Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: CaffeineJunkie on May 07, 2006, 01:33:13 AM
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Was thinking of buying one, but have never played one before... which one do you think is worth going for and what are they like to play??
Already narrowed it down to two:
60th Anniversary Mexican Stratocaster:
http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=2707&catid=3&manid=32&quantity=1&product=Fender+Stratocaster+%28Mexico%29+60th+Anniversary%2C+Blizzard+Pearl%2C+New%2C+Inc%2E+Custom+Gig+Bag
or a Natural Finish Classic Series 70s Stratocaster:
http://www.elderly.com/fmic/items/F70S-NAT-MPL.htm
Any opinions welcome :drink:
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Go for the cheaper one.... It will leave you more in teh kitty to buy some BKP's :lol:
Actually thats more serious than my emo suggests.
In my experience only! I have found the pickups and electronics to be a bit hit and miss. some sound good, some average. Some sound good at the shop and then a couple of days later playing with your gear(amps etc) they sound shitee.
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That's what i was thinking, but i didn't know if there was any difference in the hardware of the guitar, having never played a guitar with a trem i don't know about them, but both are about the same price.
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Trems are no stress...
Floyd rose bridges? people can keep those... way too complicated for me
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And they're extremely ugly, particularly the 7 string versions
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I really like the look of the pearl mexican model; very nice. With BKP's and a new trem block (check out callahamguitars.com) that guitar would be totally killer. 8)
I wouldn't buy the 70s strat without playing it, it's quite a bit different to a normal strat and I imagine more of an acquired taste. The other however is definately your classic Fender Stratocaster. I've got an American Series Standard Strat and I'm gassing for it too!
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so what difference will a callahan trem make to the guitar??
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More sustain, improve the tone of the bridge. Make it a lot more correct spec to the vintage originals. Everyone I know that has one swears by it. I want to replace the block in my MIA Strat with one soon.
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Hmm. They're slightly different guitars so you'd wanna play them and see which feels best to you. That said, there are a few similarities: both are made in Mexico, both have vintage frets (i.e., small) and trems, they each have a polyester finish, and both are typical Strats as far as controls and such go.
The 70s Strat has a 3-piece body, which is just wrong on a natural finish. The MexiAnn Strat prolly has at least as many pieces, but at least you can't see 'em. I'm not sure which set of pickups are gonna be better. The 70s Strat has a U-shaped neck and a 7.25" radius, while the MexiAnn has a modern C-shape and a 9.5" radius. Those specs are gonna be where your biggest difference comes in.
I think it's bizarre that they have 70s Strats at all. Until recently, when they became "vintage" and therefore desirable, most people turned their noses up at 70s and 80s Strats.
Here's my unsolicited advice: Buy a second-hand American Standard Strat.
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about the necks, i have no idea, i've only ever played 2 guitars in my entire life, my Epi LP and my PRS Tremonti SE so, i wouldn't know the difference if somebody tattooed it across my chest
oh, and i personally don't like buying second hand guitars, just wouldn't feel like 'my' guitar.
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I'd go for the top one in "blizzard pearl", it looks ace and as it has the "tex mex" pickups, you could sell the whole pickguard assembly on e-bay for a reasonable ammount, somebody'd be happy with them I expect, then the cash can go towards a BKP set and maybe even a Callaham bridge.
I don't know how you feel about dings, but every time I've almost bought a Fender online I checked the B- stock on stringsdirect.co.uk. It's basicly stuff that's essentially fine but there's cosmetic flaws like a chip in the paint or something, which to me, would be fine, especially as it means paying less.
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You just can't beat the 70's headstock. Btw, Elderly is a great shop to deal with.
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I'd go for the 50th anniversary - but that's my personal preference. I like the feel and sound '50s style strats, and i don't dig that '70s headstock... I'm no yngwie
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ahh tesco in Amersham.... :? 8)
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I dont think you need a Callahan block (which in my view don't affect tone as much as people say) in the new Mexican because Fender have listened to the market and put in big steel blocks as a modification of the Mexican line in 2006. Seems like shelling out twice for the same thing to me....
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I dont think you need a Callahan block (which in my view don't affect tone as much as people say) in the new Mexican because Fender have listened to the market and put in big steel blocks as a modification of the Mexican line in 2006. Seems like shelling out twice for the same thing to me....
thas fair enough
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I think it's bizarre that they have 70s Strats at all. Until recently, when they became "vintage" and therefore desirable, most people turned their noses up at 70s and 80s Strats.
Here's my unsolicited advice: Buy a second-hand American Standard Strat.
