http://www.petelacis.com/2010/07/08/alder-vs-swamp-ash-maple-vs-rosewood-and-a-neck-swap-the-definitive-comparison-with-audio-clips/
Enjoy

well man i got my first MIA strat last year.......and i swore i would never play a strat.....................

But its 1 of the best choices i made buying a guit!!! As all said if u have the extra cash get a custom shop! but the standards do just fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck!

Freddy-Bl00D wrote: Wel the latest fender select models have me al excited.. Abit out of my league but they are gorgeous!!! http://www.fender.com/products/select

OK, so could you distil for me, what exactly are these Fender Select guitars? Is this one tier above American Deluxe? Just had a look at the webpage and although it has the wrong fretboard and wrong pickup config, isn't this puppy an absolute beauty!

Freddy-Bl00D wrote:The S-1 switching is also great to ad a little versatility..

What is S-1 switching?

Also, can someone explain to me what Highway 1 is all about?

deefstes wrote: OK, so could you distil for me, what exactly are these Fender Select guitars?

Fender's attempt to get back some of the high end market from Suhr et. al. by going all flamey... but at those prices... Maybe I'm just a cynic.

What is S-1 switching?

Doubles switching options from five to ten. I found not much was usable in a playing situation for my needs though.

Also, can someone explain to me what Highway 1 is all about?

Mexican quality and price, but made in the US.

deefstes wrote:

Freddy-Bl00D wrote:The S-1 switching is also great to ad a little versatility..

What is S-1 switching?

Also, can someone explain to me what Highway 1 is all about?

The Highway 1 models has been discontinued and replaced by the American Special models.. Basicly the entry level usa guitars..

The S1 gives you some series/parallel options.. Theres 2 out of the extra 5 sounds I found usefull the S-1 engaged on position 1 has Bridge, middle and neck pups in at the same time abit of higher output for when you need that extra bite from a s/s/s strat and i use the S1 engaged in position 5.. Not sure what it changes in the pups in that position but its alot more bright then just the neck pup.. I had a manual somewhere that explains al the S1 positions.. If i find it ill post the info, i think the fender website has a good explanation on the S1 switching and al its functions

Edit: With S1 Switching On
Position 1: All 3pickups in series
Position 2: Middle and bridge in series
Position 3: Neck + Middle in series
Position 4: Neck + Bridge in series
Position 5: Neck pickup out of phase & parallel middle and bridge in series.

So thats the extra features the S1 switch gives you in technical words

i quite like the Eric Johnson signature strat, as mentioned by Alan earlier in the thread!
and also in tobacco burst!

http://www.fender.com/en-US/products/search.php?partno=0117702803

The Eric Johnson signature Stratocaster® guitar features a light two-piece alder body with deep ’57-style body contours and cavities; one-piece, vintage-tinted quartersawn plain maple neck (contours sanded very smooth) with light ’57-style V shape, 12” fingerboard radius and highly-polished frets; special Eric Johnson single-coil pickups with countersunk screws and a five-way switch; vintage tremolo with silver-painted block; ’57-style string recess; no paint between the base plate and the block; five springs (no tremolo cover); master volume; neck and bridge tone controls; thin neck-cap with staggered machine heads; and ’57-style parchment pickguard. Available with .010-.046 gauge strings and a thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

Personally, I wouldnt want anything more in an American Strat!
Except a lower price :-[ ?


The Select's look reaaaaally nice! but again, as was mentioned, the price!!!

Norman86 wrote: i quite like the Eric Johnson signature strat, as mentioned by Alan earlier in the thread!
and also in tobacco burst!

http://www.fender.com/en-US/products/search.php?partno=0117702803

The Eric Johnson signature Stratocaster® guitar features a light two-piece alder body with deep ’57-style body contours and cavities; one-piece, vintage-tinted quartersawn plain maple neck (contours sanded very smooth) with light ’57-style V shape, 12” fingerboard radius and highly-polished frets; special Eric Johnson single-coil pickups with countersunk screws and a five-way switch; vintage tremolo with silver-painted block; ’57-style string recess; no paint between the base plate and the block; five springs (no tremolo cover); master volume; neck and bridge tone controls; thin neck-cap with staggered machine heads; and ’57-style parchment pickguard. Available with .010-.046 gauge strings and a thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

Personally, I wouldnt want anything more in an American Strat!
Except a lower price :-[ ?


