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ZoSo65
May 6th, 2006, 09:43 AM
I'm thinking of maybe getting a Strat, instead of building one, and I've narrowed it down to three choices:

60th Anniversary Standard Stratocaster (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0146002355)
or
Highway One Stratocaster (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0111102338)
or
Robert Cray Standard Stratocaster (http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0139100326)

Any opinions on these?

Tim
May 6th, 2006, 10:11 AM
ZoSo - I do not think you can go wrong no matter which one you pick. They’re all Cadillac’s. It just depends which model and interior package you really want. Looks like a tough decision.

duhvoodooman
May 6th, 2006, 11:36 AM
Well, one quick question to ask yourself is whether or not you want a trem bar, 'cuz the Cray model doesn't have one. Personally, I think the Highway 1 model has some nice features. It's MIA, if that makes a difference to you. I understand it uses the Greasebucket control system. And you can choose from a variety of colors, with either a maple or rosewood neck. But it's well over $100 more than the 60th Anniv. model. Best thing is to do is go to your closest GC and try 'em all! :DR

warren0728
May 6th, 2006, 11:55 AM
i agree with voodoo....try out a bunch of them and choose the one that works for you....within any of those given models there will be a variety of quality and feels....each guitar is different. The one thing is have heard is that the Highway one models have VERY thin satin finishes that tend to "relic" or show wear marks very soon. Also i think their electronics and such are the same as those used on the MIM's (my tele is MIM and it is great)....

just play them till one talks to you and says "take me home"

ww

SuperSwede
May 6th, 2006, 11:59 AM
All three guitars are "safe bets" so you cant go wrong choosing anyone of them. But I must say that the finish on the anniversary strat is awesome, probably a future collectors item :)

ZoSo65
May 6th, 2006, 02:41 PM
I know the RC one is a non trem, I almost bought one before I built Black Betty. RC also is a string through design, love that tone!
The finish on the H1 is the only thing that worries me, but I'm not brutal with my stuff.
I love the way the 60th one looks, she would look even better with a white pearloid pickgaurd too, that's the only one I haven't played yet. Guess I'll have to go play one.

ZoSo65
May 7th, 2006, 07:01 AM
After doing a little hunting on flebay, I could put a nice American strat together for the third of the cost of a new one! (can't get away from the building thing,,hehe)

r_a_smith3530
May 7th, 2006, 02:52 PM
After doing a little hunting on flebay, I could put a nice American strat together for the third of the cost of a new one! (can't get away from the building thing,,hehe)

If you were patient (that's a tough one!), you could probably do it, and get it in your choice of color too!

ZoSo65
May 7th, 2006, 03:02 PM
If you were patient (that's a tough one!), you could probably do it, and get it in your choice of color too!
There's no rush with this one, but it would be nice to get that strat tone soon, but I can wait, I think,,LOL

ZoSo65
May 9th, 2006, 08:54 PM
,,,and so, the journey begins :DR

Just picked up an '05 American Deluxe body in Chrome Silver,,,woot!

SuperSwede
May 10th, 2006, 11:13 AM
Chrome Silver?!? Pics.. PLEASE! :)

Tim
May 10th, 2006, 01:30 PM
ZoSo - My wife says go with the Robert Cray signature Strat.

Katastrophe
May 10th, 2006, 07:16 PM
Sweet... Show us pics, man! What are you gonna use for other parts?

ZoSo65
May 11th, 2006, 04:26 PM
Soon as I get the body I'll take some pics of it.
As far as the other parts, it'll be all Fender stuff.

ZoSo65
May 11th, 2006, 08:20 PM
This is what I'm working on :R

Katastrophe
May 11th, 2006, 08:27 PM
Dude, that's gonna be nice... Keep us posted on your progress and any hints, or problems you come across. Us mechanically challenged individuals will live vicariously through you.

ZoSo65
May 11th, 2006, 08:36 PM
Just ordered the SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noiseless) pups, and the pickgaurd.

