NGD - Robert Cray on the way!

My main guitar is a Martin D-18GE with a big V-shaped neck profile. I've only recently come back to electric playing thanks to a Super Champ XD.

My only electric has been ... wait for it ... Affinty Strat :oops: Ya' know, with a good set-up (did it myself), it's been a great guitar to mess around except for the wafer-thin neck!

After much research here (Thank You TDPRI!), I slowly accepted my ideal Tele does not exist (well, not including my ideal price point).

But, I did also learn about the Robert Cray Stratocaster. This model seems to be my perfect guitar, BIG neck, rosewood fingerboard (braz?), vintage tuners, plus the hardtail (which IMO puts this as close to Tele-like as a Strat can/should go).

I found a used sunburst RC (MIM), online through a small but trusted retailer, at what I consider a great price (low 6--). I ordered Tuesday evening, and just (finally!) saw my status change to SHIPPED. Still waiting on a tracking email, so I figured I'd post rather than pace. :roll:

Let the waiting begin! In the mean time, anyone got some to say about about the Cray to help me pass the time?

Thanks,

- Coop

Update - NO tracking info as of 4pm, so I called Customer Service.

Est. delivery on Monday? :shock: Mind you, I selected 2-day shipping so the guitar would not have to to sit the weekend in a warehouse. So I asked questions (I held while he went to ask his coworkers).

CSR agreed the Cray really should have gone out yesterday and offered refund of the shipping. So Trusted Online Retailer remains trusted (errors happen - they did right), and here they should remain Nameless (this is not a rant). :cool:

My wife said, "Now we get to spent the weekend together!" She's got a point. :wink:

Food up! Gotta go ...

Congrats and detail pics when she arrives, please.

You'll be alright. Don't sweat it, don't jinx the new guitar before it even arrives. It'll get there when it does, and you'll love it. I have one. They are great players.

I feel for ya, I had the same shipping issue with my McPherson. I didn't want it too sit somewhere all weekend but it did. UPS wouldn't let me go get it Friday either. Anyway if it eases your mind any, it is an acoustic guitar (probably more vulnerable) and close to 9 grand and it came out fine haha.

Anyway, hope you like the strat and please keep us updated. I've been thinking very seriously about a silver one myself. A hardtail is hard to find these days, no more new american standard hardtails for now.

I've heard nothing but good things about the robert cray neck, pickups everything. From the looks of some ebay auctions they appear to also have oak grigsby switches and CTS pots which is a good thing too!

Nice snag.

I really like mine. I picked up mine because of the neck and the hard tail and it displaced my other strat almost immediately.

Hard tails are great on strats, big rich tone. Congrats you are going to love it !!

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/mgeimer/CraySrat005.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/mgeimer/CraySrat007.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/mgeimer/CraySrat001.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/mgeimer/CraySrat003.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/mgeimer/CraySrat006.jpg

I bought a Cray strat about 6 years ago. It's still one of my favorite guitars. I will never sell it!

Congrats on the new purchase.....yer gonna love it!

I have the RC Strat and a 2008 AM Standard Tele. The tone is so close I can't believe it. They sound identical to my ears. I think you're gonna love it.

now that there is something special, happy new guitar day!

Well done, I love the burst and the fact that Robery Cray's are hardtail. Enjoy position 2 & 4, the Cray settings. Happy NGD.

OP here ... First Impressions: I'm blown away. I could not have a better first impression. High level of spousal approval, too!

Hang tag reads "(2009)" on the back (price & S/N on front). It really seems like NOS listed as "Used". The only blemish I can find is an obvious, unsightly set of scratches right across the pick guard ...
... covering, across the plastic pick guard covering. The part you peel off when you get it home. :lol:

I've strung it up with .11s, and need to get off this forum right now.

Congrats! She's a beauty. What a classy look.

Congratulations!!!

Beautiful Strat!


Congrats!

*** Morning After Update ***

I'm really happy with this guitar. The pick-ups are clear and punchy (very wide dynamics). Positions 2 & 4 are not thin, or muddy, but instead are clean and 'spanky'. Suddenly, I appreciate these positions in ways I never did before.

I found I could easily get into the sweet spot, where easy picking came through clean, but a harder attack drove my sound into overdrive. Very responsive guitar.

The tuning machines are my favorite hardware aspect.

ACTUAL FLAWS FOUND! Nothing that concerns me, but now I'm sure my NOS theory is correct. I think this guy fell off the wall! LOL!

There is a sizeable ... ummm ... relic (yeah, that's what it is) on the lower bout. I also noticed a small chip taken out of the nut (not affecting the strings). Combined with the scratches to the front plastic protector, and it all suggests the guitar fell off the wall, hit ass-end, hard, then fell forwards chipping the nut, marring the pickguard cover.

None of this kills my joy. I remain happy-by-nature. At some future point I'll probably have the nut changed to bone anyways.

Congrats, great photos, too!

Those Crays are fantastic, had I not found my strat I would've gotten one. I really like the Inca Silver one.

Chips and dents just mean that you can stop babying it and start playing it without worrying!

Chips and dents just mean that you can stop babying it and start playing it without worrying!

Pre-dinged is my favorite color. Give it a hundred more just the same and I can charge a premium ... so I've got that going for me. :cool:

Nice Strat!


Congratulations, play it in good health.

Beautiful guitar man. Don't ever sell it.

^^^ Keeper ... Lifer.

I just said to the wife last night how good it feels to have found the right guitar, one I can keep and play without wanting it to be something else.

I took years finding the right acoustic, and sure went through a few along the way. I like to think I'm a better shopper as a result, and found this through Mature Experience and not simply Good/Dumb Luck.

No matter ... I'll be keeping The Cray.

- Coop

Nice Strat! Congratulations!

The RC sig is a nice guitar. Love the neck, early 60s styling, and pups. Too bad its finished with polyurethane. Best Fender Stratocaster under a grand for sure. I had one of these and swapped the body with an old Allparts body that I had (oil finish) - just threw the already good tone over the edge and into greatness. Unfortunately I had to sell it.

Since then I've had two parts guitars where I've used RC pickup assemblies. IMO, some of the best pups Fender makes. You can find them on ebay through retailers that part out guitars. If at some point the guitar is making you wish for something more I'd recommend a refinsh in nitro rather than a new axe.