Purchasing Fender Strat....

catullus · #1 December 4th, 2005

Ill be in the market for a new guitar after Christmas, and need some advice. I am pretty sure I want a Fender Stratocaster, but am not sure what model. I have been playing acoustic, nylon and steelstring, for two years now, and want to expand my skills. Specifically, I want a great sounding electric for playing and learning the blues while still being versatile. I am not interesting in shredding metal. I would like a guitar with a tone not unlike John Mayer's (I know he has a signature Strat... not interested). A friend of mine suggested a Deluxe Powerhouse Strat or a SRV Signature Strat, but I have yet to play one (does anyone have an opinion?). Any help with my guitar or purchasing an electric guitar will help alot. Thanks!

bluesguy · #2 December 4th, 2005

I have a Tex-Mex Fender Stratocaster, which I bought about 10 years ago. They don't make this model anymore but if you look at the Jimmie Vaughan signature model it is almost exactly the same. Excellent tone. The pickups a 'wound' hot.

My third suggestion is go to the guitar store closest to you with the biggest selection and spend a morning (right when they open - preferably a weekday) and play every Strat they have.

No matter what you do bring your amp to the store to play thru.

allthumbs · #3 December 5th, 2005

with sig strats your paying for the name and a few minor ,for the most part mods. I have a sig SRV strat. If I had to do it again, I would just get a factory strat and upgrade. A lot less expensive. Look more at what the pups are on the strat. That will be the biggest factor in the sound you can get out of it. If you want an SRV sound just buy texas specials pups for instance. If money isn't a problem then go ahead and play everything and buy what sounds and feels best to you.

Lexie · #4 December 8th, 2005

I have to agree with all the above comments. The VERY Best Strat that I have EVER owned was an old Made In Japan 1962 Re Issue. I have played more Strats than is probably decent

but that 62 RI was the best by a Country Mile! I am indeed fortunate in that I was able to purchase a Custom Shop Signature Model within the last 6 months, but I tell you what..... I'd still rather have had that old MIJ one!

The One Thing about a Strat that is well worth remembering....... they vary so much that it might be that the less expensive model "could" be the best you'll personally play?

Have Fun trying as many as you can and I really look forward to hearing more about your ultimate choice.
Cheer's
Rob

catullus · #5 December 8th, 2005

Hey thanks for everyone's opinion! My price range, or what Im going to budget for, is 600-1000. I also think that aside from tastes, prices and discounts will really affect my decision this time of year. A few places have been discounting guitars for $1,000+, so Im looking forward to a good deal. Usually a post like this thanking people for opinions kills the thread, but Id still like people's comments on their favs. Thanks and Happy Holidays!

allthumbs · #6 December 8th, 2005

Well we've covered the the 3 MI fenders which just leaves the low end sigs series in your price range because the boutique strats are in the 2 to 5 grand range.

magenta placenta · #7 December 17th, 2005

I highly recommend the Fender American Deluxe.

First, I'd buy a used one as you'll save around $400 from a retail store.

Here's what I love about them:

* Noiseless pickups - and when I say noiseless, I mean DEAD quiet. The pickups are amazing and give you all that Fender sound. Alnico pickups can be noisy, I guess it's that 60 cycle hum thing.

* Locking tuners - FAST string changes.

* Aged pickguard and knobs, purely cosmetic, but I think it looks much better than stark white, which is what you get on a regular American.

* The newer ones have the S-1 switching system (gives you 7 pickup configs, I think), the older (up to early 2000's) have the standard 5-way switching system.

What I don't necessarily like is they have abalone dot inlays. To me, it look a bit off on a Fender, a bit too "flash" if you will - again, purely cosmetic. I wish they would have done them in clay dots like the old Fenders.

You'll have no problem picking one up in GREAT condition on ebay in your price range. If you're more inclined to stick to your lower end $600 range, I'd go for a used regular ol' American series strat, you can pick them up left and right on ebay for $600.