raithza
So I heard every guitar player should own a strat and I thought it's about time that I look into getting one, but there are a lot of options so I would like some advice.
First the squier series - which of these are worth getting? I think I've read somewhere on GFSA that you should steer clear of the Bullet and Affinity series?
I would like to have a real fender, not a squier though, as from what I've gathered from fender players, having the fender name on the headstock is the most important part of owning a fender (I figure I might as well get a stab or two in before i join their camp ?). As I understand, MIA's are top, MIJ second in line, MIM third?
My budget is about R4000-R5000 - what should I be aiming for? i.e. what is the most fender for my buck i can get in that range? 2nd hand.
aubs1
raithza wrote:
........ So I heard every guitar player should own a strat ......
Absolutely true ....... ? (or two)
raithza wrote:
My budget is about R4000-R5000 - what should I be aiming for? i.e. what is the most fender for my buck i can get in that range? 2nd hand.
I think it would be a bit difficult getting an MIA, but you may be lucky. For that budget I would look at an MIM first, but that's me. Others may disagree.
IceCreamMan
Everyone should own a strat , thats a fact, but it dont necessarily have to say Fender on the stock.
"Real Fender" and 4-5 k wont get you an MIA but its secondand MIM /MIJ territory and while there is "pecking"order as a result of location of manufacture the lines are decidedly blurred these days .... a post 2006 MIM is up there with the best of em and one owuld be hard pressed to identify them save for the extra fret. quality is on par..MIA aint no longer a guarentee of bragging rights. AAMOI i think brand new MIM's can be had for +- 6k...
But you get good un's and bad un's so only way is to play a lot of em... start at music connection ,they have the widest range of fenders i seen.......
The topline squiers can deliver a gem or 2 as well ...
Fender on the headstock is worth a brownie point or 2 for sure , b ut playing it properly is woth far more ...this is my problem.
MIKA-the-better-one
First off, if yo uare spending up to 4 or 5K ... dont get a squire, actually i think in general just go for Fender, and thats because they feel better and play better....
With that cash you probably wont get a MIA, but that does not mean you cant get a GREAT fender strat.
I would perhaps go through your classifieds and find every ad for a fender strat in your price range MIM and MIJ and then go try them out.
I have a super nice MIA sig strat, but it still does not sound as good to my ears as a mexican strat I once heard owned by a friend. with a mex try get an early model fro mthe 90's as I hear the necks are better on them :/
Its really down to what sounds best to you and feels best.
A mexican strat does the job, sounds great, looks great.... they may not be as amazing as a MIA, but they are a fener so who cares....
raithza
thanks for the advice guys - gonna start kicking some mexican tyre in my area ?
chris77
I know Racman was selling a sunburst mim a short while ago. I don't know if he's still selling though. In that price range a good 2nd hand mim will be my choice as well.
singemonkey
In this case it's actually not about the Fender on the headstock. It's because most Squiers can't hold a candle to a Made-in-Mexico Fender. I'll never forget doing a comparison between a Squier Tele, an MIM Tele, and a 1958 Fender Tele. I couldn't tell the difference between the MIM and the vintage Tele (until I noticed the vintage one's fretboard was really dirty, and then the 25,000 pound price tag). But the Squier was rubbish.
So no. it's not about the name. Although I've heard that the Squier Classic Series Strats (have I got that right?) are really good.
2nd hand Mexican or Japanese (if you can get one) is the way to go.
aubs1
I would grab this one in a flash!!!...... maybe first make an offer of R4.5K, if he won't budge, you've lost nothing!!!
raithza
my location = stellenbosch :/ and it seems like i'll only have money next year.
I'm sure Jan is a good month for buying 2nd hand guitars anyway ?
singemonkey
What are the specs on the MIM Standard? Is the body Alder? Is it modeled on any of the vintage Strats?
MIKA-the-better-one
I actually prefer the shape of a mim to a new mia
I think the newerish fender's which are not reissue's look kinda like ...... "eye gougers"
They have more defined horns, and to me seem like they are not as pretty.
In car terms you could say they look like a in your face sports car like a lambourgini, and the older fender (vintage) shapes seem more like a Aston Martin, with curves and more stylish approach.
At least thats the impression i get, the MIM strats seem to look more like a 60s style Fender strat, with a change up of hardware, while MIA's look like a newer more flashy look.
raithza
OK... so I've almost (sale pending) managed to free up funds for my strat purchase. But alas, stratland is very confusing... Basically I have the following 3 options...
1.) affinity strat for R1750
This leaves me with money to upgrade the guitar - most likely start with the pups.
2.) Squier standard for R2000
Again I have some money for upgrades but apparently the squier standards have better pickups and the bodies and the bodies are made of agathis - which is not highly rated as a body wood, so it isn't as nice a guitar to upgrade as the affinity. however the overall quality on the rest of the guitar could/should be better than the affinity, right?
3.) MIM strat for R4000
Which is slightly over budget but oh well ? the only thing here is, I haven't seen one on gumtree cape town for quite a while (and I've been keeping my eye on it), and I'm impatient. There are however a few on JHB but if I went for this I'd have to buy sight unseen and have it courier'd down. Risky, but then I have a FENDER.
Yes, I know I should wait for one to pop up locally. No, I don't have the patience...
What do you guys think?
prince
Go for the MIM, in a couple months the pain will be gone and you will have forgotten you spent an extra R2000. If you go for the Affinity/Squirer in a couple of months you may be regretting it and then you have to come up with a whole R4000 again to get the one you wanted.
Wizard
I had an Affinity Strat.
Was a very nice blue colour.
Never bonded with it.
It got stolen.
I've never missed it.
MIKA-the-better-one
Hold Out for a MIM.... Squires are really not the sort of longterm guitars you keep......
singemonkey
MIKA the better one wrote:
Hold Out for a MIM.... Squires are really not the sort of longterm guitars you keep......
+1
Reinhard
The Squier classic vibe strats seem rather nice. I have one of the teles, very nice out of the box.
raithza
Ok, so thank you for being the voice of reason and telling me what I knew anyway, I'll hold out for a mexican ?
Some questions for the strat knowers...
Apparently Fender upgraded the mexican strats around 2006, introducing jumbo frets, better pickups, larger trem blocks and shielded compartments. How true is this? how big a difference is there between pre and post 2006 MIM strats?
Looking on ebay and there seem to be some really good deals on there for MIM's... damn...
IceCreamMan
raithza wrote:
Ok, so thank you for being the voice of reason and telling me what I knew anyway, I'll hold out for a mexican ?
Some questions for the strat knowers...
Apparently (fender did upgrade) Fender upgraded the mexican strats around 2006, introducing jumbo frets, better pickups, larger trem blocks and shielded compartments. How true is this? how big a difference is there between pre and post 2006 MIM strats?
Looking on ebay and there seem to be some really good deals on there for MIM's... damn...
all true, post 2006 the MIM has had major upgrades (lets say updates) ...which to my mind are great ..i have only visually compared a pre 06 model right handed an my lefty mim ..an i like the differences ....
the modern mim is a top notch guitar ....but i bet the pre 06 was good too .... but i believe quality control was a bit offish pre 06 .... but hell if i believed half the things i read on the net i would think that iraq had weapons of mass destruction and man went to the moon...
yr ears an hands will let yo know whats good and whats not so good...
