My First Strat

6L6C

Power User
You would think that after playing guitar since 1977 that a Stratocaster or Telecaster would at some point and time make my little collection: well never happened till now. Sure I have guitars that you can split the coils and also have guitars with a HSS or HSH pickup configuration, but never a TRUE single coil guitar. And cool as it is to split a humbucker, still not a single coil to me.
Little story: For the past year and half I have been on the prowl for a Strat, not looking hardcore, (Like “I have to have one in the next 3 months”) or anything like that but trying allot. To Fenders credit they all played pretty well but nothing really “grabbed me” for one reason or the other.

Well while on vacation down in North Carolina at the Greensboro Guitar Center, I found it. Funny thing I was just killing time and had no intention of perusing a Strat, just give the store a quick look over.

BTW It is an extremely nice Guitar Center, store was pin neat any guitar I took off the wall had a presentable setup. Also liked the staff allot, very nice and of course they want to make a sale, but they were not in your face. And I have walked away from allot of stuff through the years for a sales person getting in my face, and usually with a line of bullshit. I felt more comfortable in that Guitar Center than any other.

But here it is my Fender Stratocaster (American), feels fantastic sounds awesome. Nothing special in the sense of, so sort of custom shop guitar or super high end guitar. But I love the look, feels great and sounds fantastic.

John

 
Great looking strat there. I am in the same boat.. playing since late 70´s, but still, a strat never happened. But will get one in the coming 4-6months..
 
Congrats John! I love to be able to SEE the wood. Great choice. Looks like an ash body? I prefer ash to alder, personally. My story is close, I bought a blonde strat(I was a Blackmore fan) used for $300 in 1979 and hated it(I was 20 what did I know then? lol) and stayed with my Paul. But I too have had every other guitar just about over the years. Good luck with it, it's a beauty!
 
Nice looking Strat. Congratulations! I got hooked on them at 17. Soon to be 47 and although the Strats have been shuffled, bought and sold throughout the years, I have never looked back and still remain my main stay. Very nice John.
 
Nice :encouragement:

Even though the store didn't appear to have a pushy sales strategy, the one they do adopt clearly works well! ;)
 
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I grabbed a 1999 US one secondhand some months ago after dismissing them in favour of LPs and compound neck radius 'superstrats' for many years.

I've been fighting a bit with the neck radius and it's effect on the action at the high end .... I'm going to try a 14 inch radius custom neck on it just for an experiment. I've big mitts so reckon I'll be ok and can restore to original easily if needs be.
 
Beautiful Strat !! Congrats.

Similar to you , I have been playing guitar since 1980, but never got a Telecaster until last year... !!
 
Love that woodgrain sunburst look! I heard GC has American olympic white strats on sale right now for $799 sss
 
Beautiful Strat! I used to own an American Deluxe Strat, but sold it to fund the purchase of my first Axe-Fx. Threads like this always give me GAS! :)
 
Nice and congrats. I'm cleaning and setting up my first strat to sell right now. It's a 1993 deluxe, bought used at guitar center in 1995. Just got my first tele, a used 2013 Suhr classic T!!! Anyway, great looking strat.
 
Real nice strat. Good choice, I am a Stratman-Have 2 USA Deluxes and USA 89 STD, but I will be getting my first ever non-fender in the next 2 weeks or so.
 
Thanks for the kind words, after reading some of the responses I was a little surprised how many of you guys were kind of like me, and then there is “swass” who is the polar opposite adopting the Strat earlier on and rolling with it all these years. Bottom line I am still a Humbucker Les Paul type guy, but feel a little more rounded having this guitar in my modest arsenal. BTW I am enjoying it so much it won’t be my last.

I grabbed a 1999 US one secondhand some months ago after dismissing them in favour of LPs and compound neck radius 'superstrats' for many years.

I've been fighting a bit with the neck radius and it's effect on the action at the high end .... I'm going to try a 14 inch radius custom neck on it just for an experiment. I've big mitts so reckon I'll be ok and can restore to original easily if needs be.
I don’t find myself fighting with it but at the same time it is an adjustment, so I’m lucking out there.

Even though the store didn't appear to have a pushy sales strategy, the one they do adopt clearly works well!
True! You are correct sir-- !

Beautiful Strat! I used to own an American Deluxe Strat, but sold it to fund the purchase of my first Axe-Fx.
I am assuming you liked the guitar and usually I caution people about selling what you already have. And then torture them after they regret it. But I can’t fault you for this. Good call really!

Congrats John! I love to be able to SEE the wood. Great choice. Looks like an ash body? I prefer ash to alder, personally. My story is close, I bought a blonde strat(I was a Blackmore fan) used for $300 in 1979 and hated it(I was 20 what did I know then? lol) and stayed with my Paul. But I too have had every other guitar just about over the years. Good luck with it, it's a beauty!
I was told that it is Alder (I’m bad with woods) there were some Deluxes there and I was told they were Swamp Ash. Bottom line as you know “do you like the way it sounds?” and YES SIR I DO !!! I will investigate that just for the sake of knowing

John
 
BTW John, I really like Strats now so my comment above that I hated that Strat was moons ago and NOT meant to lessen your GAS. You have a great piece of Axe there! ;)
 
I love Strats. You can't go wrong with an American Standard. Is it one of the new ones with the Fat 50s pickups?

The rolled fretboard edges on the US models really make a difference.

Feel on a Strat is extremely subjective. You can read opinions on the Internet, but there's no substitute for going to a store and holding one in your hands. That's how I wound up with my main Strat. It's an American Vintage with the old-school 7.25 radius and vintage frets. I didn't think I'd walk out of the store with it, but it was by far the best feeling and sounding Strat on the rack that day. I asked myself, "If you knew nothing about radius or fret size, all you'd know is that you have a great-playing, great-feeling Stratocaster".

Glad you got your first Strat. I love the finish.
 
I've played since 76 and for years I never really bonded with a strat even though I owned a few. I would take them to gigs and almost always revert to something else within a few songs. Now I have an LSL strat that's the first one I've bonded with and can play a gig with without feeling antsy. It's very vintage feeling and sounding. Usually with strats I don't feel the whomp I want out of the guitar. I didn't play teles either until late 90s. I don't know why it took me so long. Now I play teles a good percent of the time. A typical tele moves more air to me and has a more physical feel. I love other people playing strats, but it took many years for me to bond with one. I still like teles better, but I do love this particular strat.

Congrats. Getting a different type guitar you like gives you different colors to play with.
 
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