Yeah, I like the idea of looking for a '90s Am. Std., Deluxe or Plus. I've also sold my 4 or 5 other Strats that I bought over the years, but never considered selling this '99 swamp ash Am. Std. it just plays and sounds too sweet as do most of the '90s Fender Am. series that I've played. Agree about the cases too, way cool.
Which STRAT would you get and why?
- Thread starter WilburBufferson
- Start date
Rick Schmidlin
TDPRI Member
I have a Ultra and it's hard to put down, the best neck in 20 plus guitar acoustic or electric. It is a joy to play.
control voltage
TDPRI Member
Maybe you wouldn't like the radius, but you could get a 1970s hardtail Strat for less than some of the guitars you're considering, and you'd avoid the depreciation that comes with buying a new one.
If you're after a new guitar, though, I'd say hold out for one that has the bridge, radius, and color you want. Or, assemble your own, though you might lose money if you sell it.
If you're after a new guitar, though, I'd say hold out for one that has the bridge, radius, and color you want. Or, assemble your own, though you might lose money if you sell it.
Willie Johnson
Friend of Leo's
I wonder if the rout under there would let you swap in a regular sss layout if you didn't love the Noventa pickups. I'd get that one or the black hardtail, because I deck my Strats, have always wanted a hardtail, and Robert Cray is my spirit animal.Noventa Strat is my favourite at the moment: hard tail, 2x P90s, 3-way switch, only one tone control, a couple of cool colours!
View attachment 933477
Mind you if you just want the Strat in-between sounds you won't get those from it...
boxocrap
Tele-Afflicted
like the look of the 1st one..would look even nicer next to my beat up 'ol black "tuxedo" would prefer 22 frets though./and prolly 12" radius ..just sayin..but it's way too expensive...
loopfinding
Friend of Leo's
Does it have to be new? The classic player 50s are the only ones I’ve played in recent years I like. Soft V, 9.5 radius, medium jumbo frets. Two point trem, so that’s a strike against for you, but I dig that. Only a few years old and you can pick them up for less.
Omiewise65
Tele-Afflicted
I highly recommend the Classic player 60s with a nice baby blue finish , but hey , that's just my 2 cents ....
Timbresmith1
Friend of Leo's
Welp, you ain’t likely to like this…
The HER is out, for me. Not sure why, but her music bugs me. Most artist guitars would be out for me, tho. I could deal with a PageCaster, Gatton tele or SRV Strat if I had to fill in on a gig on a borrowed machine.
The hardtail is out. For me almost all of the magic of the strat resides in the trem and springs. So much so, that hardtails get put down because that body shape has me reaching for the fluidity of the arm and it isn’t there.
The Ultra would work.
Good luck with whatever you choose
The HER is out, for me. Not sure why, but her music bugs me. Most artist guitars would be out for me, tho. I could deal with a PageCaster, Gatton tele or SRV Strat if I had to fill in on a gig on a borrowed machine.
The hardtail is out. For me almost all of the magic of the strat resides in the trem and springs. So much so, that hardtails get put down because that body shape has me reaching for the fluidity of the arm and it isn’t there.
The Ultra would work.
Good luck with whatever you choose
wilson_smyth
Tele-Meister
Ultra.
Silent pups are a godsend.
Although I want good tone, I'm not searching for exact replica of someone else's tone as I believe it's impossible.
The noiseless pups with the right will get you most of the way there and the rest is in the fingers.
Give me Rory Gallagher a guitar and rig in a famous venue he played and I still won't have his exact tone, so I may as well get close enough that most won't notice, while not having to contend with him from bad wiring.
Carved heel, 2point trem, locking tuners and compound radius are all excellent features too, genuinely useful and improve the guitars playability (for me).
The S1 switching also gives the ultra massive range to cover many genres with less messing with knobs and effects.
That's my subjective view.
Silent pups are a godsend.
Although I want good tone, I'm not searching for exact replica of someone else's tone as I believe it's impossible.
The noiseless pups with the right will get you most of the way there and the rest is in the fingers.
Give me Rory Gallagher a guitar and rig in a famous venue he played and I still won't have his exact tone, so I may as well get close enough that most won't notice, while not having to contend with him from bad wiring.
Carved heel, 2point trem, locking tuners and compound radius are all excellent features too, genuinely useful and improve the guitars playability (for me).
The S1 switching also gives the ultra massive range to cover many genres with less messing with knobs and effects.
That's my subjective view.
2HBStrat
Friend of Leo's
HSS Professional II in natural, white, or sienna burst.
WilburBufferson
Friend of Leo's
Well... I was able to get out this afternoon and compare the HER and HARDTAIL strats -- the latter being regular priced stock at the L&M store. The HER strat played amazingly -- great neck! LOVE the finish. Still hate the price, but the Vintage Noiseless pickups lacked that crispness and quack that a strat oughta have. Then I plugged in the Vintera and, POOF, there was that vintage SRV/Dire Straits sound in spades. Neck: not as nice of a shape/feel compared to the HER, but it was a mess. It was fretting out above the 12th fret and I wasn't even bending any notes. Regular price for that one: $1,400+tax. No thanks. Thing needed to be PLEKed or have the neck replaced.
Haven't been able to try the Elite yet, so the jury is still out, and there are other options to consider now, thanks to your feedback.
Haven't been able to try the Elite yet, so the jury is still out, and there are other options to consider now, thanks to your feedback.
Exactly my thoughts
That Vintera looks tasty but MiA build is just that bit better. However it doesn’t mean it’ll play better.
WilburBufferson
Friend of Leo's
I'll just mention this because Jakedog raised it earlier in the thread, I did play a PRS JM and it was absolutely perfect. The fenders felt like toys in comparison. They really nailed it with that guitar. Unfortunately, I cannot stand the birds on the th fretboard. I wish PRS would reconsider that.
Jack Clayton
Tele-Holic
I say this a lot, but don't spend this much until you've checked local listings for an old japanese squier. Anything JV, SQ or E series is gonna be a better guitar for less money than most of these options IMO. You'll have leftover money to do a little modding if you want, plus they have that vintage mojo factor which, to many, isn't nothing.
Betcha this has a better neck than anything new.
https://reverb.com/item/48166988-squier-stratocaster-1985-japan
Betcha this has a better neck than anything new.
https://reverb.com/item/48166988-squier-stratocaster-1985-japan
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Sax-son
Tele-Afflicted
Hardtail's all the way! I do like trem strats as well, but they are not my "go to'. Just tune them and rock them.
Well, I find that the strat trem, or more precisely the springs, are essential to the strat sound, so slap 5 springs in there, tighten them up to the front of the cavity and find a little block of wood to wedge in there and run with it.
WilburBufferson
Friend of Leo's
Well, the black (hardtail) strat is back in play! Stay tuned for pending developments...!
teleplayr
Friend of Leo's
My "Keeper" Strat is a '95 American Standard.
It's had its share of mods (all reverse-able) the neck shape works for me.
It's had its share of mods (all reverse-able) the neck shape works for me.
JohnsonNavinR
TDPRI Member
Ritchie Blackmore model, never had a scalloped neck strat, love Deep Purple.
