Fender Strat, is it worth buying?
José Luís Agapito
I have a Yamaha Pacifica 112, and I am thinking on buying another
guitar, a Fender Stratocaster. After going to my local Fender dealer, I´ve
become owner of a bit of a problem: on one hand I can buy a Fender Standard
Strat, made in Mexico, wich is cheaper (less than half the price) than the
American Strat, wich is very very expensive (for me...).
In order to solve my problem, can anybody post your oppinion about these
two Fender guitars, telling if you think the price difference makes sense,
if it´s worth changing my Pacifica for a Fender Standard Strat (the
Mexican)?
It would be great if anybody could give me some hints...
Thanks in advance!
José Luís Agapito
Chuck
<ze.ag...@netc.pt> wrote:
> It would be great if anybody could give me some hints...
Some people can tell the differences and some can't. Obviously, if
someone cannot tell the difference then there is no sense in that
person paying the difference in price. So, bottom line, only José can
decide if the difference is worth it for José.
Some of the Mexican Starts that I have looked over in stores are a
great value. But so are the American made Strats a great value ..._IF_
you can tell the difference. ;o)
Chuck
<ze.ag...@netc.pt> wrote:
> It would be great if anybody could give me some hints...
Some people can tell the differences and some can't. Obviously, if
Steve Dix
>On Wed, 20 Jun 2001 14:10:40 +0100, "José Luís Agapito"
><ze.ag...@netc.pt> wrote:
>Some of the Mexican Starts that I have looked over in stores are a
>great value.
A mexican Start? Is that anything like a mexican standoff?
=========================================================
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Jeff Vasey
some brand new with broken truss rods, blown pots, miswired toggle switches and
ungrounded jacks and bridges. The US models are definitely worth the difference
in price, but the Mexicans are mostly crap, with the occasional nice one kicking
around. I'd never take a Mexican strat over a Yamaha
Jeff
"José Luís Agapito" wrote:
--
GIF89a;
Hawkeye
Ditto on the Yamaha. I've got a Yamaha fretless bass that I've owned for
years and have played for forever. It's a quality instrument. Well
made. Well balanced. Beautiful look. Beatiful sound. Feels like a dream to
the fingertips when I play it. It's one of the best investments that I've
ever made.
-Hawkeye-
Jose I. de las Heras
>
> Stick with the Yamaha. Mexican Strats are like a lottery ticket. I've seen
> some brand new with broken truss rods, blown pots, miswired toggle switches and
> ungrounded jacks and bridges. The US models are definitely worth the difference
> in price, but the Mexicans are mostly crap, with the occasional nice one kicking
> around. I'd never take a Mexican strat over a Yamaha
> Jeff
I think absolute statements such as these are very very misleading.
There are lots of very nice mexican strats... I agree some may have
faults, but those should be a minority and you should notice before you
buy, or get it fixed/replaced under your warranty. But most would be
"mechanically sound". And hey, the feeling you get from a particular
guitar is a bit subjective, so it comes down to trying it for yourself
and see. My brother wouldn't touch my Gordon Smith GS1 with a 10 ft
stick, and I just loved it...
Jose, owner of a nice mexican strat, minus the hat
PS: by the way, how do you *blow* a pot?
Michael Cowley
"Jose I. de las Heras" wrote:
>
>
> PS: by the way, how do you *blow* a pot?
by playing too loud, silly :)
Mike
Jose I. de las Heras
so, it's not done like this, then? :-o
(puts face like blowing the candles on his birthday cake...)
Jose, quickly running away
Kirk Bennett
beautiful. But my first guitar was a black american made Fender
Stratocaster. I still have both and would not trade either of them! As
for the strat, I heard some horror stories about the quality of the
materials and workmanship that make up the Mexican Strats. One of the
big differencs that everybody missed, is that if you ever have to sell
it, you will get more of your purchase price back on the american strat.
In some cases its value will even increase, but you will be lucky to get
half your money back on a mexican. In the end it is up to you if you can
justify spending the extra dough! But what ever you do, try not to sell
your Yamaha, you will miss it. I think I will be buying another guitar
in the not too distant future!
P&R
of their higher end models are excellent. If my memory serves me correctly
the Pacifica 112 is far from the high end of Yamaha guitars, that doesn't
make it a bad guitar, but I do think that you can find a MIM Strat that you
will like better. If you buy from a reputable guitar retailer (preferably
one that specializes in guitars) they should find any guitars that have the
types of problems that Jeff describes, and ship them back to Fender post
haste. I sat in my favorite local guitar store and tried about a dozen MIM
Stratocastors and Telecastors and didn't find a problem with any of them.
