Why would anyone play anything other than a strat?

[elio]

Ok, I'm exaggerating. I've been neglecting the guitar for a long time, and would like to get back to it. I currently own a lovely (yeah right) Tanglewood Tomkat which I bought on the cheap and regretted every time I play it. Action's terrible, output is very muddy (2 humbs), doesn't have a nice ringing tone for arpeggios and the like.

In the past I played and loved strats. I'm thinking of buying one, is it worth spending the extra money for the US ones or are the mexicans good enough?
Or should I even (gasp!) consider anything else?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[uriahsmusic]

..i have owned quite a few lovely guitars....but my Squire Strat...made in China buy the way is what I play on all of my video lessons and live. It is the only guitar that I own.

...It sounds great and was $115.00 in a pawn shop!
my thought is either spend a bunch of money on something that re-sells for its value or better....or get the best cheap guitar you can find!

why spend a bunch of money on something that is 1 level above cheap...and then when you go back to the same guy to sell it he wants to give you 10% of what you paid?

[gtrdave]

For almost a decade I played either a Strat or Strat-like guitar for worship. It just seemed the most versatile compared to a Les Paul or Tele or...

But recently I switched to a Godin Solidac. Hand-made in Canada from American and Canadian parts, it's got three pickups (humbucker-single-humbucker) AND built-in transducers on the bridge with seperate output for each.
It can sound like an electric guitar or it can sound like an acoustic just by turning the volume knobs. The better part, it beats a Strat in the way that it has humbuckers AND a single coil. It can sound like a Strat, it can sound like a Les Paul, and more.
The best part: I paid $250 for it brand new. They'll normally sell for about $700 but the store was having a serious closeout sale and this guitar had been on the wall for a couple years. No one knew what it was which was a blessing to me...I knew EXACTLY what it was.

I know guys who play Les Pauls for worship...and I've tried playing my Tele a couple times...but they just seem too harsh.
Great for in-your-face rock but not for the dynamics that worship/gospel requires, imho.

uriahsmusic, that's a GOOD price for a Squier. I've owned a couple of them and, for the $$$, they're decent guitars. Some of them, like the ones made in Japan way back when, can be as good as the American-made versions.

The bottom line in all this gear talk is "it ain't what ya got, it's how you use it".  

check out rondomusic.com  for some great guitars at great prices. They have strat copies, gibson copies, PRS copiies and others. If you don't mind the name on the headstock these will fill your need and save you some dough.

[elio]

The bottom line in all this gear talk is "it ain't what ya got, it's how you use it".  

I know what you mean. However, I find that when I have a nice sound and a lot of sustain I end up concentrating more on the phrasing then on having to play notes/chords all the time because the previous one has died out or sounds bad. Simple arpeggios sound nice when you have a nice sound. I am also more relaxed and ultimately enjoy the whole playing/worship experience more.

[gtrdave]

The bottom line in all this gear talk is "it ain't what ya got, it's how you use it".  

I know what you mean. However, I find that when I have a nice sound and a lot of sustain I end up concentrating more on the phrasing then on having to play notes/chords all the time because the previous one has died out or sounds bad. Simple arpeggios sound nice when you have a nice sound. I am also more relaxed and ultimately enjoy the whole playing/worship experience more.

I'll tell you this: I've owned Korean Strats, Mexican Strats, Japanese Strats and American Strats. Out of all those I would pick the American Strat every day of the week.
It's a better guitar, period. It doesn't cost more because it was made here...it actually has better craftsmanship, better electronics, better hardware, and typically made to better specifications regarding intonation, pitch, durability, etc...

Yeah, new they cost $750+ these days but you'll probably find that you'll buy it and play it. You won't have to upgrade pickups, tuning machines, the bridge, pots, frets, etc...all that stuff that is typically of lesser quality on the foriegn made guitars.

If I was to buy a lower Fender I'd go for a Japanese and then Mexican but you've got to pick and choose through a bunch of them to find the right one.