Nelskie
May 11th, 2006, 09:11 PM
I dig the look of the black p'up covers and knobs against that silver MOTO pickguard & body. Very tight! Sounds like she's gonna' be Strat-a-licious, Zoso.

SuperSwede
May 12th, 2006, 12:57 AM
Oohhhh... hot hot hot... That is going to be a KILLER guitar Zoso!

Spudman
May 12th, 2006, 05:38 PM
Very Chi Chi! Don't forget since it is such a classy guitar you are obliged to practice proper etiquette and must always hold your pinkie away from the pickups.
Sweet color scheme.

tremoloman
May 16th, 2006, 01:52 PM
Are you referring to the MIM or MIA 60th model?

I played the 60th MIM the other day... the neck, action, and tone are just as good as an American Strat IMHO. The new upgrades really make a big difference.

ZoSo65
May 16th, 2006, 03:32 PM
It would've been the MIM version.

I received my 2005 MIA Deluxe body today,,,man is she sweet!!
I'll get some pics up probably tomorrow.

ZoSo65
May 17th, 2006, 04:43 PM
Pups and pickgaurd have landed, will post pics soon,,,I'll edit this post.

PICS,,,ok, I had to use the cell phone for these pics, but they came out pretty good.
Oh yeah,,pickgaurd is not screwed in and the protective plastic is still on it. It won't come off till it's finished ;)

Just need the neck and tuners to complete it. Other then waiting for the other parts to arrive,,,heh

duhvoodooman
May 17th, 2006, 05:39 PM
Looking good so far, Z-man! Hope she turns out as easy on the ears as the eyes! :D

Katastrophe
May 17th, 2006, 07:11 PM
That's gonna be one classy lookin' Strat, man! :D Who ya getting the neck from?

ZoSo65
May 17th, 2006, 09:53 PM
ZoSo - My wife says go with the Robert Cray signature Strat.
I'd like to meet your wife,,,cause I really do like that strat,,,I think if I did get an RC strat, it would definitely be the MIA version, as it is more true to what he really plays.


Hope she turns out as easy on the ears as the eyes!
So do I DVM!!! On a good note though, everything I've been reading about the SCN pups has been everything but negative. Fender has even spoke very highly of them compared to the 56's and 63's they base most of there tone on. Fender has also mentioned that in several areas the SCN have surpassed them. The specs that Bill Lawrence has put on them are unbelievable!
From Fender(when SCN's where just a prototype):

We mounted his new prototype into our test bed guitar and began testing it against our original ’56 and ’63 Stratocaster pickups – the benchmark we’ve used for the past 10 years. We were literally amazed—no noise canceling pickups we had tested before had come this close to capturing the true essence of Fender’s original designs. The more we played it, using a variety of amplifiers and playing styles, we came to realize that this pickup actually exceeded our expectations—under certain conditions it actually out performed the originals!

As far as the neck, Katastrophe, I'm not sure yet, but it will be a fender.
There's a couple good dealers I found that have true replacement MIA Deluxe necks and necks from actual produced guitars that have never been played.

On a quick note here, I can't wait till it's all together, and making some true Strat tone!

SuperSwede
May 18th, 2006, 04:00 AM
Cheesus Zoso!

lovely guitar, very sober color

tot_Ou_tard
May 18th, 2006, 06:22 AM
Pups and pickgaurd have landed, will post pics soon,,,I'll edit this post.

PICS,,,ok, I had to use the cell phone for these pics, but they came out pretty good.
Oh yeah,,pickgaurd is not screwed in and the protective plastic is still on it. It won't come off till it's finished ;)

Just need the neck and tuners to complete it. Other then waiting for the other parts to arrive,,,heh
So ZoSo, what do you have to do to finish the guitar.

Just a little soldering install the tuners & bolt on the neck or is there more?

Oh, yeah, you'll need a bridge. How hard is this to do?

Do you have a name for your new baby yet?

