* Prob looking for a stratocaster, but other models may be considered.

I know there are quite a few guitar players on here, so thought I’d ask the forum.

I started off thinking about a Squier Classic Vibe 50s / 60s. Look to be good value, good reviews etc.

BUT, their popularity means the local music shops are shifting CVs, but have what look like good offers on slower moving Fender strats…

So, is it worth going a couple hundred dearer, getting better pick ups etc?

This in particular has caught my eye:
Fender Roadhouse Strat – Mexican made, Texas Special pick ups

I know, go and try – which I will. Just wondered if anyone had given these a try, especially compared to the Squiers…

Those look very nice to me though I’m quite drawn to the pawnshop range too

http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/pawnshop

I recently picked up this:

Its a Blacktop Jazzmaster, I got the shop to give me a Duncan Distortion ‘bucker to replace the Fender/BHK Anico ‘Bucker that came in it. Swapped it over myself.

I was toying with the idea of a Mustang or a Jag (both Kurt Cobain models were very tempting) but I wanted to get my own sound rather than buy a tribute guitar. Also tempting was a strange pink strat in the window of GAK in Brighton, apparently it bellongs to the owner and whilst a good price has some rather strange but fun modifications to it.

Personally when looking for a guitar, its all about the sound, I’d been hankering after something that could give me that growl of a humbucker but also the bell like tones of a singlecoil. I found the original Fender PUP to be too quiet given the high output of the Duncan Soapbar hence the swap, with this thing I’ve got the sound I wanted.

It’s a very high output guitar, it’s easy to get the amp to break up just by opening up the volume and when the amp is at a proper volume I swear this thing could knock down churches.

If in doubt try millions of guitars, piss off every guitar shop in a 200 mile radius. Eventually there will be one (or three) that you keep going back to or think about. Your looking for the one that makes you want to keep playing, one that suits you.

Oh and one more thing, the bridge on my Jazzmaster is a pain in the balls and the tremlo doesn’t have a lock on it (if a string breaks the whole thing goes out of tune) I’m swapping them out shortly.

good luck. Welcome to yet another mental arms race with yourself.

It’s really impossible to answer – there is no ‘perfect sound’ and no ‘perfect playing action’ – it’s all to your taste. How do you want to sound? Do you want to caress gentle tones out of it? Smack it around to make it scream?

Generally Mexican strats have a more pleasant feel to them than Squiers, and are worth the extra.

But my advice is to go to as many shops as you can with a real ‘guitar shop’ vibe – more stock than space, an owner who wants to sell the guitars but are clearly sad to see them go – and play as many as you can. You’ll know which one you can’t live without. And the next one you can’t live without… And so on…

Edit: MrNutt – Nice taste, especially the rum

oh christ, beware of ALL guitar shops, trust no one and always demand they play stairway on every guitar in the shop before passing it to you to try.

If you like the sound of the Squier CVs get one. When I was looking around a couple of places said they thought the CV is better build quality than Mex Fenders, although the p/ups aren’t quite as good.
Mid range Yamaha Pacificas are worth looking at.

Hi,

I’m a music teacher and been playing guitar (as well as numerous other instruments) for about 14 years. The mex fenders offer great value for money and if a strats what you like you can’t go to wrong however definitely have a play of them as all the pickups will sound different, even the different woods can give a massively different sound.

All that said…..the second hand market is not to shabby at the mo. second hand american strats and teles can be picked up dirt cheap. Just a thought.