Little help with these Strats & Teles please

[James-Italy]

Gonna go to my local music store Saturday and see what they have in the way of Strats & Teles. I hope they have an AFDS- let's see if I get this right- American Fat Deluxe Strat!

 

I'd prefer a nice used Strat and/or Tele so I don't take the retail hit, but wouldn't exclude buying a new one. I really prefer to get something that I'm not gonna want to upgrade later. Being in Italy I'm lucky if my local store has 5 nice Strats or 2 Teles in total (mexican, US, etc etc) so I don't think they'll have much selection. We don't have mega stores over here so I don't have the option to try as many as I would like.

 

I bid on a few locally but don't want to bid aggressively because I don't know if they are the real McCoys. Can you guys give me some feedback on these babies?

 

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=2532817401&rd=1

 

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=2532986722&rd=1

 

Both are in perfect condition. The Tele is new, but was used a demo. The Strat is serial #SE 802276 from 1989.

 

Would they be ok or would something new be better? I need another guitar like I need... oh well, I do need a Strat and a Tele. Don't I? I mean how can I survive without them???

 

Seriously, I can wait to get what I want. I'm in no hurry. I can even probably get away with buying one in Florida when I come back on vacation this summer and bring it back on the plane. The Euro is pretty strong so things cost me less in the US than they did 6 months ago. (1 euro= $1.20)

 

Promise these will be the last guitars for a while!!!

[rog951]

Of course you need a Strat and a Tele! Anyone telling you otherwise is just talking crazy.

 

Both are beautiful guitars. I love the tele especially...I'm in the market for one myself and that's definitely the color scheme I'll get.

 

One quick thing to mention...be very careful spending this much money on ebay when the seller has no feedback!

[dougsthang]

The only thing about the two guitars on e bay is that they have unusual neck shaping compared to "American" Tele's and Strat's. The '52 reissue has a V shaped neck, if that's your thing go for it. The Clapton I seem to remember had a very thick neck, we call them baseball bat necks... both a feel thing, if you can deal, snap them up..Both are specialty guitars and your probably paying a premium for them when a standard American Tele is just as functional and well built. I just thought of another thing about the '52 Tele, being a replica it means it has the two on a saddle T style bridge. Two strings per bridge saddle, one hard to finely intonate and two tend to be a bit rougher on the palm of you hand resting on it..

[michael saulnier]

James,

 

Good for you that you're looking at Strat's and Tele's...

 

Let me add my thoughts.

 

First in regard to ADFS... (American Deluxe Fat Strat)... that's the right combination of words!

 

With the dollar dropping against the Euro, I would guess that you could buy a new one from a major US on-line service at what to you would be Great prices...

 

I've successfully purchased my ADFS from http://www.musiciansfriend.com

 

They're owned by Guitar Center, one of the largest superstore chains and I've had decent service. You won't get the chance to play one first, and you'll eat the cost of shipping if you want to return it, but at least check out their website to see all the differences in the models and prices and stuff. I saw an article yesterday saying the Euro is at an all time high against the dollar, something like 1200 EU / Dollar. Nice for you! I don't know if they ship internationally... but you could ask or e-mail to find out.

 

Now to the auction items.

 

The strat looks like what was called a "Strat Plus". It appears that it uses the "Lace Sensor" pickups. These are ok, but many find the sound to be a bit "sterile" compared to "regular" strat pickups. It's a sound that's different than you typically think of with a strat... you might, or might not like it. You might try one out somewhere first if you can.

 

The '52 reissue is nice, but I haven't personally thought it was the one for me. One thing about it is that in the early tele designs the neck pickup was WAY dark sounding, meaning not much treble... Now this could be good for certain jazz things, but I'd rather have a more modern sounding pickup, and if I don't want as much treble, I can roll off the tone knob... but on this one, you can't "brighten" the sound...

 

I do like the American Standard Tele's, and I have a Nashville Tele that's cool. It is made in Mexico, has Tex-mex pickups, and even a tex-mex strat pickup in the middle position. These are more modest in cost and they sound and play great. The HWY 1 Tele would be a decent choice as well, since it's also modestly priced, and nicely made... with the classic "two-pickup" sound and feel.

 

If I had to rank the current strats in my order of preference, (others will CERTAINLY have different preferences) they would be...

 

- American Deluxe Fat Strat

- American Deluxe Strat

- American Strat

- Jimmy Vaughn Signature

- Hwy 1 Strat

- Deluxe Mexican Strat (Fat or Regular)

- Standard Strat

 

As far as Tele's go...

 

- American Standard

- Nashville

- Hwy 1

- American Deluxe

- Standard Tele (Mexican)

 

Again, you might try the musicians friend website, Fender's website, or Harmony Central for more opinions about these.

 

If I had to decide between a strat or a tele first, I'd personally go for a Strat. Not everyone would agree with this. I think you will eventually want at least one of each.

