Strat threads merged

Package

hi all. i have a budget of about 500e and i need a good guitar,. ive already decided on a fender strat and there are some good ones on www.thomann.de for around that price.

i need asome advice though,, i mostly play a clean sound with a touch of distortion and other sound is a heavy distorted sound. will a guitar for this price be what im looking for.

maybe i could but better pickups and put them into a strat for say 500e and still save myself a few bob.??

any advice???

Doctor J

Hark! Ancient1 approaches at speed!


Three words for you, my friend. Lite Ash Strat.

Do a search of the forum here and you'll see what I mean

Karl Hungus

Lite Ash Strat.

That is all.

Package

yeah i was looking at something like this http://www.thomann.de/thoiw2_fender_lite_ash_stratocaster_mn_nt_prodinfo.html

???? looks good to me,, is that price about normal???

my computer is running really slow so searching is a pain, can ya post a link to the forum your talking about,, thanks.

Creamy Goodness

ishibashi all the way got a jap strat there about 3 weeks back for 490 although that price doesn't include customs charges.

you can't go wrong with the light ash strat either.

Karl Hungus

Package wrote:

yeah i was looking at something like this http://www.thomann.de/thoiw2_fender_lite_ash_stratocaster_mn_nt_prodinfo.html

???? looks good to me,, is that price about normal???

my computer is running really slow so searching is a pain, can ya post a link to the forum your talking about,, thanks.

Yeah, that's the one, and the price is normal. Very nice Strat, I can tell you.

Package

cool,, so that mixed with the pod line 6 and a 100 marshall amp it is. or can anyone recoment a really good efeects sysem for around 300e?

Karl Hungus

Package wrote:

cool,, so that mixed with the pod line 6 and a 100 marshall amp it is. or can anyone recoment a really good efeects sysem for around 300e?

What Marshall amp is this? Have you one already, or are you talking about buying one?

Package

i ahve a 100 watt marshall, but it only has one speaker, i was thinking about getting another one. i want a really good sound so looking for advice on amps and effects really. keeping within a budget really,, cheaper but good qquality,, line the pod or something,, cheap but decent

Karl Hungus

Hmm, I was looking into a Pod XT Live myself recently, but to be honest, I'm fairly clueless about effects so I've not much to add.

Ravelleman

I really dislike the necks on the Lite Ash series. I thought it felt horrible without a finish. The decal on the headstock looks wrong too. The fretboard is glued on to the neck, as is the case with most guitars, but the job looked really obvious and shoddy. Quite unsightly. If I bought one I'd keep the body but replace the neck.

Check out the MIM Signature series. They're good deals for the money. I love my Robert Cray Strat. MIJ Strats are great too.

Karl Hungus

Jesus, that's a bit odd right there Ravelleman. I really liked the neck on the Lite Ash I played, and can't say that I noticed any flaws like you mention. Maybe you played the runt of the litter, so to speak?

Ravelleman

Yeah, there'll always be a few dogs in the production line. That was just my experience. My opinion is also clouded by my intense hatred of non-glossy necks. I'd recommend that you try before you buy.

Doctor J

I'm quite the opposite. I actually dislike very glossy necks, I like to feel the wood (oo er missus )

ferdi

if jesus read this thread he'd tell you to buy this strat.

Ancient1

Package wrote:

ive already decided on a fender strat

The Force is strong in this one.

Chris happens to have a nice Powerhouse and Roadhouse at the moment. You might just stretch it with the shipping. Worth a try!

Eoin Madsen

Doctor J wrote:

I'm quite the opposite. I actually dislike very glossy necks, I like to feel the wood (oo er missus )