Fender thinks it can make a buck on them, so while you and I see little point in creating it, plenty of people will dig it, many will be oblivious of the dubious reputation of 70's guitars, and at the end of the day there are completionists out there who want every guitar ever made available.
Things like the 72 thinline I can understand, they're awesome guitars, and offer something different other than merely representing that era, I'm just not sure what was different about 70's strats except for the headstock you could hit a 6 with and the subsequent decline in quality that many people think happened.
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I agree with searcher, go second hand, there's plenty of great guitars out there goimg cheap.
I got the 50th Anniv am dlx but only 'cos I LOVED IT as a package from when I laid fingers on it, it was cheap 'cos they couldn't shift 'em with gold cr@p on them but this one PLAYS BEAUTIFUL.
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Crazy Gra did you consider the standard when buying the 50th model.
dont get me wrong I love the Am DLX aswell (I have one) but when it came to recommending one to a friend he couldnt decide.
He ended up buying a DLX aswell but it was a hard choice.
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The 60th anniversary model is a very nice guitar (even though I'm not a big strat fan) and if you're used to LP style guitars the fingerboard radius will be more familiar (and less frustrating) A set of BKs and some locking tuners and it'll probably be one you never get rid of.
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ahh tesco in Amersham.... :? 8)
well i'm confused...
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Crazy Gra did you consider the standard when buying the 50th model.
dont get me wrong I love the Am DLX aswell (I have one) but when it came to recommending one to a friend he couldnt decide.
He ended up buying a DLX aswell but it was a hard choice.
I just liked the one I was holding and it happened to be a Strat DLX.
If I were buying now I'd look at Cole Clark, I've got GAS for a Culprit (Telecaster) I'd order with no pickups and put Bareknuckles in. They seem to be better value than Fenders.
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Jp. wrote:
ahh tesco in Amersham....
well i'm confused...
I was wondering how long it would take you to pick up on that one :lol: :lol: :lol:
Everytime I see your avatar and ID I see the Buckinghamshire and it reminds me of my holiday out there last year. My sister lives out that way and her husband/my brother-in-law would head down to Amersham go to a local pub and then grab some "roadies" from tesco and head back to thier place.
It was a pretty cool holiday.
Just think Indy, your my reminiscent catalyst.... (I'm sure theres a better phrase than that but cant think of it at this time of night)
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Jp. wrote:
ahh tesco in Amersham....
well i'm confused...
I was wondering how long it would take you to pick up on that one :lol: :lol: :lol:
Everytime I see your avatar and ID I see the Buckinghamshire and it reminds me of my holiday out there last year. My sister lives out that way and her husband/my brother-in-law would head down to Amersham go to a local pub and then grab some "roadies" from tesco and head back to thier place.
It was a pretty cool holiday.
Just think Indy, your my reminiscent catalyst.... (I'm sure theres a better phrase than that but cant think of it at this time of night)
well, how terribly random! haha. I'm not far from Amersham actually - I'm about 10 miles north of it (i actually had to look that up on multimap.com) in a little town called Wendover right near Aylesbury. How do you mean "roadies", lol? what did they do with them? :lol:
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Roadies are "drinks for the road"
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You could just check out warmoth or somewhere and build your own guitar from parts - that way you don't have to pay extra for all the electronics and hardware that you'd replace on a strat anyway :) Take the pickups for example - you're going to replace them, so why pay for the cr@p fender ones stock on the guitar? You could sell them, i spose, but you wouldn't get all that much second-hand.
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I'd hunt out a Jap Strat - they feel so much better than the Mexican ones.
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I'd hunt out a Jap Strat - they feel so much better than the Mexican ones.
I'm already eyeing up a Japanese Relic Strat. Should be good loaded with some Irish Tours :D
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Japanese Relic? Not seen those before. Got a link?
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Japanese Relic? Not seen those before. Got a link?
http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=2611&catid=3&manid=29&quantity=1&product=Fender+%28Japan%29+Relic+Strat%2C+Sunburst%2C+Used+%26+Abused%21
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Japanese Relic? Not seen those before. Got a link?
http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=2611&catid=3&manid=29&quantity=1&product=Fender+%28Japan%29+Relic+Strat%2C+Sunburst%2C+Used+%26+Abused%21
ROFLMFAO that SUCKS. it's actually just a strat thats been rolled in the mud, and then had sunburst-coloured randomly shaped sticker's put on it. Appalling.