 

Unlike LP's, strats and tele's are available with maple or rosewood fretboards. Opinions as always vary as to which is "best"... generally speaking, maple is considered to be "brighter" sounding, and rosewood to be "smoother"... There's a difference you can tell, so even if your local guitar shop only has a couple, you should go try them to see which one sounds better to YOU!

 

Good luck with your hunt. If you find any others you want opinions on... let us know!!!

 

Oh yeah, when you get your new Fender... grab a nice BIG tube to give you major clean headroom like a 6550, KT66 or KT88... Then plug into the "Roll" channel of your UniValve... turn the volume up ALL THE WAY, on all the controls except the treble, (try that at about 2 o'clock)... You should LOVE the clean, bluesy sound you get from this... heck, you might try that with your 6V6 and your current guitars... if you haven't done this, you are in for a treat!!!

 

guitplayer

[Sylver]

James, you are totally out of control. I would advise against the Clapton Strat unless you've played one. The neck IS a baseballbat. Hated it. You practically can't go wrong with an American made Fender though. They don't let bad ones get through from what I've seen. I've played a couple Mexi's that had quality control issues.

 

Start Vs. Tele, huh? That's too personal. I have one of each, matching colors. You'd best get a pair too.

 

I got a great deal on both guitars, but if money wasn't an issue, I would look into the American Deluxe Fat Strat, or the American Fat Strat Texas Special. Nice appointments like locking tuners, roller nut, great noiseless pickups(and the Singles are wound hot), beautiful finishes. I love the cherry burst. Man, that is a purty guitar.

 

Ok, I have to stop now, or I'm gonna get in trouble.

[webe123]

I could give you a list of fender guitars and other brands that I think are great (I have been playing 23 years)....but.... to tell you the truth, you in the end will have to decide which guitar or guitars you really want. Nobody can make that decision for you. We can give you advice as to what gear we have and prefer, but always remember one thing when buying gear.....what may be right for somebody else may not be right for you! The best thing is to keep in mind what YOU like! Do you like a larger neck or slimmer neck? Do you like a heavier body or lighter body? Do you like active pickups (These have a battery compartment usually on the back of the guitar) or passive pickups? Do you like humbuckers or single coil? What kinds of strings will you use? 9s.... 10s... what?(of course you can always find what strings you prefer later) You see, all of these things you may want to check into before you make the leap to buy that new piece of equipment you think you may like, because ALL of these can and will affect the way you play. It might be worth a trip to someplace near you that has at least SOME kind of guitar that has the features you are looking for, this way you can play it and judge if you like that particular feature or not. As far as what you are looking at on ebay, they seem to be good solid american made guitars, but you may want to enquire from the owner of the particular guitar in question a few things about it before you bid. Such as how old is the guitar?, does it have noticable nicks, dings or scratches?, Are the electronics in good shape?, if the guitar is not as advertised, will he take it back? And as has been pointed out, make sure the guy is honest. The best way to do this is check his rating. I wish you well with your purchase and hope you enjoy what ever guitar or guitars you decide to get.

[Dave da Dude]

This will be no surprise, but FYI, my opinion is get the Highway One Strat! If you want the "Fat" sound get the "Fat" model (also note the body is routed for a HB at neck and bridge anyway).

 

Before I put mine on layaway, I had tried them all and did not like any Strat! It's a great value! IMHO the Highway One is "better" (to my ear) than the Tele (even USA made), but then again, I think the Ventures version of "Walk Don't Run" is cool . I tried the Highway One Strat versus Tele US in an A / B, same store, same time, same amp. Get the Strat FIRST (of course you need both!).

 

Dave

[roy d]

If you are willing to purchase a guitar without playing it first, I'd highly recommend looking at the Carvin Bolt. http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/Isearch.exe?CFG=2&P2=BOLT&P1=GTR

or if you don't mind a screw-driver, sand paper, and tung oil, get the kit and put it together yourself http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/Isearch.exe?CFG=2&P2=GK1&P1=GTR/K

 

I was looking for a strat-type guitar and played a slew of them, Fender and otherwise. None that I could afford excited me so I ordered the Bolt kit figuring I was spending a lot less than the Fenders I didn't like and that it couldn't be worse than they were. It is a wonderful guitar, easily comparable to guitars at 3X the price. Good wood. Ebony fingerboard as stock. Decent hardware and pickups. Well worth consideration.

[Teahead]

Hey James, if you don't get this G.A.S under control, you're gonna be your local music store!

Seriously though, you should check out the new US Standard Teles, they have improved p'ups and a comfortable neck.

I chose one a couple of months back, over a '52 Reissue, because of the 7.5" neck radius on the vintage guitar. It was too narrow compared to my Les Paul, but the US Standard is a nice 9.5", much more natural feel too as it lacks the heavy lacquer finish of the Reissue.

