first impressions on the strat

exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
edited October 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
- fit and finish is almost perfect. the neck pocket is really tight. tuners are a little askew but they always seem to be. the finish itself it pretty much flawless.
- the neck, i can see why paco feels it's slightly small, but i think i like it. we'll see after more play. the rosewood is nice and dark.
- body is two pieces but that isn't apparent from the front of the guitar.
- the nitro certainly feels different than poly but i like it. a little sticky right now. i haven't had a brand new nitro finished guitar since my les paul 10 years ago so i kinda forgot. it'll loosen up.
- the strap they include is a bit of a joke. haven't opened the goodie bag to check the bridge cover, trem bar etc. but it's all there. the case is beautiful.
- the guitar seems quite resonant on it's own unplugged. considering the neck pocket and no extra routing, i guess this isn't a surprise.
- i like the pickups. it sounds like what it is. the set up has them quite low so the output is even lower than the vintage low. especially on the bridge. will be adjusting. not sure i like the bridge pup but it's been a while since i've had a single coil back there.
- the factory set up action feels a little high for me. i will be doing a new set up for lower action and 11 guage strings at some point soon.
- the controls were again, like all fenders, wired half assed left handed using right handed pots. so the numbers are backwards and the controls don't work. already switched them back to right-handed like i'm used to with gibson. i'm going to leave the 3 way switch in it. i kinda like it. and it stays in the n/m and m/b positions fine anyway.
- we'll see how my new basement is but i'll probably be ordering the suhr plate next month. the rest of the wiring i'm going to leave as is though.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    that was my impression too. Mine was rock solid and one of the best production guitars I've ever picked up. I just want a bit more mids out of the pickups and some more balls (LF steelpole43 I decided on) in the bridge and the blender should make it perfect. I don't need but one stinking master tone and I'll like having the tweener sounds again.

    I just wish there was a quick and easy way to change strings.

    I really, really do love my guitar. It looks and smells and plays awesome plugged and unplugged. Especially with fresh strings.

    11's are going on if I change to vintage lockers, and or when I drop in the new electronics. I think it will sound HUGE!

    I must stress EX, if you get a shot to try some BJFE pedals give the EGDM a go in a place where you can turn up. My neighbors hate me but man, it is just awesome with that guitar.

    The strap is hilarious, am I supposed to put this on my guitar or lace up my boots?
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i will really take me a while to get a firm grip on the sound and it's sound. i got to play it through a route66 at the store but at home, just the POD because my son was asleep.

    between bouts of packing up belongings this weekend, hopefully i can stretch it our with the DR a bit and get a better feel for it.

    also bought a little big muff since they're so cheap. i think they're right about it being between a russian and a new NYC. all those surface mount components are weird though. no modding this thing. but i think it's built better than any previous EHX pedal. i think i'll get the nano clone and stone too at some point.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    exhausted wrote:
    i will really take me a while to get a firm grip on the sound and it's sound. i got to play it through a route66 at the store but at home, just the POD because my son was asleep.

    between bouts of packing up belongings this weekend, hopefully i can stretch it our with the DR a bit and get a better feel for it.

    also bought a little big muff since they're so cheap. i think they're right about it being between a russian and a new NYC. all those surface mount components are weird though. no modding this thing. but i think it's built better than any previous EHX pedal. i think i'll get the nano clone and stone too at some point.


    cool, because the ruskie is my favorite big muff. I got to play a Suhr strat yesterday at lunch into a Carr Mercury (which is heavenly) I tried out a 69 fuzz and a Octafuzz, meh, they are ok, probably way better in a stack at high volume, but the Octafuzz was really cool I may pursue one, or get the Voodoolabs version. Or I just may go get a little big muff. Maybe I'm less of a fuzz guy and more of a low gain OD guy, I am obsessed with early hendrix and ZZtop but I love that BOG sound too.

    how was the Route 66?
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    it was nice. didn't really get a great chance to get a feeling for it. it was plugged into a marshall cab and in general i don't like closed cabs so....

    anyway, found a canadian distributor for the suhr backplate. will order one when things settle down for me with the move and everything i think. it's not ideal as the back plate is cut for a right handed guitar so string changes will be a pain but it'll be ok i guess.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    exhausted wrote:
    it was nice. didn't really get a great chance to get a feeling for it. it was plugged into a marshall cab and in general i don't like closed cabs so....

    anyway, found a canadian distributor for the suhr backplate. will order one when things settle down for me with the move and everything i think. it's not ideal as the back plate is cut for a right handed guitar so string changes will be a pain but it'll be ok i guess.


    Nice I kind of want an LBM now too. I hope the backplate works out.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i hope so. i still may balk at the cost and order a set of SCNs instead. i do love me some SCNs. but we'll see. i can't decide. i know how they react to my gear though.

    if i go the SCN route, i'll do a whole new harness and lift out the 57/62s, pots and all, and keep them tucked away.

    back and forth. back and forth.

    the LBM seems nice. i do find that it's tone knob is a little different than the others. a little less extreme. i can have this one past 12 o'clock and it's still not too harsh. so maybe more usable range.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    and oh yeah, no bridge cover included with the lefty version. boooo.
  • JofZJofZ Posts: 1,276
    All of this and still no PICS :)
    You better show us this new beauty!

    Fender seems to just get better and better as the months go by. They get a little heavier, but I can deal with that as long as the tone is there. I just wish the other large companies started doing what Fender did. Could you imagine quality across the board, geez what would we do?

