[bluefish]

Thanks for the suggestions!

The reason I'm thinking Strat is because I like the light body weight, balance, and looks. That and I love the sounds of SRV, Johnson, Clapton, Mayer, Knopfler, Beck - the list is endless!

I have an amp. It's a tiny cute Super Champ XD that I picked up for cheap used. I think it sounds sweet.

I'm not thinking eBay since I don't want to go through the hassle of shipping, bidding, waiting, etc. Also eBay is really frustrating since many sellers end up delisting or selling the guitar before the end of the auction to anyone they feel like. I can't tell you how many times I've been watching what seems like a really nice guitar and then the seller sells the guitar for a ridiculously low price to someone that messages the seller to set up a special BIN price! I mean my bid would've been a lot higher had the seller waited the auction out like he should've!

So I'm willing to pay a bit more to go local. One thing I noticed is that the neck on the Jimmie is really quite nice. I noticed the prices for a new Classic Player or Jimmie Vaughan isn't that much more new, so maybe I should go for one of these new instead? It seems a lot of people are always recommending Jimmies based on previous posts. But I'm still thinking an American may have better resale value and it's nice to buy a product made in your own country, especially if it's a great instrument. Perhaps, I should just save up a bit longer and get a "New American Standard?"

Danielle