If Jeff is running into the types of problems he describes here I suspect
that he is shopping in the wrong guitar store. I would take my money and
run as fast as I could out of a store that would put guitars on display with
the kind of problems that Jeff describes. The US model Fenders are better
than the Made in Mexico models, but unless you can really tell the
difference is it worth more than twice the price of a made in Mexico guitar
to you. Yes Jeff is right the American Made instrument does hold its value
better, but how soon do you intend to sell. If money is no object sure get
the $700 + American made Strat, if you are a hobbyist on a budget like I am
I think you can find a made in Mexico that you will be very happy with. I
got mine for $319.00 which is pretty much the going rate.
PS if you can swing it keep the Yamaha as a backup, you probably won't get
all that much on a trade in anyway. You can leave it out on a stand on pick
it up when you only have a few minutes to play.
--
Ray from Rochester, NY
Trombone, Euphonium, Keyboard,
Guitar Player, and Mandolin Player wanna be.
Jeff Vasey <jva...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3B36BA85...@sympatico.ca...
Jeff Vasey
haphazard at best. As a guitar teacher I've seen over 50 students buy them in the
"Strat Pack" promotion, and more than half had some problem from the factory. And a
blown pot is one that no longer varies it's resistance.
Jeff
"Jose I. de las Heras" wrote:
--
GIF89a;
Jeff Vasey
(about 50), buying at various stores. Most stores don't spend much time going
over $250 guitars, and therefore many substandard instruments are sold. Also,
since when is quality control the retailers responsibility. If Fender did a
proper job at the factory, these guitars wouldn't be leaving it.
Also, having once run a used guitar store, I can tell you I was offered 3 a
day, and only 1/3 was worth buying. I'd only pay $80 for them because it
usually took me 3hours work to get them setup and properly wired.
I know I'm probably offending a lot of people who bought these guitars, but
people need to wake up and realize the Fender name is no longer a guaranty of a
quality guitar. If you want a cheaper strat, and are stuck on Fender, shop
around for a used 80's Japanese model. They're far, far better than the
Mexicans flying out of the shops these days.
Jeff
P&R wrote:
--
GIF89a;
Hawkeye
That reminds me... I once owned a Yamaha acoustic/electric made of
Brazilian Rosewood. It produced the most beautiful sounds, but like an
idiot I sold it. I have long regretted that decision, as I've rarely heard
other acoustics like it.
-Hawkeye-
José Luís Figueiredo Agapito
By reading your statements I can see that there´s a big variety of
oppinions, there are guys that think that the Mexican Strat is crap, and
otherwise people saying that it´s a must... So I followed some of your
advices, and went to the music store again to check the American and the
Mexican Strat.
After being there for more than one hour (I think if I stayed a little
longer the owner would kick me off the store : p), I´ve made my choice (and
the winner is...). I think that the difference between the Mexican Strat and
my Pacifica, isn´t big enought to buy the Mex Strat.
The American Strat... well it´s from another dimmension, and I must say that
for the price, it´s worth buying! Since I play with my fingers, I think that
on the American Strat you can get that "human touch" that´s not so easily
heard on the Mexican, and the finish and hardware are really good on the
American Strat, way ahead the Mex. Otherwise, one think that worried me is
the future complications that can appear on the guitar (neck problems,
intonation problems, electrical failures...), and I think that the American
Strat looks more relliable, and less propicious to problems in the future.
So I think I´ll wait to see my bank account growing something more, and then
I´ll buy the American Strat (three colour sunburst is my favorite...).
Once again thank you for your advices, and keep rocking on!
