The Ideal Mid Level Electric for the Versatile Amateur

[randifv]

Hi all!

This is my first time posting here, so hope i don infringe any rules for the forum, sorry in advance if i do!

I'm looking for an upgrade from my Squire Superstrat, something that feels smooth on the fingerboard and can sustain its feel with my dry fingers after prolonged play, good string action with minimal fret buzz as well as warm bass to mid freq tones. I greatly prefer a thinner neck with better reach too. Im not picky about the colour, but I prefer earth colours or sunbursts haha. Budget shud be 1k max.

I play a eclectic range of music, but i have a soft spot for more funky blues stuff such as John Mayer renditions of Jimi Hendrix classics or groovey beats from Maroon 5, im really quite open to any kind of guitar available though im most comfy with strats

Anw I did some scouting and found that Jap Fenders meet wad im loooking for at pretty good prices below 1k, got some good deals ard with the major shops in city hall area, but im really looking for a second opinion, there are so many different types of strats out there, can anyone advice on the types of strats available other than jap fenders that can meet some of my preferences?

Also, wad shud we look out for if im gonna get 2nd hand or older guitars in general?

Many Thanks!

 

[the_insomniac]

mmm Mayer and Hendrix.., very nice!

Why not hang around the buy/sell page long for a while, there are always 2nd hand strats for sale. Some pretty good deals there, for quite a bit cheaper than the new ones.

I'd go for one of the japanese rosewood-necked strats.. More versatile imo, nice warm tone, slower attack, and generally feels better on the fingers than a finished maple neck.

 

[kuang89]

a semi hollow guitar such as es-335 is also quite good, or perhaps u could get urself a SE PRS, u cannot go wrong wif PRS

 

[lightice]

The ES-335 being a hollow body is big and cumbersome as compared to a strat. If you feel comfortable with a strat, the ES-335 may come across as not too friendly.

I suggest to get another strat since you feel comfortable with the shape and feel, like insomnia said, hang around the buy/sell. There are some good deals to be had there.

If a jap fender can't fit your needs, look for a mexican fender made after 2005. Those are worth the $ too.

 

[randifv]

thanks lightic kuang89 and insomniac!

Ill definitely look into the SE PRS, they sure look good, and judging from the reviews in the gear review as well as some of the sounds recorded, it does sound like sumtin i could live happily after with

and yes i must agree tt the ES-335 might be a good option, i actually tried an old one (with very rusty strings) and it felt ok despite the bad condition, but the neck feels a lil small and it seems like there is a strong tendency for players to accidentally mute neighbouring strings when fretting with their left hand, which is very easy to happen when playing ard with 2 or 3 strings on the penta scale or diff chord shapes, perhaps its juz tt model? or is it a design of the ES-335?

anw, which shops sell SE PRS or PRS guits in general?, the fenders and gibson/epiphones are always easier to find then those

also, i've not heard anything good abt mexican strats actually, in fact i was advised by a shopkeeper to completely avoid them haha, what makes the post-2005 models different?

thanks again guys!

 

[the_insomniac]

Yeah it feels more "cramped" cos les paul and es335 style guitars have shorter scaled necks than strats, so the distance between frets is less. But you'll get used to it, its just a matter of technique.. i have no problems with strat style or gibson style necks..

a 335 would sound v different from a strat though! so make sure thats what you want.. BUT in a perfect world with unlimited $$$ you should definitely get both.

Davis at peninsula is the local PRS dealer i think..

 

[lightice]

In 2006, fender did a significant upgrade on the mexican standard strat, if you can get one for 600-700 bucks its worth it.

I did try using humbucker equipped guitars to play funk, the sound just didn't capture me. I very much prefer single coils for funk. Maybe because its cleaner sounding and much clearer. By funk, I mean funk strumming. If you're going to do lead with a funk backing track, I guess it doesn't matter.

For blues, you can go either way. I'm very interested in getting Seymour duncan AlNiCo 2 pros for a project of mine coming soon. Not because I want to sound like slash, but the clips are favourable to my tonal palette. Its nice and warm, moderate output, clear with good note separation.

