Strat question

Well, I own a Squier Standard Telecaster, and Squier '51. I also own a Fender American Standard Tele, and Fender American Standard Strat, although my Strat has a Seymour Duncan humbucker at the neck, and a DiMarzio humbucker at the bridge (don't care so much for the Seymour Duncan, but the DiMarzio pickup is awesome).

Squiers are good guitars for the money, in fact, much better than many other guitars in the same price range. I find them to be very well made, and they sound very good. My Squier '51 has it's own unique sound that I think is great.

But the hardware is inferior to the Fender American series. Everything, tuners, the bridge and saddles, pickups, tone, volume, and pickup switches are not as heavy duty as the Fender. You can see it and feel it easily.

I find Squier necks to be especially good. They have a good fret job, excellent for their price range. However the wood is not as good. I have found them more difficult to tweak as far as getting proper relief (truss rod adjustment). I like super low action, I can get very low action on my Fenders, not quite as low on my Squiers. The necks just do not hold as well. And Squier uses less expensive woods for the body too. This affects the tone. Can't say it is an inferior tone to the Fenders, but it is a different tone. I think my Squier's have a basswood body, this has a darker tone than my Fenders. I can't really get that famous Tele twang with my Squier. It has a darker grittier tone. But it is a good tone I like.

And I hate to admit it, but when I play in front of others, I would rather them see Fender on the headstock than Squier. You know, part of being a musician is owning the famous brand of guitars and amps. Kinda silly, but I think most musicians feel the same way. But I have used my Squiers live and they worked fine.

Thanks Wes that answered alot of questions.

Points you made got me thinking. Instead of dropping 1K on an American Strat, perhaps I should expereiment. I know next to nothing about specs on guitars gear (ex. pickups - kinds, brands, how they sound?). Maybe I should buy another Squire and use it as a guinea pig. Try different pickups, mess with modifying it, etc. After that, will have a better understanding of what I'm looking for and paying for.

My thought was higher overall quality = easier to play. But maybe not worth the money at this point. It's not like I've been unhappy with my Squire

Two additional questions on the American strat.

- Pickups. What's the difference on the stock pickups in a Squire and high end Strat?
- Tremolo bar. Is it higher quality on the high end Strats? The one on my Squire I use for light vibrato, rarely. Anything beyond that it goes out of tune.

Domo

Hi :D

I would suggest NOT buying another low-end guitar and modding it to learn about
what makes guitars tick.

If you wanna know something like that and want to develop a good ear for tone,
I'd say that you are on the right track:
KNOW what goes into each guitar - Then PLAY them.
It don'cost nothin' to play AS MANY guitars as you can thru AS MANY amps as you can at your nearest guitar store.

Of course, you wont learn a thing til you know the differences between them all.
So.... Keep askin' questions and research as much as possible.

As far as trems go on MIA vs. MIM Strats.... Yes, they are better/No, they wont keep your strings in tune under heavy usage.
Strat trems are designed for light trem use. (It was designed in the early 50's!)

Pups: BIG DIFFERENCE between MIA SC's and MIM's.

I wont go into the particulars at this time, as I have provided them a few times here already;
Suffice it to say that MIA SC's are TRUE Fender single coil designs, and MIM SC's are built with a more Gibson HB like design
(Minus the 'Humbucking' part!)

Ken

Right.

I'd suggest getting a MID-tier guitar.

Granted if you can find a good, clean used MIA Strat or Tele for 500-700 dollars jump on it :)
Same goes with a MIJ (japan) Strat or Tele... they should go for a little less than MIA but more for MIM Fenders.

My own personal justification is this... and why I don't own a $1000+ Guitar, (err haven't paid that much for one.)

I'm not a performing musician...meaning my guitars aren't making me any money, hence they won't 'pay' for themselves.
Not yet at least...who knows maybe, down the road a few more years but for now no its highly unlikely.

I've had the privilege (or curse) of working close to a Guitar Center and I'd go over during lunch and play for about 10-20 minutes sometimes during my break.

I've played many Gibsons, Martins, Taylors, Fenders...etc etc... the higher end guitars there (both types acoustic and electric).
I've also played many mid-tier guitars.. and for what its worth.. I've played some "MT" guitars that feel and sound better than some expensive ones...both acoustic and electric....in my opinion.

