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Hiya gang, I was out auditioning guitars this weekend, and I've got a
few questions about Fender Stratocasters.
I tried three different models:
a chineese version (the squire) for $125
a mexican version (don't know the name) for $399
the "american" version for $799
Overall, the only differences I could see were body thickness, the
ammount of chrome on the hardware, and the price tag. Is there any
major difference between these models that qualifies the higher cost?
Like, is a squire prone to breaking/warping etc...?
Any advice would be appreciated.
cheers.
-c*
Squire's are made of plywood, not good, hence the cheap price. They
are also finished in 'asian polyurethane' a very glopy tone killing
material. American standard is overpriced and has 'improvements' of
dubious value. Mexican strats are cheap, slaped together affairs,
but are at least made of decent wood and the price is right. Some
people swear by mexican strats, but I don't like the neck. My advice
is: forget the price and country of origin and just play them
unamplified - listen to the tone, if it's loud, clear and resonant,
it's probably a decent sounding axe. Also the way the neck feels in
your hand is of optimal importance. Japaneese fenders are really
good but unfortunately no longer imported into america. Word of
warning: Strats are very quirky and difficult to set up right,
They're never right 'out of the box', and require a lot of trial and
error to make them play correctly. However they're probably one of
the most versatile guitars ever made, but the quality varies greatly
from strat to strat. Just play a lot of them till you find one that
feels right.
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "bloobeary" <christophert@s...> wrote:
> Hiya gang, I was out auditioning guitars this weekend, and I've got
a
> few questions about Fender Stratocasters.
>
> I tried three different models:
> a chineese version (the squire) for $125
> a mexican version (don't know the name) for $399
> the "american" version for $799
>
> Overall, the only differences I could see were body thickness, the
> ammount of chrome on the hardware, and the price tag. Is there any
> major difference between these models that qualifies the higher
cost?
> Like, is a squire prone to breaking/warping etc...?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> cheers.
>
> -c*
I've had my squire for 8 years and have been using it
as my main guitar the whole time. It has held up very
nicelly. Rumors that these guitars can't hold 12
guage strings without snapping is BS too. I've
noticed that the new squires definately have much
thinner bodies, but I'm not sure if mine has. Dick
Dale has said that the thing that makes the strat the
ultimate surf guitar (vs the jazzmaster or jaguar) is
the thick solid wood (or something in similar fashion
to that).
--- bloobeary <> wrote:
> Hiya gang, I was out auditioning guitars this
> weekend, and I've got a
> few questions about Fender Stratocasters.
>
> I tried three different models:
> a chineese version (the squire) for $125
> a mexican version (don't know the name) for $399
> the "american" version for $799
>
> Overall, the only differences I could see were body
> thickness, the
> ammount of chrome on the hardware, and the price
> tag. Is there any
> major difference between these models that qualifies
> the higher cost?
> Like, is a squire prone to breaking/warping etc...?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> cheers.
>
> -c*
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Although I would agree with most of the information in this excellent post,
I would take exception with the the American Standard being overpriced.
With a little looking (and perhaps negotiating), I think you could find one
new for closer to $500. Don't forget the pre-owned instrument market; I see
American-made (and Japanese-made) Stratocasters advertised frequently in the
paper (and on eBay) for much less, many of them not having been used much.
I always approached buying a guitar as though I would own it forever,
tending to buy the best-made instrument I could afford. What may sound good
to you right now, may later-on be an entirely different story when you have
progressed musically. You want to have a good base from which hardware can
be altered to suit the needs of your music (of course, the alternative is to
have multiple instruments, but not everyone is in that financial position).
Hope some of this helps.
Best regards, Dana Vincent
----- Original Message -----
From: "viktor423" <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 9:19 AM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: question about Stratocasters
Squire's are made of plywood, not good, hence the cheap price. They
are also finished in 'asian polyurethane' a very glopy tone killing
material. American standard is overpriced and has 'improvements' of
dubious value. Mexican strats are cheap, slaped together affairs,
but are at least made of decent wood and the price is right. Some
people swear by mexican strats, but I don't like the neck. My advice
is: forget the price and country of origin and just play them
unamplified - listen to the tone, if it's loud, clear and resonant,
it's probably a decent sounding axe. Also the way the neck feels in
your hand is of optimal importance. Japaneese fenders are really
good but unfortunately no longer imported into america. Word of
warning: Strats are very quirky and difficult to set up right,
They're never right 'out of the box', and require a lot of trial and
error to make them play correctly. However they're probably one of
the most versatile guitars ever made, but the quality varies greatly
from strat to strat. Just play a lot of them till you find one that
feels right.
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "bloobeary" <christophert@s...> wrote:
> Hiya gang, I was out auditioning guitars this weekend, and I've got
a
> few questions about Fender Stratocasters.
>
> I tried three different models:
> a chineese version (the squire) for $125
> a mexican version (don't know the name) for $399
> the "american" version for $799
>
> Overall, the only differences I could see were body thickness, the
> ammount of chrome on the hardware, and the price tag. Is there any
> major difference between these models that qualifies the higher
cost?
