What Strat would you buy?

[Big_Rob]

I would buy the Highway One sunburst Strat.

[Iago]

If I had high dollar I would get a:

-Custom LTD 1955 strat

I can't believe I said that hahahahaha

[pes_laul]

That MIM 60th anniversary Strat looks mighty sexy. When I buy myself a strat, this time I'll go with a Fender (or else a higher end brand). I want to treat myself to a guitar with overall great quality. Squiers, SX and so on, they are fantastic for the price, but you do get cheap mechanics, etc. I don't mind having several low end nice guitars, but one or two that is a bit higher quality is something I think I need. (don't tell my wife I said that).

I really want a tremolo I can use that also stays in tune. I'm suspicious about the cheap guitars here - although I could always swap the bridge out, but then the overall price goes up... oh well, we'll see.

Right now, I'm eyeing the MIM 60th anniversary Strat the hardest.

i have a squire affinity strat which the trem stays in tune

[guitaro]

"What do you guys thinl about this one?
However it is over my budget ... Last time I checked it was $4600. I like it's look, but I wonder how it sounds and feels like. Anyone got a chance to try one?

Fender Stratocaster® Custom Shop Limited Edition - 60s Stratocaster Relic LTD Guitar



Description:
The Fender 60s Stratocaster Relic LTD Electric Guitar looks like a real vintage classic thanks to aged knobs, pickup covers, pickguard, tremolo, and switch tip. U-shaped maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Vintage tuners and tremolo. Fender includes three vintage single-coil pickups with your '60s Stratocaster for sound as old as it looks.

Unique Features of Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition 60s Stratocaster Relic LTD Electric Guitar:
-‘60s Oval “C” Shape Maple Neck
-Middle Pickup is Reverse Wound/Reverse Polarity
-Tinted Neck
-Custom Shop Limited Edition Decal
-Limited Edition Certificate
-Bone Nut
-All Original Detailing
-Built From Original Tooling
Shows natural wear and tear of years of heavy use, nicks, scratches, worn finish rusty hardware and aged plastic parts.

Colors ((482) Black over 3-Color Sunburst
(Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish)
Body Premium Lightweight Alder Body
Neck Maple, ‘60s Oval “C” Shape,
(Tinted Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish)
Fingerboard Dark Rosewood, 9.5” Radius (241mm)
No. of Frets 21 Medium Jumbo Frets
Pickups 3 Texas Special™ Single-Coil Strat® Pickups,
Custom middle pickup is reverse wound/reverse polarity for hum canceling in switch positions 2 and 4

Fender 60s Stratocaster Relic LTD Guitar Review"

[Adrian30]

A Classic Players '60s just like the one in the pic. Than I woud "age" them white plastic parts. I haven't bought a thing this year, all of 2007. G.A.S. is pressing pretty hard and the budget is not cooperating.

[Adrian30]

After reading Elavds review of the guitar sayng (among the rest) :

"The color contrast of the sonic blue, the mint green pickguard and the aged plastic parts is wonderful!!! The guitar looks as an old guitar forgoten for a long long time unplayed…"

Strike the above mentioned "aging" of white plastic parts.:
It's just that in the pic that I posted above, the pickguard, pick up covers and knobs look so pale...I'm not into relicing, but I have a dislike the 100% white plastic, that's all...

[pie_man_25]

If I had the cash, I'd probably get a highway one strat, if they come in swamp ash, otherwise, I'd probably get an SX, I might get one of their jazz bass models as a backup for my fender, and also as a platform for modding.

[Duff]

I just got two Highway One's, an sss and a hss. $388 each, new through a big chain I have no affilliation with, initials, GC. This deal is NOT advertized; you need to call the store and talk to the manager. Tell him what you heard about the 388 deal. I just got my two. Had to call around.

The pickups are not regular strat pickups but incorporate some special system. They play great. The necks are thin, not like base ball bats. The quality of build is excellent. The parts are really good, like a steel tremolo block (tested with a magnet). The h'bucker is hot and the singles are hot, alnico pickups. The tonal variety on the hss is outstanding as is the sss, using the five way switch. So a lot of people wouldn't want to replace the pickups. They are supposed to have a certain deeper tone engineered in by Fender. I was thinking about putting my set of locking Fender tuners on one and a set of stainless saddles, but was advised by some pro's not to alter it. I might do it anyway because I know it will change the sound, especially the stainless saddles.

