Does anybody play a Start

[Russell Landwehr]

As a keyboard player, I have only one electric guitar and I chose a Stratocaster on the recommendation of my guitar playing bandmates. It's the model that has a humbucker. I also modified it with GHOST piezo saddles so I could go into an acoustic sound at the flip of a switch while on stage. I've been very happy with, it and received compliments on tone from other guitar players.

Like mentioned in above posts, though, feel is very important.

Russell

P.S. my next purchase is likely to be a LesPaul of some sort... it's time for some new tones.

[rdance]

@russ, for a gibson/les paul sound, i really like the mini-humbuckers ala the les paul deluxe and firebird. i put some seymour duncan vintage mini-humbuckers on my old tv les paul special. they give you all the thickness and fat crunch of the full size humbuckers, but are a bit brighter and more dynamic, can create bell like tones, etc. fwiw...

[dynamicalan]

A beautiful guitar. I love Gibson. For me there's something magical about the electric basses. I've got 4 Bartolini double coils on my Warwick Thumb.

[SteveJCurtis]

When I as a young musician, I used to hear some guitar players with THE most amazing tone. I wondered if it was some effect pedal doing it.

Then, I played a USA Fender Strat plugged directly into a '65 Fender Twin Reverb...and the mystery was solved for me.
(I later found out that Telecaster thru the same amp is just as magical).

Stuart

Stuart, for me, the Strat/Twin marriage does it too.

[SteveJCurtis]

Craw, that's a fine looking Gibson too sir.

[dynamicalan]

Hello,

I'm curious. What's the most you would pay for a '57 issue Strat?

[MJFrog]

A friend of mine got his 57 reissue for about $900.00 from Gruhn's.

I bought one on consignment from a little music store for $850 years ago and it turned out to be from the first run of 'ReIssue' guitars in the early nineties.
Of course the previous owner had it customized by a guitar tech. Flattened radius and jumbo frets and the neck is quarter sawn tight grain maple.
It plays like a scalloped neck and is close to the feel of a Les Paul except for the scale length.

I hate to say it but I paid more for one of the first American Standards with the double truss system (which I hate) that was really disappointing.
The neck warped and twisted and the pickups were less than desirable. So I replaced the neck with a MiM 62' reissue and Seymour Duncan vintage alnico's w/reverse wound in the middle pos. Nice guitar now!

I like to play guitars before buying so there is only one in my collection that was bought sight unseen. It is from the The old Fender custom shop and I had to wait for them to build it. A 52' Tele reissue with a neck that might feel like a baseball bat to some but I love it.

[mojobone]

Yeah, I'm in love with a Stratocaster. I can parse pickup and bridge design specs for days, but the core of what I love about my strats is the combination of ergonomics and versatility. If I were buying new, the Eric Johnson signature model is easily the most Strat for the money, (the MIM Player's Strat is good, too) but if you're into the subtle superiority of early sixties Fenders and you're on a budget, look for eighties Japanese Fernandes copies; they're better than Fender's reissues because the pickups are at just the right age and have exactly the right magnet/polepiece material and unlike the originals, the middle P/U is reverse wound/reverse phase so those middle switch positions are hum-canceling. My #1 (the blonde one with the Stewart's Key Lime soda label on it) is completely stock, but for the twang bar tip, and features a period-correct Brazilian rosewood slab neck. (I had the tone knobs modified to affect the bass and treble pickups, a la Eric Johnson) I love Telecasters, too; mine is butterscotch and has the fifties-style 3-way switching that goes bridge/both pickups/ neck w/ capacitor, taking you from country twang through faux-acoustic and jazzbox.

[JonBHC]

Hell yes I love my Strat. The last couple of years I have been using it for solo jazz guitar, I feel like it sings compared to my PRS or Guild on the chord melody stuff. Mine is as heavy as a Les Paul.

jb

[dynamicalan]

I have to admit I am a rotten guitar player. I'm looking to improve my chops. Issue moving to the sides in alliterating motion I recently used on a instrumental listing missed the target because of seriousness in the mood when it's suppose to be a happy simple (on top of the world) song also, needing an acoustic which needs a separate post as well thinking of an all purpose martin. But, that in it's self may be a bit beyond reality I will post them to see if there's any discussion.