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Japanese Relic? Not seen those before. Got a link?
http://www.guitarvillage.co.uk/product-detail.asp?id=2611&catid=3&manid=29&quantity=1&product=Fender+%28Japan%29+Relic+Strat%2C+Sunburst%2C+Used+%26+Abused%21
ROFLMFAO that SUCKS. it's actually just a strat thats been rolled in the mud, and then had sunburst-coloured randomly shaped sticker's put on it. Appalling.
don't look that bad, and by the time i'm finished with it, it'll look the tits, trust me
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The relic job is appauling, but that's an awesome platform for a great guitar. The dodgy paint should be easily removable leaving a good guitar that you can spray nitro over and get a vintage-correct finish on.
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The relic job is appauling, but that's an awesome platform for a great guitar. The dodgy paint should be easily removable leaving a good guitar that you can spray nitro over and get a vintage-correct finish on.
pretty much what i was thinking, although more along the lines of sand it down and improvise with the finish from there, but hey, if you're the kind of person who plans things then so be it :D
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I'd be willing to wager that if you refinished it with some of these:
http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/lacquer.html
and replaced the aged plastic parts with more realistic looking ones, you'd get quite a lot for it on eBay, but it'd also be a great guitar that I'd love to own.
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I'd be willing to wager that if you refinished it with some of these:
http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/lacquer.html
and replaced the aged plastic parts with more realistic looking ones, you'd get quite a lot for it on eBay, but it'd also be a great guitar that I'd love to own.
Yeah thats what I thought, I'd refinish it if I was looking at buying a new strat!
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you'd get quite a lot for it on eBay, but it'd also be a great guitar that I'd love to own.
I wasnt planning on selling it :D
The clear satin finish looks good though, cheers for the link.
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No probs, it's the only place in the UK (that I've ever found) that sells Nitrocellulose paint for guitars online. This weekend I used some of that stuff to respray my Warmoth neck, looks fantastic.
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http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hello-Kitty-Electric-Limited-Edition-Stratocaster-Strat_W0QQitemZ7418388748QQcategoryZ33039QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
buy that one ;)
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http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hello-Kitty-Electric-Limited-Edition-Stratocaster-Strat_W0QQitemZ7418388748QQcategoryZ33039QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
buy that one ;)
OK, i said that it looked cool. Looked being the operative word there.
For anybody confused at this banter (http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4090)
Plus i already have two guitars with humbuckers, i want single coil :P
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Go for the cheaper one.... It will leave you more in teh kitty to buy some BKP's :lol:
Actually thats more serious than my emo suggests.
In my experience only! I have found the pickups and electronics to be a bit hit and miss. some sound good, some average. Some sound good at the shop and then a couple of days later playing with your gear(amps etc) they sound shitee.
In recent days I would agree. When they first started making mexican strats, there were a few that weren't too bad but most of them were by my standards beginners junk but now they're all beginners junk. Hell the wood they use on those things is agathis (they claim it's alder, but my alder Carvin DC127 with significantly less wood is significantly heavier so I really don't believe that!). I'd ideally want ash or alder, or at least basswood or poplar over a fancy name for plywood. I think a US Standard Strat would be a worthwhile upgrade and not that much more as they sell cheaply used.
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Good point.
well that then brings up another option. The Highway 1 series, American built with rubbish pickups...
There you go problem solved. Highway 1 with a set of BKP's.
Geez what a think tank this place is! :lol: LOL
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I dont agree with the above at all - it seems to be inspired by the old - if it aint US its cr@p snobbery.
Mex strats are not made of Agathis - which is not plywood, its an east asian and Australasian version of pine/cypruss that can apparently behave like mahogany in tone.
Fender source and cure the woods used in their Mex and USA from the same source (i.e from Corona) and divide it according to grade, so if it says alder it is alder (although it may be made from more pieces or be of less quality). The mex Classic series necks and bodiesw are cut in Corona on US cnc machines and finished in Mexico.
Furthermore, early Mex strats were made of poplar not alder and had far inferior hardware and pickups. Compare a 1995 mex with a 2006 mex and you will see and hear that the 2006 is overall better made and sounds better.
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I know this is completely off topic, but does Rory Gallagher use the neck or bridge more?? (talking about his bluesrock tracks not his normal blues tracks) :D
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Good point.
well that then brings up another option. The Highway 1 series, American built with rubbish pickups...
There you go problem solved. Highway 1 with a set of BKP's.
Geez what a think tank this place is! :lol: LOL
the highway 1s have a nice, thin poly finish too.
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Good point.
well that then brings up another option. The Highway 1 series, American built with rubbish pickups...
