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Well, I left the Country band I was playing with and I’m playing fulltime with my Praise band at church. I have also started a little project with the Praise leader in my church, who is a good friend of mine and a really great vocalist (the best I have worked with). I'm looking to buy a Strat or Strat-type guitar and would like the best bang for the buck. Please give me your vote and explain why you chose the model you did...

Cheers,

I chose the Fender American strat, not just because I have one, but because there's a REASON I have one!! Very versatile guitar, great tones, even stock it's an absolutely amazing guitar (I added texas specials, even though the stock pickups were very good)

The Texas Specials are the reason I would even think about the Roadhouse (Texas Special) Strat. I don't like Texas Specials in a Tele; but in a Strat they're nice...

i voted american, but with a caveat ... go the the one with the splittable humbucker in the bridge and the LSR roller nut ... buddy of mine (who owns PRS/Ric/LP/etc) uses it as his #1 guitar for praise music and it just kills ... it was easily the best Fender strat i'd ever played ... very versatile and great feel

good luck
t4d

I voted other, because I think with a strat you can almost get more bang for your dollar by putting one together from parts (namely Ebay, but also Warmoth, etc.). That way you don't really have to worry about swapping out parts you might not like on the one you buy, you can drop in the parts you want right from the get-go. For example, I built my strat for right around $750, you can check it out at the link in my signature.

Butch, my advice is to visit every store within a 50 mile radius that has a Fender Jimmie Vaughn Strat and play them all. Then go back and buy the best one.

Someday you can replace the Tex Mex pickups with some Duncan Antiquitys and you'll have as good a Strat as money can buy, IMO, for about $700 or $800 total, including new pickups.

Fretfire: I paid $500 for my american standard and $100 for the texas specials (which I already had anyway, and have had for years)..... $600, no shipping, no tax... so


Originally Posted by CapoFirstFretFretfire: I paid $500 for my american standard and $100 for the texas specials (which I already had anyway, and have had for years)..... $600, no shipping, no tax... so

Yes but I had the neck custom made to my liking, and it has my name on the headstock . Put that in your pipe and smoke it

You could probably buy Fender American parts on Ebay and put a guitar together for a few hundred less. I'm just tossing another option out there, no biggie .


Originally Posted by LewguitarButch, my advice is to visit every store within a 50 mile radius that has a Fender Jimmie Vaughn Strat and play them all. Then go back and buy the best one.

Someday you can replace the Tex Mex pickups with some Duncan Antiquitys and you'll have as good a Strat as money can buy, IMO, for about $700 or $800 total, including new pickups.

Jimmy Vaughan huh? I have never played one but have heard great things about that model.

if you're not looking to make this your No.1 guitar, i'd say go used and look at jap ones.. i've seen jap fenders with V profiles, very deep C profiles, all kinds of stuff. one problem you may have though is that all the bodies are routed just for S/S/S- there's no extra room under there at all, less than a MIM...

tom

EDIT - im willing to bet you'd be looking at like $400 max for one, too - mine was £255, and i'd gradually saved up pups for it

Butch....I owned a Big Apple/Roadhouse/Texas Special/whatever Fender wants to call them in any given year....nice strat. I then bought a Hwy 1, and actually like the tone of that one much better. It's more resonant due to the super light finish. They're also routed H/S/S so you can add a bucker in the bridge if you so wish. They have the same rolled fingerboard as the Am Series, and are about 1/2 the price.

That's my choice, then you can spend some $$ upgrading pups, nut, whatever and still be well below the price of a standard.

I second the HWY 1. But pretty much any strat is good for it. You can customize them all to your specs.

I think that used American strats are a good value, and hold their value well.
They vary a lot, though, so it's nice if you can check it out first hand.

I'm just gonna guess that you'd prefer a regular SSS model.


Originally Posted by CurlyI'm just gonna guess that you'd prefer a regular SSS model.

You'd be right....

Whatever I get, I'll probably install a couple of APS-1 or APS-2 pickups (depending on the neck radius) in the neck and middle positions. I'll install a Twangbanger in the bridge.


Originally Posted by LewguitarButch, my advice is to visit every store within a 50 mile radius that has a Fender Jimmie Vaughn Strat and play them all. Then go back and buy the best one.

Someday you can replace the Tex Mex pickups with some Duncan Antiquitys and you'll have as good a Strat as money can buy, IMO, for about $700 or $800 total, including new pickups.Listen to Lew! After looking and looking, and looking I went and played every single Jimmy Vaughan I could lay my hands on, picked the best one, and got it for a killer price...look hard, you can find them cheep! IMO the pickups are real good, it's got full size CTS pots, a good switch and the same tuners and tremolo that come on the Fender CS 57 and 62 reissue Strats...it is the BEST bang for the buck guitar fender has right now period!

I agree with going the custom route through Warmoth or USACG. That way, you can get a guitar that's built 100% to your specifications...everything you need or want, nothing you don't. The overall cost is similar to buying a new American Strat.

shameless plug - I have a Warmoth Strat body for sale in the trading post (and no, that's not the reason I recommended Warmoth. They do great work, and I would go with them or USACG before I'd even consider buying off the rack.)

Ryan

Before you buy a Fender, be sure to try out some Gamp;L's. Sprinter

I second the Jimmie Vaughan.

I also recommend MIJ strats. I have a 94 MIJ 57ri and after owning MIA '76, SRV and 62ris, it's the last strat standing. Though soon to be joined by an MIJ paisley...

I'm partial to alder bodied American Series Strats 2000 , mostly because the rolled edges on the neck feel great. I'd stick to an American model.....they sound fuller than cheaper models. There are SO many used ones out there that it's insane to buy new. Just snipe a nice one, or find one locally. Once it's outfitted with Antiquity Surfers and Twangbanger or Custom bridge, it'll soon become your main player.

New Strats are $929, but you can find used American strats for as little as $450.


Originally Posted by Hot _GritsI second the Jimmie Vaughan.

I also recommend MIJ strats. I have a 94 MIJ 57ri and after owning MIA '76, SRV and 62ris, it's the last strat standing. Though soon to be joined by an MIJ paisley...ther MIJ stuff is fantastic, but I can't get past the 7.25 radius and wire frets, and in truth the last thing I want to do right after buying a guitar is get it refretted...the JV already has 21 MJ Frets on a 9.5 radius!