Spudman
May 18th, 2006, 08:00 AM
I've seen some gray guitars that are amazing in stage lighting. They turn multiple colors. That looks like it will be one fine axe (drooling). Have fun.

ZoSo65
May 19th, 2006, 11:04 PM
Now that's a 60th (http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?sku=F0056801X&ovchn=OTHER&ovcpn=EM052006&ovcrn=EM+Main&ovtac=EMAIL) to me!
But how they can go from $1300 down to $560, I don't get.

duhvoodooman
May 20th, 2006, 02:08 PM
But how they can go from $1300 down to $560, I don't get.
I think you read that wrong, Z. It's marked down by $560, from $1860 list to the $1300 selling price....

ZoSo65
May 20th, 2006, 05:01 PM
I think you read that wrong, Z. It's marked down by $560, from $1860 list to the $1300 selling price....
hehe,,yeah I just noticed that.
It was a late one lastnight. :rolleyes:

ZoSo65
May 26th, 2006, 07:59 PM
So ZoSo, what do you have to do to finish the guitar.

Just a little soldering install the tuners & bolt on the neck or is there more?

Oh, yeah, you'll need a bridge. How hard is this to do?

Do you have a name for your new baby yet?
Yes tot, basically. Just a little more soldering then usual due to the S-1 Switching System (http://www.fender.com/products/s1/) (see the American Deluxe Series Stratocaster pdf for details).
As for the bridge, I'm going to use the tremelo bridge that comes on it from Fender, it's going to be all "factory".
Trem is installed BTW ;) just need the trem cover and knobs, and the body will be 100%.
No name for her yet,,hehe

ZoSo65
June 19th, 2006, 10:56 PM
Well, the body is finally 100%, just need to solder everything.
Getting the S-1 knobs is what delayed everything, can't even get them from Fender yet, as they haven't released them as an "accessory" part yet. So I had to get them from ebay, and man do they get some really high bids, especially for the black ones. Seen them go for almost $80, but no lower then $45!!!
The Fender dealer I talked to was shocked by the price range, said when Fender does release them, it would be a $15 part most likely,,,go figure.

On a sad note though, due to a few circumstances that happened here at home, I won't be able to finish it, and I'm going to sell it when it's ready(solder it up, and test it, using a MIM neck from a friend)
So if anyone is interested let me know, and when it's finished I'll post in the TFN sales Forum. I figured I'd let you guys know first,,,before the ebay thing happens. I'll post some pics later ;)

Bloozcat
June 20th, 2006, 06:44 AM
That's really a shame ZoSo65. I know that building the guitar was half the fun, but it's too bad that you won't get to experience most of the other half...playing the guitar.

I started a similar Strat project about three or four weeks ago. My goal was to try to assemble a very nice Strat using good quality parts that I could get mainly on E-bay. I was looking for Fender parts for some of the main components, and it didn't matter to me if they were MIA or MIM, just that they be of a good quality standard. I wanted to see if I could accomplish my goal for $600.00 or less for all the parts.

I found this very nice ash body in like new condition that was taken from a MIM Fender Deluxe Players Strat. It fit my weight requirement coming in with finish already applied at 3 lbs. 12 oz. I got it on a buy it now for $149.95, and after following many other auctions for both MIA and MIM bodies, it was a very good price. I spent last night applying copper shielding tape to the body cavity. BTW: the body looks even better than pictured, with a nice glossy finish. The white marks on the body and in the cavity are just remnants of polishing compound. Before putting the shielding tape down, I cleaned it all up and the body looks perfect.
http://members.aol.com/twangthangs/060407
I found through other various E-bay auctions such items as a 3-ply w/b/w Fender pickguard in mint condition with the plastic still on it for $3.80, Fender tremolo back cover in the same condition for $2.46, Fender strap buttons w/felt and screws for $.99, Fender output jack with cup and screws for $3.95. All of these parts were taken from mint condition 2004 or newer Fender guitars, and all the parts appear as new. I was actually suprised that I got some of the parts so cheap.

