info re: guitar purchase

bubba gump

Hi, I am an advanced beginer/intermediate guitar player. I was thinking about buying a Stratocaster for about €1,500 in the USA but their are loads different models to choose from. I am just looking for one with a solid, good quality sound, nothing spectacular!

Any advice would be graetly appreciated,
Thanks.

sei046

Aw man your Post sounded so official from the heading but you ruined it with "advanced begineer/intermediate" !?!?!

If your looking for a no bells a whistles strat why spend 1500? For that you should look at something a little more special and to your tastes. get yourself any nice strat you like the feel off for around a grand and keep change.

TBH you just need to play them and see what you like. Do you want humbuckers or single coils?

Don1

G&L Invader ftw!!

Dord

Don1 wrote: »

G&L Invader ftw!!

Have to agree, at that kinda money you could get a USA G&L. Much better pickups and hardware, not to mention nicer finishes.

G&L was Leo Fenders last company before he died, think of them as very refined Fenders. :pac:

Don1

That one is my favourite guitar in the world at the mo. Want it sooooo much. Only one that comes close to tickling the GAS gland as much is the Poplar Ibanez S-series with DiMarzios and ZR trem.............

johnboy8

i bought the deluxe strat(hss)i find it amazing,it has the s1 switch so it has a load of out of phase settings on it(beautiful neck as well)it was 1000 euro from germany(probably about 1000 dollars)personally i would not spend a penny more on a fender.

Seziertisch

http://www.kuhloguitars.de/english/blitz.htm

I had my guitars refretted and plekked by this guy when I lived in Germany. The workmanship was second to none. Plekked stainless steel frets are very fine indeed.

I went in there to ask about a set up, I then played one of his guitars, and ended up giving him a lot more business than I had intended.

bubba gump

What i meant by beginner was that i can play chords no problem but i have to put in a bit of work if want to learn somthing like street spirit!
I didnt know you could get decent Stratocastors for €1000 but i would like to get a fairly good one that would sound quality when I start playing harder chord progressions, solos etc and that i could keep for a while and spend money on effects pedels, amps etc in the future
Whats the Difference between humbuckers and single coils?

nickcave

I wouldn't advise spending 1500 on a guitar just yet. What kind of guitar/amp do you have at the moment? Consider spending maybe 1000 and get a good amp and a solid guitar. In my opinion, the amp is at least 50% of the sound, so don't splash out on a guitar that you won't even be able to hear... I wouldn't think about effects until you have a basic setup that you're happy with.

Regarding pickups, single coils are thinner both in looks and sound and are typically used for bluesy tones. A drawback is they tend to be quite noisy. Humbuckers sound fuller, and are usually the choice of rock guitarists. Maybe you could tell us what you like listening to? Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead) normally uses a telecaster, which has 2 single coils.

I'm sure you'll get plenty of advice here, but ultimately the choice is yours. Happy shopping and thomann ftw.

Seziertisch

Well, Johnny Greenwoods Telecaster has pickups quite different from most standard Teles. They are Lace Sensors (which have a design quite different from regular pickups) and if I remember correctly the humbucker in the bridge on that model is quite high output (15 kOhm or so) compared to a regular tele pickup (some where around the 6 to 7 k Ohm mark). 15 kOhm is up there in terms of output with what a lot of people would consider to be metal humbuckers. Even the neck pickup on the Tele Plus model is well above regular tele pickup output (11 kOhm)

But yeah, investing in a decent amp if you are intending to play out anytime should also be a priority. Otherwise for home practice maybe a nice small tube amp of some sort would be good, or if you really have to watch the noise levels check out the Vox Amplugs. I have one and use it more (excepting my actual guitar) than any other piece of gear I own.

Johnny Storm

bubba gump wrote: »

Whats the Difference between humbuckers and single coils?

No disrespect intended to you at all, but if you are at this level of knowledge then I also recommend that you hold off spending 1500 until you figure out what you like in a guitar.

Going back to your original question, Fender has a stupidly wide range of Strats available. The good news is they're all pretty good!
IMHO and only considering Strats, you need to figure out your preferences in teh following areas:-
neck shape: thick, thin, C-shape, V-shape
Frets: Vintage or medium jumbo
body: alder or ash
fretboard: maple or rosewood (maple is the correct answer )
Fretboard radius: 7.25, 9.5, 12 inch
Pick ups: huge range of possibilities
etc etc

Don1

At that level as has been said, I retract my suggestion of a G&L.
What type of stuff do you like/play/want to play. That'll give us more a feel of what type guitar would suit. I hate straight up strats tbh, but that's my personal taste. The model I suggested is a absolute weapon compared to a standard strat and tbh would be pointless for somebody that's getting going, no offence, seriously.
A grand would get you a decent Ibanez, or strat copy, or les paul copy, whatever you're into and a decent amp.
Once you are certain about your style and sound, then go for the big bucks.
I started on strats, into Les Pauls, and am now swithing between Ibanez RG and G&L ASAT (which is like a super Tele). Now that I'm sure that I'm heading in a definate lead biased direction I'm looking at the Invader above or an S series Ibanez, after 7 years playing! Hope this helps and doesn't offend.