+1

Johnny Storm

I have one of those Lite Ash Strats. The neck is finished with satin poly-whatsit-thane. I think it feels very nice but does not look as good as a glossy Fender maple board. Oddly they have both a skunk stripe and a separate maple fretboard. Have to say on my one the join of board to neck is flawless.
The birdeye effect is nice on the neck but IMHO a bit dodgy looking on the fretboard and headstock. Ravelleman is spot on about the headstock decal. It does not even say "stratocaster". The headtock makes the guitar look like a Fender knockoff.
Anyway this eventually brings me to my main concern with this axe. It cost me €499 plus shipping but after about 6 months several of the frets came loose and I had to pay about €350 to have some of the frets glued in then levelled and dressed (also got a new nut). Derrick Nelson did the job and he felt the fret slots had been cut a bit too big, probably to allow easier machine installation of the frets. This whole affair kind of put me off buying online. I probably would do it again but I would be prepared to totally scrutinise the guitar when I got it and send it back repeatedly until I got a perfect example. Having said that I'm not sure anyone would have spotted the problem with the frets for several months. €499 was a real bargain but €499 plus €350 was not.
ANYWAY I still really like this guitar and its still the one I pick up the most. I also have a nice CIJ Strat but it somehow lacks the vibe of the Lite Ash.
YMMV.

punchdrunk

derek nelson's prices are out the ****ing window!

used him once,never again

Johnny Storm

Well, I have used him for this and a different smaller job and I have to say he did good work and was totally sound, although as you say expensive.

FYI When he first gave me that quote I said "no thanks" especially considering how much the guitar had cost in the first place. I took it to another guy who first of all said there was nothing wrong with it except that I didn't know how to set it up properly, then when I pointed out to him what Derrick Nelson had shown me just the day before he started off on a total BS spiel. When he saw I wasn't interested he started really BSing about how this MIK €499 would be the equal of any Custom Shop Strat when he was finished with it. FFS! His quote was not that much less than Derrick Nelson however my impression was that Derrick knew what he was talking about but the other guy was a total chancer. The comparison between the two guy's attitudes was very clear and extreme. There was no way I would let that other guy work on my guitar at any price.
As someone else said on here a few months ago you could really clean up if you were any good and went into the luthier business in Dublin.

punchdrunk

i was charged 250 for an acoustic set up and all i can see that was done was that he put a bone nut on,quote i got first was for €170 with no indication as to why it went up in price, JS did you try the guitar workshop in portabello?

Ancient1

If you need any work done on your guitar, Jimmy in Sound Gear is your man. End of.

Johnny Storm

punchdrunk wrote:

i was charged 250 for an acoustic set up and all i can see that was done was that he put a bone nut on,quote i got first was for €170 with no indication as to why it went up in price, JS did you try the guitar workshop in portabello?

Your PM thingie seems to be full up.

68 lost souls

Johnny Storm wrote:

...
As someone else said on here a few months ago you could really clean up if you were any good and went into the luthier business in Dublin.

ssshhhh dont be going and giving away all the secrets, some of us already have a plan, my last plan to open a shop in Donegaul was stolen on me because someone beat me to it.

Doctor J

$599 on chrisguitars.com

****ing madness. Get this. Get it now. Right now. Get it. Get it right now.

Creamy Goodness

christ docJ, that is the secks.

at that price it's a fuppin' steal too.

Ancient1

Hands off, Cremo. It's mine. Mine mine mine.

Even though I already have it. I'd just like a second one. As back up you know.

HusseinSarhan

You get what you pay for. The light ash strats always seemed dodgy to me. There are a lot of complaints about finishing details (not just cosmetic) on them. I think the logo is horrendous too. Not a big deal but the 50's classic is so much nicer I think. I've played a light ash briefly. It feels like a regular cheap strat, good, but nothing special. Go for the "jesus" strat.

Or better yet the white US strat.

The Freeman

that sure is a beauty that strat there,does anyone know how to buy stuff off chrisguitars.com,i sent him an email a couple of hours ago re that, does he just get back to ya and take it from there or what?

Voodu Child

That white am strat is nice for sure, but its 465 euro? Surely shipping brings that close to e600, and customs to over e700. Thats hardly a steal is it, they go for e925 on thomann. Not expensive either granted, but nothing special.

Maybe im wrong with the figures there though.

Creamy Goodness

Ancient1 wrote:

Hands off, Cremo. It's mine. Mine mine mine.

Even though I already have it. I'd just like a second one. As back up you know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbpX0r1995U

and i'm jim carey.

The Freeman wrote:

that sure is a beauty that strat there,does anyone know how to buy stuff off chrisguitars.com,i sent him an email a couple of hours ago re that, does he just get back to ya and take it from there or what?

he's always writing on the site that he's loaded with emails, give it a little time but if he wants money he'll reply