After following many Fender Strat neck auctions, I decided that the prices they were getting on E-bay would break the bank so to speak, and run me over the $600.00 limit. Having used Mighty Mite necks in the past with very good results, I decided to look for one of their better models at the best price I could find. I found a MM2929 C-shaped neck w/22 jumbo frets, rosewood board, in 9 1/2" radius for $99.95 on a buy it now. The neck it turns out is as good as any I've seen in the quality dept. The maple is very nice straight grained with no flaws at all. The fretboard is a nice thick piece of rosewood that is pretty dark and expertly finished. At first check, the frets appear to be uniformily finished with no high or low frets. The headstock is a true Fender shape, and there is a very light lacquer finish on the maple that is barely noticable. This is a perfect finish for the application of the Fender neck amber tint that I'm going to apply.

The electronics I already have, with CTS pots, a CRL 5-way switch, an Orange Drop cap, and three custom wound single coils among the parts. I did a preliminary tally of the cost, and it appears that I'll make my goal of $600.00 or less, with about $10-$15 to spare (that will undoubtedly be eaten up by unforseen or forgotten "extras").

I haven't done much picture posting (as duhvoodooman can attest to), but as soon as I can get some pics together, I'll post 'em. More to come as I continue with the project.

Bloozcat
June 20th, 2006, 06:53 AM
Here's another picture of the back of the body:
http://members.aol.com/twangthangs/060408

Tone2TheBone
June 20th, 2006, 08:46 AM
That would make one wicked Strat.

SuperSwede
June 20th, 2006, 01:47 PM
Bloozcat, it will be a great guitar! Im looking forward to see and hear the results! :)

Bloozcat
June 21st, 2006, 07:59 AM
Ok, last night's projects were to wire up the pickguard and install it along with the strap buttons, output jack & cup,and the tremolo bridge. Along with the plain white pickguard and rear tremolo cover that I just picked up on E-Bay, I also had a white pearloid pickguard and cover that I picked up for next to nothing awhile ago. The pearloid looked much better, so I used them instead of the plain white. The combination looks really good. Since I only have an anolog film type camera, the pictures will have to wait a few more days.

I also checked the frets out on the new neck last night. They all appeared to be level, but just to be sure, I marked them all with a black marker and lightly sanded the frets with a block and some 400 grit paper. It only took a few passes to show that the marker had been removed uniformly from the frets. After that I lightly ran a 300 grit diamond fret crown file over the frets leaving just the finest line I could on the tops of each fret. Then came the #0000 steel wool, and tonight I'll polish the frets with the Dremel and some polishing compound. It probably wasn't necessary to go through all of this with the neck, but what the heck, now I know everything is just right (I would have polished the frets anyway).

So, it's fret polishing, neck tinting & clear coating, tuning keys (Kluson/Gotoh Vintage style), string trees, decal, neck installation, and a set up to go 'til it's finished. I can only hope that it will sound as good when done as it's starting to look...that would be great.

tremoloman
June 21st, 2006, 10:31 AM
[quote=ZoSo65]Well, the body is finally 100%, just need to solder everything.
Getting the S-1 knobs is what delayed everything, can't even get them from Fender yet, as they haven't released them as an "accessory" part yet. So I had to get them from ebay, and man do they get some really high bids, especially for the black ones. Seen them go for almost $80, but no lower then $45!!!
The Fender dealer I talked to was shocked by the price range, said when Fender does release them, it would be a $15 part most likely,,,go figure./quote]

Sorry to hear you have to sell it.

You can purchase the S1 knobs without any problem. I've got 3 sets of them from my local dealer. If you cannot get your dealer to score you some, goto justplaymusic.com and tell them Scott sent you. :) Peter or Bob will hook you up. :)

ZoSo65
June 21st, 2006, 03:27 PM
Looks good Bloozcat !!!

Ah, it's not the end of the world, there will be more built, I guarantee it!! ;)