Which Strat & Why?

[Mr Grumpy]

I think I have just about made my mind up on which strat to get, but here are some I've considered/am considering with the prices here in Korea and some features that I personally like. They are all new and from good places; I can try any of them out, but they are all over the country, so I cannot try them all out!

(I am not considering either 7.25" necks, signature series guitars or artificially aged guitars because I'm not fond of these features/ideas.)

Which one do you like and why?

$1385 including a case, bone nut, treble bleed circuit.

$1315 without a case, but spunky Texas Specials and the greesebucket tone circuit.

$1600 with a cool case, compound radius neck, nitro lacquer finish and Custom Shop Fat 50 pickups.

$1300 including a nice case (I prefer the traditional tolex to the new plastic casses), lots of gold, vintage locking tuners, soft-V neck, nitro lacquer finish, American vintage pickups.

Mexico Fender deluxe hss, $1100, no case, but 12" radius, contoured neck heel (which will never affect me...), locking tuners and American vintage noiseless pickups.

(pictures of actual guitar here: Music Force-Fender MBS,Gibson,PRS,Suhr,James Tyler,Don Grosh,Bacchus,Tokai,Bogner,AMT,G2D)
Mexico deluxe roadhouse, $1086, no case, but locking tuners, 12" radius, American vintage noiseless pickups, satin neck and an S1 circuit which fattens up the sound.

(pictures of actual guitar here: Music Force-Fender MBS,Gibson,PRS,Suhr,James Tyler,Don Grosh,Bacchus,Tokai,Bogner,AMT,G2D)
Mexico deluxe player, $870, no case, but ash body with really nice transparent finish, lots of gold, nice pickguard, 12" radius, vintage tuners, satin neck, medium jumbo frets, and an s1 button which adds the bridge PU in parallel to the neck and neck/middle positions to add fat and balance.


BTW, secondhand guitars here are expensive and import taxes are high...

 

[Inspector #20]

I love a 12" radius and the H-S-S is super versatile....Jackson is a way better value.

I would choose the candy apple H-S-S

 

[Mr Grumpy]

^ that red special is nice, but probably the most inflated price out of all of them; nearly double the price it should be.

Jackson is a way better value

There seems to be lots of non-Fender stuff which is better value - but, without playing them it's hard to say. I am going to this shop today to try out their strats: [프리버드] <b><font color=red>펜더의 마지막 로즈우드!!</font></b><br>Fender USA American Professional Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker Sonic Gray-Rosewood (011-3040-748)

I also wanna consider other brands from low end to higher.

$350 with bone nut, gold hardware and vintage tuners:

$1500 with lacquer and nice everything (but 7.25" neck...):

$1500 for a Japanese made custom shop level guitar with case, 12" radius, Gotoh hardware and Graphtec nut.

&, I coulda, shoulda, mighta, didn't get a Ranka guitar in Bkk for $1000 which are expert luthier handbuilt, so effectively a top end custopshop guitar with great parts:

Then there's always this temptation for $1175:

 

[Gahr]

Which Strat & why?

No Strat & because you really want the guitar in the last picture.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

because you really want the guitar in the

Hmmm, you are just complicating matters! And, the 2018 comes with 61 pickups which sound great.

 

[Gahr]

Hmmm, you are just complicating matters! And, the 2018 comes with 61 pickups which sound great.

Hell, I'm giving you the easy solution!

 

[JohnnyGoo]

White Fender Strat,maple neck,oversized headstock,single coil pickups,vintage tuners, then your done,order. A real Strat is a Fender with single coils.Everything has humbuckers in it so why would you want a Strat with Humbuckers if you wanted a real Strat ? Now if it was your only guitar and you liked humbuckers that be ok.

 

[smitty_p]

The first question you need answer for yourself is whether you want a humbucker or not. If so, that pretty much eliminates all the SSS models. Then, think about the number of frets - some have 22 frets and some have 21. BTW, vintage models have 21 frets because that's how they were originally made.

You can then start to look at other features.

 

[RVA]

The second question you need to ask yourself is whether you are willing to mod or you need the guitar to be as you like it out of the box.

 

[syscokid]

I've seen those Channel Bound Strats at the local guitar shop. IMO, it's a very cool looking feature and feel very nice. I didn't know those come with compound radiused necks. But no wonder I like them... the Warmoth neck I installed in my Strat is a compound radius, 10" to 16", and me likey a lottie...

 

[Mr Grumpy]

White Fender Strat,maple neck,oversized headstock,single coil pickups,vintage tuners, then your done,order. A real Strat is a Fender with single coils.Everything has humbuckers in it so why would you want a Strat with Humbuckers if you wanted a real Strat ?

Nice. I like all of those ideas. &, I have never liked the strat bridge pickup so am considering a humbucker (would prefer something other than a traditional strat bridge PU).

The first question you need answer for yourself is whether you want a humbucker or not. If so, that pretty much eliminates all the SSS models. Then, think about the number of frets - some have 22 frets and some have 21.

Frets is no problem. Humbucker or not is kinda a moot point as I don't care; it's the matter of sound and I don't like strat bridge sound as a thin high pitched single.

