NGD! A Strat??! American Original 60's Strat CAR

There's a pair that'll beat a full house.
Nice guitars!

 

You are correct there. I just posted a Strat I refinished in Sage Green Metallic yesterday and all of the photos looked Surf Green, regardless of the angle. Can't seem to capture the metallic.

 

Congratulations!

I'm gradually working my way up to getting one of these as my first proper Strat (I have a 2000 Indo Squier which I never play because it's so unsatisfying). The AO 60s just look like they have everything I want.

 

@cravenmonket - Those Indo Squiers are a DIY person's dream platform. Out of the box, you are right - nothing special and rough around the edges. My two best guitars are Indo squires, basically because I'm not afraid to work on them. They are like diamonds in the rough and can be setup and modded to be phenomenal instruments. I've decided my skills are at the point that I should start working on my "good" guitars myself now..

 

Congrats. That is one beautiful Strat and goes well with that new Tele too. Enjoy them.

 

WOW! Beautiful....I'm happy for you!

 

I bought it at a pawn shop at least fifteen years ago for $40 and it was basically unused. I needed an electric guitar for some parts I was recording, and I figured it would fit the bill.

It was fine but no fun to play: noisy, low-grade pickups, ticky-tacky hardware fittings (nasty tuners, nasty bridge/saddles/nut, very high action, and a rather chunky body guaranteed that I never really played it.

So either I remove everything and start from scratch with a body I'm in love with, spend a bit to fit it out with my ideal pups and tuners, etc, or I find something which already has everything I'm looking for. I'm not sure what the difference in $$ would be by the time I finish! If I spent $800 on it, I would have some nice appointments, but I'd still have the thick, chunky body in a colour I'm not crazy about.

I love the idea of kitting it out myself and doing all the work, but I don't know a thing about it! I did take everything apart a few months ago with the intention of getting busy on it, but I lost heart and just returned to my Tele, which is perfect.

 

That's a nice guitar right there, congrats!

 

That's fair, as well as what @Minivan Megafun said. You can't make every guitar exactly what you want. With these particular Indo Squires (2004 and 2016) I picked them up and played them in the shop (as I do with every Tele and Strat I find) and they felt really good. One of them had a horrible setup and the other was beat to crap, but the spoke something to me and I knew could make something of them. The first one was in fine cosmetic shape, so I changed what I wanted and set it up to my liking. The second (the 2004) needed a lot more - I stripped and refinished the neck and repaired the dents, chip scratches in the body and refinished that. Now it' my favorite guitar in terms of sound and playability. It looks great too, but I can't pick a favorite there - I love the way all of mine look.

One thing I look for right off the bat is resonance and sustain unplugged. If it doesn't have that, it may never, no matter what you do (again, as @Minivan Megafun said).

So yes, there has to be something there to start with.

 

Totally agree! I actually meant to say "start from scratch with a body I'm not in love with". There isn't really anything about this guitar which appeals to me, except that it is a Strat and I want a Strat!

Also agree about the resonance and sustain - my 2011 Deluxe Tele sounds amazing unplugged. In fact I play it unplugged quite often because I like to hear the wood, and I'm constantly surprised by how articulate it is when not amplified. All unplugged electric guitars (even identical models) are not alike!

(Apologies to OP for hijacking this thread!)

 

It may be silver and then the candy red but your pickup cavity looks identical to my 80’s avri 57 in c.a.r. It’s gold underneath though. Either way it’s so cool. I wanted the one in Ontario but they want 14% sales tax on top plus shipping! It’s only 5% her in Alberta.

 

Many people don’t know this, but it’s a scientifically proven fact that CAR strats sound better and play better than other strats, and in 99.84% of cases, have improved the love life of the owner.

 

No, they said I’d have to the shipping and Ontario taxes. If it was used maybe? I’m pretty I’ve had a stuff shipped from others stores before with no issues.

 

Very nice!

I think it's pretty common for Fender and other manufacturers ( like car companies ) to produce the product before they start marketing them, as they do need to be available once the marketing starts. I try to keep my eyes open for Fender LE/FSR models, and some how I usually miss the boat as they are sold out before they ever hit the stores.

 

They have a white one now in my area, I might get it this weekend.