For good quality alternate guitars besides Fender, look at Ibanez, Godin, ESP or maybe Schecter.
I know that Rondo sells a bunch of import copies as does Jay Turser and others. While they appear to be a great bargain at first, my experience with them is that they lack quality and long-term-use durability that will cost you $$$ in the future.

I really like Godin guitars. You'd be surprised at what high quality you can get in their axes at such low prices.
www.lasido.com
The Freeway and Detour guitars are killer deals for the money. And quality that surpasses anything Korea or Mexico can manufacture.

I'm not trying to put down folks from other countries nor their work but I've been playing for 26 years and hope that I've learned a couple things about what makes an "ok" guitar and what makes a "good" guitar.
You don't have to spend $1000+ to get good. Sometimes you don't have to spend $500.
And sometimes, as in the case of my Solidac, a really good deal on an exceptional guitar comes around. It's a blessing when it does.

[uriahsmusic]

...THERE ARE SOME PHAT GUITARS OUT THERE!

IBANEZ GEORGE BESNSON!
GIBSON L5 SOLID BODY!
THE ORIGINAL STEINBERGER
GIBSON SG LESPAUL CUSTOM  (CREAM OF COURSE!)
ARIA PROII HOLLOW BODY

ANY OF THE IBANEZ LAWSUITE SERIES HOLLOW BODIES!

[katstrat]

Mexican made Fenders are pretty decent guitars. I bought a MIM Stratocaster three years ago for $200 and it sounds great,it was slightly used,but still in showroom condition,I also got a Squire Telecaster that feels equal to a n American made one,sounds pretty good too.

[funkStrat_97]

That is a good question.  Why in the world would anyone want to play anything besides a Strat?  I mean come on, what's up with all those Gibson Les Pauls :lol: ?  But seriously, I think that Strats are fantastic guitars and Fender does offer a wide range of options in various price ranges.  You can get regular Strats, Fat Strats, Double Fat Strats, Strats with noise-less pickups, short scale Strats with P-90's, all kinds of finishes, gold hardware, etc.  IMO, the American made Fenders are the best in overall quality and consistancy, but there are some truly rightous Mexican Fenders out there (MIM = Made In Mexico).  I have a MIM Deluxe Active Jazz Bass V and it's an excellent bass for the money.  My two Strats are both MIA (Made In America) and they are truly great guitars.  If you have the money, go for a MIA Strat.  But the Mexican Deluxe series are fantastic bargins.  They have better pick-ups and hardware than the MIM Standard Strat and if you like bigger frets, the Deluxe series is a winner.  I've played a few MIM Standards and they are not bad at all.  My only issue with them is the small frets, but even that was not too much of a big deal for me.  Besides, they make great starter guitars thay you can customize to your liking.  One thing that I notice about Fender compared to Gibson is that they can make decent guitars even at the lower price ranges.  Granted that you may have to search a little harder to find the right one, even the Squires are pretty good...and they have some good things going like AlNico pick-ups and good quality hardware.  Gibson's Epiphone line is not as consistant.  With the exception of the Epi Elitist series, it seems that you really have to search to find a decent quality guitar.

[guitar_student]

Noob here.

Great site btw.

As far as gear goes it all depends on what style of music you play.

As a rythem guitar player( black gospel)I like the Epiphone (es-335 copies) myself.

Sounds great in most styles as well as a nice lead sound.

I also play a modified strat copy with seymour pickups.

[elio]

I mean come on, what's up with all those Gibson Les Pauls :lol: ?  

Not sure whether you're joking or not , but let me answer it anyway. I've played double-humbucker-Gibson-style solidbodies in the past and, generalizing a bit, I've found them all too muddy and dark for use in a gospel setting, where I want nice ringing tones for things like:  open arpeggios, wah-wah (or palm-muted) rhythm sections,and the occasional riff. It just doesn't do it for me.

