Fender Classic Player Jazzmaster:
http://www.fender.com/en-NZ/products/se ... 0141600306
This is the guitar that really got me thinking about selling my Strat. I love the look, and I like the specs on paper. I like that it's still single coil based, and I especially like that the pickups on this particular version are a bit more P90 ish - they're almost Jazzmaster shaped P90's, fatter than a regular JM pickup, but a bit thinner than a standard P90. I spent a bit of time with one when we had it at Music Planet and really liked it a lot.
Pros:
-Great looks, something a bit different.
-Nice features, has a lot of the things I like about the Strat without many of the things I don't
-Should be a good tonal partner to my Reverend Club King.
-Perfect neck for my tastes. Comfortable player.
-Have played it and loved it, although still not as good as my reverend for church stuff.
Cons:
-No case (would have to save some more for that)
-Quite noisy - the bain of my existence
-Only available in black and Sunburst, and I really don't want sunburst, so only available in black.
-Jazzmasters seem to be picking up in the church scene, and I'd really hate to look like a follower of fashion!
-Did I mention noisy?
Next up, Reverend Double Agent 2. My current Reverend is the best sounding guitar I've ever owned. Why not get another? They make a whole bunch of models, so there's plenty of variety. (I currently have the Club King RT). I love the idea of a neck p90 and a bridge humbucker combined with the bass contour knob. That's gonna be a whole lot of tones there:
http://www.reverendguitars.com/reverend ... nt_II.html
Pros:
-Cool looks, really unique, yet kinda classic.
-Great pickup layout. with the BCC control, I'd have something that's both cleaner than my Club King (the P90) AND a whole lot more agressive (bridge bucker).
-Cheap, comes with a case
-Great features - strat style trem, familiar scale length, etc.
Cons:
-Can't try before I buy (would have to import), no NZ agent. Going purely on pics, specs, and previous experience with Revs.
-The necks are rather chunky. I had to get Ash to repshape the neck on my Club King. Feels good now, but I haven't found Reverend's to be as comfortable as your typical Fender. My Club King is really heavy, but these are smaller and made of Korina, so that should be less of an issue.
-Neck pickup will be noisy, although not the bride pickup.
- Again, only two colours to choose from, and I don't like the flamed maple, so black only.
And lastly, here's one out of left field - another Strat. I've always been a Strat guy, so I have to ask myself - Is it Strats in general that aren't working for me, or was it just this particular one? Should I go back to something a bit more vintagey? Road worn 60's Strat:
http://www.fender.com/en-NZ/products/se ... 0131010300
Pros:
-The ones I've tried have been some of the best sounding Strats I've heard. They seem to be very resonant guitars.
- Familiar feel, fabulous necks. Those Strat comfort contours I've always loved. so much.
- Vintage looks
Cons:
-It's another Strat. Might be like the dog that returns to it's own vomit. (It's in the bible).
- 7.25" Radius. Would need to get this flattened out slightly. I tried to do that on my old '57 and it went horribly wrong. But that was before I knew Simcha. I'm sure she would do it properly.
- Nosiy, but plenty of noisless pickup options.
- OTT, slightly fake looking relic'ing.
- Again, only 2 colour choices, but I quite like the white ones.
Hmm, lots to think about. Keen to get your thoughts so that I can ignore them and do something completely different!
Have you fully shielded and star earthed your Strats? I found it works very well. Mine is not noisy at all.
