Calling all guitarists

[Tomrabbit]

It depends if you are going to play it live too. Seems Strats are more temperamental for that. I've had and played some great strats. I like the early 60's ones best or if you like Maple the late 50's play great. My bud has a great one of those.

But I always let my hands decide. In 75 I bought a Les Paul Standard ( new ) and tried at least a dozen of the same model and they all felt a lil different to me. Finally picked one and I still have it. ( I've had 2 '59s and a Les Paul SG 1961 )

And the suggestion by mhschmieder to try a Jazzmaster might be an option... I had a great 62 Jaguar. Depends what you are looking for. Different feel and sound. But you can change the sound quite a bit with amplification.... but not the feel of a guitar. So it has to feel right in your hands, that's when you know you have it. No matter what it is.

A Broadcaster would be the ultimate Tele, if you could find one. I'm not sure if you are looking for vintage or new. Some of the newer ones feel good. A few years back I bought a cheaper Strat that felt really good and swapped out all the electronics for stuff I got from the Fender Store. It's actually pretty nice but I have not played out with it.

If you are looking at new ones I would just go play as many as you could and that will tell you a lot. I know this is all pretty general advise but there is no single or simple answer. Talk to the hands. They will tell you when you find IT.

[Guitar Gaz]

As a Les Paul owner, and a Telecaster Custom, I wouldn't buy a Strat but there you go - however you are in good company if you do get one. You need to try different guitars and the one you get will let you know it's the one for you. If you must get a Strat type guitar, you could do worse than look at other makes other than Fender. Blade and Vigier spring to mind but there are others too. I have many guitars but would love to be going out and choosing another one - so enjoy.....

[Frodo]

Do you prefer maple, rosewood, or other for the fretboard? Or no advance preference?

American--- alder. But, no money has been spent yet. In fact, my car is in "the shop" overnight at this very moment. Can you say "uh-oh"?

More important than my own advanced preferences are the opinions of other guitarists. I'm all ears now. I'll be all fingers (and all broke) at a later date.

Thanks for the insights!! Hobbit still listening....

[Frodo]

Talk to the hands. They will tell you when you find IT.

Or-- let the hands talk to you and keep yourself out of the discussion?

The hands "know"-- and dirty hands bring experience to the table, don't they?

Good folks, I'm really enjoying reading your posts. You have NO IDEA how much!!

As for Fender vs options, today it's about a Strat and/or a Tele.

For those who know me, I'm a hopeless and unsalvageable Beatle fan. I've got a Casino, 3 Rickenbackers, and two Gretsches. I'm in "Rocky" mode at this point. Only a true Beatle fan would know what "Rocky" means. That's why the focus is on Fender at this time.

It's not just about Beatles. There are gobs of R&B and rock tracks with the Strat signature all over them. Do the initials EVH ring a bell? Serious Strat guy he is. Also--- as n2 mentioned-- SRV. I'm also a Robert Cray fan as well. But I also realize that it's not so much the instrument as it is the musician.

Anyway, I want "that sound" and don't really have it. I've been able to fake it (believe it or not) with a Gretsch Duo-Jet. Please don't ask me how or why. Sometimes ya just gotta go for the real deal. If something calls for a Strat you need a Strat.

If this half-price sale I'm anticipating next month is really genuine, then I could have both a decent Strat and a Tele for the price of one instrument.

All that said--- keep the guitar chat going. I'm learning a lot about how each of you plays from what you're posting. This is good stuff!!

Thanks again.

[bayswater]

I'm in the "doesn't matter where it's made" camp. I had a 62/63 strat (left handed) I bought in the late 60s and lost in the early 70s. It was perfect. When I started looking for another one years later, none of them seemed right until I came across a $500 Mexican strat. It was just what I remember, sound and feel, from the 60s. A couple of annoyances, like the knobs are backwards (left handed) but I can live with that.

[daniel.sneed]

Trying to help clear, or darken, the discussion :
I may love the sound and feel of a guitar in the hands of a musician, but if I strap it, plug it and play it, I'm sometimes very disappointed.
And some of my own favorite guitars won't say anything to some of my friends' fingers.

[billf]

Opinions vary widely from the group the thinks anything made after 1957 is a waste of money to the group that thinks a Squire model is good enough. As always, the answer lies in the middle. I'm suspicious of the artist-named models as well as the road-worn garbage.

Frodo,


I'm Strat all the way. But what sound are you looking for? In what context(s) will the guitar be used? As for quality, I tend to agree with you, I stay away from the road-worn choices, and as for the artist-named models, there is bound to be some mark-up in the price for the privilege of adding the "name" to the model, which may or may not be worth it to you (it isn't to me). My rule-of-thumb is always buy the best guitar you can afford, but steer clear of gimmicks such as artist names imprinted on the guitar. And try before you buy. In the end it has to be about how it feels and sounds to you.