José Luís Agapito
J A Sims
I have one of those bright sickly blue Mexi-Strats, it's a couple of years
old now. It was a fairish trade in, I handed in one of those Epiphone
Melody Maker looking things (cheap but not bad) and a bit of cash. On
the scratch plate the Mexi-Strat had a sticker referring to Texas Pickups,
in actual fact I think what the sticker should have said is "fairly hot
humbucker in the bridge position", now the only reason I initially kept
this guitar is the vast array of sounds it can supply just from the toggle
and tone switches (no tone on the humbucker obviously) but the setup was
to be frank, truly awful, I was thinking about this, and couldn't think of
any other product that would be sold for X hundreds of pounds and not
in a useable condition. I mean imagine if you bought a portable cd player
an expensive one but you got it home and it became apparent that you had
to leave it with a nimble fingered electronics expert because it wouldn't
play tracks 8 through 16 properly! You catch my drift. Anyway I
eventually left this guitar with the multi-talented Andy Manners (worked
for Ivor Mairants in London in the 70's) here in Bath, when I got it
back from Andy it was like a completely different instrument, I'm not
saying custom shop Jeff Beck special or anything, but VERY PLAYABLE
Andy said "the truss rod was completely loose", and the whole whammy
bar mechanism was totally wrong. So what I would say is, if you see
a Mexi-Strat and you like the colour, and its got some decent pickups
on it, and you have got some cash, make them throw in a hardcase. Buy
it, and immediately take it to a trusted guitar setup person, tell
him what gauge of strings you like (I do think Fender Bulletts help
with whammy stuff) and leave it with him till he phones you.
Then play it till it is worn out.
Julian the second
--
Junior Mctavish Allstars
~~~
Stan Barr
> I know I'm probably offending a lot of people who bought these guitars, but
>people need to wake up and realize the Fender name is no longer a guaranty of a
>quality guitar.
It never was...you always had to be picky when buying a Fender, I remember
seeing some horrors back in the '60/'70s. There was a rumour at one time
that Fender shipped all the junkers over here to the UK and kept the best
for US customers...
--
Cheers,
Stan Barr st...@dial.pipex.com
The future was never like this!
Julian
"J A Sims" <hss...@bath.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:GFJ8uB.26...@bath.ac.uk...
>
> I have one of those bright sickly blue Mexi-Strats, it's a couple of years
> old now. It was a fairish trade in, I handed in one of those Epiphone
> Melody Maker looking things (cheap but not bad) and a bit of cash. On
> the scratch plate the Mexi-Strat had a sticker referring to Texas Pickups,
> in actual fact I think what the sticker should have said is "fairly hot
> humbucker in the bridge position
snip of good setup advice....
>
> Julian the second
>
It must be in the name - I also purchased a bright blue mexi-strat, had it
professionally setup & loved it. I recently bought from a UKMGer a Seymour
Duncan hotrails for the bridge (it had a single coil initially). Great
sounds!
Thinking about getting it re-setup, as I now use heavier strings. Also
considering a stoptail, as I don't do whammy......
Cheers
Julian (the first?)
Jose I. de las Heras
>
> The American Strat... well it´s from another dimmension, and I must say that
> for the price, it´s worth buying! Since I play with my fingers, I think that
> on the American Strat you can get that "human touch" that´s not so easily
> heard on the Mexican, and the finish and hardware are really good on the
> American Strat, way ahead the Mex. Otherwise, one think that worried me is
> the future complications that can appear on the guitar (neck problems,
> intonation problems, electrical failures...), and I think that the American
> Strat looks more relliable, and less propicious to problems in the future.
>
> So I think I´ll wait to see my bank account growing something more, and then
> I´ll buy the American Strat (three colour sunburst is my favorite...).
>
> Once again thank you for your advices, and keep rocking on!
>
> José Luís Agapito
Congratulations... you're the latest victim of GAS! :-)
enjoy your guitar! (three color sunburst... nice!)
Jose
--
Dr. Jose I. de las Heras Email: Jose.de...@hgu.mrc.ac.uk
MRC Human Genetics Unit Tel: (0131) 3322471
Chromosome Biology Section ext: 2121 (office)
Western General Hospital 2301 (lab)
Edinburgh EH4 2XU Fax: (0131) 3432620
Scotland - United Kingdom
"Musha ring dum a doo dum a da, Whack for my daddy-o"
Geoffrey Inett
it. I have a Yamaha 312, which is basically a flashier 112. The Fender was
well built, somewhat heavier than the Yam, had a beautiful creamy sound on
the neck PU. It seemed well built, at least as good as the Yam, and I quite
fancy one. However I'm a tad concerned about the other postings here about
the Mex Strats. Perhaps you have to be careful when buying. The thing about
Yams is that the quality control is so good, I doubt if there's such a thing
as a bad one. The other thing to consider is a higher spec Pacifica. I'm
rather partial to the 812W, and look forward to trying one some day.