I would say think about a Highway One. Supposedly they have been getting some undeserved put downs.

Think about it: made in Mexico - made in USA.

The Hwy 1's have this cool finish that glows. They are definitely worth looking at and playing and seeing if you can get the deal if you are thinking about money. Compare on to a MIM, MIM's are everywhere. Try finding a Hwy 1 at the sale price. There is a reason they are hard to find.

I probably would have bought a MIM strat if I didn't find out about this deal; although those Agile higher end ones are supposed to be nice like the 802 or 1000. Even the cheap SX SST's are cool and, obviously, can be modified. I put a Lil' Killer twin rail in the bridge on one. It was 17K the stock one was like 5K. That little killer had real bite too, not a muffled tone at all.

Below are two Highway One's (the center maroon guitar body is not discolored, that is pixelization mess ups from the low quality attachment settings I used. It is a perfect maroon stain you can see the grain through to some degree, more so on the blonde one):

[Radioboy950]

Say Duff...
Those are pretty nice lookin "value" Strats, and I'm very curious about the HSS in particular. Is there an audio clip or two floating around that I could listen to?

[Duff]

Those Hwy one's are 2007's by the way, at 388 US each.

Duffy

[pes_laul]

Lately I've been GASing for one of those floyd rose equipped strats

[tot_Ou_tard]

A Classic Players '60s just like the one in the pic. Than I woud "age" them white plastic parts. I haven't bought a thing this year, all of 2007. G.A.S. is pressing pretty hard and the budget is not cooperating.

Can you elaborate on why you'd choose this one Adrian?

Also I'd be interested in why you'd opt for a rosewood fretboard over maple.

[hubberjub***]

This is the one. The culmination of 53 years of Stratocaster progress.

CLICK ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Adrian30]

Can you elaborate on why you'd choose this one Adrian?

Also I'd be interested in why you'd opt for a rosewood fretboard over maple.

Sorry for a late response, Tot.
I played one of these strats at GC, along with few other guitars, really more testing a used Crate amp than guitars, and loved it. It just sounded good and felt great! As for the rosewood, I have three guitars with maple fretboard, and I’m more than ready to have one with rosewood fetboard. Besides, in pure visual grounds, I like the contrast between the light colors of the body and dark fretboard. I think it looks really retro-edgy.

[Lev]

Sorry for a late response, Tot.
I played one of these strats at GC, along with few other guitars, really more testing a used Crate amp than guitars, and loved it. It just sounded good and felt great! As for the rosewood, I have three guitars with maple fretboard, and I’m more than ready to have one with rosewood fetboard. Besides, in pure visual grounds, I like the contrast between the light colors of the body and dark fretboard. I think it looks really retro-edgy.

Adrian, it's an amazing guitar for the price. It's like stepping into a time machine each time you play - you are quite right - no need to age any parts it's perfect as is. I'm not sure the picture you posted is an actual Classic Player because the blue is much lighter than that on the CP60's - it's almost white. You can check my youtube vids in my sig - I have two with my CP60's.

[Adrian30]

Adrian, it's an amazing guitar for the price. It's like stepping into a time machine each time you play - you are quite right - no need to age any parts it's perfect as is. I'm not sure the picture you posted is an actual Classic Player because the blue is much lighter than that on the CP60's - it's almost white. You can check my youtube vids in my sig - I have two with my CP60's.

I did check out your youtube videos, and let me say first that I like your playing and tone.:
As for the picture that I posted, I think i snached it from the MF website, supposedly describing the CP 60's, but who knows...maybe a bad picture, altered colors?
Anyhow, I found this to be a great sounding and cool looking guitar.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Adrian, I have had a bunch of maple boards, then I'd go for the rosewwod too.

Adrian, it's an amazing guitar for the price. It's like stepping into a time machine each time you play - you are quite right - no need to age any parts it's perfect as is. I'm not sure the picture you posted is an actual Classic Player because the blue is much lighter than that on the CP60's - it's almost white. You can check my youtube vids in my sig - I have two with my CP60's.

Sweet playing on those vids Lev!