[mhschmieder]

I've never seen alder for the fretboard, but I suppose it's no different than making a single-piece maple neck that forms its own fretboard.

[mhschmieder]

I used to feel that way about signature series instruments, until recently discovering that Fender and Ibanez may be exceptions to this rule, being that they seem to reserve quality for certain signature models and don't make non-signature versions.

Being primarily a bassist, I may be thinking more of the basses from these companies, such as the Gary Willis fretless from Ibanez and the Tony Franklin fretless from Fender. But in recent surveys of current models, via the website at least (I can't find many of these in stores), it looks like the best Fender Strats may be Jeff Beck and a few other signature models as well (such as Mark Knopfler).

At the NAMM Show, I have seen several artists cussing out vendors for low quality on the signature series that bears their name.

These weren't guitars, and to protect privacy I won't divulge what they were, but it formed an early impression on me that signature series are a gimmick. Yet I consider the Tony Franklin to be the best current fretless bass.

[Frodo]

Opinions vary widely from the group the thinks anything made after 1957 is a waste of money to the group that thinks a Squire model is good enough. As always, the answer lies in the middle. I'm suspicious of the artist-named models as well as the road-worn garbage.

Frodo,


I'm Strat all the way.

You avatar says it all!

But what sound are you looking for?

There's some classic R&B, rock, and blues that I've enjoyed on various Fenders. Granted, a lot of sounds I'm looking for are not on Fenders at all, but that's another shopping spree altogether. With Eddie vH on one end and Robert Cray on the other, there's Hendrix and Clapton in the mix as well. With Teles, I like Andy Summers' sound on the one hand. I also like Springsteen's-- it's not boutique, just raw, just *is*. I'm also a big fan of the Tele work done by various Beatles back in the day.

That's not to compare the players to one another, but just a small example of the sounds I enjoy. I realize that much has to do with outboard gear and important customizations as well, but I'm working to build upon that arsenal.

My goal is not to imitate everything I hear and like rather than to find good down-the-middle instruments as a kick off.

In what context(s) will the guitar be used?

Studio almost exclusively.

As for quality, I tend to agree with you, I stay away from the road-worn choices, and as for the artist-named models, there is bound to be some mark-up in the price for the privilege of adding the "name" to the model, which may or may not be worth it to you (it isn't to me).

Yes, there is a placebo attached to artist-named models. I'm suspicious of them, but am not 100% opposed to them IF there is something of spec worth having. It's true that every instrument is different and every player is even more different. I really admire n2's SRV model, but I'm certain that I don't need to lay out that kind of cash for what I need.

My rule-of-thumb is always buy the best guitar you can afford, but steer clear of gimmicks such as artist names imprinted on the guitar. And try before you buy. In the end it has to be about how it feels and sounds to you.

Absolutely. Isn't that the case with most everything?

Thanks, Bill.

[Frodo]

Trying to help clear, or darken, the discussion :
I may love the sound and feel of a guitar in the hands of a musician, but if I strap it, plug it and play it, I'm sometimes very disappointed.
And some of my own favorite guitars won't say anything to some of my friends' fingers.

This is very important, and I think several people have posted variations on this sentiment. Everyone's hands are built differently. Everyone learned to play differently and to refine their techniques differently. Every instrument responds to any single player differently. The possibilities and considerations quickly increase exponentially.

Guitars (and just about any instrument) are a lot like women. Each one is unique, and it's a matter of finding the right match! When you do, you hold on and don't let go!

[daniel.sneed]

[...]Guitars (and just about any instrument) are a lot like women. [...]

There are a few difference though, the first to come in mind is they don't let you down!

[n2mpujack]

Frodo:
You mention Clapton's sound - you have to ask which era? Early EC was a Tele in the Yardbirds, humbuckers/Gibsons in Cream (Les Pauls, an SG, an ES335 type along with a Thunderbird at one point) then he went to Strats after that. Blackie was traditional single coils, the first EC signature Strat (the one I have) was Gold Lace Sensors and his current sig model has Vintage Noiseless. And both signature models have the same electronics - a TBX tone control and a mid-boost circuit powered by a 9 volt battery. This mid-boost circuitry really ups the drive from the axe - really thickens up the sound (and the volume).

[n2mpujack]

[...]Guitars (and just about any instrument) are a lot like women. [...]

There are a few difference though, the first to come in mind is they don't let you down!

Guitars or women?

[Frodo]

[...]Guitars (and just about any instrument) are a lot like women. [...]

There are a few difference though, the first to come in mind is they don't let you down!

Guitars or women?

It may be wise to just leave it at "they".