velorush

Sorry, not trying to muddy the waters. I ran across that Stike-finished bass immediately after reading your question and made (obviously) incorrect assumptions about the paisley finish.

Watched this last night: Afterward I thought, 'cool amalgam of useful features from several models. I wonder...' Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage '50s Telecaster Maple Fingerboard Butterscotch Blonde US25002406 | Reverb $3,000? Three THOUSAND Dollars? WHAT? For a Telecaster? The linked example on Reverb is nice - less than 7 lbs. and the neck is a bit larger than the "Modern C" ridiculousness I never voted to be the standard, but the market segment of $3,000 guitars has some pretty heady membership. Wow.

@Stike's the man: ETA: @cmatthes - 8th post down.

That and I'm geek enough to find soldering up my own harness to be entertaining. 🤔

I get similar emails from Kraft Music (WI) - "call for deals!" I don't understand the setup: am I supposed to call and ask for a list of random products that are on sale or am I supposed to call on the hope something I'm shopping for is on sale? Either case seems an incredibly inefficient means of conveying discount information. If it's such a good deal, why not list the discounts offered on a special web page and move on? Are they selling Gibson guitars, for example, which prohibits advertising anything below MSRP on new merchandise? Maybe that's it... FWIW: I have never 'called for a deal.'

Anything to keep you infinitely engaged, commercial after commercial, resulting dopamine dependency and deleterious long-term emotional effects be damned.

Seriously, after building my own Strat I have absolutely no interest other than perusing any "innovations" that can be incorporated into another partscaster.

@Saul Goodman, we called them the '70's and '80's. They were the best of times; they were the worst best of times... Seriously, "blue-eyed soul" was a fantastic pop sub-genre that was absolutely dominated by Hall & Oates, with G.E. Smith on guitar and T-Bone Wolk on bass. Tons of great tunes. * all of the foregoing intended as helpful information, but retracted entirely in the case the title of this thread was intended as sarcasm.

I rather like the Parker guitar, though I've never had my mitts on one. Given the shreddertastic neck dimensions, it probably wouldn't work for me, but I appreciate the aesthetic.

The BBB of B is an encyclopedia! I was unprepared for what a complete download it was, both Rush and just overall bass. "Beauty of the Burst" is another beautiful book filled with pictures but also loads of nerdy information about construction and details. I keep waiting for Bonamassa to get hooked up with an editor / publisher. He could produce a true Encyclopedia Britanica of guitar complete with pictures.

Another Boomer Boomer since the early 90's. They seem to last longer and break less frequently to me.

FTCFThem: Keith Richards performing with the a five or six year-older-than-the-article-subject Les Paul guitar Robert Knight Archive / Redferns via Getty Images

Ages ago @murkat pointed me to Circuit Specialists and specifically to their soldering stations. I bought one similar to this and it has served me well. They have a variety of different models, none of which break the bank. They also sell lots of tips and spare parts.

Dude you are killing what is left of the 80's me!

Say it has been stripped - what a perfect guitar to buy and send straight to @Stike! Possibilities are endless and absolutely without regret!

The George Benson video of "On Broadway" that Don Kirchner had on repeat blew my mind every time I watched it. It still kills (IMO). Just a great update / revision - another example where the cover > the original.

Was explaining to my coworker (born the year I graduated high school) who he was. She was a high school band member, so I thought there might be a chance she'd heard "Feels So Good," but alas, too young to have heard it. She was impressed an instrumental jazz song could actually chart (I played a bit of it from Spotify). Prior Chuck Mangione, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a flugelhorn.

Loved those guitars! I bought a month-old used Model 3A (HH) in '86 ('87 model IIRC - no pickguard) and traded it in for a new Model 3 (HSS) after a couple of months. A guy in a local cover band had a duplicate of the guitar you're selling - unobtainium to me at the time.

Love that finish!