The Select's look reaaaaally nice! but again, as was mentioned, the price!!!

OK so what sort of price do these Select's go for? It appears that an American Standard goes for around $1300, an American Deluxe for around $2000
while the Eric Johnson strat goes for around $2600.

Another question; In two years time the stratocaster will be 60 years old. Do you guys think it might be worth waiting until then and get a nice anniversary model or something? Or even an ordinary production model (Standard or Deluxe) manufactured in 2014? Basically, do you think a production model manufactured in 2014 would be worth more in 2064 than the same model manufactured in 2012 would be in 2062? Just curious.

Norm, what is that strat in your profile pic?

Fender Select Strat starts at $2850 retail!

http://www.fender.com/products/select/models.php?prodNo=0170301



The Eric Johnson starts at $2600 yes, but i have seen them new from $2000!



The strat in my profile pic is special!!

Its a 2011 Fender Custom Shop Road Show Limited Edition Custom Deluxe Stratocaster


http://www.themusiczoo.com/product/9245/Fender-Custom-Shop-2011-Road-Show-Limited-Edition-Custom-Deluxe-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar/

Talk about a "Super-Strat," this Custom Deluxe has a killer flame maple top on an ash body, AA-grade flame maple neck with a 10/56 "V" shape, abalone side dots and fretboard inlays, gold Sperzel locking tuners, and three John Cruz Fat 50's single coil pickups. Looks, tone, and playability, this one certainly has it all. We not only love the great figuring in the maple top, but the cool grain patterns in the ash back as well.

Fender®, Stratocaster®, and the distinctive headstock and body designs commonly found on the Strat® are trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

Aged Cherry Sunburst Finish
Flame Maple Top
Ash Body
1-Piece AA-Grade Flame Maple Neck
10/56 "V" Neck Shape
25.5" Scale Length
9.5" Fretboard Radius
.880" Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
.980" Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
22 Dunlop 6105 Frets
John Cruz Fat 50's Strat Pickups
Abalone Side Dots and Inlays
3-Ply Parchment Pickguard
Sperzel Locking Tuners
Gold Hardware


Sale Price: $4,160.00

YUMMY!!! ?
The pictures of this truly gorgeous guitar are on the link!!

Norman86 wrote: The strat in my profile pic is special!!

Its a 2011 Fender Custom Shop Road Show Limited Edition Custom Deluxe Stratocaster

Sale Price: $4,160.00

:'( :'( :'(

tell me about it! You can get one built for you, choose your own grain etc for cheaper... BUT, it wont have the Fender logo / prestige surrounding it!
If its an investment though, i suppose its worth it then!
All that said, i wouldnt mind selling my soul for THAT specific strat! :-[

They cost a lot more than they're worth. You can buy a better SA made guitar. Decide what you want to see on the headstock.

Ray wrote: They cost a lot more than they're worth. You can buy a better SA made guitar. Decide what you want to see on the headstock.

But who decides how much something is worth? Surely the market does - which means they cost exactly what they're worth.

