New Strats - where is the sweet spot, value wise?

StuartMac290

Get a tele and stick a good strat neck pickup in it. 

munckee

thegummy said:

munckee said:

mistercharlie said:

Lebarque said:

Is there a difference between Classic Series and Classic Player? And where do the lacquer models fit in?

Classic Players have a two-point trem, and a modern 9.5 inch radius. Classic Series has all the golden oldies. The Classic Players get very very good user reviews. 

I spent ages reading reviews before buying my first strat and decide the classic player 50s was for me, waited for a used one, got it and the v shape neck gave me wrist ache after playing it for a while every time.  I bought a squier standard strat and gutted it and put in the electrics I wanted and I love it.

How come you didn't go for a mim standard?

Because I had just bought a roadworn tele and wanted to limit my costs. Although I ended up paying roughly the same as a used MIM standard that included having pickups I wanted and new pots and cloth wire and tone on the bridge etc.  Plus because the guitar was cheap I spray painted it which I had always wanted to do and feels like a bespoke guitar.  Probably has no commercial worth but I didn't buy it to sell it.

thegummy

munckee said:

thegummy said:

munckee said:

mistercharlie said:

Lebarque said:

Is there a difference between Classic Series and Classic Player? And where do the lacquer models fit in?

Classic Players have a two-point trem, and a modern 9.5 inch radius. Classic Series has all the golden oldies. The Classic Players get very very good user reviews. 

I spent ages reading reviews before buying my first strat and decide the classic player 50s was for me, waited for a used one, got it and the v shape neck gave me wrist ache after playing it for a while every time.  I bought a squier standard strat and gutted it and put in the electrics I wanted and I love it.

How come you didn't go for a mim standard?

Because I had just bought a roadworn tele and wanted to limit my costs. Although I ended up paying roughly the same as a used MIM standard that included having pickups I wanted and new pots and cloth wire and tone on the bridge etc.  Plus because the guitar was cheap I spray painted it which I had always wanted to do and feels like a bespoke guitar.  Probably has no commercial worth but I didn't buy it to sell it.

Nice one, got a pic?

Teetonetal

StuartMac290 said:

Get a tele and stick a good strat neck pickup in it. 

Why?

Zoolooter

There's a 1999 Classic Player burst on ebay at the moment at a great price. I would bite their hand off if I was in the market for one. Great value. 

BRISTOL86

Zoolooter said:

There's a 1999 Classic Player burst on ebay at the moment at a great price. I would bite their hand off if I was in the market for one. Great value. 

I’m never buying a guitar again without playing it (at least until I’m considerably more experienced/knowledgeable). Made that mistake last time  

Fozz

I'm with you on that, for me internet buying leads to disappointment and a subsequent quick sale. My last guitar purchase I went in for an SG and came out with a Vela (which I still have).

I think it's nice to take a random day off work and go to a well stocked shop and try everything, you might surprise yourself with what you prefer. 

sunshinewelly

if you can get a strat plus then you have got strat nirvana. i have played and owned and sold a lot of strats and whether my strat plus is just special or whether they are all good i dont know. all i know is that i owned and sold a masterbuilt strat as it was not as nice to play as my old strat plus.

http://xhefriguitars.com/page2.html

crunchman

Fozz said:

I'm with you on that, for me internet buying leads to disappointment and a subsequent quick sale. My last guitar purchase I went in for an SG and came out with a Vela (which I still have).

I think it's nice to take a random day off work and go to a well stocked shop and try everything, you might surprise yourself with what you prefer. 

I went into a shop wanting to try something else, and came out with a Vela as well.  They are great guitars.

lovestrat74

Teetonetal said:

StuartMac290 said:

Get a tele and stick a good strat neck pickup in it. 

Why?

Was going to ask the same..

lovestrat74

I would spend a day at one of the big stores and work out what you do like on all the guitars you play - ie. like rosewood fretboard, like the pickups on the american vintage, like fat C neck, like 9.5 radius, like medium frets, like the nitro not poly etc.  Then if that complete guitar does not exist, get one made up and you will have the guitar of your dreams for under £1500. Plenty on here that would love to make the Strat for you I'm sure

BRISTOL86

lovestrat74 said:

I would spend a day at one of the big stores and work out what you do like on all the guitars you play - ie. like rosewood fretboard, like the pickups on the american vintage, like fat C neck, like 9.5 radius, like medium frets, like the nitro not poly etc.  Then if that complete guitar does not exist, get one made up and you will have the guitar of your dreams for under £1500. Plenty on here that would love to make the Strat for you I'm sure

Yeah that's what I plan to do - basically play as much variety as possible and hone in on what I really like!

thomasw88

Get a Levinson Blade.