> Like, is a squire prone to breaking/warping etc...?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> cheers.
>
> -c*
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Go Dana!! I wholeheartedly agree: Look around...with the 'net, there's NO
reason you can't end up with a good deal on an American strat....best of
luck...
Regards,
Brad Davis
On Tue, 11 Jun 2002, Fred Pleasant wrote:
> I've had my squire for 8 years and have been using it
> as my main guitar the whole time. It has held up very
> nicelly. Rumors that these guitars can't hold 12
> guage strings without snapping is BS too. I've
> noticed that the new squires definately have much
> thinner bodies, but I'm not sure if mine has.
Be very careful with Squiers. They are VERY different guitars through the
years. I bought a new Squier Strat in '86, made in Japan, and that was a
great guitar, as I think most people now agree. Then Fender moved Squier
production first to Korea or Taiwan, and then to Indonesia and China (I
think). I would tend to be EXTREMELY suspicious of the quality of current
Squiers, or really any Squiers from the last five years or so.
Japanese Fenders rival US-made Fenders in quality in many cases, and are a
good deal. Though I would still agree with several others and recommend
getting a used Am Std Strat. For a bit more money, you can get a used US
reissue - I bought both of mine for about $700-$800, and they're
wonderful. The reissue will have more of the sixties vibe, but the Am
Std. are great guitars and close enough to the classic design.
Ivan
Personally, if I were in the market for a Strat, I would forget all about
buying a new one and look around the web (google.com, ebay, any vintage
dealers. etc) and try and find a '62 reissue from the early 80's to early
90's. These things were GREAT guitars and can be had for cheap if you can
stomach a not-so-attractive color, or, a bit more for a babydoll. You'll get
that big surf tone, a great neck with the rounder fretboard, and a generally
much better fit and finish than any American Standard I ever saw. Another
good thing about the '62's is the bridge - you get a 6 bolt instead of the 2
bolt of the AS, most guys will tell you this sounds better as it transfers
the resonance to the wood better than the 2 bolt setup. You're also getting
a good piece of wood (alder) instead of the sometimes-we-use-poplar AS
series.
As for the Squiers - check out Jeff Healey's "Live from London" VHS tape
(circa 1988). He uses a Squier with some aftermarket pickups. He gets a
great sound out of that thing and abuses the shit out of it with no
problems.
Another thing I'd look for in a strat - a Fernandes instead of Fender on
the rack of a pawn shop or the used section. These things are VERY well
made, and very similar to a mid-60's strat in weight, shape etc.
Pickups are your biggest worry, and with Fender's just released 62/65 Strat
pickup, you're worries are over for that surfin' Strat tone no matter what
plank you bolt them in.
Robb
The other route, if you don't have a lot of money to spend but want
to get the best bang for your buck, is to build it yourself from
parts. There are a lot of suppliers who OEM Fender replacement parts,
Warmoth, WD Music, USA Custom Guitars, Edenhaus, Mighty Mite. They
produce a guitar that is really quite good--and you can choose your
own hardware, pups, wood finish, etc. If you go with ash you can
finish it with tung oil, which some think produces a more vibrant
guitar. You can also get bodies that have had wood removed from the
center to make them more vibrant and resonant and lighter. Warmoth,
who produces superlative parts, has maple necks in their "thrift
shop", for like, 100 bucks, and alder bodies for just a little more.
Wiring diagrams are all over the web. Your resale value won't be that
great--but neither will the resale for a cheap factory built guitar
either. You will learn alot about setting up your guitar, you can get
first rate parts, and you end up with a tremendous feeling of
accomplishment. You can always upgrade the pups later, or swap out
the other components as well--or get fancy tonewoods like Korina,
Koa, or Zebrawood. Remember, Leo designed all of his models to be
easily assembled from separate components.
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "bloobeary" <christophert@s...> wrote:
> Hiya gang, I was out auditioning guitars this weekend, and I've got
a
> few questions about Fender Stratocasters.
>
> I tried three different models:
> a chineese version (the squire) for $125
> a mexican version (don't know the name) for $399
> the "american" version for $799
>
> Overall, the only differences I could see were body thickness, the
> ammount of chrome on the hardware, and the price tag. Is there any
> major difference between these models that qualifies the higher
cost?
> Like, is a squire prone to breaking/warping etc...?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated.
>
> cheers.
>
> -c*
> Another thing I'd look for in a strat - a Fernandes
> instead of Fender on
> the rack of a pawn shop or the used section. These
> things are VERY well
> made, and very similar to a mid-60's strat in
> weight, shape etc.
Sometimes on ebay you see Fernandes Decade guitars
going for less than $200. They have a body shape
similiar to a jazzmaster, but have strat style
pickups/bridge. This guitar is probably a peice of
crap, but it looks pretty cool and probably sounds half-decent.
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