bubba gump

Thanks for all the help lads.
The thing is that whilst I have played the guitar for about two years, I tought myself and just got tabs and played songs. I never got into the technical side of things. I play my brothers old Fender squire and my dads 12-string (Suzuki & co).
I've just started looking at music theory and i am thinking about getting some lessons to get rid of bad habits and get some pointers.
I really want to improve my ability on the guitar and since I will be in the US on a J1 this summer I reckon I might as well take advantage of the good exchange rates and prices to get a good guitar that I can use and upgrade over the next few years.
I like all sorts of music e.g Radiohead, Elliot Smith, Interpol, Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros etc so a guitar & amp with a wide range would be great.:)
Do you know of any good websites with info on the elements of the guitar make-up that you mentioned Jonny?

boycey

Keep a good eye on Adverts.ie- you could pick up a custom shop strat on there at the moment for that kind of money!
While I understand what the lads are saying about ability levels I wouldnt let that put me off buying a top notch guitar. Not all Jems and Les Pauls are owned by Vai's and Slash's if you get my drift. A good guitar is a very inspiring tool and if you've toughed it out for two years chances are your gonna stick at this guitar playing thing for manys a year to come. Buying quality first off might be better than the buy/sell/uptrade cycle many of us go through--in the process spending more than a really good guitar would have been to start with!

If you have some friends who are experienced players take them along with you to a few shops and try out as much gear as possible. Get them to explain all the jargon and different hardware etc. in laymans terms- and what all that stuff means in terms of playability/sound.
Anyway- good luck and enjoy whatever guitar you buy!! Wish I had €1500 for another guitar!

Seziertisch

Just looked, for some reason, Wikipedia has masses of info on Radiohead's gear. A testament to their popularity I suppose.

Johnny Storm

bubba gump wrote: »

... since I will be in the US on a J1 this summer I reckon I might as well take advantage of the good exchange rates and prices to get a good guitar that I can use and upgrade over the next few years.

Great idea.

bubba gump wrote: »

...
Do you know of any good websites with info on the elements of the guitar make-up that you mentioned Jonny?

Well, there great info on Fenders at www.Fenderforum.com but you'll have to plow through a load of **** to get to it. I'm sure other posters here can make better suggestions.

I got a book called "Complete Guitar Handbook" at Borders for 7.99 yoyos (in a sale, maybe?)( It's not the most exciting book but it covers all the basics and more). You can also get make guitar magazines at Easons, Borders etc

Definitely get yourself into guitar shops and try out as many guitars as you can. Try to figure out what shape neck, size of frets etc suits you. Make notes afterwards.

Eoin Madsen

Play all the Strats (and guitars in general) that you can while you're over in the USA, and go back and buy the one you like the most before you come home. :pac: Don't be put off by the fact that you don't know exactly what you want already. I think it's just harder to find a guitar if you do. Spending 1500 on a guitar at this stage is pretty reasonable if you're in any way serious about playing anyway, imo. And while you may get other guitars in the future, you're never going to not have a use for a fairly decent Strat.

darrenw5094

Joe Robot wrote: »

Have to agree, at that kinda money you could get a USA G&L. Much better pickups and hardware, not to mention nicer finishes.

G&L was Leo Fenders last company before he died, think of them as very refined Fenders. :pac:

Check out these on ebay....postage reasonable and allow for tax....should still be a good deal.
http://cgi.ebay.ie/G-L-USA-INVADER-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-LAKE-PLACID-BLUE_W0QQitemZ110245631282QQihZ001QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://www.thomann.de/ie/fender_american_standard_strat_mn_ow.htm
http://www.thomann.de/ie/fender_american_standard_strat_mn_blk.htm
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/fender-stratocaster/975
Including postage would be €828 for the above Strat
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/75218
€904 for the above including postage
http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/10905
Unbelievable price for an American Strat.

bubba gump

Again, thanks for all the info.
I'm going to have a good look at info on pick-ups,frets etc before i go and then as ye said i'll just play a **** load of guitars and see which set up and guitar i like!
I'll post pics when I get it:D

Johnny Storm

bubba gump wrote: »

Again, thanks for all the info.
I'm going to have a good look at info on pick-ups,frets etc before i go and then as ye said i'll just play a **** load of guitars and see which set up and guitar i like!
I'll post pics when I get it:D

You'll go far!
I would add: don't get hung up on searching forever for the perfect guitar that will last you the rest of your life. There is no perfect guitar.

Don1

You take that back!!!! I will find it, I will!!!