Hi Deefstes, here is my current Strat situation:
I have one MIM and one MIA Deluxe HSS.
I modded the MIM as follows to get it exactly the way I like it:
1. Changed the plastic nut for bone
2. Rewired the 2nd tone pot to the bridge pickup
3. Fitted graphtec saddles
4. Sanded the back of the neck down to bare wood because the poly finish felt too sticky under my hand
5. Fitted Kinman noiseless pups (Woodstock plus)
6. Changed the factory 7.25 inch radius to 12 inch and fitted bigger frets
7. Blocked the tremelo
The guitar is now my favourite allrounder and always the first one I pick up to play. The reason I listed all the mods is to show the mistake that I made at the time of buying by not focussing on how it felt in my hands. Over time I realised what was bothering me and fortunately I had the funds to make all the alterations. Today I am all smiles because it turned out great for me as a player but the bottom line is that I probably depreciated the value with all the mods and I will never be able to get the money back should I want to sell it - a common problem with MIM's. I guess it is a keeper then...

The MIA deluxe had all the above already sorted when I bought it. I agree with Alan that the noiseless pickups are different but I don't view it as worse than the Kinman's. For me it is just a different sound that I actually prefer in certain settings above the Kinmans. Is the built quality better than the MIA? Absolutely without a doubt. I have to confess though that as Alan pointed out I also do not use the S1 switch and prefer the standard 5-way sound configuration.
I have always preferred rosewood boards because for me it just tames the spikey trebles that Strats are known for. I feel that I have more eq range available on my amp for the trebles. The MIA Deluxe is still stock standard and the reason for that is that I bought a guitar that felt right, sounded good to my ears and made me want to play it. The interesting part was that this specific one was the last option on my list and not at all what I was searching for. It just happened to jump at me and I realised that what I wanted was something different from what I thought.

Moral of the story? Have an absolutely fantastic day in the USA playing as many Strats as you can possibly manage (most of which we'll probably never even see in SA) and revel in the oppertunity. If you find that one that makes your heart stop then you are in luck and it will be interesting to see how close it comes to your current specs. If you don't find it please do not part with your cash, unless you have a few spare bucks some mods...

deefstes wrote:

Ray wrote: They cost a lot more than they're worth. You can buy a better SA made guitar. Decide what you want to see on the headstock.

But who decides how much something is worth? Surely the market does - which means they cost exactly what they're worth.

When I'm paying the money then I do. Just my opinion that you can get more for less. Again, depends what you want to see on the headstock.

Thanks Pinch, that is some very valuable advice.

Ray wrote:

deefstes wrote:

Ray wrote: They cost a lot more than they're worth. You can buy a better SA made guitar. Decide what you want to see on the headstock.

But who decides how much something is worth? Surely the market does - which means they cost exactly what they're worth.

When I'm paying the money then I do. Just my opinion that you can get more for less. Again, depends what you want to see on the headstock.

I don't think a guitar's worth is only measured by the quality of its tone, craftsmanship and features. The worth is also determined by what extent you can expect your guitar to appreciate in value. And while I'm not hung up about the badge on the headstock, it so happens that if it says Fender, chances are that it would be worth far more in 60 years' time than the other guitar that says Poenternjafter on the headstock - however awesome that guitar might be.

But at any rate, that is not what this thread is about. I started this thread because I want to learn about Fender Stratocasters. Whether I decide to buy one or whether I even travel to the States is a different story altogether. I still want to understand the various strat options and the pros and cons of the various options.

Remember, its tough to find swamp ash locally. Not sure about alder, but that's why I had my strat made in the U.S. Loads of flame maple to choose from, got a 3.5lb ash body.

Sorry for going off topic, but a guitar's tone is dictated by more than its build quality.

I'd love the opportunity to play a bunch of MIAs. Lucky man

The 60th anniversary is already available....AND it's local nogal ....in CTown.

Check this link for some nice guitars ?

http://www.guitarexperience.net/stratocasters.htm

Vic wrote: The 60th anniversary is already available....AND it's local nogal ....in CTown.

I don't understand, how is that possible? The 60th anniversary is only in 2 years?

deefstes wrote:

Vic wrote: The 60th anniversary is already available....AND it's local nogal ....in CTown.

I don't understand, how is that possible? The 60th anniversary is only in 2 years?

Fender's 60th anniversary was in 2006. The Stratocaster's 60th is in 2014.