Strat recommendations

I have a rather nice Les Paul I'm quite happy with, and figured at some point I'd like to get a Strat to round out my tonal options.

I'd like to get something serious but having serious funds for this venture seems unlikely. I've been lead to believe that anything below AUD$1000 is likely to find me a toy, and North of AUD$1500 the value for money starts to drop off the more you spend. Would you agree?

That being the case, in that price bracket, what options would I be looking at for a professional quality instrument with classic strat tone? What would your preference be and why? I suspect I may be looking at a MIM Fender or perhaps a G&L. I'm new to strats and I'm not sure what my options are.

Speaking of being new to strats, I've never really used a whammy bar and have no desire to do so. I've been lead to believe whether you use one or not, they can tend to lead to tuning issues. What sort of bridge/trem options are available for strats these days, and am I worried over a non-issue?

Also, what's the world coming to when I would trust strangers on the internet a long way before a sales guy in a music store? :D

I'd seriously consider a G&L if I was looking for one, argument could be made that there is more Leo Fender DNA in these guitars today that in any Fender. Pick up a new Tribute series for less than $800, full on top of the line about twice that if you can stretch.

I was always a twin humbucker person till I did the Strat, now a big fan.

Buy one with a floating bridge and if you don't like it block it off, easy. Tad harder to go the other way.

Cheers

I faced the same dilemma not so long ago, and ended up making a list of what was essential and what I could do without and then hit the Fender website to find my ideal Strat within that AU$1k to AU$1500 price range.

What I wanted as standard equipment was locking tuners, noiseless single coils, a Maple neck, and a two point trem, and maybe 22 frets and some tricky PU switching, .... and Fender had it in the form of a MIM Deluxe Stratocaster. The only things I didn't like that much was the large headstock and limited color range, On the Fender site they had it RRP of AU$1800.

I ordered it online from Mannys in Melbourne AU at a special deal price of near AU$1200. After a supply issue debarcle It arrived direct from Fender Australia some 10 days latter. And yes it's special which Fender USA know about as the headstock is a one of a kind.

Marcel, I still think that is the best looking Tele I have ever seen!
In all seriousness, it is a stunning guitar.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by colin2121

Marcel, I still think that is the best looking Tele I have ever seen!
In all seriousness, it is a stunning guitar.

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And made by Fender too.... A serial number check on their website confirms it's legit...lol

Depends on whether buying new or used where your budget may stretch a bit further on used.
For stock standard Strat trem you can just add more springs to stiffen things up if you never plan on using that device and thus solve any tuning instability too, if there ever was any.
Marcel's is a very nice example of what you can get new. If not too fussy you may be surprised what might be available used.

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You might be able to pick up a second hand Fender Mexican Strat for under $1000, I used to own own one and they're great, you can easily set up the trem so that it works like a hard-tail bridge by adding two extra springs if it has three springs already installed as per Wazkelly's suggestion.

I've got a 2014 Fender Mexican Tele that I scored from my local cash converters shop for $750.00, turned out to be a really nice guitar after a decent setup.


Ultimately it really comes down to what your budget is and how much you're willing to pay.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I have no issues with second hand amps, but I feel a bit like a second hand guitar is up there with second hand underwear. In theory it should clean up just fine, but I'd be a bit icked out knowing that there was more than just Leo Fender's DNA in my guitar. I realise I'm the odd man out in thinking like that, but best to state my position on second hand guitars so we're all on the same page.

I've heard a few horror stories about Fender's quality control in recent years, and that you're pretty much paying for the brand name alone.

• Is this an exaggeration?
• Is G&L QC much better?
• Are there other guitar manufacturers producing professional quality strats without charging "brand reputation" prices?