If you're not constrained into any body shape or tonal preference, you can always go try out other guitars. Here are some ideas that I personally would go try out if I came across them, assuming I don't already own it

Telecaster
Jaguar
Jazzmaster
P90 LP special
P90 SG special
Edwards LP

I limited the choices to what can be found for below 1 grand used.

 

[Whitestrat]

I greatly prefer a thinner neck with better reach too. Im not picky about the colour, but I prefer earth colours or sunbursts haha. Budget shud be 1k max.

Thinner neck? possible. 1k? possible. But better reach? Can you define? I'm assuming this means you don't want a Les Paul. But going from a super strat to a strat is regression, and the reach problem will still be the same...

Unless you go for an Ibanez SV or SA. Looking at your musical tastes, the safest for you would be a conventional strat. BUT, because of your needs, I'd think an American Deluxe Strat is more in order. It's above your budget. So why not save for it? Better access? Yes. Thinner neck? yes. And you've got so many pickup options to go for...

 

[Whitestrat]

also, i've not heard anything good abt mexican strats actually, in fact i was advised by a shopkeeper to completely avoid them haha, what makes the post-2005 models different?

You seriously need to go check out the Classic Player strats at Swee Lee. Yes, they're Mexican... But they beat 90% of the MIA strats I've seen locally.

 

[the_insomniac]

agree w whitestrat -- why not just save up a couple more months for the american if you're not in a rush... don;t think you'll regret it. Quality aside, at the very least it holds value better..

 

[randifv]

haha so after all that good old american fender strats still win the day eh?

ok ill definitely look into it, im reserving my budget to go for some effects or recording gear as well, so tts why im being more careful with the budget. watch out for "ideal mid level effects for the versatile amateur" i guess

talking abt american fender strats, would second hand models of them be worth it compared to getting a fresh first hand? and which issue/model of it suits the style and reqs tt players like me are looking at? I understand there are many eras of strats, can someone recommend one off hand?

and thanks whitestrat, will be making another round of the cityhall area to try out for myself the mexican, jap and american versions

 

[lightice]

I suggest to hold on the effects purchase.

Make the guitar and amp your main priority.

Once you've played it and know your equipment well enough, then explore effects and processors. It will save you lots of money in the long run.

Also, a good amp is crucial. I did a post here explaining some things that might be useful to you.

 

[MichaelP]

American Made Strats

Hi, you guys are right. The final guitar depends on the Quality control and also the components they used.

Some folks are lucky to own MIK, MIJ, MIC guitars especially when the guitar happened to be in a batch that went through a QC process.

But herein lies a situation we as buyers cant control. We dont control the QC and which batch went thru QC testing, which didnt etc...

However there are some merits when others advise that if you have money, buy the ones made in US. Cos the US factories uses better quality components. I say this because its a higher likelihood the averge joe on the street will end up buying a guitar that wasnt under a QC batch. And so the only equalizer is to ensure that at least if the guitar was made on average OK, at least the better quality components will compensate it.

Because localized manufacturing needs to sourced locally. And so the same pickup coil may differ from one sourced in Mexico, China, or Japan or the US.

Comments above are my humble opinion, as I used to worked in a manufacturing environment.

For eg.. some folks asked... which is better?
a Made in China Epiphone LP Custom or a made in US Fender Standard Strat?
And if they are both priced the same?

My answer would have been, get the US made Fender because they would have local source components in the US. Then save some money later to change to a humbucker coil later if you still want the warm tones.

haha so after all that good old american fender strats still win the day eh?

ok ill definitely look into it, im reserving my budget to go for some effects or recording gear as well, so tts why im being more careful with the budget. watch out for "ideal mid level effects for the versatile amateur" i guess

talking abt american fender strats, would second hand models of them be worth it compared to getting a fresh first hand? and which issue/model of it suits the style and reqs tt players like me are looking at? I understand there are many eras of strats, can someone recommend one off hand?

and thanks whitestrat, will be making another round of the cityhall area to try out for myself the mexican, jap and american versions