer has arguably the best tone out there at the moment... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6sPmTgPvx28&feat...,
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi3TLDS7hm8,

ood advice...

If you're often in Chalfont, I know a good 'proper' guitar tech in ruislip who's very well respected, so can pass you details if you need...

[White-Noise]

chevy-stu said:

If you're often in Chalfont, I know a good 'proper' guitar tech in ruislip who's very well respected, so can pass you details if you need...

That would be great thanks Stu

[JimCross]

I can also recommend a guitar tech in London - they work in the basement of what was Andy's Guitars on Denmark Street. Did a great job of setting up my acoustic, including bridge filing etc. Top people.