This has probably been commented on before (I may even have done so), but if one is looking in the used market for a decent Strat, how does one know which ones are worth considering and which ones to dismiss.
It seems that in the last couple of years Fender has made a Strat for every conceivable price point. There are just so many!
I definitely won't want to spend any more than about a grand, and probably a good deal less than that.
I would try to find a nice Classic Player but they seem quite rare. The 50s Original I really like but again are scarce and over budget when they do come up. The Road Worn series suffer from the same problem.
The American Standard have always been a bit hit and miss in my experience, some are very mediocre while others are outstanding.
So, those models aside, which ones are worth looking at?
TIA
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
Comments
They're a maple neck screwed to an alder, ash, basswood or poplar body, with pickups suspended from a piece of plastic and some basic electronic components. This means there are lots of brands that give their own take on it, and it really makes it hard to answer well.
6 point or modern 2 point trem, or hardtail? Do you like a wood-feeling board or a lacquered board? Big frets or little frets? All singles, or hsh or hss?
So many options, it is genuinely probably worth waiting a few months and booking into a store to try a whole bunch out. One might be an obvious winner.
Ash would be nice, alder is also good, not so keen on poplar or basswood.
Same with the board, not an issue really whether it's maple or rosewood, lacquered or not.
Bigger frets rather than skinny frets, medium jumbo would be ideal, bigger not a deal breaker.
All singles as far as p'ups go.
Neck shape; anything that isn't super skinny. The most comfortable Strat neck I ever played was a late 80s Korean Squier.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
It is possible to find wonderful budget examples and very expensive dogs.
For my pseudo-vintage tastes, the sweet spot in the Fender range was the AVRI and AV. IMO, the former benefits from pickup upgrades. The only thing I would change in my AV65 is the capacitor between the tone controls.
Having said that, I manage to extract some perfectly good Fender-style sounds from beaten up Eighties Charvels and Ibanez Roadstars.
This morning I had an offer sent to me from an eBay seller for a Strat I'm watching; however he wanted cash on collection. Probably about an hour and a half away, over a national border - can't exactly tell the cops that it's an essential journey even if I wasn't bothered about the risk of catching/spreading the virus, which I am.
I don't see the situation changing anytime soon so if I want one I reckon I'm going to be buying blind via mail order. Never had an issue with that before, if I don't like them I just move them on and providing I'm buying at the right price I hopefully shouldn't lose money, nor would I expect to make any.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
Most people would be satisfied with a lightweight strat body from alder for comfort and tone reasons and a bridge/nut arrangement that didn't go out of tune. Most of the sound we recognise as strat-like comes from the pickups. The stock ones Fender supplies are good enough apart from the cheapest Squiers, unless you have specific tastes or needs. The significance in the rest of the other components is moot. Yeah you might get more energy efficiency on paper but it might take you further away from the strat character.
Aim for a 90's US made strat and you should have a guitar for life that you can change according to your needs.
It's also worth recognising that there are a few different types of strat character - "punchy" (think Nile Rodgers/50's surf), "chimey" (think Gilmour), "texas bluesy" (think SRV) ,to name a few. You can't have all three in the same instrument.
[This space for rent]
Must be one of the most asked questions on here, along with "what's the best pedal platform amp/MIAB pedal" etc.