New Fenders vs Old

[wicker]

Hi guys,

I finally decided to buy guitar that was for a long time my dream guitar - Fender Strat,
I've sold my old Epi (mainly due to my bandmates who said - "Don't bring this shit next time") and looking for some nice one.

So I've found some interesting offerts in web and have problems.
I've found 1995 white strat with maple neck (grinded frets, guy says that it's really heavy), 1998 sunburst with rosewood and 2003 black with rosewood.All are Am Std, all Corona California.

I'm a little afraid about this maple fretboard, since I mostly play on my violin-guitarist-and_everything_else bandmate strat (2008 Am Std) during band jams, and I didn't liked his maple fretboard that much, funny, cos I've found a cheap Tele maple neck great, lol.

I will have occasion to play the white one, but maybe you guys could tell me now how much truth is in the rumors that nowday Corona Strats are not as good as old ones ?
Btw. the white one has some nice wood paterns on neck.
black photos:
http://www.aukcjoner.pl/gallery/0025126 ... 03.html#I1

[FYL]

I will have occasion to play the white one, but maybe you guys could tell me now how much truth is in the rumors that nowday Corona Strats are not as good as old ones ?

I'm not a big fan of Am Std Strats. I prefer a well chosen Highway 1 or some Mex models such as the Classic Player in the same price range.

Regarding quality, entry level models such as the Am Std are built to a price, with so so everything (equipment, woods, shaping, fit and finish). They have very little in common with vintage models or upscale contemporary versions.

Anyway, picking a guitar is very personal: try as many models as you can, and if you feel that an Am Std is great, go for it.

[Gibsonman63]

I have a Mexican made Lone Star Strat that I picked up in a trade. Mexican body, Warmoth neck with a Pao Faro (I can't spell, but I think that is correct) compound radias, fretboard, Calaham bridge and Texas Special single coils and a Pearly Gates humbucker.

This guitar gets played much more than my 76 Strat.

I don't know where you are located, but where I am, there are a lot of deals to be had on the Craigslist. A lot of the mexican strats are worth more in parts than they are as a complete guitar, so it is cheaper to buy one that someone else has already upgraded than to do it yourself in many cases. (sort of like buying an old car)

If you are thinking about a new guitar, I don't think you can assume that because a guitar is a certain make or model that they will all consistantly play and sound the same. Go play all the strats you can get your hands on and listen with your ears to find the one with the mojo!

[wicker]

I'm from Poland, EU, and even used Strat costs much, those ones ~1000$, new Am Std - ~1500$. You could image how much vintage stuff costs here...
In all European countries it costs so much due to VAT and some extra charges (shipping etc.)...

[Gibsonman63]

Sounds like a different situation entirely than I imagined.

Most of the Strats can be adjusted to play well with what is there. The newer ones are actually more consistant because of CNC technology. The most popular upgrade is pickups. http://music-electronics-forum.com/ has a bunch of members who wind pickups. You may be able to find someone in your area who can help.

[wicker]

Well electronics is not problem for me, even I know some good firm that wind great pickups, I know that I will probably sooner or later change them, I'm rather searching for good body that would have some individual sound, those new will probably sound most the same.

[Structo]

Yeah, don't get fixated on model names or price brackets.
Every guitar is different.
I have played $200 guitars that played better than $1K guitars.

Play a bunch of them or as many as you can before deciding.

Good luck in your search!

[M Fowler]

Just like the difference between a Squire and Fender. I have played some cheap Squires that had much better necks then the Fender.

If the name on the headstock bothers the band mates take it off and tell them you had a custom guitar built.

[wicker]

So anyone can confirm that old are better than new, or is this just urban legend (also I often hear that guitars for US market are better than those for rest of the world) ?
Of course everything is in the eye of the beholder (or rather ear) .

It's obvious that most important is what I hear and feel, but it's hard to go and play guitar that is located 600-700 km from me (7-8h by train one way...), and although I live in rather big city (whole agglomeration more than 1.2 million) you can't find 'local' shops with used gear, only few 'big' centers with maybe many guitars, but one from each type (and killer prices as well).

[Structo]

Not sure about what is available there but when I had trouble finding what I wanted, I started building my own guitars.
I know for a fact there are some guys in Poland doing it as well.

I wanted a Stratocaster swamp ash body (light weight), 22 fret rosewood neck, noiseless pickups, Callaham tremolo and other hardware.
I also wanted it finished in old fashioned nitrocellulose lacquer.

So I bought all the stuff and about a month later I had a custom guitar built to my specs.
Cost me around $850.

I used nitro lacquer that came in spray cans and waited 30 days for it to gas off and cure, then I wet sanded and polished it to a glossy shine.
Now, since it is thin nitro it will age just like the old Fenders.

This color is called Vintage Cream, it is more yellow than I wanted really but I have come to like it.
In retrospect, I wish I had painted it Fender Blond or Olympia White.

Since this guitar I have built four others.

Body as I received it.
[IMG:427:640]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/ ... ampAsh.jpg[/img]

Body painted and buffed out.
[IMG:512:640]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/ ... 22abff.jpg[/img]

Guitar assembled and set up.
[IMG:457:640]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/ ... bc4fed.jpg[/img]

Later on I reconfigured it into a Lonestar Strat with the bridge humbucker pickup.
I really like that setup on a Strat.
[IMG:291:748]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/ ... G_0234.jpg[/img]

[wicker]

Wow, that looks great
And nitro

[billyz]

Yeah, don't get fixated on model names or price brackets.
Every guitar is different.
I have played $200 guitars that played better than $1K guitars.

Play a bunch of them or as many as you can before deciding.

Good luck in your search!

Structo has it right. Every one will be different, regardless of whether they are all cut with the same machine. The wood is different.
When they say " The old ones are the best" They mean Pre CBS made, before 1965. Actually the 70's are mostly CRAP. they did make some nice reissues in the early 80's and then again after the custom shop got started.
Current good ones are the Eric Johnson, Custom shop vintage models, Jimmy Vaughn, For cheap ( will need replaced pickups) the Road Worn series( some have bigger necks , my preference). I have played a few Mexicans that were pretty good with American hardware, the Mexican hardware is crap. These are examples , there are others, Like the John Mayer. Still, everyone is different. I have played about 15 EJ models and only found two that I liked.
I actually played a Road Worn Tele that felt great, Big neck( not as big as a Nocaster), Pickups stunk, they all do.

Try before you buy.

[jaysg]

(grinded frets, guy says that it's really heavy)

Really heavy...if he means it weighs a lot, that's bad imo. I had a northern ash strat that was weak acoustically. Every alder strat I tried was louder and most sustained better. Should be 7 to 8 lbs...not sure in kg. The really thick gloss finish on the maple necks fell out of favor. I've got no problem with the matte finish. ymmv. I've bought a couple with pau ferro fretboards. They play like ebony, but are like the maple sound. You may prefer rosewood...bottom line, strats are all over the place, so you have to compare and it's dangerous to completely follow the standard notions of ash vs. alder, maple fb vs. rosewood. hth

[FYL]

And nitro

Short of building your own Strat, the Highway One series are the least expensive nitro-finished Fender guitars available today.

And if you want to upgrade the finish, just wet sand it very gently with very fine grain abrasive(1,500 to 2,000), buff it and presto, you've got a "thin skin" like shiny finish Custom Shop style.

[David Root]

I happened on a Mexican Tele a couple years ago that had an almost perfectly quarter cut neck, all the way up to the nut, flattening slightly at the head.

How that one got thru the selection process I don't know, but it handles heavy strings real well!

Too bad the pickups suck. One of these days I'll wind myself some real ones, when I have time.........