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

thegummy

munckee said:

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

Looks great!

When you said you spray painted it I was expecting maybe a rough job that still looked cool but you've done a very nice job.

munckee

thegummy said:

munckee said:

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

Looks great!

When you said you spray painted it I was expecting maybe a rough job that still looked cool but you've done a very nice job.

I was really professional, it was hung on a string in a home made cardboard spray booth and everything!  what I didn't do was strip the old paint just keyed the poly.  Will one day strip it or another back to wood and nitro just to go the whole hog.

Slartibartfarst42

I just have a Mexican Standard Strat and it's so good I have absolutely zero desire for a USA model. Everything about the guitar was beautiful except for the pickups so I've changed the scratchplate to an HSH configuration and installed a Creamery Classic '83 bridge, Creamery '59 neck and DiMarzio Area 61. I wouldn't change it for anything.

BRISTOL86

So I bought something today 

Value for money? Probably not. But I liked the way it looked and felt, so that’s the main thing right?  

More to the point, I spent two hours sat playing things, to work out what I liked the feel of, and that’s something I’ve never done! I enjoyed it a lot!

TonyR

Pics or it didn’t happen!

lovestrat74

Well...

BRISTOL86

TonyR said:

Pics or it didn’t happen!

Will get a thread up over the weekend  

HAL9000

Slartibartfarst42 said:

I just have a Mexican Standard Strat and it's so good I have absolutely zero desire for a USA model. Everything about the guitar was beautiful except for the pickups so I've changed the scratchplate to an HSH configuration and installed a Creamery Classic '83 bridge, Creamery '59 neck and DiMarzio Area 61. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Agreed about MIM Standards. Very nice guitars. I love the look the Classic series (particularly the Surf colours) and I so want to like them but can not get on with the necks. For me the Std is a far more comfortable instrument. I’ve replaced the pickups in my MIM Std with a set of Oil City StoneTones but TBH there’s not a lot wrong with the stock items. I know a few people that gig stock MIM Std Strats and/or Teles and they are more than up to the job.

guitars4you

BRISTOL86 said:

So I bought something today 

Value for money? Probably not. But I liked the way it looked and felt, so that’s the main thing right?  

More to the point, I spent two hours sat playing things, to work out what I liked the feel of, and that’s something I’ve never done! I enjoyed it a lot!

sounds like you did all the right things as far as I can tell - hands and ears are the best tool to judge any guitar - eye comes 3rd for me - good news

thegummy

HAL9000 said:

Slartibartfarst42 said:

I just have a Mexican Standard Strat and it's so good I have absolutely zero desire for a USA model. Everything about the guitar was beautiful except for the pickups so I've changed the scratchplate to an HSH configuration and installed a Creamery Classic '83 bridge, Creamery '59 neck and DiMarzio Area 61. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Agreed about MIM Standards. Very nice guitars. I love the look the Classic series (particularly the Surf colours) and so want to like them but I simply can not get on with the necks. For me the Std is a far more comfortable instrument. I’ve replaced the pickups in my MIM Std with a set of Oil City StoneTones but TBH there’s not a lot wrong with the stock items. I know a few people that gig stock MIM Std Strats and/or Teles and they are more than up to the job.

Don't MiM Standard Strats come stock with ceramic pickups?

BRISTOL86

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

So I bought something today 

Value for money? Probably not. But I liked the way it looked and felt, so that’s the main thing right?  

More to the point, I spent two hours sat playing things, to work out what I liked the feel of, and that’s something I’ve never done! I enjoyed it a lot!

sounds like you did all the right things as far as I can tell - hands and ears are the best tool to judge any guitar - eye comes 3rd for me - good news

Yeah and I don’t know if that made it better or worse to be honest. It was great playing 20 guitars but I kind of became paralysed by choice in the end! 

guitars4you

BRISTOL86 said:

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

So I bought something today 

Value for money? Probably not. But I liked the way it looked and felt, so that’s the main thing right?  

More to the point, I spent two hours sat playing things, to work out what I liked the feel of, and that’s something I’ve never done! I enjoyed it a lot!

sounds like you did all the right things as far as I can tell - hands and ears are the best tool to judge any guitar - eye comes 3rd for me - good news

Yeah and I don’t know if that made it better or worse to be honest. It was great playing 20 guitars but I kind of became paralysed by choice in the end! 

