bubs_42 Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 2022 is supposed to be the year of the Stratocaster. So STEP ONE, I bought a G&L SKYHAWK Step TWO: Will be reject the G&L and buy a Stratocaster Step Three: Commit to the Stratocaster. If you asked me what my ultimate Stratocaster would be, it would be 60's Reissue Hardtail Stratocaster. 62 or even the later 60's Large Headstock guitar. What ever I buy the Challenge is to commit to it. Hardtail are so damn hard to find anymore that I feel I would have to be flexible on that one, but Rosewood and Alder combination is what i'm going for. @hamerhead start collecting the money, names and dates for the "Bubs Sold his Strat Pool", and @Travis you job is to keep track of the "Dibs" list. And GO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJL Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 My main Guitar since 1984 ! I was over the Moon when I overpaid ($500.00 , vs. the $350.00 I SHOULD have paid ....) for it . A heavy Ash/Maple '75 , rebuilt from the ground up . D.~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 14 minutes ago, bubs_42 said: 2022 is supposed to be the year of the Stratocaster. So STEP ONE, I bought a G&L SKYHAWK Way to stumble right outta the gate, Shawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchman Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Step 4: ditch the Fender and get a Daytona! At least try a Suhr, Anderson, or Melancon. I have the Daytona and Melancon. When you get into those kind of builds they make the CS Fender look not so great, and yes I had a 1 off Lacewood Fender Custom shop that could not keep up with the Daytona! Your milage may varie. The Anderson did a quick turn around, went right back, the. Suhr vs Melancon was a tough choice. IMG_2357.HEIC IMG_2357.HEIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubs_42 Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 54 minutes ago, RobB said: Way to stumble right outta the gate, Shawn. It is a wonderful guitar, super clean and the EQ options make it super flexible, It was the most "UnStrat" Strat and for a guy that has been down the Strat route I thought it was the way to go. @Dutchmanno more Daytonas, I've had 5 of them and possible 2 of the lightest ones made. I like a smaller fretboard radius, more vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cynic Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Nash S63 HTs aren't crazy plentiful but they probably easier to find than a similar Fender. I passed on a Nash about six years ago and I still kick myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweed Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Year of the Stratocaster. Well, what d'ya know, been thinkin' the same thing ! Haven't had a real Strat since I was a kid. But, will be a long search 'cause I'm now used to the flatter neck radius. Might try out a compound radius, see how that feels. Worst come to worse, a Custom Shop type with a fat neck and a flat radius. Those "Wildwood 10" Strats sound interesting. Another tax refund binge !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 5 hours ago, bubs_42 said: If you asked me what my ultimate Stratocaster would be, it would be 60's Reissue Hardtail Stratocaster. 62 or even the later 60's Large Headstock guitar. What ever I buy the Challenge is to commit to it. Hardtail are so damn hard to find anymore that I feel I would have to be flexible on that one, but Rosewood and Alder combination is what i'm going for. Late 70s hardtails have been priced pretty sanely the last coupla years. I’m sure they’ve gone up recently, but I love those guitars. Hughie Thomason! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamerhead Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I thought a hardtail Strat would be THE Strat to have, coming from a TOM/Sustain Block background. And that a hardtail Daytona, having the proper neck radius (14"), would be even perfecter. But part of the Strat 'thing' is the springs. You take those out and it's not the same guitar. You can block the trem so it can't budge, but the springs are part of the sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubs_42 Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 I don't want to mess with pickups, or anything, I just want a great strat to play. I tried the American Professional II's and they are really great guitars, but unfortunately the one at GC was hanging high and completely dried out. Played great but the board was starving for moisture to the point that the fret ends had already popped out. I'll do a drive by of my local shop tomorrow and see what they have before I buy online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl.B Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Have you checked out the Robert Cray strat's? Yeah I know they are MIM but they are nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 7 hours ago, bubs_42 said: 2022 is supposed to be the year of the Stratocaster. So STEP ONE, I bought a G&L SKYHAWK Step TWO: Will be reject the G&L and buy a Stratocaster Step Three: Commit to the Stratocaster. If you asked me what my ultimate Stratocaster would be, it would be 60's Reissue Hardtail Stratocaster. 62 or even the later 60's Large Headstock guitar. What ever I buy the Challenge is to commit to it. Hardtail are so damn hard to find anymore that I feel I would have to be flexible on that one, but Rosewood and Alder combination is what i'm going for. @hamerhead start collecting the money, names and dates for the "Bubs Sold his Strat Pool", and @Travis you job is to keep track of the "Dibs" list. And GO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamerican gigolo Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 25 minutes ago, Carl.B said: Have you checked out the Robert Cray strat's? Yeah I know they are MIM but they are nice. I have a similar RC Strat in IS. Great guitar. No springs, but there's no mistaking it for anything other than a Strat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stobro Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Back about a dozen years ago I got myself a Billy Corgan signature model Strat. Large