It may be cheap but...

lincolnblue

Pictured is my Strat copy named as "Harkness Special". It was bought in 1996 when I was just 13 with money given by my late Grandmother and was branded "Legend". I was told by the shop assistant it was build by a company owned by Fender although I think I just fell for that as a kid.

http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab250/lincolnblue/IMAG0273.jpg

It was a cheap, £115 guitar and did me well until I bought something else. However, in recent years I found the nec to be warped and so took it to local luthier Chris George who worked on the neck for me and put on a custom "Harkness" decal (My Grandmother's surname).

Other than that, it's all stock - I am thinking about changing the pickups though to make it sound more Strat-y.

So it's a cheap guitar, 20 years old, with sentimental value. However, it really does play brilliantly. Maybe it's because of its sentimental value but it is my go-to electric. It has songs written within it and is a dream to play. 

As much as I'd love a vintage Strat, I can't help but think I'll never get anything as good or as natural to play. 

Anyone else got similar stories of cheap, sentimental guitars that far out-weigh a £3,000 axe?

stimpsonslostson

I had a Legend Telecaster clone… I was under the impression that there was some connection to the Aria brand rather than Fender. It was pretty good.

I love to see people keeping good guitars regardless of the name on the headstock (although you have that covered both figuratively and literally!)

57Deluxe

My late Grandmother left me £50 and I used it to buy a Fender Strat in '75...

blueskunk

I'll do u a favour and give u £60 for that silly old strat ^^^^^

robwright

blueskunk said:

I'll do u a favour and give u £60 for that silly old strat ^^^^^

Very naughty blueskunk - a '75 Strat has to be worth £100 now!

freakboy1610

I won't part with my Samick Les Paul copy which I paid £80 for. It's got plenty of scratches and scrapes but it plays superbly.

BigMonka

I've still got, and regularly play, the Squier strat I got for Christmas when I was 12. The pickups could probably do with an upgrade but the neck plays beautifully - well it does to me, but then it was the guitar I spent my teens and 20s playing so it's probably more the fact that I know it so well rather than because it's great.

Is it better than a £3k axe? I'll let you know if I ever get to play something that nice (

frankus

I've got a Suhr in 2006 and an 84 Strat (the lame year) I got in 92 (when I was 20) - the Strat is like a pair of old slippers.

I don't have the Ibanez EX-120BL I got in 93 and I played constantly for years.. I sold it to help pay for the Suhr - kudos to you guys for, as my youngest son's school motto goes "hold fast to that which is good"

stickyfiddle

I still play my first-guitar Squier Strat regularly. Granted it's been modded a HELL OF A LOT. But it's still my first guitar as far as I'm concerned and up there with my Gibson CS336, which is my actual best electric.

Dave_Vader

This is not a Fender, it was an Oakland Strat copy I was given in 1989. Jap apparently, but no information anywhere about it. I've replaced every part of it except the body over the years, and it's still my no 1 guitar. No idea what they cost new, but probably not lots.

robwright

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