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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ Wich Strat For Blues?

Posted by: JunkII Oct 9 2008, 08:39 AM

i'm going to buy a new guitar pretty soon, an expensive one that i'm going to have for the next 10-20 years (maybe longer), so i need a nice guitar!
i've been thinking about buying a fender stratocaster, i like the blues (metal can also be nice from time to time smile.gif) and i wonderet wich stratocaster i should buy to get the best sound o:
i've been looking at models like a '57 vintage hot rod or a '62 vintage hot rod

link for the '57 hot rod:
http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0100132809

link for the '62 hot rod:
http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0100140846

i do not understand the derict differences between the 2 of them, the description of the pickups for example o:

if anyone find other guitars that they can recommand i'll gladly listen smile.gif
i'm willing to pay around 15.000 danish kroner. its a little more then 2500 dollars smile.gif

hope to here from all of you! biggrin.gif

Posted by: MickeM Oct 9 2008, 09:15 AM

I don't know a lot about different Fender models but could a Suhr Classic Strat be an option to think about?

The 57 has a soft V shape neck while the 62 has a C shape. Imo I think a C shape feels comfortable.
And the 57 has a maple neck while 62 has rosewood. Maple is brighter in tone, I prefer rosewood so I'd pick the 62 if it stands between the two.

besides that it looks more vintage with it's normal bridge pickup. Both have 21 frets so it's "real" vintage Fenders.

Posted by: OrganisedConfusion Oct 9 2008, 09:17 AM

Any strats with texas special pick ups in a 3 single coils set up. And then send it to me lol. biggrin.gif

Posted by: JVM Oct 9 2008, 09:29 AM

I find that a properly equipped (single coil) strat can do metal just fine. I actually prefer the bottom end chug of my strat to that of my 'paul. If you put good pickups in it, it can do whatever you want. If it has locking tuners and a good trem, it will hardly ever go out of tune.

My suggestion: Buy whichever strat plays the best to you. Mexican, american, whatever (I would probably keep it between mexican, american, and japanese). Find what woods you like, I personally LOVE maple necks. Obviously, Mickem feels differently, but both guitars are still a strat. Mine has an ash body, maple neck, and custom shop '54 pickups in it. Beautiful rich single coil cleans, and I still, like I said, prefer the distorted tone to that of my les paul.

Posted by: wrk Oct 9 2008, 09:42 AM

I agree with JVM. The good thing with buying a fender strat is that you can test a lot of them in the shops and you really can choose the one you like most. I wouldn't decide on the model name or were it was produced. Try to find the one which feels comfortable for you and decide on the wood and finish you prefer. Everything else you can adjust later on to your liking.


Posted by: JunkII Oct 9 2008, 09:46 AM

QUOTE (MickeM @ Oct 9 2008, 10:15 AM) *
I don't know a lot about different Fender models but could a Suhr Classic Strat be an option to think about?

The 57 has a soft V shape neck while the 62 has a C shape. Imo I think a C shape feels comfortable.
And the 57 has a maple neck while 62 has rosewood. Maple is brighter in tone, I prefer rosewood so I'd pick the 62 if it stands between the two.

besides that it looks more vintage with it's normal bridge pickup. Both have 21 frets so it's "real" vintage Fenders.


whats the difference between a V and a C shape/neck?

Posted by: MickeM Oct 9 2008, 10:03 AM

QUOTE (JunkII @ Oct 9 2008, 10:46 AM) *
whats the difference between a V and a C shape/neck?

It's what you get in the palm of your hand. It's sharped like a V <-- see or a C ...rotated into a U <-- like this, sort of.

Posted by: Jesse Oct 9 2008, 11:35 AM

QUOTE (OrganisedConfusion @ Oct 9 2008, 10:17 AM) *
Any strats with texas special pick ups in a 3 single coils set up. And then send it to me lol. biggrin.gif

I got one of those biggrin.gif

Posted by: Nemanja Filipovic Oct 9 2008, 11:38 AM

I like the '62 personally,but as they sad,try to play every model you see.And then decide.

Posted by: Noangels Oct 9 2008, 02:53 PM

Any standard amercian strat and beyond can be a blues tone machine

I bought a Roadhouse around about 98/99 and it came with the Texas Specials fully loaded.Realy great tone
machine with its maple board.Mind you I dont play the blues tones and I am geared to Rock/Metal but sticking
a JBjnr in the bridge made it scream and the neck Texas sounds superb too in that genre

Strats can easily hold their own in any style of music and any maker out there-and there cheap too!