If you do go for it, I'd recommend a four way switch replacement, allowing you the option of running both p'ups in series. It gives a noticeable boost for thick fender lead tones.

Good Luck.

[Gabriel E.]

What kind of music do you play?

 

A '52 Vintage Reissue tele will be an awesome guitar for blues, country, jazz or roots rock. It will also be kind of hard to play (big neck, small radius fingerboard). The price on that one seems a little high too.

 

NOTE: People respect tele players.

 

If you are into rock, you probably want a strat. Any American series will do. I think a fat strat or an American Standard will do quite nicely.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by James-Italy:

Gonna go to my local music store Saturday and see what they have in the way of Strats & Teles. I hope they have an AFDS- let's see if I get this right- American Fat Deluxe Strat!

 

I'd prefer a nice used Strat and/or Tele so I don't take the retail hit, but wouldn't exclude buying a new one. I really prefer to get something that I'm not gonna want to upgrade later. Being in Italy I'm lucky if my local store has 5 nice Strats or 2 Teles in total (mexican, US, etc etc) so I don't think they'll have much selection. We don't have mega stores over here so I don't have the option to try as many as I would like.

 

I bid on a few locally but don't want to bid aggressively because I don't know if they are the real McCoys. Can you guys give me some feedback on these babies?

 

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=2532817401&rd=1

 

http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=2532986722&rd=1

 

Both are in perfect condition. The Tele is new, but was used a demo. The Strat is serial #SE 802276 from 1989.

 

Would they be ok or would something new be better? I need another guitar like I need... oh well, I do need a Strat and a Tele. Don't I? I mean how can I survive without them???

 

Seriously, I can wait to get what I want. I'm in no hurry. I can even probably get away with buying one in Florida when I come back on vacation this summer and bring it back on the plane. The Euro is pretty strong so things cost me less in the US than they did 6 months ago. (1 euro= $1.20)

 

Promise these will be the last guitars for a while!!!

James,

 

Unless you are a Clapton fan, and pretty much only Clapton, that model has active +18-24db mid boost (about the opposite of what a lot of folks that scoop the mids want in a lot of cases), so this would be a somewhat specialized guitar.

 

The Tele is nice, but Tele's are not exactly the most versitile guitar unless you are a pretty good player. IF you are, then they can be magic. Listen to Roy Buchanan.

[myles_rose]

Originally posted by roy d:

If you are willing to purchase a guitar without playing it first, I'd highly recommend looking at the Carvin Bolt. http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/Isearch.exe?CFG=2&P2=BOLT&P1=GTR

or if you don't mind a screw-driver, sand paper, and tung oil, get the kit and put it together yourself http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/Isearch.exe?CFG=2&P2=GK1&P1=GTR/K

 

I was looking for a strat-type guitar and played a slew of them, Fender and otherwise. None that I could afford excited me so I ordered the Bolt kit figuring I was spending a lot less than the Fenders I didn't like and that it couldn't be worse than they were. It is a wonderful guitar, easily comparable to guitars at 3X the price. Good wood. Ebony fingerboard as stock. Decent hardware and pickups. Well worth consideration.

Roy ...........

 

also on the Carvin Bolt ....... 15" neck radius vs 9.5" of the clapton strat and 7.5" on the tele. This means fast low action that you can bend forever without fretting out on the upper frets.

 

Carvin Bolt Strats are killer guitars.

[James-Italy]

Thanks fellow guitar people for all the help! Since I'm no expert a little of your advice means a lot to me and helps more than you probably think.

 

I was mistaken about how many Fenders my local store had. The owner is a Fender Strat player so he's pretty well stocked. The only thing is he had no Fat (humbecker) Strats. His feeling is a Strat is a Strat, if you want to mix sounds get a PRS or something else. Kinda what I was thinking also. I'm looking for something different to record with and play at home. I don't play out. I'm learning play all types of music, but really like blues/rock. The local store sells a lot of Fenders. A ratio of about 4 Mexico for every US he said. Doesn't move too many Gibsons though, but that's also a function of price I guess.

 

I had plenty of time in the soundroom with a nice Class A amp.

 

STRATS

I tried the: (with list prices in . 1=$1.20)

American Standard Strat Maple (1300)

Clapton Strat (forgot price)

American Highway both Maple and Rosewood 800

Custom Strat Rosewood 2000

 

I also tried (the Owner told me not to play it or I'd want one)

Super Aged Custom Strat with faked worn frets and dings/scratches/gouges thrown in free... WTF is that about??!?!?!?! 3300

Didn't do anything for me....

And just for the heck of it I tried 2 or 3 Mex's

 

I didn't like one of them! Not even a bit.