I do own an American Strat, the only reason I have one is because I got it used for a screaming deal, about half of the new price.

I also own a higher end Epiphone Les Paul. (EPI LP Custom). It plays better than most $1200-1300 dollar Gibson Standards I've played. :)
I also own an Epiphone Master-Built acoustic. Again plays/feels/sounds better or as good as some Martins/Taylors/Breedloves I've played.

For the cost of both of my Epi's I'd barely be able to pay for a new American Strat or Tele. Therefore for me its just common sense to get the most bang for my buck (per se).

With my suggestion on getting a mid-tier guitar ($300-700) then take whats left and get lessons, buy some song/play along books and go from there.

That's not to say that down the road I won't have a Gibson... because one day I will, but for now I'm more than happy with my gear.

Pups: BIG DIFFERENCE between MIA SC's and MIM's.

I wont go into the particulars at this time, as I have provided them a few times here already;
Suffice it to say that MIA SC's are TRUE Fender single coil designs, and MIM SC's are built with a more Gibson HB like design
(Minus the 'Humbucking' part!)

Ken

Thanks for the tips (I friggan love this site).

By 'SC's' you mean single coil? Like I said, don't know much.

You have a link to a thread, MIA vs. MIM pickups your referring to? Would love to read it..

I've had guitars all over the spectrum, and I can say that my experience points to you buying a USA strat if possible. Picking up a middle-of-the-pack guitar won't improve your situation much. I would pick up a USA strat (they are easily had used from $450 - 700) and then tinker around with the MIM/squier strat you have now. That way you have a very high quality instrument to play and a less-expensive version to tinker with.

Another question..

Visited two different guitar shops this weekend, looking at effects mostly. But got into conversations with sales reps about Strats at both places.

Both had American Strats in a price range from around $600 up to $1200. When I asked what the difference was, the sales reps seemed at a loss. One mentioned more 'TLC' when they build them but that's not real definitive when blowing an extra $600..

What are the differences between different priced American Strats?

Cheers and happy 4th

Better woods
Less pieces in the body - MIA-2-3 pieces, MIM - 3-5 pieces, Squier - 5-7 pieces
Better quality pickups
Better quality Trem unit
Better finishing (particularly frets, etc)
Better fitting

Made by union labour at union rates.......................

Better woods
Less pieces in the body - MIA-2-3 pieces, MIM - 3-5 pieces, Squier - 5-7 pieces
Better quality pickups
Better quality Trem unit
Better finishing (particularly frets, etc)
Better fitting

Made by union labour at union rates.......................

You mention Made in Mexico and Squires.. but the price diff was between individual American made Strats. Why the disparity?

Edit: everything you mentioned minus the pieces in the body..?

Add a shed-load of cash for a "signature model"
There are different MIA models (apart from signature and custom shop), with different finishes and quality of furniture. The Highway-1 is, iirc, the "budget" MIA Strat, then you have the standard MIA, Deluxe MIA, etc.

For individual differences, you'd be best advised to look at the Fender site and get the specs for each one.

Add a shed-load of cash for a "signature model"
There are different MIA models (apart from signature and custom shop), with different finishes and quality of furniture. The Highway-1 is, iirc, the "budget" MIA Strat, then you have the standard MIA, Deluxe MIA, etc.

For individual differences, you'd be best advised to look at the Fender site and get the specs for each one.

Understood..

They have a 'signature' SRV Strat for 12K if I remember correctly. :shock:

Is there a definitive way to identify Strats? They had a guide with whats on sale, with a specific serial number. Wish I would have wrote it down, I'd search myself. But if you have the number can you find out exactly what it is?

Domo, thanks for the tips..

Is there a definitive way to identify Strats? They had a guide with whats on sale, with a specific serial number. Wish I would have wrote it down, I'd search myself. But if you have the number can you find out exactly what it is?

if you have the serial number you can go to Fender's website and get an approximate year. I say approximate because some serial number prefixes can be used in more than one year. At their website, under the "Support" tab, you will find "product dating."
You can also e-mail their support staff at [email protected] and they can tell you exactly what you have. I have done this on more than one occasion and they have been really good to respond. One time they even gave me the date that my guitar was made (or assembled anyway).

Good luck!

Jim