Posted by: Jesse Oct 9 2008, 03:01 PM

QUOTE (Noangels @ Oct 9 2008, 03:53 PM) *
Any standard amercian strat and beyond can be a blues tone machine

I bought a Roadhouse around about 98/99 and it came with the Texas Specials fully loaded.Realy great tone
machine with its maple board.Mind you I dont play the blues tones and I am geared to Rock/Metal but sticking
a JBjnr in the bridge made it scream and the neck Texas sounds superb too in that genre

Strats can easily hold their own in any style of music and any maker out there-and there cheap too!

HEY ! DUDE!! I bought mine in 2008 but its new old stock! Serial number says its from 1997/1998!!!! WITH TEXAS SPECIALS TOO!!!! I play blues and rock/metal too...

Posted by: Noangels Oct 9 2008, 03:14 PM

Congrats mate!you have one of the best playing and sounding guitars out there-full stop!

Every musician who has tried my strat has fell in love with it,it plays like butter,resonates so well that harmonics
easily come out and it can play any style of music you want to throw at it-jazz/country/blues/rock/metal

Keep hold of it!I have played plenty of other strats and they felt realy stiff compared to the roadhouse

Thing with strats is they take time to mellow out and feel good to play.When I bought my roadhouse brand new
I hated the way it played!realy stiff and lacked soul,I only bought it as I wanted a strat and used it to practise on

after a couple of years it came alive!kind of broke in,and opened up-to the extent now that I only have to look at it
and it plays itself.lol

anyway keep hold of it,its worth its weight in gold!

Posted by: Ajmurrell Oct 9 2008, 05:23 PM

I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate as it's been a while since I researched my strat when buying, but I believe the '57 has a slightly bigger neck radius to that of the '62.

I managed to get a 57' custom shop with a modern radius as I prefer the feel to it smile.gif

If you're willing to buy second hand, ebay is a fantastic site for searching out these special order strats, saves you a small fortune too smile.gif

The texas specials get a lot of praise from a lot of people! I wonder if you guys prefer them to the custom shop p'ups?

EDIT: Actually it looks like both the hot rod versions have the modern 9.5 radius.

Also to note that the V shape is actually very comfortable, its only towards the head stock so it's a very minor difference in feel IMO.

Posted by: JVM Oct 9 2008, 05:31 PM

QUOTE (Ajmurrell @ Oct 9 2008, 12:23 PM) *
I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate as it's been a while since I researched my strat when buying, but I believe the '57 has a slightly bigger neck radius to that of the '62.

I managed to get a 57' custom shop with a modern radius as I prefer the feel to it smile.gif

If you're willing to buy second hand, ebay is a fantastic site for searching out these special order strats, saves you a small fortune too smile.gif

The texas specials get a lot of praise from a lot of people! I wonder if you guys prefer them to the custom shop p'ups?

EDIT: Actually it looks like both the hot rod versions have the modern 9.5 radius.

Also to note that the V shape is actually very comfortable, its only towards the head stock so it's a very minor difference in feel IMO.


I haven't tried the texas specials, but I've heard nothing but good stuff about them. I tell ya though, my custom shop pickups are amazing as well, and I see no reason to switch. I play most every genre too, handles them all smile.gif

On a side note, ebay might be a great option. I got my strat, which is an american deluxe "ash" model with the custom shop '54 pickups in it, as well as the original noiseless pickups that come in the deluxe models, for $850. I can sell the noiseless pickguard for probably upwards of $100. The only reason its so cheap is because there were a few small dings in the neck, but they make absolutely no difference. You don't feel them as you play, and unless you're looking at the back of the neck, you'll never see them. But because of them, no one else bid on my guitar, and I am blown away by how great it is smile.gif These guitars go for $1350 new, and the custom shop pickups are an additional $190. GREAT DEAL!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Oct 9 2008, 09:10 PM

Well, if you wanna that classic strat sound, then I think 62 is the way to go. They both have similar specs, only different pickups.

If you need a modern stratocaster for blues and metal, then maybe the first strat is a better option, so you don't have to change the pickups later. You will change the bridge anyway, so it is maybe better to buy it with ToneZone in the bridge right away.

Personally I would suggest that you buy a strat from a store, and tryout as many strats as you can. You will be surprised how much you can learn by simply trying out 15 differents strats in stores. When you find the one you want in the store, either order the same model from the web, or buy it in the store. I wouldn't suggest buying from the net if you haven't tried the guitar. Strats have distinct sound, but the models vary in quality, so it is good to get a good model in the store.

Good luck mate

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