Do I have blinkers on?  :wink:

[gtrdave]

I mean come on, what's up with all those Gibson Les Pauls :lol: ?  

Not sure whether you're joking or not , but let me answer it anyway. I've played double-humbucker-Gibson-style solidbodies in the past and, generalizing a bit, I've found them all too muddy and dark for use in a gospel setting, where I want nice ringing tones for things like:  open arpeggios, wah-wah (or palm-muted) rhythm sections,and the occasional riff. It just doesn't do it for me.

Do I have blinkers on?  :wink:

Having also played dual-hum Gibsons for a few years, I hear what you're saying. But know that 2 Les Pauls of the same model can sound very different from each other depending on the density and resonance of the wood used.
I've heard Standards that sound kinda thin and bright and other Standards that sound thick, muddy and chunky.
The Les Paul Classic tends to be a little brighter due to a thinner maple top and 496/500 pickups.
On the middle pickup switch setting and the rhythm volume rolled back, you can get a nice bright rhythm sound if you're using a good clean amp.

[guitar_student]

"Muddy" Les Pauls?

It is according to what style you play or like.

99% of Jazz guitarist prefer the Les Pauls(semi hollow) or others like it.

What you call muddy I call warm  :lol:

On a side note. Chuck Berry played Epiphone (semi hollow), basically a Gibson Copy and he set the tone for a whole generation.

If your into rock you will not like the Les Pauls

But if you'r into Rythm & Blues, Black Gospel and Jazz you can cerytainly use them.

[cesar]

i dissagree that the American Strats are really different from the Mexican strats... i own a mexican one... which is funny cause i'm mexican... so me and my guitar are like two peas in a pod.. a perfect match..hahaha
and it sounds just as good as the american one... my friend owns an american one, he paid i think 700 bucks for his.... we jam out together with our guitars...and  they both deliver the same!!

peace to all of thee  

[funkStrat_97]

"If your into rock you will not like the Les Pauls"

I beg to differ on that.  Les Pauls and other solid body Gibsons are very popular among rock guitarists.  Humbuckers have way more output than a typical single coil pick-up and that extra output is great for driving a tube amp into heavy distortion.  You don't see too may heavy metal guitar players using Strats unless they've got humbuckers in them.  If you are into funk and country, a Les Paul may not be your cup of tea.

[guitar_student]

Of course I meant Gibson semi acoustic 335  :oops:

[prsguitar123]

"If your into rock you will not like the Les Pauls"



Ummm.... I beg to differ...just ask a well known guitarist that goes by the name of SLASH!


Also I like fender strats, but I have FOUR guitars on stage with me at my church. Each does somethng different.

My main guitars are: 1. PRS Mcsoap guitar with P-90 pickups 2. Fender american standard strat 3. Brian moore 81.13 i guitar with 13 pin MIDI and a Taylor 312 ce acoustic guitar. I run them into a small mini mixer by rolls and into a Line 6 Vetta II amp. I use a Roland GR-33 with the brian moore.


I also have a Gibson Les Paul special SL (sans lacquer) which is very light and I use it sometimes in place of the strat, but the above guitars are my main axes.

[SympliiJD]

I own several but the Ibanez seems to be where my heart is @. GAX75 with the dropped D for the added funk sometimes. I see Santana happens to love them as well ( Norman Brown also ) OK I'm a name dropper.  

[gtrdave]

I own several but the Ibanez seems to be where my heart is @. GAX75 with the dropped D for the added funk sometimes. I see Santana happens to love them as well ( Norman Brown also ) OK I'm a name dropper.  

Norman Brown is a good name to drop. He's a great player in the George Benson style of playing.

[SympliiJD]

Yeah, I love his style of play. Norman follows a long line of Jazz artist and his greatest influences as you can see were Wes Montgomery and George Benson. I myself pratice a lot of octave play. It's good to throw in some every now and then. People are thrown by the smoothness of the sound.