Stratocaster - Try again? Or punt...

I did get the call. Working man and all that, I can't go up to check it out until the weekend. Will hope the Gold will be there in 3 days.
 
Unearthing this.

After much trepidation (and a long wait), I went to WildWood this weekend. Only played one Strat (style). A Tungsten PRS Silver Sky. Played it through a Koch Signature amp (pretty nice sounding amp! And Greg is in the house!)

It took me all of 5 minutes to love the Guitar. Very usable tones across PUP's and tone knobs. Especially my "don't go there!' bridge PUP. Cleaned up nicely on volume knob with dirt. Most importantly, it felt natural to me, right neck size, comfortable fretboard.

I wasn't thrilled about the color, but they will be receiving a shipment at the end of this week. I'm partial to the gold, but the green works for me too. I'll get a call and run up to confirm that it's the guitar I want. But boy, they did right on this one.

I will put another plug in for WildWood. It's a pleasure to go up there and deal with them. Incredibly knowledgeable, quick to put you in a room by yourself with a guitar, and I could have stayed there for hours without complaint. Won't buy a high end guitar elsewhere.

I watched a good chunk of this video. It was good to see the curtain pulled back on an artist obsessing over tone, playability and evolving a classic, while also obsessing over preserving the tone that makes it a classic. That said, PRS headstock on Strat body is too frankenstein for me. But I play a Tyler so who am I to talk LOL.

 
You have no leg to stand on. Tyler headstocks are literally the ugliest thing imaginable in the entirety of the universe. :D

Agreed! Funny, this came up at WildWood.

But I've played Tylers...they are NICE.

(I'm sure there's a absolutely inappropriate joke here about great body vs uncomely visage that I will not crank out...use your imagination.)
 
I watched a good chunk of this video. It was good to see the curtain pulled back on an artist obsessing over tone, playability and evolving a classic, while also obsessing over preserving the tone that makes it a classic. That said, PRS headstock on Strat body is too frankenstein for me. But I play a Tyler so who am I to talk LOL.



Holy crap. I only got through 18 minutes of this video, and it was like he was talking to me about what I did not like about Strats. (And what I heard playing it). It had the tone I liked, but without the crazy spikey and bass heavy stuff that I had to spend all my time playing with tone knobs and amp settings to cull out.

There was some doubt in my mind on whether I would buy come the weekend...those are now gone.

Pics to follow.
 
Holy crap. I only got through 18 minutes of this video, and it was like he was talking to me about what I did not like about Strats. (And what I heard playing it). It had the tone I liked, but without the crazy spikey and bass heavy stuff that I had to spend all my time playing with tone knobs and amp settings to cull out.

There was some doubt in my mind on whether I would buy come the weekend...those are now gone.

Pics to follow.
Told you so. ;)
 
Holy crap. I only got through 18 minutes of this video, and it was like he was talking to me about what I did not like about Strats. (And what I heard playing it). It had the tone I liked, but without the crazy spikey and bass heavy stuff that I had to spend all my time playing with tone knobs and amp settings to cull out.

There was some doubt in my mind on whether I would buy come the weekend...those are now gone.

Pics to follow.

You'll probably like this video too. I'd like to try those pickups but I'm sure they're not selling separate yet. Tell you what - after you get it, swing by my place and jam it through my CLRs and Adams. We won't run out beer - next door neighbor opened a brewery 👍

 
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Last December I took yet another shot at a Strat and after 50+ years of playing and god only knows how many guitars it finally paid off. I found a Strat that's a keeper. It's a 2018 American Elite and I now rarely play anything else since I got it. They've made a number of improvements on this guitar that I feel should have been made years ago. Top to bottom (so to speak).


Kind of the same here. I found a 2016 American Deluxe, which was basically what turned into the Elite. I'm not super into the N3s, but the guitar feels perfect, fantastic neck, plays perfect with the low action I've got on there. Other than maybe changing the pickups someday (no rush), I can't see a reason to ever get rid of it, and I haven't looked at strats since. In fact, you know it's bad when I went through my reverb watch list and deleted all the strats I had saved on there.
 
Kind of the same here. I found a 2016 American Deluxe, which was basically what turned into the Elite. I'm not super into the N3s, but the guitar feels perfect, fantastic neck, plays perfect with the low action I've got on there. Other than maybe changing the pickups someday (no rush), I can't see a reason to ever get rid of it, and I haven't looked at strats since. In fact, you know it's bad when I went through my reverb watch list and deleted all the strats I had saved on there.

Same here. I love super-strats (my favorite is the Ibanez JS2450) but I cannot stop playing my 2005 American Deluxe.

I have replaced the pups several times. Now I am playing with Fender CS Fat'50 (neck) CS '69 (mid) and SD SSL-5 bridge (like the GIlmour black-strat set)

I was recently craving for the Schecter USA Nick Johnston Signature Strat but, to to avoid a marital confrontation, I have just ordered a Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot set that I will install at the American Deluxe.
 
Same here. I love super-strats (my favorite is the Ibanez JS2450) but I cannot stop playing my 2005 American Deluxe.

I have replaced the pups several times. Now I am playing with Fender CS Fat'50 (neck) CS '69 (mid) and SD SSL-5 bridge (like the GIlmour black-strat set)

I was recently craving for the Schecter USA Nick Johnston Signature Strat but, to to avoid a marital confrontation, I have just ordered a Seymour Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot set that I will install at the American Deluxe.

This is the rabbit hole that I absolutely want to avoid. 'Great guitar...BUT want to change the pickups, maybe the bridge', etc, etc.

Unless someone grabs this thing tomorrow morning before I get there (and for whatever reason I don't get along with it), this one will be in my orbit by noon:

https://wildwoodguitars.com/product/190282299/john-mayer-silver-sky-3/?cat_id=21923
 
This is the rabbit hole that I absolutely want to avoid. 'Great guitar...BUT want to change the pickups, maybe the bridge', etc, etc.

Unless someone grabs this thing tomorrow morning before I get there (and for whatever reason I don't get along with it), this one will be in my orbit by noon:

https://wildwoodguitars.com/product/190282299/john-mayer-silver-sky-3/?cat_id=21923

That is the best option, indeed. But only applicable when you are single or have a guitar-friendly spouse :D

Or when you are rich.
e.g: if you want a strat with the DG set (CS Fat '50 , CS '69, SD SSL-5) you have two options: 1) buy the pickups and install them on your favorite strat 2) buy the Gilmour Black Strat for $5,400
 
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