thanks for the compliments!
i've been play strats all morning, comparing my selection. this new one sounds shockingly good - its got all the grind of an SG junior! i wonder how much the combination of woods has affected it.. which of the woods gives it that raw sound.. the bubinga maybe? either way, the experiments come off in some way. clean it sounds like a really nice strat, but it doesn't sound particularly stratty when you turn up the gain i must say.
i love the tone of strats, the way they play, and the fact that you can easily knock one up yourself with some experimental ideas. with the big headstock (blackmore, hendrix, roth, malmsteen etc), i also like the look - by association, its so much more rock!
the problem i still have, and maybe always will, with strats is that they are so ubiquitous. its impossible to look individual with them.
and furthermore, i've decided i do prefer the tone of a hardtail.