Strat Help - Mission Accomplished
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- sizzlingbadger
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Strat Help - Mission Accomplished
I'm thinking about buying a Strat, my budget is more Mexican than USA and I tend towards the traditional specs. I saw this MIJ on the Tard and I quite like it. Seems like a good price and has a hard case too.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4074121764
I owned a MIJ Tele and that was a good guitar.
Any thoughts ?
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4074121764
I owned a MIJ Tele and that was a good guitar.
Any thoughts ?
Last edited by sizzlingbadger on Mon Apr 17, 2023 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Strat Help
Current playing an 87 Japanese made Squier and it's a mean guitar.sizzlingbadger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 9:33 am I'm thinking about buying a Strat, my budget is more Mexican than USA and I tend towards the traditional specs. I saw this MIJ on the Tard and I quite like it. Seems like a good price and has a hard case too.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4074121764
I owned a MIJ Tele and that was a good guitar.
Any thoughts ?
Has seen a few upgrades electronically, but the overall playability is fantastic.
The one in the listing looks real nice. Classic colour!!!
Wellington
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Re: Strat Help
They're nice, but what really twists my undies about MIJ/vintage Fenders is the heel adjust truss rod and the tuners that don't take a thick string (I think .052 is the thickest they'll take if I recall my MIJ strat), along with the skinny narrow vintage fretwire and you've got a guitar I never want to play again. I bought my MIJ strat for cheap but wouldn't buy another.
If the specs are your cup of tea though then have at it, although the current Player Series strats are seriously good guitars and a few hundred cheaper on the used market. The Nick Johnston Schecter is also another brilliant 'strat style' guitar that has some premium stuff on there - ebony board, roasted maple neck, spoke wheel truss rod, locking tuners etc - that's a real nice package.
If the specs are your cup of tea though then have at it, although the current Player Series strats are seriously good guitars and a few hundred cheaper on the used market. The Nick Johnston Schecter is also another brilliant 'strat style' guitar that has some premium stuff on there - ebony board, roasted maple neck, spoke wheel truss rod, locking tuners etc - that's a real nice package.
- olegmcnoleg
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Re: Strat Help
that sounds like a really good deal. I like the colour alsosizzlingbadger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 9:33 am I'm thinking about buying a Strat, my budget is more Mexican than USA and I tend towards the traditional specs. I saw this MIJ on the Tard and I quite like it. Seems like a good price and has a hard case too.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4074121764
I owned a MIJ Tele and that was a good guitar.
Any thoughts ?

- olegmcnoleg
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Re: Strat Help
Is this an option for you also? 1983 3-bolt Squire, Japan
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4076903002
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4076903002
- GrantB
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Re: Strat Help
Don’t do it.
Is that the sort of help you’re after?
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- jeremyb
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Re: Strat Help
60s and olympic white, can't go wrong!!sizzlingbadger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 9:33 am I'm thinking about buying a Strat, my budget is more Mexican than USA and I tend towards the traditional specs. I saw this MIJ on the Tard and I quite like it. Seems like a good price and has a hard case too.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4074121764
I owned a MIJ Tele and that was a good guitar.
Any thoughts ?
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The pills that I've been taking confuse me...
The pills that I've been taking confuse me...
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Re: Strat Help
I have a mexican strat I bought after an afternoon of trying lots of mostly more expensive Strat (and I had the cash to play with). It's great. But, it's a player series, and when I've tried other player series Strats I haven't found one that is as good, and some were awful to play for some reason. But Japan might have more consistent quality.sizzlingbadger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 9:33 am I'm thinking about buying a Strat, my budget is more Mexican than USA and I tend towards the traditional specs. I saw this MIJ on the Tard and I quite like it. Seems like a good price and has a hard case too.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace ... 4074121764
I owned a MIJ Tele and that was a good guitar.
Any thoughts ?
They keep telling me tone is in the fingers, but I have yet to see a "look at my fingers" thread.
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- Danger Mouse
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Re: Strat Help
Slight note to add to this, there is an 80's production period of these Japanese Squiers that have a reputation of being way better than they should be. Having played an 80's Japanese Squier that was absolutely sublime and one of my favourite guitars I've ever played, it's not just urban myth. However it was the local music shop guitar tech's personal "forever" guitar and he knew what he had, you may have something similar. Other Japanese Fenders or Squiers may not be the same.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll spend thousands on fishing equipment he'll use for a bit, then get bored and move onto something else.
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Re: Strat Help
This is an E series 87 Squier. Not the JV but of that rough period.Danger Mouse wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 12:56 pmSlight note to add to this, there is an 80's production period of these Japanese Squiers that have a reputation of being way better than they should be. Having played an 80's Japanese Squier that was absolutely sublime and one of my favourite guitars I've ever played, it's not just urban myth. However it was the local music shop guitar tech's personal "forever" guitar and he knew what he had, you may have something similar. Other Japanese Fenders or Squiers may not be the same.
Wellington
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Re: Strat Help
I've just been googling it, yeah that makes sense as an '87. Seems there was plenty of quality variation even with the JV series as well. I don't know what part of the 80's the one I played was from, or if it was a JV, but I'd heard about that period of production and I remember thinking "oh, this is one of those Japanese Squiers".vintage52 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 12:58 pmThis is an E series 87 Squier. Not the JV but of that rough period.Danger Mouse wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 12:56 pmSlight note to add to this, there is an 80's production period of these Japanese Squiers that have a reputation of being way better than they should be. Having played an 80's Japanese Squier that was absolutely sublime and one of my favourite guitars I've ever played, it's not just urban myth. However it was the local music shop guitar tech's personal "forever" guitar and he knew what he had, you may have something similar. Other Japanese Fenders or Squiers may not be the same.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll spend thousands on fishing equipment he'll use for a bit, then get bored and move onto something else.
- sizzlingbadger
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Re: Strat Help
That is probably the best advice tbh, I'm more of a Tele guy really.
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- jeremyb
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Re: Strat Help
I thought I was too until I got a Stratsizzlingbadger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 1:18 pmThat is probably the best advice tbh, I'm more of a Tele guy really.

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Re: Strat Help
This. Neck pickup, volume rolled off into your fave fuzz into short delay into amp on the edge of break-up... Gets me tingly every time.
Hate positions 2 and 4 with a vengeance, though.

- jeremyb
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Re: Strat Help
Position 4 is all about me, a clean amp with a gentle bit of OD, beautiful tones for days... the funny thing is all my favourite guitarists were strat players yet I didn't own one....IMOCD wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 2:12 pmThis. Neck pickup, volume rolled off into your fave fuzz into short delay into amp on the edge of break-up... Gets me tingly every time.jeremyb wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 1:59 pmI thought I was too until I got a Stratsizzlingbadger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 1:18 pm
That is probably the best advice tbh, I'm more of a Tele guy really.![]()
Hate positions 2 and 4 with a vengeance, though.![]()

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The pills that I've been taking confuse me...
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