The second question you need to ask yourself is whether you are willing to mod or you need the guitar to be as you like it out of the box.

Here we go. My favourite of the lot is:

but, I was thinking I'd put an SD lil 59 or similar in the bridge position if I didn't like the standard bridge.

You are a modder, RVA, and I have been thinking that way too. I love the look, the 12" neck, the satin feel neck, the vintage tuners and the fattening S1 option.

 

[gball]

For me, the American Professional HSS, the first one you listed. It's the best combination of features and build quality IMO.
The others suffer from one or another features I don't like (Fender's bad nitro, TX Specials, aluminum pickguard, MiM), but I do like everything about this model.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Hmmm, Gball does know his stuff, and I was thinking that the AP hss was a decent price, just haven't played it.

 

[RVA]

Nice. I like all of those ideas. &, I have never liked the strat bridge pickup so am considering a humbucker (would prefer something other than a traditional strat bridge PU).



Frets is no problem. Humbucker or not is kinda a moot point as I don't care; it's the matter of sound and I don't like strat bridge sound as a thin high pitched single.



Here we go. My favourite of the lot is:

but, I was thinking I'd put an SD lil 59 or similar in the bridge position if I didn't like the standard bridge.

You are a modder, RVA, and I have been thinking that way too. I love the look, the 12" neck, the satin feel neck, the vintage tuners and the fattening S1 option.

I have the S1 option and love it. Now that I am out of my funk, I will be happy to post sound clips for you.

 

[gball]

Hmmm, Gball does know his stuff, and I was thinking that the AP hss was a decent price, just haven't played it.

Playing should be the final determining factor of course...you may find that you just don't jive with it. But if I was looking for a new Strat (Fender Strat) it'd almost certainly be that model that I would start with. I've had a couple of Fender CS strats in the past and I honestly think these AmPro ones are just as good quality-wise and a much much better value.

 

[Hackmaster]

I can honestly say for me, none of them.
Why?
I've had multiple Strats though out my playing life.
Fender, G&L and Squier, and I've never bonded with any of them.
I ended up giving the Squier to a good bud, cause I couldn't even get anything decent for it if I sold it.
Same with the Tele, I've had an early 70's Tele and a 90'sG&L ASAT Classic, both great guitars, but never bonded.
It has to be the 25.5"scale length.
I keep hoping every time I buy one that this will be the one, but it never is.
Sorry Grump, this doesn't help you one bit, just had to vent.

I hope the one you get fits like a glove, and is everything you've ever hoped for.
If it's any consolation, I've always loved the look of the "Mary Kay" Strat.

 

[Inspector #20]

I can honestly say for me, none of them.
Why?
I've had multiple Strats though out my playing life.
Fender, G&L and Squier, and I've never bonded with any of them.
I ended up giving the Squier to a good bud, cause I couldn't even get anything decent for it if I sold it.
Same with the Tele, I've had an early 70's Tele and a 90'sG&L ASAT Classic, both great guitars, but never bonded.
It has to be the 25.5"scale length.
I keep hoping every time I buy one that this will be the one, but it never is.
Sorry Grump, this doesn't help you one bit, just had to vent.

I hope the one you get fits like a glove, and is everything you've ever hoped for.
If it's any consolation, I've always loved the look of the "Mary Kay" Strat.

 

[Hackmaster]

View attachment 8513

Quit teasing me, Robert.

 

[jtcnj]

Good luck on your choice!!
I have nothing of value to add.

This reminds me I been meaning to tap the bridge pickup to the middle tone pot on my cheapy Rondo SX SSO (strat shaped object).
I got a decent set of AL5 pickups with real pole magnets instead of the cheapy bar magnet across the bottom type deal for it.
so, when I go under the hood for that I'll do the tone thing.

 

[gball]

I can honestly say for me, none of them.
Why?
I've had multiple Strats though out my playing life.
Fender, G&L and Squier, and I've never bonded with any of them.
I ended up giving the Squier to a good bud, cause I couldn't even get anything decent for it if I sold it.
Same with the Tele, I've had an early 70's Tele and a 90'sG&L ASAT Classic, both great guitars, but never bonded.
It has to be the 25.5"scale length.
I keep hoping every time I buy one that this will be the one, but it never is.
Sorry Grump, this doesn't help you one bit, just had to vent.

I hope the one you get fits like a glove, and is everything you've ever hoped for.
If it's any consolation, I've always loved the look of the "Mary Kay" Strat.

Good points. It took switching to G&L's before I found a "Strat" that is a real keeper. I'm like you, not a fan of the scale length, and F-style guitars are the only ones I use 9's on to compensate. But...they have a sound you can't get anywhere else and can't be faked easily, so I've been through more Fender's than I can remember, a Suhr, and a few others. The only ones that have "done it" for me are the G&L's. They have that magic tone and are built incredibly well, plus are a downright bargain when you compare them to similarly-priced competition. And the icing is the bridge. Easily the best bridge design that any Strat-style guitar has (excluding Floyds and other similar contraptions - I won't do a traditional-styled guitar with one of those things).