headstock, satin finish neck (and body), jumbo frets and a hardtail. The only thing I didn't like was the Dimarzio humbucking Strat pickups, so I got a set of Fralins for it. I like the single coil sound, but not the hum that goes with it. The split blades do the trick for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakeboy Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 I HAVE a to have a vibrato bar on my Strats as it is part of the Strat sound, to me. They absolutely require a commitment of sorts as u like a Tele, a Strat fights you and makes you come to grips with the springs, string bending, etc. The rewards are worth it though. I need another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stedge Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 I love strats. Best thing is you can get a great strat for little money. I found an american std 1987 strat for 600 bucks on CL not too long ago. One of the best playing guitars I have, bar none. I had an avri (sold it) and have a Suhr (very nice, no doubt about it, just sounds good), and 2 old VN Schecters. None are "better" than that 600 dollar strat. But really, if I were shopping for a strat now, I'd probably just look for a good strat plus from the 90s and call it a day. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaVO Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 100% agree with this decision. But which one? Too many flavors to choose from. Will look forward to watching you explore. Enjoy the journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamiam Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 1 hour ago, stedge said: I love strats. Best thing is you can get a great strat for little money. I found an american std 1987 strat for 600 bucks on CL not too long ago. One of the best playing guitars I have, bar none. I had an avri (sold it) and have a Suhr (very nice, no doubt about it, just sounds good), and 2 old VN Schecters. None are "better" than that 600 dollar strat. But really, if I were shopping for a strat now, I'd probably just look for a good strat plus from the 90s and call it a day. YMMV. This^^^. And I'd say not to disregard MIMs either if you're looking for a good-sounding one. I dream of Nash and Danocaster and so on from time to time, but the fact is that my best sounding (of a few S-types) is composed of an MIM neck and supposedly MIM body bought separately on eBay a while back and joined together by me (but then set up properly by @murkat). Supposedly, because who knows when you buy a loaded body over the internet from a stranger. But I could describe this thing's acoustic voice as throaty. It might be too much to run down every MIM posting on FB marketplace or craigslist, but if you're in a store with a rack of Strats, don't stop with the MIA ones, at least listen to the MIMs. I don't doubt that there are good Squiers out there, too, but the yield on the searching is probably way low. Just keep the hardware that whatever you buy comes with, in case you dress it up to taste, and you should be able to move it along without a loss when - ok, if - the commitment fever abates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubs_42 Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 I have an "enabler/friend" here locally and he is a total Strat guy. I think he owns around 40 of them now, everything from a Squire to Custom Shop. He showed me one a few weeks ago that he ordered from the local shop here in town that he happens to work at. It is a new Fender Professional II, I have to admit they really thought that one out. So I think that is what i'm going to shoot for but a used one of course. I had thought about a Robert Cray or a Jimmy Vaughan, but I really don't want to start tinkering and modding, I just want to sit down and play it. That is what is pushing me to the Pro II. it already comes with treble bleed, the Gilmour Mod, and a really great sounding set of pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 15 hours ago, bubs_42 said: I had thought about a Robert Cray or a Jimmy Vaughan, but I really don't want to start tinkering and modding, I just want to sit down and play it. That is what is pushing me to the Pro II. it already comes with treble bleed, the Gilmour Mod, and a really great sounding set of pickups. Does Fender offer the ProII in a hadtail version? I didn’t see that option on their website? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubs_42 Posted January 25, 2022 Author Share Posted January 25, 2022 2 hours ago, RobB said: Does Fender off the ProII in a hadtail version? I didn’t see that option on their website? Fender doesn’t offer any Standard line with a hard tail. So I think I’ll have to give in on that option . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchman Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 Just an FYI for something different on a Strat! https://www.kingtoneguitar.com/product/king-tone-switch/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnieZ Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 I’ve been thru a few Strats, MIM American and a Daytona. The MIM played better than the American Standard did not sound as good. The Daytona was great but neck a little to small for me and still had some typical Strat issues , going out of tune when bending and playing an open string. Finally ended up with a Suhr Strat. Chunkier neck profile smaller fingerboard radius, SS frets, noiseless and more stable bridge. I think this one is a keeper! arniez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomicwash Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 Eric. Johnson. Strat. Lovely V neck. Is Year of the Strat a Hallmark holiday? Will there be a special section in the cards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 Not bonding with the skyhawk, or is it not "strat enough" for you? The pickups are a bit different, but otherwise it ticks most of the boxes. If you want to find a good strat, pick up a used on that has the TBX control on it. One of the best things Fender ever came up for with strats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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