For £800 you could get a 2nd hand RH4 which will blow apart pretty much anything else 2nd hand/new in that range.

Or go for an old Tokai Springy sound pre 1982 with the old logo.
  I had one, I sold it, managed to buy it back a few years later and I will never sell it again.

StuartMac290

Teetonetal said:

StuartMac290 said:

Get a tele and stick a good strat neck pickup in it. 

Why?

Because the strat neck pickup is much more useable in more situations than the stock Tele one. Given I virtually never use the quacky in-between sounds on a strat, putting a strat neck pickup in a Tele gives me a great all-round guitar that covers pretty much all the Fender sounds I'd want. 

KDS

Used US G&L

Fozz

crunchman said:

Fozz said:

I'm with you on that, for me internet buying leads to disappointment and a subsequent quick sale. My last guitar purchase I went in for an SG and came out with a Vela (which I still have).

I think it's nice to take a random day off work and go to a well stocked shop and try everything, you might surprise yourself with what you prefer. 

I went into a shop wanting to try something else, and came out with a Vela as well.  They are great guitars.

They really are, I've not regretted it at all either. Just seemed much better put together than anything at a comparable price and sounds awesome.

Teetonetal

StuartMac290 said:

Teetonetal said:

StuartMac290 said:

Get a tele and stick a good strat neck pickup in it. 

Why?

Because the strat neck pickup is much more useable in more situations than the stock Tele one. Given I virtually never use the quacky in-between sounds on a strat, putting a strat neck pickup in a Tele gives me a great all-round guitar that covers pretty much all the Fender sounds I'd want. 

Fair enough. I tried it and was very non plussed with the result. I quite like the Tele neck sound and missed it. 

lovestrat74

Teetonetal said:

StuartMac290 said:

Teetonetal said:

StuartMac290 said:

Get a tele and stick a good strat neck pickup in it. 

Why?

Because the strat neck pickup is much more useable in more situations than the stock Tele one. Given I virtually never use the quacky in-between sounds on a strat, putting a strat neck pickup in a Tele gives me a great all-round guitar that covers pretty much all the Fender sounds I'd want. 

Fair enough. I tried it and was very non plussed with the result. I quite like the Tele neck sound and missed it. 

Never tried it but I guess it all depends what you stick in there

StuartMac290

Teetonetal said:

StuartMac290 said:

Teetonetal said:

StuartMac290 said:

Get a tele and stick a good strat neck pickup in it. 

Why?

Because the strat neck pickup is much more useable in more situations than the stock Tele one. Given I virtually never use the quacky in-between sounds on a strat, putting a strat neck pickup in a Tele gives me a great all-round guitar that covers pretty much all the Fender sounds I'd want. 

Fair enough. I tried it and was very non plussed with the result. I quite like the Tele neck sound and missed it. 

To be clear, I've never done it, because I have a nice strat, but if I was limiting myself to one guitar I think a tele with a strat neck pickup covers a LOT of ground. That and a 335 and I think you have pretty much everything!

munckee

thegummy said:

munckee said:

thegummy said:

munckee said:

mistercharlie said:

Lebarque said:

Is there a difference between Classic Series and Classic Player? And where do the lacquer models fit in?

Classic Players have a two-point trem, and a modern 9.5 inch radius. Classic Series has all the golden oldies. The Classic Players get very very good user reviews. 

I spent ages reading reviews before buying my first strat and decide the classic player 50s was for me, waited for a used one, got it and the v shape neck gave me wrist ache after playing it for a while every time.  I bought a squier standard strat and gutted it and put in the electrics I wanted and I love it.

How come you didn't go for a mim standard?

Because I had just bought a roadworn tele and wanted to limit my costs. Although I ended up paying roughly the same as a used MIM standard that included having pickups I wanted and new pots and cloth wire and tone on the bridge etc.  Plus because the guitar was cheap I spray painted it which I had always wanted to do and feels like a bespoke guitar.  Probably has no commercial worth but I didn't buy it to sell it.

Nice one, got a pic?

Here is a not brilliant pic @thegummy I deliberately didn't wetsand and buff the clear coat as I really like it with a matt finish.  It was an antique burst and I used spraypaint from amazon.  Its not finished as I was going to darken the neck with antique pine or something, however I like the 7.25 radius on my tele so much I may buy a new neck.  It has the large headstock as well and I don't love that.  The pickguard and electrics are a pre-wired guard from Axes R Us with Alnico 2's in.  I wanted it to be my surf guitar and it sounds and plays great.

https://i.imgur.com/AbaPDjb.jpg?1