Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Mr. Air on April 02, 2009, 04:31:31 PM
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So nowdays I too often catch myself thinking, that i might buy a strat. Well actualy a strat copy. I don't know what happened?
For many years I've had an aversion towards strats and in some ways still have. I'm still not fond of the looks of the guitar, but have come to realize that it actualy can produce some quite nice tones. It could also be fun to have the trem to play around with.
On the downside, apart from it's looks, the strat would not suit my general music style so if I bought one it would just "hang around" without being played very often.
But I do remember Hunters glorious wisdom of the month: "Always own more guitars than your age", and boy do I have some catching up to do!
Someone out there please tell me that I'm not crazy, and that you too have played around with thoughts of getting a new guitar, which you knew you actually wouldn't use that much and didn't need.
And lastly. Do anyone feel the same way about the strat as I do? It sounds nice enough, but it's just not good looking.
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strats are funny things
They vary so much - for the most part I'm not touched by them
But occasionally I get one come in to my workshop that just speaks to me
So look around and play a few and if you find one that really makes you go "wow" then think about buying that one
I find that old Japanese Squiers tend to be good and Fender Japan often get my attention, but you'll have to see what grabs you
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I love good cheap strats, sub 300 quid or so.
I don't like expensive ones, i don't know why really, i just don't, seems to loose its magic.
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i have played two amazing strats, one really nice strat, and a load of indifferent ones.
philking's 57 is my favourite, and i'm happy to say i own the other amazing strat i mentioned - my white 23 fret strat. the really nice strat was a 66 rosewood board strat in a guitar shop in chicago - it cost 20 grand though (!)
you don't need to spend alot to get yourself a nice strat, but agree with feline they are much more hit and miss than a dual humbucker 24 3/4" guitar.
be prepared to understand the guitar, and swap parts around. luckily its easy to do on a strat, and you may need to, since they really don't make them like they used to.
also don't like strats with alot of 'bling' they are workman like guitars, and its not the point.
the no brain bit is bkping it - trem and pickups. searching around for a nice neck might take longer.
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I picke up a MIM Players Deluxe for my daughters...WOW! Nice burst, 6100 frets, plays and sounds amazing. You just have to close your eyes and ignore the gaudy gold hardware...
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My experience reflects very much that of those above. I have played some great Strats and a bunch of er...not so great. Luckily one of mine I would consider to fall into the great category ( and it is a supposedly rubbish 1970's model). I'd say play a few and one hopefully will jump out at you. I was playing a mate's Strat at the weekend and it was very bland and not at all great.
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the only strat that striked me in ages was the hello kitty model... and i'm damn serious. but i agree with you, sometimes i hear strat sounds that make me wish i never sold mine maaaany years ago (it was my first guitar, an american standard!). not enough to make me buy another one, though...
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I would very much suggest not buying before you've had a chance to try a load of them - ESPECIALLY if you don't really like them!!
Also consider exactly what it is you want to do with it. Would a superstrat do the job better? Are you just looking to buy a guitar to expand your collection? In which case you'll never play it and you might as well find one you like the look of for your wall.
It doesn't sound to me as though you actually want a strat ;)
Roo
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It sounds to me like you don't want a strat either - save your money and get one of those thick blobs of mahogany with super hot pickups :D
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Well Roo. I guess you kinda nailed it there.
I don't realy need a strat. My main reason for wanting a strat is that I like the sound of good old Jimi. Actualy i find the strat tone very usable for old school rock, funk and blues, but I'm more of a rock n roll and hard rocking man, so the strat would be out of league.
It would be better to throw my love on a good LP copy and try out a pair of BKP humbuckers.
I can always buy a strat when I get old and rich or win the lottery.
By the way. Do anyone of you have experience with J&D Brothers guitars?
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but I'm more of a rock n roll and hard rocking man, so the strat would be out of league.
not true, a SSS strat with the right pickups will handle anything. i play metal with mine :)
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I'm the other way round - like how they look (but they are a bit boring) and hate how they sound.
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Everyone should have a Strat 8)
Get one, 2nd hand USA or new/used MIJ/CIJ, they don't need much... i'd have to change the pups on a Mex, but the Jap's use USA pickups.
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I'm more of a rock n roll and hard rocking man, so the strat would be out of league.
Gary Moore did ok with a strat during his Victims Of The Future/Corridors Of Power 80's Rock phase
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Strats are great, and fun to put together from parts.
It is true that they seem to vary a lot, I've had some nice ones and some stinkers. I'm not sure why that's the case - maybe because Fender make so many different models, in different places, with varying parts and timber quality, two-piece, three-piece, five-piece bodies.... but even the cheap ones can be excellent if you're lucky.
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I feel the same about anything that isn't a Stratocaster.
Like Les Pauls, I like then don't like, then later like them..
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I agree with everything what folk have said already... especially Roo!! :o :lol:
I'm a strat-man, but it doesn't sound like you really want one - except you want some of the tones it'll do and nothing else can really do them...
... that is going to haunt you :lol:
If you've got the spare cash to do it, and can justify it to yourself, or the missus/who-ever, then I would say get one. But do a LOT of trying first, like others are saying.
My current #1 guitar is a CIJ Fender Strat, I tried over 20 that day. A Highway 1 almost got my money early on, but the Japanese one I chose beat everything hands down - Mexicans, US, other CIJs, everything...
To try and make you feel better: I've got a couple of guitars that are in the "not getting played much" category at the moment, including my #1 strat, because I'm almost exclusively playing teles recently. But I wouldn't part with any of them - they're set up and ready to produce the sounds I've configured them for, all different, and when the mood takes me and I pick one up for an hour or two, and every single one of them inspires love and joy in me!
