Fender Appreciation

[lockbody]

I see a lot of cool, high-end guitars on this board. Killer stuff in all styles and shapes from some great companies. I've had a few too, mostly Hamers - V's, 27-fret superstrats, etc..., but recently I traded some unused stuff for a MIM Strat so I'd have a guitar I could leave out and not worry about my four-year old breaking.

Well, my first guitar was a Fender, a single-pickup Bronco, my first "real guitar" was a '75 Strat, and for many years I played nothing but Strats until I started buying USA Hamers about ten years ago, but within about a hour of owning the MIM I knew that I'd probably be going back to Strats again, as it felt so "right".

Since then I've upgraded the MIM significantly. Callaham trem, RS Strat upgrade kit, Sperzel locking tuners, and SD Classic Stack pickups, but with a SD Hotrails at the bridge position.

This makes it almost a good as the US Strat I just had to buy after selling my last Hamer, an '08 AmStd. This guitar is simply one of the better Stratocasters I've ever owned. Light, resonant, nice pickups, with a killer neck, and a great 3tsb finish. I love the new bridge with the return of the bent-steel saddles, too. About the only thing I've done to this one is add a JB Jr. in the bridge position and locking Schaller tuners. I thought around 10secs about getting something like a Deluxe with the S1 switching, but I'm just too much of a basics guy. K.I.S.S.

People are saying the new > '08 Strats are the best in the last fifteen years and I'd agree, a great guitar. I can get around on this one better than almost any other guitar.

Who else has an appreciation for the basics?




Here's a pic of both before I added the humbuckers to the bridge positions.

 

[Machine Gun]

Very cool! I don't currently have a strat but used to have a 35th aniv. It had lace sensor pickups which I didn't care for at the time, but the feel of that guitar was awesome. I just loved the neck. One of those guitars you just wanted to noodle around on all day.

Anyway, I would love to have another nice fender some day. Thanks for sharing the pics. Great looking guitars!

 

[lesterpaul]

really like my strat for what it does(big clean!!)

...and this is right side up,bay-bee!

 

[Don]

I love my Strat (a 2005 Hwy1 that I bought new for $500)

I replaced the bridge with a Callaham

I replaced the pickups with Fralins

Earlier this week I replaced the neck with a USACG.

The only original parts are the pickguard, pickup covers, tremolo cover plate, neck plate, jack plate and screws!!

 

[lawjac]

I have a 08 malmsteen, its a great guitar but sometimes I wish I had a 3 tone "plain" american standard. The pickups in the malmsteen are very low output, which is cool there very clean, but I think its missing some of that vintage bell bite. I have thought about a mim, but I dont know. Maybe I will just sell the thing. :?

 

[SonOfIAm]

I really enjoy my strat. It's an American Deluxe V-Neck with Kinman Blues pickups. I moved the tone control from the middle pickup to the bridge. Made the middle pickup more open and gave me more control over the bridge. Just got done repainting it from Honey Blonde to an Orange Kandy over Metallic Silver.

Before:

After:

 

[lockbody]

Wow! :shock: That's a good looking guitar.

 

[plumptone]

Huge Fender fan here. My first electric was a Fender Lead II. From there I moved up to a Strat in Olympic white, rosewood board. 1983, I think. I stupidly installed a Kahler trem and the guitar was never the same. Ended up selling both and ultimately got a 1987 strat plus. That was tolen, so then I got a 1989 strat plus. Still have that one. Also have a 2001 American Deluxe Strat and a 2003 American Tele. About a month ago I got my custom shop strat, and I'll never need another guitar. I'm a Fender player through and through, and can't get comfortable on anything else. Had a PRS for a while, but always found myself coming back to the strats. Love them.

 

[DrBazooka]

I own several guitars including 3 Strats. I'm really impressed with the 2008 model that both plays and sounds really good. I can get a superclean sound as well as a cool distorted tone with this guitar. It looks good too!!
DrBazooka

 

[plumptone]

We have similar tastes

 

[tramp]

A 2000 Malmsteen.
This ones got a demeter mid boost, graphtec ferraglide saddles, Sperzel tuners and I've just replaced the nut with a bone one!

And as of August I stripped the neck back and gave it an oil finish, superb!

She plays real well too!!!

 

[grindliner]

Bang for the buck, go for Highway 1's or Japan.

I've had an american series strat, it was ok, but I bought a MIJ 62 reissue body, put a Highway one neck on it, with an american vintage trem, sperzels, and some Robert cray custom shops, and it blew the american out of my collection, due to both playability, and sound. I now have a MIM Jimmie Vaughan body on it. Cost: $475 All of it except for the pups, and Sperzels were bought from Reliablefender/the Stratosphere on fleabay.

I think all American Fenders now including the Highway's are overpriced for what you get


When I was looking for a Tele, I was prepared to buy an American Deluxe, played every tele in the store, and went home with a Highway 1, It killed em all, and still blows my strat away.

I keep putting my tele up for sale because I have too many Red guitars, I put it on Craigslist, but when I pick it up and play it, I always end up deleting my ad!

My luthier now has me convinced to either relic the **** out of it, or do a refin. He even agrees that there's something special this particular tele, and he's played alot more Tele's than I have.

 

[ak47]

Long live the Telecaster!!!

For those of you who have not seen her before, here is my 1983 'Bowling Ball'...

 

[Turdwrangler]

Not only is fender basically a guaranteed win, the influence of the strat shape on to making super strats is awesome. My strat is freaking amazing for any style, and my RG is fantastic for how I have it set up.