 

Then I tried:

American Tele Standard Rosewood

 

and that was all it took. I tried a few more Teles but to be honest I couldn't wait to get that one back in my hands. Wack Wack Wack Screams the Tele with the bridge pup. Then move to the neck and roll down the tone and it's a nice mellow walk through the swamps. That Tele is one nice guitar!!!!

 

I literally went around and tried 4 different amps. I'm surprised at how much I like it. Way different than the Gibsons, but good in a different way.

 

Guitplayer- you steered me right again! That was your top Tele pick.

 

To think I played Strat style guitars for years and now I just don't like the feel and sound of them. Just personal preference guys- I like the Strat sound when played by lots of other people, I just can't make it do anything. Am I the only person who doesn't care for Strats?

 

The guitar owner said he's shocked that a Gibson boy was buying a Fender. And a Tele at that! He said it's amazing that in the last month he's sold as many US Teles as Strats.

 

Thanks again everyone! My wife's got the camera this weekend so I can't do photos... I bought a 5 guitar rack so I can grab whichever calls out to me. If I end up finding the right Strat I'll have to get a 7 rack!!!

 

ps. I only bid on Ebay when the seller is near me so I can do the exchange in person if we make a deal. Before bidding on something not local I always contact the seller to determine a safe way to do business. You really get the idea of if the guy is for real when after he tells you to "wire" him the money first- you tell him "no", you send me the guitar first and if everything is in order I'll wire you the money 15 minutes after I receive the guitar.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Originally posted by Teahead:

"Hey James, if you don't get this G.A.S under control, you're gonna be your local music store!"

 

"Seriously though, you should check out the new US Standard Teles... "

(in best "Mandark" cartoon-cartoon voice)

 

Ha-ahaha-HA!

 

Tea' proves both funny and prescient!

 

Congrats, James, sounds like you found another winner. Hmmn, a brand-new guitar? When's the last time you did that?

 

You know, I know what you mean about those "aged" Relic, N.O.S., and Closet Classic guitars; a serious "WTF"?!? Once I made a smart ass remark about a Relic Strat (a Fender Custom Shop model with worn gold hardware and a nice bird's-eye maple neck) in a store being "all dinged up and old" (they also had some megabuck-priced vintage '50s and '60s originals) but, after playing a bunch of Strats there, I had to admit that it happened to be the best playing and sounding one in the shop! Obviously, it wasn't the counterfeit cosmetic "aging", but the choice maple and alder that it was made of (a one-pc. neck and one pc. body). I shoulda bought it!

 

Anyways, glad you've found such a spanky "whack-whack-whack" screaming new plank! I look forward to your observations and comparisons as you tool around with it through that magnifiscent Univalve! -k

[James-Italy]

Originally posted by Teahead:

Hey James, if you don't get this G.A.S under control, you're gonna be your local music store!

Seriously though, you should check out the new US Standard Teles, they have improved p'ups and a comfortable neck.

I chose one a couple of months back, over a '52 Reissue, because of the 7.5" neck radius on the vintage guitar. It was too narrow compared to my Les Paul, but the US Standard is a nice 9.5", much more natural feel too as it lacks the heavy lacquer finish of the Reissue.

If you do go for it, I'd recommend a four way switch replacement, allowing you the option of running both p'ups in series. It gives a noticeable boost for thick fender lead tones.

Good Luck.

Teahead!

You hit it right on the nose! Good advice. I didn't like the laquer back or thin necks either. The American Standard Tele just feels right to me. Now what should I know about that four way switch replacement?

[Caevan O’Shite]

"Go, Tea', GO!!" -k

[Teahead]

Oh Caevan you are a beast

James, I'm glad you settled on the Standard Tele, I kind of thought, with your Gibson background, that it would be the most comfortable for you to get to grips with.

About that switch, it's a £14 part here in the UK and when fitted it allows you to choose a fourth position, which runs into one p'up, then straight into the other, in series. As opposed to your current middle position, which blends the output of both p'ups in parallel. I've found this gives almost P90 tones, not quite a humbucker, but more than a single coil.

Definitely worth the money in my opinion. Also when you remove the scratch plate you'll notice that the body is routed for a neck humbucker and a middle p'up! Are there no limits?

Best of Luck, T.

[Gabriel E.]

A wise choice.

 

Congradulations!

[roy d]

And if the tele is already routed for a middle pickup... add a strat pickup in the center, change to a 5 way switch and add a switch for the bridge pickup that allows you to turn it on giving you the options of the three tele positions plus the additional strat possibilities while using the tele pups in the bridge and neck position. I had a tele set up that way and it was the best guitar I ever had.

 

whatever you decide... enjoy!

[Teahead]

Here am I thinking that my Tele was just the way I wanted it, and you gotta come along with your middle p'up praise.

Now I'm curious, what kind of tones does this produce? Will I have a virtual Strat palette? Or is it still distinctively Tele?

Any ideas on what p'up might suit, from members experiences? Tempt me, please!