If you're going for it, don't just "buy a strat" - find a strat (or strat-type instrument) that speaks to you personally and buy it. Then spend some time with it to find out what it does for you and how to "talk" with it. After that, even if it isn't your main instrument, it'll always be there for those "mmmm... strat maybe?" moments :D
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I'd vote for building one. They're so straight forward. And you can make sure that you get the right bits on there.
Mark.
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What I nice post, Andy. You almost got me totaly convinced that I should buy a strat.
The fact that many of you have stated that there's huge differences between strats makes me a bit uncomfortable.
I was thinking of buying a strat (copy) from this local dealer that has his own brand and he just sells them dirt cheap, around 200£. I'm not going to spend much more on a guitar that I know won't be used very much (and fitting it with BKPs is going to add to the price).
Seems like I'll have to do some reconnaissance work to see if one of those cheap strats will do the trick and of course make up my mind about bying a strat... Decisions, decisions. :|
Oh, and by the way. If anyone's interested here's a link to the electric guitar line-up at the local dealer i mentioned earlier
http://www.heimdale.dk/index.php?ssid=11
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Some good advice in this thread.
Do the sensible thing and wait until you play one that, as jonathon put it, speaks to you. I've often wanted a strat, but very rarely find one that I would buy. The best so far was a 64 MIJ, and that still wasnt that impressive, and belonged to someone else already!
I'm sure its just the rory galacher, SRV, hendrix appreciating part of me coming out, and I'm also sure that you can get 90% of that tone (with 0% of that vibe) from HSS superstrats with a bridge split.
Hang back and play them whenever you get the chance, see what you think 30 strats down the line.
Oh, word to the wise, the best strat-type guitar I've ever played (excluded from above considerations) was a G&L. Have a look at them, too.
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You could buy mine :D It's being sold on my behalf by a mate of mine on ebay here (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330318827046). Stonking thing, completely as new in every way. I'd be willing to do a deal outside fleabay that would save a few quid also.
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Thanks for the offer Juansolo, but the price would be a bit out of my league.
But there's great news. I just found a guy who's willing to sell me his Yamaha Pacifica 112 for just under 90£. From what intel I've gathered so far, people seems pretty pleased with these guitars. So now I'm already thinking about which BKPs to get :D
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Thanks for the offer Juansolo, but the price would be a bit out of my league.
But there's great news. I just found a guy who's willing to sell me his Yamaha Pacifica 112 for just under 90£. From what intel I've gathered so far, people seems pretty pleased with these guitars. So now I'm already thinking about which BKPs to get :D
Yay, a superstrat is likely to be much more up your street ;)
Just remember that you can't polish a turd. By that I mean: TEST the EXACT guitar you're thinking of buying IN PERSON! BKPs are great, but they won't make a plank sound like a legendary guitar!
Roo
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i was just gonna say, howabout a yamaha pacifica, and whaddya know? serendipity, eh?
for £90 you can't go far wrong. if you don't like it, you can probably get as much for it again, if you really do, upgrade it's hardware or go for it and get a strat.
personally, i think the yamaha is a very nice update of the strat, i usually prefer it's look.
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build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one build one :P
http://www.usacustomguitars.com/
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Just to get it straight once and for all, Copperhead. You want me to ... ... b... build one???
I don't think I'm up to the task of building a guitar myself, not even leaveing the building to someone else and just pick out the parts. I've cruzed some custom guitar sites and all the possibillities there is enough to make me go down with stress.
I'm no tech guy an have so little knowledge about guitars that I wouldn't dare to have a custom build guitar. I've just reasently begun to duck into the tech stuff and I don't even think I've scratched the surface yet. So no custom build for me and I also think that it will be out of my financial capabilities.
You can't polish a turd. I like your way of saying that you can't make a shitee guitar sound good, Roo. I find that funny.
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'K .... Straight up, best way is to buy a Chinese Peavey and put BK's in it. For a $120.00 guitar the necks are unbelievably perfect.
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How about this for a compromise..?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Charvel-Strat_W0QQitemZ130297936170QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item130297936170&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1688|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Charvel-Strat_W0QQitemZ130297936170QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item130297936170&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1688|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318)
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I'm not sure anybody has answered your thread title appropriately yet.
Yes, you are crazy.
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because I'm almost exclusively playing teles recently.
So you're growing up and becoming a man??? :P :lol: Sad that Roo is soooo immature :lol:
I think you would buy this £90 Yamaha (if it's not broke, etc)... pretty much if it's cr@p, the money you've spend is so low that you can use it as firewood without headache :D
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It is not difficult to build an electric guitar. Look at 1950's Fenders; most were assembled by people who had never played guitar and probably never seen an electric guitar before Leo hired them.
Even I can do it.
Just to get it straight once and for all, Copperhead. You want me to ... ... b... build one???
I don't think I'm up to the task of building a guitar myself, not even leaveing the building to someone else and just pick out the parts. I've cruzed some custom guitar sites and all the possibillities there is enough to make me go down with stress.
I'm no tech guy an have so little knowledge about guitars that I wouldn't dare to have a custom build guitar. I've just reasently begun to duck into the tech stuff and I don't even think I've scratched the surface yet. So no custom build for me and I also think that it will be out of my financial capabilities.
You can't polish a turd. I like your way of saying that you can't make a shiteee guitar sound good, Roo. I find that funny.
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The best strat I've played is a prs 513 :lol:
...no but, yea but, no but yea really :p
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Thanks for the offer Juansolo, but the price would be a bit out of my league.
But there's great news. I just found a guy who's willing to sell me his Yamaha Pacifica 112 for just under 90£. From what intel I've gathered so far, people seems pretty pleased with these guitars. So now I'm already thinking about which BKPs to get :D
No worries. I restored a massively neglected Pacifica for a friend. They're really bloody good for the money. I'd swap out pretty much all of the electronics however...