Guitar Advice...

Grieved

i'm saving up for an expensive guitar..but i'm not sure which to get..
i like the look of Fender Strat's.. especially when the paints pealed off like Mike's
I know you all love SG's so i could save up for one of them.. any others you recomend or should i just stick to these two?

Pacomc79

Originally posted by Grieved
i'm saving up for an expensive guitar..but i'm not sure which to get..
i like the look of Fender Strat's.. especially when the paints pealed off like Mike's
I know you all love SG's so i could save up for one of them.. any others you recomend or should i just stick to these two?

I'm buying an American Deluxe Stratocaster because it has all the features I want and I love it. guitar choice is so personal maybe you should go play as many different ones that you can in different amps and decide on the looks feel and sound that you want.

Both the SG and Strat are fine guitars. I will more than likely be trading my Les Paul for an SG at some point due to the lighter weight and excellent sustain.

House53

Excellent points...

Play as many guitars as you can... you have to try several to find the style and setup that is comfortable for you and your playing style...

I have gone through many guitars in my brief time as a player, and I wish I would have done more research.

I have finally settled on an SG and a Tele as the two guitars for my style... the SG is the #1... and Tele is a very close #2.

Guitars have different neck shapes, scale lengths(relates to string bending and how far you have reach to play certain chords.), body shapes (some are more comfortable than others), woods, pickups, controls...

Lots of things... so it is important to find one that meets your needs as far as the tones you want... and that is comfortable to play... you will play more and become better if you are comfortable with your guitar.

those are my thoughts...

Grieved

i think i'd prefer a strat.. becuase i already play a yamaha pacifica 112, and it's really easy to play.. i just want to up-grade to something more show-offy

House53

I understand that thought... it is a big part of playing guitar whether we(guitarists) like to admit it or not... even when people play understated guitars, it is still an image thing.

Well, if you like your current guitar, a strat style... there are a bunch of great strat style guitars to try... and these have some of the differences I mentioned.

Different neck shapes... the contour on the back of the neck, some are more round, some are flat, some have a V to them... try out some different styles, see what fits your hand best.

Also, they have different pup options. You could get a humbucker in the bridge, different switching, all sorts of things.

As far as the beat up look... unless you have a serious bank roll to buy a Vintage Strat, or a Relic... that comes from breaking a guitar in over many years, and the materials used for the finish.

I have a homemade "relic" tele... total cost me about $700... I bought the body beat up, bought a Fender Custom Shop neck, Duncan pups, did the wiring and assembly... it's a great guitar for me.

So, you could explore something like that if you want the beat up look.

All Those Yesterdays

New guitars will not fade and the paint will not wear like vintage guitars. The paint now adays will chip instead (and it looks like crap. They switch how items are painted now adays. The only guitars that will "wear" like the old guitars are the strick reissue guitars. I have a '62 reissue Jazz Bass and the paint specs match the original. The neck will stain from sweet and the entire thing will wear like the vintage ones will. The only thing that is different is the material on the pick guard. They won't shrink over time like vintage ones will.

mojorison_75

I'm a les paul man myself. Honeyburst Gibson Les Paul Classic. Sweeeeeet.

There's always room for a good Strat though. I really like the new deluxes.

solsurfr

Originally posted by Grieved
i'm saving up for an expensive guitar..but i'm not sure which to get..
i like the look of Fender Strat's.. especially when the paints pealed off like Mike's
I know you all love SG's so i could save up for one of them.. any others you recomend or should i just stick to these two?

Your decision shouldn't be based on look. It should be based on sound, feel, neck size, etc. You should get familiar with the differences with Strats, Tele's, Pauls, SG's, Flying V's, PRS's, etc. Do a little research and spend hours playing the various instruments and when you find the one that feels and sounds just right, it will click. If you want the Pearl Jam sound, then I would focus on a Les Paul or Strat or Tele. Those are the basis for most of their tone. Stone and Mike's FX pedals are also a huge part of their sound as well. But I would focus on what feels the best to you. My 2 cents...

Grieved

if you read what else i said you will see that i play a yamaha pacifica and i like the feel of that.. that is a basic copy of the strat..

Pacomc79

Originally posted by Grieved
if you read what else i said you will see that i play a yamaha pacifica and i like the feel of that.. that is a basic copy of the strat..

Go with an American Fat Strat then. The neck is more stout and comfortable the pickups are alot better and it's over all an excellent guitar.

If you can save a little more, The American Deluxe Fat Strat should fit you really well.

solsurfr

How expensive are you willing to go? If you want a strat, check out the 50th anniversary strat. Special run with the new sumarian cobalt noiseless pickups and gold hardware. Also, check out the reissues if you want your guitar to fade over the years like Mikes. You just can't go wrong with an American series strat either way.

Pacomc79

Originally posted by DissidentBand
How expensive are you willing to go? If you want a strat, check out the 50th anniversary strat. Special run with the new sumarian cobalt noiseless pickups and gold hardware. Also, check out the reissues if you want your guitar to fade over the years like Mikes. You just can't go wrong with an American series strat either way.

the 50th anniversary american deluxe has the SCN's and gold hardware, it's around 1100.

there is also a slightly cheaper american series version with the standard American Series pickups. I think it's right at 950 or 1000 retail in dollars.

who's_pearljam?

I'm not into showyness on guitars. I go for sound and feel first. It was never an image thing for me.

Like "all those yesterdays" said, newer guitars aren't going to fade. They usually have polyurethane finishes that are harder than the older nitrocellulose lacquer finishes that wore off. (I bet half those "road weary faded guitars that are worn looking were helped along by sanding the finish and, ahem,, making it look like they been doing this for a while! I've seen people doing that.)



I just bought an 50th anniversary american Deluxe. It is the best Strat I've ever played! I don't know what happened down at Fender, but somebody must have kicked their butts and told them to make better stuff.

The cobalt pickups are dead quiet and sound great, the finish and fretwork are perfect, and the fretboard and neck are rounded a bit and sort of pre-worn so the neck is comfortable.

I don't think I would buy the 50th again, because it is too nice and I like to play'em, not show them, and for it to hold it's value I would have to keep it in it's case, or get really famous! I just happened on it, so I snagged it.
I would go for the non "50th anniversary" american deluxe maple fretboard fat strat if you're going strat, . But try the single coil style, too, like Paco is getting, as the new switching beefs up the sound quite a bit. I love the in between middle and bridge pickup sound the best, so I never bothered with the humbucker there.