Absolutely. There are a number of quasi-conspiritorial threads constantly running through my head at any moment interacting with anything created by entities with varied and often nefarious intent. That said, I have found ChatGPT to be useful in helping me aggregate information for evaluation (rather than trusting AI to evaluate for me).

I, too, have been looking at the Ibanez, having had them in a cart several times. I didn't even know about this alternative. Great video!

I was curious, so I posed the authentication question to ChatGPT. Might be some helpful information here, but interesting either way: Verifying the authenticity of a backplate (tremolo cover) for a 1959 Fender Stratocaster is a nuanced process. Fender components from that era have distinct characteristics, and collectors or vintage experts often scrutinize details closely. Here's what to look for: ✅ 1. Screw Hole Pattern Genuine 1959 backplates have 6 screw holes, arranged in a slightly asymmetrical pattern. Measure the spacing and angles carefully—modern reissues often have subtly different spacing. Compare to a verified 1959 backplate template if possible. ✅ 2. Material Original backplates were made of white ABS or cellulose nitrate plastic. Early '59s may have single-ply white plastic, though by late 1959, 3-ply white (W/B/W) became more common. If the plastic has shrinkage, yellowing, or warping, this can be a good sign (though not definitive on its own). ✅ 3. Screw Hole Aging Check for consistent wear around the screw holes. Genuine vintage plates show subtle rounding or cracking at screw holes due to decades of tension. Tool marks or fresh plastic shavings may indicate a modern reproduction. ✅ 4. Machining and Beveling Originals have a very specific bevel angle on the edges—typically around 45°, but hand-done and slightly inconsistent. Look for hand-finishing marks—modern CNC reproductions tend to be too perfect. The beveled edge may show signs of color variation or dirt buildup due to age. ✅ 5. String Slot Originals have a narrow rectangular string slot. Compare its dimensions to verified examples (e.g., ~2.5 inches long and 0.25 inches wide). The edges of the slot may be slightly rough or rounded from use. ✅ 6. Smell Test (Caution) If it’s celluloid nitrate, it may emit a camphor-like smell when gently warmed by friction (rubbing). Be careful—celluloid is flammable and brittle. ✅ 7. UV Light Test Under UV/blacklight, vintage plastic often glows differently (usually a dull cream or greenish hue) compared to bright white modern plastics. ✅ 8. Provenance If the backplate came with a documented 1959 Strat, especially with matching serial numbers, case candy, or sales receipts, that greatly helps. Check if the patina, fading, or wear matches the rest of the guitar. ⚠️ Red Flags (Repro Indicators) Perfect symmetry or plastic that’s too white. Incorrect screw spacing. Sharp, CNC-precise beveling. “Aged” plastic that looks artificially yellowed or relic'd. 💡 Tip: Compare with Known Originals Use high-resolution reference images from reputable sources like: Gruhn Guitars Norman’s Rare Guitars The Fender Stratocaster: A.R. Duchossoir If you want, you can upload a photo of the backplate and I can help you analyze it in more detail.

Unless you just have to have humbucking, the Duncan SSL-5 (bridge pickup out of the Gilmour set) is fantastic in the bridge of a 25.5"-scale guitar. It's thick without being dark, but definitely less bright and more powerful than the stock Strat bridge. Further, it's not so overpowering that you end up with the typical HSS issue of the bridge overpowering the singles.

I played all through college with a guy that used nothing but one of those with a Boss EQ pedal in front. I thought it sounded amazing compared to my Bandit 65 (and it did). 🤣 ETA: his was red - really cool stuff BITD.

Serious question: do any of you keep the backplate on? I'm a Strat devotee since 1986 and I have never left a backplate on. I don't even know where any of them are. Second question: I'm buying a $1000 (or multiples thereof) guitar. Am I really concerned about a $10 piece of plastic that should be removed anyway? Caveat: the guitar is an original Pre-CBS Strat - yep, the backplate would be priceless, but I'm guessing that is not the sort of guitar on offer.