Mike Whitaker
> I borrowed a Mexican Strat from a friend for a weekend recently, and loved
> it. I have a Yamaha 312, which is basically a flashier 112. The Fender was
> well built, somewhat heavier than the Yam, had a beautiful creamy sound on
> the neck PU. It seemed well built, at least as good as the Yam, and I
> quite fancy one. However I'm a tad concerned about the other postings here
> about the Mex Strats. Perhaps you have to be careful when buying.
I think ultimately, barring reliability issues other owners bring to light
that you can't know at time of purchase, the only criterion that won't
drive you crazy is 'do I like it enough to want to own it?'.
--
Mike Whitaker: mi...@altrion.org
Guitar stash: http://www.altrion.org/guitars.html
UKMG Homepage: http://www.ukmg.org.uk/
Hifijunkies
for live gigs and recording. The only reason he sold it was he bought a custom
shop. When I got it, it was set up to perfection and plays and sounds like a
dream. My normal guitar is an ovation which is a work of art. However the mex
strat is an absolute gem, may be I got lucky but I will never sell it. Is it
possible that the Arctic white ones with a blond neck are the ones to go for? I
have heard some US models sound dreadful and lack the sustain of mine. I think
that if you find a good Mex then you should buy it. They cost nothing and can
sound great.
Pman
No Busking
> As described in a post a few minutes ago, my experience is with many
students
> (about 50), buying at various stores. Most stores don't spend much time
going
> over $250 guitars, and therefore many substandard instruments are sold.
Also,
> since when is quality control the retailers responsibility. If Fender did
a
> proper job at the factory, these guitars wouldn't be leaving it.
Are you sure they were MIM Strat's in the Strat pack? Strat Packs usually
contain Squier "Affinity" Strats (either Korean or Chinese...not sure).
Yes, the quality on those instruments is pretty questionable.
MIM Strat Packs generally come with Blues Junior amps, have either the 50's
or 60's "Vintage" Strat and cost about $850. If you've had 50 students
spending that much on their initial rigs, you live in a LOT better
neighborhood than I do. The Squier Strat package goes for about $230...a
MIM Standard Strat alone goes for about $320.
I guess my standards aren't as high as you guys. I'm pretty impressed with
the MIM stuff on a value-for-money basis, and have only found a few very
minor (and correctable) QC issues among the dozens that I've played. There
*have* been setup issues...but I've certainly seen lots of $1000 plus
instruments leave the store with lousy setups as well. My main gigging
instrument is a MIM Telecaster Thinline which I've played for about almost 2
years...it's been a great axe.
American Series Strats are nice...but the difference is mainly down to the
component pieces, not quality control. There's nothing wrong with the Made
in Mexico instruments.
--
Michael Pugh
GAX70
>
>I have one of those bright sickly blue Mexi-Strats, it's a couple of years
>old now.
snip
>So what I would say is, if you see a Mexi-Strat and you like the colour,
Herein lies my biggest prob with the Standard line, color, or LACK of
it, just AWFUL choices. They should call it the Model T line. That
blue is hideous, midnight wine might be the best of em and it's almost
black.
P&R
I think I see the problem here, when you mention the strat pack, the strat
pack doesn't include the Standard Stratocastor, which is what most people
refer to as the made in Mexico Stratocastor guitar. The guitar in the strat
Packs are Fender Squires (which are made in Mexico). Fender Squires can be
bought here for about $125.00 the Standard Stratocastor (which is made in
Mexico) is about a $329.00 guitar and three times better than the Squire.
It is easy to confuse the Standard Strat with the squire since they are both
made in Mexico, but they are not the Same. The other problem with the Strat
pack is that retailers leave them boxed up and don't check them out before
they sell them.
--
Ray from Rochester, NY
Trombone, Euphonium, Keyboard,
Guitar Player, and Mandolin Player wanna be.
Jeff Vasey <jva...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3B38050E...@sympatico.ca...
Tim Alter
made in mexico
"P&R" <ray....@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:9hav6e$cla0$1...@newssvr06-en0.news.prodigy.com...
nothin'fan
Fender brand for our daughter about 5 years ago. We were purchasing a bass
for her (new), and the person that we got it from had just refurbished it
(the Fender) and offered it to us for $100 so we either got ripped off or a
great deal. My question is this...where do I look for identifying marks to
determine what kind it is?
thanks,
Susie
Stan Barr <st...@dial.pipex.com> wrote in message
news:slrn9jggsg...@citadel.metropolis.local...
P&R
to confuse it with the Standard Made in Mexico Model.