I see that so many times in my own store

BRISTOL86

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

So I bought something today 

Value for money? Probably not. But I liked the way it looked and felt, so that’s the main thing right?  

More to the point, I spent two hours sat playing things, to work out what I liked the feel of, and that’s something I’ve never done! I enjoyed it a lot!

sounds like you did all the right things as far as I can tell - hands and ears are the best tool to judge any guitar - eye comes 3rd for me - good news

Yeah and I don’t know if that made it better or worse to be honest. It was great playing 20 guitars but I kind of became paralysed by choice in the end! 

I see that so many times in my own store

Even when I narrowed it down to a model I had about 8 colour combinations to navigate! 

Funny as well that the colour I chose was the one that when I played it, I said ‘I like that guitar but not in that colour’ then I kept coming back to it!

guitars4you

BRISTOL86 said:

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

guitars4you said:

BRISTOL86 said:

So I bought something today 

Value for money? Probably not. But I liked the way it looked and felt, so that’s the main thing right?  

More to the point, I spent two hours sat playing things, to work out what I liked the feel of, and that’s something I’ve never done! I enjoyed it a lot!

sounds like you did all the right things as far as I can tell - hands and ears are the best tool to judge any guitar - eye comes 3rd for me - good news

Yeah and I don’t know if that made it better or worse to be honest. It was great playing 20 guitars but I kind of became paralysed by choice in the end! 

I see that so many times in my own store

Even when I narrowed it down to a model I had about 8 colour combinations to navigate! 

Funny as well that the colour I chose was the one that when I played it, I said ‘I like that guitar but not in that colour’ then I kept coming back to it!

again I see that so many times - best to be open minded about it as against having a pre-determined thought pattern that you won't budge from 

BRISTOL86

Definitely!

HAL9000

thegummy said:

HAL9000 said:

Slartibartfarst42 said:

I just have a Mexican Standard Strat and it's so good I have absolutely zero desire for a USA model. Everything about the guitar was beautiful except for the pickups so I've changed the scratchplate to an HSH configuration and installed a Creamery Classic '83 bridge, Creamery '59 neck and DiMarzio Area 61. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Agreed about MIM Standards. Very nice guitars. I love the look the Classic series (particularly the Surf colours) and so want to like them but I simply can not get on with the necks. For me the Std is a far more comfortable instrument. I’ve replaced the pickups in my MIM Std with a set of Oil City StoneTones but TBH there’s not a lot wrong with the stock items. I know a few people that gig stock MIM Std Strats and/or Teles and they are more than up to the job.

Don't MiM Standard Strats come stock with ceramic pickups?

Yes, but that doesn’t mean that they’re rubbish. They actually sound quite good but probably a tad hotter/brighter than you’d normally associate with a Strat.

thegummy

HAL9000 said:

thegummy said:

HAL9000 said:

Slartibartfarst42 said:

I just have a Mexican Standard Strat and it's so good I have absolutely zero desire for a USA model. Everything about the guitar was beautiful except for the pickups so I've changed the scratchplate to an HSH configuration and installed a Creamery Classic '83 bridge, Creamery '59 neck and DiMarzio Area 61. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Agreed about MIM Standards. Very nice guitars. I love the look the Classic series (particularly the Surf colours) and so want to like them but I simply can not get on with the necks. For me the Std is a far more comfortable instrument. I’ve replaced the pickups in my MIM Std with a set of Oil City StoneTones but TBH there’s not a lot wrong with the stock items. I know a few people that gig stock MIM Std Strats and/or Teles and they are more than up to the job.

Don't MiM Standard Strats come stock with ceramic pickups?

Yes, but that doesn’t mean that they’re rubbish. They actually sound quite good but probably a tad hotter/brighter than you’d normally associate with a Strat.

I don't think they sound good, although that could be subjective.

I just thought that since very few aftermarket pickups use ceramic (I could only find a single model and it was a super hot one) that their use in the MiM Standards was purely cost-cutting.

AuldReekie

thomasw88 said:

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.

+1 for Levinson Blade.  I picked up a 1989 R2 last summer for £595 following a “heads up” on here.  It’s a ludicrously good strat by any standards.