Is that a "budget" American Fender? Would it be comprable to an American Std. or would it not be an upgrade to the mex? Just because it's American doesn't really make it better necessarily, but the US strats should typically be better because it's their higher line,
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Good point.
well that then brings up another option. The Highway 1 series, American built with rubbish pickups...
There you go problem solved. Highway 1 with a set of BKP's.
Geez what a think tank this place is! :lol: LOL
the highway 1s have a nice, thin poly finish too.
So now you want to agree with me... Argue with me in one thread and agree with me in another hey! :lol:
Yeah they are basically a budget American standard strat that somehow pickup up a cult following of their own.
The thin satin finnish is also tranparent in most cases. You gotta remember that it's not just the guitar that is in the total price of a guitar.
A Highway 1 comes with a gig bag and not a hard case, two point style tremolo with vintage style saddles. Not stainless steel. No locking tuners.
No "care kit", strap or lead.
All these things add up. The guitar itself is great. Just put some different pickups in it.
If you do go this way... You better like relic style guitars or be prepared to treat your guitar like gold.
They chip and scratch really easy, its part of their charm and most of the reason for their cult folowing on the net. Youve been warned :!:
dont buy one and winge about it later
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Why buy a strat in the first place? They're all shite.
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Why buy a strat in the first place? They're all shitee.
If it's good enough for Jimi....
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Highway 1's are nice, man. Good necks, the satin finish looks pretty cool, not stupidly heavy too. I'm highly tempted by a cherry highway 1 tele I saw t'other day. Pickups aren't awful, you certainly could put up with them for a while, but you would eventually change them.
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There's nothing wrong with mex strats, as far as plain build quality goes. These days guitars are built so well - and strats are, at the end of the day, pretty simple - that where it's made isn't such a big issue anymore. I mean I've still got a Jackson that was made in India not so long ago, and the neck's straight, polished, great fretwork, and there's nothing wrong with it apart from maybe the neck not fitting absolutely tightly in the pocket, which to be fair is a common issue with many bolt-ons.
However if anyone's got any examples of real dogs I'd be happy to take all that ^ back!
rooky wrote:
Why buy a strat in the first place? They're all shitee.
If it's good enough for Jimi....
...and millions of other people. I'm considering trading in a custom guitar for a Fender Strat - and I'm well aware of most other brands, including the copies. But it's what I need for the job.
But what guitar ANYONE buys is mostly down to personal preference - please don't let your's get in the way of a logical post.
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Why buy a strat in the first place? They're all shitee.
Well people must love shitee guitars then, because they are the best selling guitars in the world...
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Yeah they are basically a budget American standard strat that somehow pickup up a cult following of their own.
If you do go this way... You better like relic style guitars or be prepared to treat your guitar like gold.
So they are delicate... well beat up strats are cool! Then you can get that SRV thing going on without waiting 30 years.
What I want to know, is how do YOU think they are? Do they play like an upgrade?
Not that a Mex will like snap it's neck a week after you own it, but they have a very cheap feel overall to me and often I get a lot of buzzing with already high action....
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Why buy a strat in the first place? They're all shitee.
I'm not going to say that millions of people can't be wrong... because I have one thing to say about that - Britney Spears. Ok, point made.
But tell me, what do YOU recommend as an alternative for cleaner styles of music? I see you take no time to bash the stratocaster, but you don't even recommend anything! How are people supposed to take you seriously?
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Why buy a strat in the first place? They're all shitee.
LOL - i like this guy, even if he is WRONG
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I liked the looks of the 70's style better personally, and to me if I was going to get the 60th Anniversary, I would go with the American made. I have heard a few bad things about the Mexican model (mostly minor quality control) for the electronics. However the Mexican Deluxe Player's Strat is much better than either of these really. Just my opinion.
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I have heard a few bad things about the Mexican model (mostly minor quality control) for the electronics.
What kind of stuff (just out of interest)?
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Yeah they are basically a budget American standard strat that somehow pickup up a cult following of their own.
If you do go this way... You better like relic style guitars or be prepared to treat your guitar like gold.
So they are delicate... well beat up strats are cool! Then you can get that SRV thing going on without waiting 30 years.
What I want to know, is how do YOU think they are? Do they play like an upgrade?
Not that a Mex will like snap it's neck a week after you own it, but they have a very cheap feel overall to me and often I get a lot of buzzing with already high action....
What do I think... They are really cool and sit about 4th on my shopping listy after a new amp and some other expensive gear I "need" more than a fifth guitar. Ther is definately one coming though.