Stratocasters from Fender and non fender

dezng said:
If one day you can afford those I mentioned... You probably already have a nice house, a nice car and everything you need and you will still buy a Fujigen?

Bro. Get real!
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Why not? I also have a choice. As long as I love the sound and playability of the instrument, then it makes good value to me regardless of brand. The thing is....not everyone crave for expensive or branded stuff, even if they can afford it. And this is as real as it can get. Peace.
 
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i'm the type who is of the opinion that Fender has no firm signature tone these days because the average single coil equipped guitar out there would be Strat-like in this consideration, rather than sounding like something else... i'm not denying the fact that a good sounding Fender will have no problems sieving out its immitators.
 
subversion said:
i'm the type who is of the opinion that Fender has no firm signature tone these days because the average single coil equipped guitar out there would be Strat-like in this consideration, rather than sounding like something else
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Yep. Also the components used for building strats (and teles) are not proprietary or rocket science materials. Most companies employ the same wood, hardware and construction technology throughout. In fact, some after-market strat parts are of better quality and tolerence than those churned out by Fender itself.

And those who claimed Fender guitars have the "mojo" where other brands don't have are....well....as mentioned before....listening with their eyes. Haha!

subversion said:
... i'm not denying the fact that a good sounding Fender will have no problems sieving out its immitators.
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True to an extent....if you're comparing say an MIA or CS Fender to a lower end "immitator" from Korea or China.
But if you're comparing with a higher end "immitator" like Tyler, Suhr, ESP, Tom Anderson and such, it will be a different ball game. The CS Fender has better be the pick of the bunch to take on these guys.
 
I agree it's about $$.
TA/Suhr/Danocaster/CS Fender vs stuff like Greco/Tokai/MIM Fender? Come on.
Although i must say, they will vary piece by piece and it ain't absolute.
 
To the OP, Stratocasters are relatively simple designs(specially Teles). So with today's technology and wealth of resources for parts and builders, it's not that hard to sound like a "Fender" anymore. Besides strat players have varying preferences on how a strat should sound like. Even two Fenders with identical specs would still sound differently from each other either in a subtle or drastic way. It's all about how they're made, the parts involved, and the set-up. I don't know of any process in making a strat that's exclusively fender's or any famous boutique manufacturer's. It's not like there's a magic mountain by which only a sole manufacturer has access to its woods.

Just for the sake of disclosure, I have an Edwards SRV relic strat which has been my main guitar for the past 3+ years. I've tried it against guitars costing 3-5 times as much and I still preferred it over those even when I had the means to buy the "better" brands back then specially when I changed the pickups to Bareknuckles. Aside from pickups, the only mods I've done to it are changing the pots to CTS and using Raw Vintage Springs.

So I'd say follow the old adage of as much as possible try before you buy, you might be surprised one day of what you may find and nothing beats that experience.: )
 
Nowadays, its not uncommon to see non-Fender Strat designs and those brands (already mentioned in this thread)are doing a good job getting that Strat sound. I'm sure most of us will be drawn to a Fender brand but will back off when comes to a non-Fender brand. Its all about the feel and sound. I've owned 4 Fender Strats on different occasions, well u could say I was brand conscious during that time. And what Strats do I play now? A custom made Strat (pics are in the first page) with a Manlius Vintage `62s Strat pickup set, sounds like a Strat should and am loving it..:) I do recommend Manlius cos he makes US handwound pickups at an affordable price, so much so that I ordered a Vintage 70s set for my upcoming 70s replica Strat project..:)

Do I miss the Fender logo on the headstock? No, not at all. Your views may differ from mine but thats just me..one thing I like about Strats is that they are easily modded. :) So its all up to the individual in the end...
 
A Smash guitar I played that was ugly as hell sounded like a choir of angels. Well not a choir but still it was something!
 
guitarsan said:
extent....if you're comparing say an MIA or CS Fender to a lower end "immitator" from Korea or China.
But if you're comparing with a higher end "immitator" like Tyler, Suhr, ESP, Tom Anderson and such, it will be a different ball game. The CS Fender has better be the pick of the bunch to take on these guys.
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Suhr, TAs & the likes- these are beyond immitation, the people behind these names are furthering their belief. some of these chaps use to work for Fender as well (eg: Suhr) so to them, the avenue of improvement should be the over-riding philosophy.
 
PatheinRaindropMoe said:
Tone, is like our imaginary friend, when we have no music of our own that reflect that tone, the rest, just more imaginary friends of friend.
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and that's the truth. there are many tone chasers around, when asked to showcase their tone, gear-wise, should sound nice, but when they play their stuff, it's a different story..
 
I had this similar Fender guitar for like 10 years -->

vq7dx0.jpg


14so1at.jpg


I think it was made in China something... it sucks big time. My first guitar .. the only thing we bought it because it was a package and it was cheap.

juz saying...

So yes, if I have the money as well... Gibson Custom and Fender for me.

Fender will always be Fender as well as Gibson. Nothing will come close... In my opinion. :)
 
Return of the floral strat ah. Remember seeing it in one of the first PGOTM threads last year, still looks great to me. Sad that PGOTM kinda died..
 
For me, the USA Fenders have mojo...something I learnt during the days I worked at a certain "store" and from a well-known player and pedal builder that I respect.

If you want the Fender tone, imo, just get a Fender. Other brands have more of their own vibe going on....its personal preference, really. I used to listen to all the hype about Edwards LP copies being better than Gibson, and I ended up selling mine in order to get my current Gibson, which imo nails the vibe and the tone of an LP that the Edwards seemed to lack. Don't get me wrong, the Edwards was a great guitar, but it was just missing that little 5-10% that makes a Gibson a Gibson...and I ended up paying a premium to get there. I think it was worth every penny, but your mileage may vary.
 
^^^^^^^^^^
agreed.
contemplating on a MIJ Fender.
Definitely worth the penny, just not sure if it nails the tone.
But i'll be fine with it anyway.
 
hmmm i got my fender not because i wanted a fender tone or anything...i just found my fender to be a good buy when i started my honeymoon with single coils. come to think of it my cij strat still doesnt sound much like a fender strat. it has a warmer than vintage sound to it that i love haha. so cut story short, tone is just preference. :)
 
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