--
Ray from Rochester, NY
Trombone, Euphonium, Keyboard,
Guitar Player, and Mandolin Player wanna be.
Tim Alter <f16bl...@home.com> wrote in message
news:268_6.130383$DG1.21...@news1.rdc1.mi.home.com...
Jeff Vasey
decent is really high.
Jeff
Stan Barr wrote:
--
GIF89a;
caveman
I would recommend trying to find a good used american strat on e-bay or
somewhere else, which you can afford. I have a 1977 Fender Strat which I
would NEVER sell it is the best guitar I have ever owned. Stay away from the
squires unless you are not very serious. You need to look carefully at the
harware tuners etc. I prefer the clear or sunburst finish, since most of the
painted imported fenders have chipboard bodies! There is a reason why EC,
SRV, and Jimi all use Strats they are the best for that type of music, and
you get a better emotional workout since you need more personal push with
standard fender pickups than with humbuckers as on most guitars. If you
start out with a better guitar your playing will sound much better much
quicker, instead of always trying to adjust and repair a cheap guitar which
will always be a cheap guitar.
"x" <x@x.x> wrote in message news:9gqlt1$a8p$1...@venus.telepac.pt...
> The guys at Diapasão are chulos!
> Experimenta na Loja de Musica do Centro Comercial de Alverca (Naspauder) e
> vê outras marcas...
> Mas Experimenta! Às vezes o som Fender está noutras guitarras + baratas!
>
> Sharkman
>
> (Sorry for posting a message in portuguese... but we're both portuguese,
> so...)
>
> José Luís Agapito wrote in message <9gq84u$j86$1...@venus.telepac.pt>...
Jonas
It's a known fact to guitar buyers/ sellers that a vintage of the squier was
BETTER than the original a few years back, i don't remember if it was the
´95 model... whatever. Aparently that year Fender hit an alltime low and
Squier, i think it was the Japan made Squier, made a better strat then
Fender itself!
If you find a guitar guru who knows everything about fender or guitars in
general ask him about it.. and i would get the serials of those models and
try to get one!!
;-)
Keep rockin' in the free world... or somethin' ..
caveman <ho...@mail.tds.net> wrote in message
news:CHF_6.4440$446.6...@ratbert.tds.net...
Mark Seery
stunning. Lookout for a large Fender logo on the headstock with Squire
written underneath in small print.
MS
Jonas <jon...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:MYJ_6.10182$e5.2...@newsfeeds.bigpond.com...
Steve Denison
currently the Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Strat (Made in Mexico) seems like
the best "Deal" for a Strat...has a very similiar feel to it as the
Clapton Signature model, with the deep "V" neck. The Made In Japan
stuff (more specifically the "Vintage" series) has improved IMMENSELY in
the past 5 years or so...but still, the best QUALITY of all Strats &
Teles are the ones made in the Corona, California plant in the good ol'
USofA.
ALL Fender guitars from '65-78 or so (whenever the era that CBS owned
Fender) were pretty much crap...I'm surprised that Fender has a
"Vintage" series from that era.
Jeff Vasey
Steve Denison wrote:
>
>
> ALL Fender guitars from '65-78 or so (whenever the era that CBS owned
> Fender) were pretty much crap...I'm surprised that Fender has a
> "Vintage" series from that era.
This is a load of crap. I've had two preCBS Tele's a 90's Tele, and a 74
Tele and the 74 was the best of the bunch. As well I had a 71 Precission
that I deeply regret parting with. I've never found another bass that
matched it's tone. The only people who disparage the CBS stuff are elitist
collectors who spend more time on resale values than actual playability and
tone, and people who regurgitate whatever they hear.
Jeff
--
GIF89a;
BJ
BJ
Twip
Charvelle is NOT a Strat and a Kalamazoo is definatly NOT a Strat
If you want Strat sound .......
Do yourself a HUGE favor, and get the one and only Fender Stratocaster.
Don't let anyone else convince you otherwise.
If you want Strat sound, and you go for something else, you will be
disappointed and it may even lead to you to start hating your instrument.
(this happened to me, and it really sucks). I am going to purchase a new MIM
Strat as soon as I get the time and the cash together!!
Bryan Pilgrim
Gorblimey
"Twip" <b_pilg(nospaam)@hotmail(nospaam).com> wrote in message
news:tkh572b...@corp.supernews.com...
>I am going to purchase a new MIM
> Strat as soon as I get the time and the cash together!!
