I received a fair amount of money and GC gift cards for Christmas and am looking for some opinions on what to buy. As it is, I could almost afford the Jimmie Vaughan Strat. A bit more of a stretch could get me a Jaguar. Or would I just be better off buying another Mexican Strat (SSS, since I already have an HSS) and using the balance for other things? I tried the Epi LP and SG's, but just didn't click with them. I also tried a few PRS models; the SE Custom and SE Single Cut. They were nice, but I don't know. I guess I'm kind of stuck on Strats at the time.
Any advice appreciated.
Jim-Bone
Hi Jim-bone,
Just my opinion, but I was not thrilled with the pick-ups on the MIM Strat (sss) and replaced them very soon after purchase. (was almost the plan when I bought it, but I gave it a couple of months....)
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
I'd look into an American-made Strat. You can definitely snag a used one at around that price, and I also heard that with the new models coming out for 2008 the 2007 American-made guitars might be had for some pretty bargain prices.
Used to be, was a part of me felt like hiding.. but now it comes through. Comes through to you.
Recently I bought this Strat and now I don't play another guitar. Check also the '60s, it also has good electronics and hardware. I also considered the Jimmie Vaughan Strat. Both are MIM and designed by the Custom Shop.
Good luck! :D
I just noticed this on their website yesterday.
If you redeem your GC gift card before December 31'st you'll get 10% off!
KC have you thought about a Tele?
The Vaughan strat is going to be similar to the standard MIM strats... I would look for the Jag or something that gives you a unique vibe.
-=- Steve
"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"
I agree with the Dali Lima, definitely take a look at Teles, they are outstanding guitars. You can get real Country twang if you are into that, but Teles are excellent with distortions and overdrives, very tight sounding. Excellent for Punk for instance. I wouldn't go so far as to say they are good for Metal because they don't have huge bottom end. They play super-fast, and sound more pristine than any other guitar I know of.
Yeah, a better Strat will sound better than your MIM, but it will still be 90% similar. The Tele on the other hand has it's own distinct tone like no other guitar. But it's a great Fender tone, not dark like LP or other humbucking guitar.
Just my 2 cents.
Happy Holidays
Wes
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
+1 on a Tele. If you are already a 25.5 scale (Fender) guy, you should be checking out Teles. Try a few, as there are many different feels and tones to be had these days. I've been very pleased with my Lite Ash Tele as a great blend of old and new.
-=tension & release=-
Thanks to everyone for their replies.
Roy, yeah I wasn't impressed with the MIM Strat single coils either. I decided I didn't want to have to buy a guitar and then replace the pickups to be happy with it.
Clockworked, I looked for used USA Strats and there weren't any at either GC in our area. I tried to get them to deal on their existing 2007 models, but they weren't budging.
Nuno, I saw those; very nice.
RiffRaff, yeah I saw that too.
Nuno
Steve, Wes and Greg, I have a MIM Tele that my son bought for me this past summer. It has an SD hot rails humbucker in the bridge and it rocks pretty good, but I just haven't bonded with it like the Strat. When I improve a bit, I am going to tune it to open G and try to learn some Stones stuff.
Going back tomorrow for one more test run on some of these.
Jim-Bone
Steve, Wes and Greg, I have a MIM Tele that my son bought for me this past summer. It has an SD hot rails humbucker in the bridge and it rocks pretty good, but I just haven't bonded with it like the Strat. When I improve a bit, I am going to tune it to open G and try to learn some Stones stuff.
Jim-Bone
My MIM Tele has not been in standard tuning since the day I tried it out. Lots of Stones stuff, and not difficult at all.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
if you like strats and want the great feel of a hand rolled neck, look into an american deluxe. i love mine
#4491....
I went to GC today and found that the Classic Players 60s Strat in sunburst was on sale for $100 less than the JV Strat. (The Sonic Blue version of that Strat was still marked at $799 and I was told that they were trying to clear the sunburst versions.) I still played several others including one of the reverse headstock Strats that is supposed to resemble the one that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock. They had one of those on sale as well for about the same price. I played a Jaguar as well, but it would have been $150 more than the others.
After a lot of thought, I decided on the 60s Strat. Here is a link to see what it looks like. http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Classic-Player--60s-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar-103862330-i1166328.gc?mode=1&qso=2
I am going to try to take a picture of mine as well as my other gear soon and post it.
One thing I noticed is that the action was pretty good in the store. However, when I got it home and tuned it, the action seems a bit higher. Not unplayable, but definitely higher than my MIM Strat. Is this from the trem raising up? It has the vintage style 2-point trem.
Jim-Bone
Hmmm...
If the action seems notably higher from simply tuning the guitar to correct pitch, there are two likely possibilites.
1)The floating bridge pulled forward- Look at the bridge with the guitar tuned to pitch. The bridge should float parallel to the body of the guitar. If the springs underneath do not have enough tension the bridge can pull forward and raise the strings. This will also throw off your intonation. This is a simple fix, take off the plate on the underside and tighten the springs until the bridge floats parallel to the body with the guitar in tune.
2)Truss Rod needs adjusting- If the truss rod is too slack when you tune to pitch the string tension causes the neck to upbow like a smile. :D
Look down the fretboard edge from the headstock toward the body. It is normal to see a little upcurve, usually around frets 3-5. If you see a big upcurve then the truss-rod should be tightened slightly. Go to the Fender site where it shows how to set up your guitar. It is not difficult to do.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Glad to see you've found the one. Congrats! Pickups sound better on this one than the MIM?
+1 on what Wes said. Just have patience with it, and do small increments, especially on the truss rod if you go there.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Thanks for the quick responses Wes and Roy.
Wes, it is definitely bowed. Looking at the guitar, this one has the truss rod adjustment at the heel of the neck. Does this mean I have to remove the pickguard? Sorry for the freshman-type question; I am definitely green at this.
Roy, yes the pickups definitely sound different than the MIM. These are '69 "custom wound" Strat pickups.
Jim-Bone