    I played with just the SBEQ yesterday through the MP and through the abnormal channel with the Strat my tone was huge! I think this is the sleeper pedal Pac ;)

    Are you on the Tour Box list, it is going out on Monday to the US guys woohoo
    PPF, HB, SBEQ, DRD and a surprise
    WHAT IS THAT NOISE?
    Hanging at www.TheGuitarHub.com
    The only Forum for players by players.......

    Playing Les Pauls, Teles, Hubers, Gustavssons, Kolls through a Mad Professor amp with a Bob Burt Cab.
    BJF powers my Pedal Board
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    JofZ wrote:
    All of this and still no PICS :)
    You better show us this new beauty!

    Fender seems to just get better and better as the months go by. They get a little heavier, but I can deal with that as long as the tone is there. I just wish the other large companies started doing what Fender did. Could you imagine quality across the board, geez what would we do?

    I played with just the SBEQ yesterday through the MP and through the abnormal channel with the Strat my tone was huge! I think this is the sleeper pedal Pac ;)

    Are you on the Tour Box list, it is going out on Monday to the US guys woohoo
    PPF, HB, SBEQ, DRD and a surprise


    not yet. What do they need my address, blood sample and social security number? :D

    I need to get on that list.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i'll try to do some this weekend. it's been really busy. last night i was on solo baby duty so i couldn't do much of anything except play unplugged by the baby monitor after i finally got him to sleep.

    i will say that the resonance is truly impressive unplugged. and the guitar actually feels quite light to me. at least compared to my old strat.

    this is all i have right now. i guess the burst looks good.

    strat
  • What type of strat did you pick up?
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    oh yeah. sorry. it's an american vintage 62 reissue.
  • I'm dying for a fairly inexpensive guitar with P-90's. I've played the TV Yellow faded LP that goes for about 769. Like HHV said, i agree that it sounds good but it feels like holding a tree branch rather than a guitar. Any recommendations? I'm not big on epiphone either.
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    I'm dying for a fairly inexpensive guitar with P-90's. I've played the TV Yellow faded LP that goes for about 769. Like HHV said, i agree that it sounds good but it feels like holding a tree branch rather than a guitar. Any recommendations? I'm not big on epiphone either.

    try the SG classic. it's quality.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • nicepickup Ex, SCN's tho? it's not a strat if it doesn't annoy you.

    there was a BJF tourbox??? and i missed it????
    son of a B!!!!!!

    if anyone knows how i could get in on that
    please let me know
  • JofZJofZ Posts: 1,276
    BJF tourbox info
    www.theguitarhub.com, under pedals!

    Exhausted, your strat is killer!
    Here is what it will look like if you leave it with your kid unattended for a couple hours:
    http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b291/JofZ/IMG_0702.jpg

    Enjoy it, she is a beauty!
    WHAT IS THAT NOISE?
    Hanging at www.TheGuitarHub.com
    The only Forum for players by players.......

    Playing Les Pauls, Teles, Hubers, Gustavssons, Kolls through a Mad Professor amp with a Bob Burt Cab.
    BJF powers my Pedal Board
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    I've been looking at getting a basic standard strat, Jimi style, arctic white with maple. My head says no but I really want one!
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • I've been looking at getting a basic standard strat, Jimi style, arctic white with maple. My head says no but I really want one!

    get a lefty and do a flip! i've been thinking of doing that for a coon's age, i like hardtails though so no point really. wouldn't have the same effect with no whammy.
    2005.09.04
    2005.09.05

    "how many people did die from that?...did P.Diddy kill them?" - Eddie Vedder 2006.02.19
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    get a lefty and do a flip! i've been thinking of doing that for a coon's age, i like hardtails though so no point really. wouldn't have the same effect with no whammy.

    Haha! It's crossed my mind. It would be a second guitar anyways, and I want to find a used one. Wouldn't the left handed whammy get in the way?
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • Haha! It's crossed my mind. It would be a second guitar anyways, and I want to find a used one. Wouldn't the left handed whammy get in the way?

    i dont know, SRV ordered a "reverse" bridge cause he liked how it felt in comparison to the bar beeing at teh bottom of the bridge. He never flipped his guitar, just got a lefty bridge and got it set up correctly....i think the advantage is to when your playing lower notes, and still want a comfortable reach on the bar, rather than pulling it up and playing with your pinky...its somethign to experiment with i geuss. Just note on the lefty strat flip. You need a new nut, and make sure the neck and bridge are set up professionally so it doesnt twist from the opposite tensions and what not. you also need to flip the input jack over so your cable isnt in the way, and drill a new hole for the strap hook.
    2005.09.04
    2005.09.05

    "how many people did die from that?...did P.Diddy kill them?" - Eddie Vedder 2006.02.19
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    i dont know, SRV ordered a "reverse" bridge cause he liked how it felt in comparison to the bar beeing at teh bottom of the bridge. He never flipped his guitar, just got a lefty bridge and got it set up correctly....i think the advantage is to when your playing lower notes, and still want a comfortable reach on the bar, rather than pulling it up and playing with your pinky...its somethign to experiment with i geuss. Just note on the lefty strat flip. You need a new nut, and make sure the neck and bridge are set up professionally so it doesnt twist from the opposite tensions and what not. you also need to flip the input jack over so your cable isnt in the way, and drill a new hole for the strap hook.

    Haha, I think the input jack is alright, innit? I know you need a new strap hole and nut, and as for set-up, well I would get it set up normally so it's not an issue. The only problem is I can't really test out the flipped one until I buy it. If I see a lefty around here and the price is right though.... Its either a white lefty or a suburst righty!

    P.S. Sorry for hijacking your thread!
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
Sign In or Register to comment.