>
> Bryan Pilgrim
Interesting thought. It's possible that the MIM fenders are going to be as
interesting in 10-20 year's time as the USA ones are now. Certainly the
build quality will be as good, and as variable....
P
Jay Sottolano
Nice thing about the MIM Strats is the ability to make a big difference with
a small upgrade. I just switched the stamped metal saddles out for Graphtech
String savers, and replaced the bone nut with a TUSQ nut (I had replaced the
tuning machines with locking Schallers a little bit ago). Bottom line, tuners,
new nut and saddles cost a total of around $80, and you wouldn't believe what a
great tone the guitar now has. The sustain is improved, the note clarity... I
love it...
Jay S.
Gorblimey
Jay Sottolano <sot...@home.com> wrote in message
news:3B48F779...@home.com...
> Bryan (and all)
> Nice thing about the MIM Strats is the ability to make a big
difference with
> a small upgrade. I just switched the stamped metal saddles out for
Graphtech
> String savers, and replaced the bone nut with a TUSQ nut (I had replaced
the
> tuning machines with locking Schallers a little bit ago). Bottom line,
tuners,
> new nut and saddles cost a total of around $80, and you wouldn't believe
what a
> great tone the guitar now has. The sustain is improved, the note
clarity... I
> love it...
>
> Jay S.
That's interesting - what's a TUSQ nut? If I made the same changes to my
Squier, would they improve it? Or do I have to go down the road with pickups
as well?
Pete
Steve Denison
Jeff Vasey wrote:
>
> The only people who disparage the CBS stuff are elitist
> collectors who spend more time on resale values than actual playability and
> tone, and people who regurgitate whatever they hear.
> Jeff
>
I take offense. Real PLAYERS disparage the crap that Fender/CBS
made...if you got more than one playable axe from that era, you're one
fucking lucky person who should be playing the Lotto. I've owned 5
Strats from that era and never got ONE that was playable. Never kept
any of them for more than a few months. The Ibanez Challenger's of that
time frame were closer to a real Strat than anything Fender made at the
time...hence Fender's eventual lawsuit; and subsequent start of their
"vintage" series guitars...which basically saved Fender's reputation
Jeff Vasey
haven't played Strat's in 12 years, and will never buy another one.
Jeff
Steve Denison wrote:
--
GIF89a;
ExaltedOne
"Steve Denison" <sden...@calstate.edu> wrote in message
news:3B49ED7C...@calstate.edu...
:
:
: Jeff Vasey wrote:
: >
: > The only people who disparage the CBS stuff are elitist
: > collectors who spend more time on resale values than actual playability
and
: > tone, and people who regurgitate whatever they hear.
: > Jeff
: >
:
:
: I take offense. Real PLAYERS disparage the crap that Fender/CBS
: made...if you got more than one playable axe from that era, you're one
: fucking lucky person who should be playing the Lotto. I've owned 5
: Strats from that era and never got ONE that was playable. Never kept
: any of them for more than a few months.
Why did you buy 5 guitars that weren't playable? Did you play them before
you bought them?
Steve Denison
>
> Why did you buy 5 guitars that weren't playable? Did you play them before
> you bought them?
There's a world of difference between playing a guitar in the store for
an hour or two with a salesman breathing down your neck & 10 other guys
around the store causing a big cacophony, and playing them 6 nights a
week, 6 hrs a night in a working situation. Just kept trying until I
gave up on Strats from 74 to 83 and switched to a Les Paul. When Fender
came out with the Vintage Reissue series in 1983, I had to break down &
get one...that 1957 Reissue was the best Strat I've ever played in my
life, they don't make the necks with that radical of a "V" neck anymore
(except on the Clapton Signature model); plus they put twice the varnish
on the neck as they did. In the year and half I owned it, I got down to
bare wood on the fretboard, whereas after 10 years on my current Strat I
haven't even come close to bare wood...wonder if I ever will. Anyway, I
hope the son-of-a-bitch that broke into my apartment in 1985 and stole
it gets arthritis so bad he can't hold a pen to sign his name, much less
play a guitar. Anyway, I digress. I've had 5 Strats since then (not all
57 reissues though, so a comparison is kind of moot), and none have had
the same feel as that one...close but there's just that "something"
missing. My main guitar however is a Turner Model 1 (aka "The Lindsey
Buckingham guitar"). Now there's a versatile, well-made guitar...but,
still need a Strat, since its the only guitar to get that authentic
"Strat" sound (like Knopfler & Clapton)