Budget Strat

[lemonade93]

Not entirely true. before you change your pups, change your amp (if you're using a crappy amp, that is). If not, changing pups would be...hardly any use.

Very very true. Wise words, wise words. What amp are you useing now vibe83?

Well, if he only plays at home through his Pathfinder then a change on amp would be a good idea, but if he's like me, playing for church, gigs and whatnot, a pickup change would be more ideal no? To me, when everyone says its AMP FIRST THEN PICKUPS, i agree, but disagree aswell, it depends on the player and it's uses. It's like i buy a Spider IV amp cause everyone says to get a new amp, but i play infront of hundreds of people a week in church where the Spider IV amp is.... useless? So to me, if he goes out and plays for people or PLANS to go gigging and whatnot, a pickup change would be more ideal no?

 

[J.custom]

Yup correct. but from the info he has provided us we can assume that he's a bedroom player? IDK. just have to wait for reply to find out..

 

[J.custom]

I just got offered a Fender American Standard strat on TGP, 525USD shipped, but prolly more ex to spore, so that will amount to about SGD700? worth it? only prob is not sure whether got that much spare cash to spend at the moment

 

[lemonade93]

I just got offered a Fender American Standard strat on TGP, 525USD shipped, but prolly more ex to spore, so that will amount to about SGD700? worth it? only prob is not sure whether got that much spare cash to spend at the moment

Yeah its a good deal . But it's not really a budget strat haha, bt once you buy it, you dont need upgrade it... MUCH

 

[J.custom]

Yeah its a good deal . But it's not really a budget strat haha, bt once you buy it, you dont need upgrade it... MUCH

yeah i figured. ahhhhhh so torn apart. haha now i think the title of this thread, 'budget strat', is a misrepresentation of what i actually want should change to 'decent strat' or 'strat for modding'. only thing about that strat is that got big paint chip, plus not HSS, but can always get my good man seekz, to route for me.

 

[keithC]

Actually even an american strat would need modding.. at least locking tuners, steel block.
pickups can come later.

if you really want an intermediate guitar to modd to your specs, i wouldn't say its a bad decision at all.. you just need something built well enough to last you through a couple of years. Ibanez and Swing are some of the brands that are sub $1000 and way better made than the sub $400 buck guitars and imho, worth modding into something that can last for quite a while.

decide on your ideal set up first, eg. "i want a HSS config". then look for a guitar that already has that. feel the neck, love the frets and the weight and the way it plays, then get it and modd it. Tone, tuning stability and some other things can be modded and upgraded, but feel can never be changed, so make sure your modding platform is something you like still just my 2cents.

of course if you have cash to spare then save yourself the hassle and get an higher end guitar brand new. don't waste time with 2nd hand, modding, etc. you may encounter many problems you cant solve, (the last 2nd hand strat i bought lasted me only 2 years cause of fretwear).

 

[bf0502tr]

Well, if he only plays at home through his Pathfinder then a change on amp would be a good idea, but if he's like me, playing for church, gigs and whatnot, a pickup change would be more ideal no? To me, when everyone says its AMP FIRST THEN PICKUPS, i agree, but disagree aswell, it depends on the player and it's uses. It's like i buy a Spider IV amp cause everyone says to get a new amp, but i play infront of hundreds of people a week in church where the Spider IV amp is.... useless? So to me, if he goes out and plays for people or PLANS to go gigging and whatnot, a pickup change would be more ideal no?

hmmm thats a new perspective to me. but although i agree with u on it, i think it would be better if u change ur pedals instead of changing pickups, unless of course u are a guitar to amp kinda guy (like me) then go for a change in pickups.

 

[dodgethis]

Newer American Standards are all routed for HSH and already come with locking tuners.

 

[J.custom]

=keithC

hmm, no spare cash la bro, thats why need to resort to this. hahah well i'm seriously considering that 2nd hand american strat. people also advising me to get it over the swing. feel wise, i know i'm quite comfortable with fender necks generally, already have a shreddable neck on my current guitar, so prolly some thing that's more balanced between chord work and soloing. Fret wise I like big frets, medium-jumbo or jumbo. fav kind.

Talking about weight, my current guitar's quite heavy, so after playing for about 2.5 hours standing, my upper back quite 'suan' alr. so prolly looking for something lighter.

The bad thing abt buying 2nd hand stuff online is that i wont be able to try first big downside, but oh well..

 

[J.custom]

Newer American Standards are all routed for HSH and already come with locking tuners.

According to the seller, this is a 2006 one. do you think it is routed?

 

[J.custom]

hmmm thats a new perspective to me. but although i agree with u on it, i think it would be better if u change ur pedals instead of changing pickups, unless of course u are a guitar to amp kinda guy (like me) then go for a change in pickups.

From personal experience, i think changing pickups to pedals more important. I tried a Suhr Riot with a shitty epiphone SG, with shitty pickups, and naturally the pedal sounded mudded, but with everything in the setup staying constant, i switched to my guitar and sounded a million times better.

 

[dodgethis]

Ask him to open up the thing and check for you.

 

[lemonade93]

hmmm thats a new perspective to me. but although i agree with u on it, i think it would be better if u change ur pedals instead of changing pickups, unless of course u are a guitar to amp kinda guy (like me) then go for a change in pickups.

Well, if you have a crappy pickup, like my friends Yamaha, buying a DS-1 or my Jekyll and Hyde wouldn't help cause it still in the end sounds like shit :/. Tried it, still sucked. Used a 62' Fender Twin Reverb

 

[J.custom]

uhhhhh. how the would the DS-1 sound good with any amp?!?! unless modded, to make it sound decent. depends which yamah really, because the pacifica's are quite decent. aiya, it's also the player also, if he/she doesnt know how to dial in the tone that he/she wants, also may come out shitty.

diff pple diff perspective la and so many variables involved..

 

[lemonade93]

=J.custom

Haha so prejudice to the DS-1. Well, i dialed in the same EQ from my Jekyll and Hyde and played around for an hour+? It was pretty bad :/ and after tried it through a Marshall Valvestate 100? Ughhh even worse :/. I mean if you give Joe Satch's tone and gear to a guy who only knows how to play Open G it'll still sound good, the tone in the fingers makes SENSE but not ALL the time

 

[J.custom]

=lemonade93

yes i'm prejudiced to stock DS-1s. yes that's true, thats why i said so many variables involved. the Valvestate 100 is the more recent model?

 

[lemonade93]

Nah, pretty old. Anyway, I just find it annoying that everyone is... CHANGE AMP U LOZZAAAAH. There's so much more variables to consider, and i THINK his DS-1 is modded, not sure

 

[J.custom]

hahaha. I 'changed' my amp by borrowing the AC30 that i bought for school

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

@J.Custom
Get Vai or Clapton to play a DS-1 and it will sound good.
My point: Its in the fingers and heart, and not the gear. Many great players have made it big using crap gear. Don't be overly judgmental.

 

[lemonade93]

@J.Custom
Get Vai or Clapton to play a DS-1 and it will sound good.
My point: Its in the fingers and heart, and not the gear. Many great players have made it big using crap gear. Don't be overly judgmental.

Actually never seen great players make it big using crap gear :/. Not questioning and i'm sure there is, but i'd really like to know who. Interesting facts