I agree Prantare, some MIM can sound great. If your MIM is one of the great sounding ones I wouldn't really consider getting a new strat unless you could try it. I mean your guitar certainly sounds good (your videos prove it, plus you really can play really well).

What I'm trying to say is that if your guitar already sounds better than most american strats you've tried, the chance is slim that getting a new one online will be better, so just make sure that you are choosing the right thing.

I say all this because you already have a strat, and it only would be worth getting a new one if you are sure you will upgrade what you already have. Then again, you probably know much more than I do about strats, so if you are sure, go ahead

Yea, you might be right. But an Mexican strat here would cost me about 1400$ if I don't order it (which gives me 30 day return time but I still have to pay shipping). The Americans are way above my budget and there's no chance I can buy one now.

I've been waiting for 2 years to buy a new guitar.. the Mexican I have is awesome, but it has some flaws that make it hard to play, the mics are pretty noisy and I don't think the colours of it suits me (the guitar only cost me 500$ when I bought it in a trip to Thailand).. however, the sound is amazing and it's very comfortable.

Thanks alot Fran! :-)

This post has been edited by Prantare: Oct 15 2008, 02:16 PM

If you waited 2 years then you can wait a bit longer If you are going to upgrade then do an actual upgrade, thats my opinion. You have a great MIM, why buy another one? Save one more year and buy something much hotter, or go for that ibanez (http://www.vendolin.se/Annonce_Detail.asp?rub=&annonceid=5483144) so that you have 2 different guitars instead of 2 that are pretty much the same...

My 2c

P.S. That Ibanez looks soooo good in the pic...

Hmm, you guys got some great ideas rolling.
Yes, I like that Ibanez aswell; but then I'd have to go to GBG to try it out since I have no idea how this Ibanez feels like. My dad would have to follow and then it'd cost about like 2000kr just for traveling.. I'm way more used to Fenders so the feel more secure.

$1400 for a Mexican strat, how is that possible??

Sweden.

Deluxe one though.

Hey.. I got an idea; I could ask someone in the US to buy me an American Deluxe strat and send it to me and I'd give that person the money for the guitar and shipping + some extra. How dangerous could this be?

This post has been edited by Prantare: Oct 15 2008, 05:40 PM

Then add 30% to those $1100, in customs and tax. Then you suddenly end up at around $1470...

If you have someone you know in USA (some friendly soul here at GMC maybe?), then you could ask them to buy and ship it for you, and write gift or something on the shipping papers, then you would have a chance saving those 30%...
You see, everything you order from inside European Union is tax and customs free, but when you order from outside EU, customs will give you a bill for the extra 30%. Crazy thing is we have to pay 30% on both the thing we pay AND the shipping cost...

That's crazy.

I asked my mom if we knew any people over there and she told me (which I actually knew but had forgotten) that her friends daughter just a married a guy who owns a musicstore in Brasil. What a coincidence! :-D

I'll talk to her and she if there's any chance to get her sending a "gift" to me. :-)

Or, you buy a Japanese made Strat from www.ishibashi.co.jp
I know some people do this because they like the quality of the japanese made, also they save a few bucks, cause everything that is made in Japan is cheap in Japan...
Check: http://www.ishibashi-webshop.jp/shop/c/c104010/

Do not fear the japanese, you can send them email, and they answer with pretty decent english, and I never hear anyone having any problems ordering from there...

Just a thought...

Maybe the Crafter Gustavo Guerra signaryre (Idol 2008 winner) comes cheap in Brazil?

My choice would go to an Ibanez but that's just me but an S470 would be worth looking at if you still did not buy a guitar yet did not read all the posts The S470 is a great guitar with good specs (ZR bridge, HSH configuration, fast playing neck,...) at a fairly low price same price as a mexican strat. I saw an older model with the Blue moonlight finish i think from 2007 just before they launched the 2008 S series with the 24 fret necks i'm trying to get my hands on one of those but i don't know if they will ship one from the US to Belgium since it's the only shop that i could find that still has them...

This post has been edited by ChrisVdS: Oct 15 2008, 06:45 PM

Found this cool guitar:
http://www.ishibashi-webshop.jp/shop/g/g310132000/

How much is that in dollars, euros or kronors? :-D

use the currency calculator at www.forex.se

Wow thats pretty cheap.. how much would it cost to import you think?

I saw one like that vintage here in holland for 4.000 euro's! Its stevie style:D

Get an american one with a humbucker slot at the bridge, and you're good to go.

Hard to say, but a very rough estimate is $250 for shipping, 5% customs tax, a small customs free, 1% insurance, 25% VAT om all costs so far (price for guitar, tax, shipping, customs fee). Then delivery from the airport to your home unless you asked DHL to care for the whole transport then the price is baked included.

Check the site whether it says anything about shipping costs. Sometimes it's cheap - because they raised price a bit on the guitar instead.

Count roughly as this:
Price for guitar + shipping = Ship price
Ship price * 1,3 = Total price

Total price is what you will pay in the end... I think someone said shipping from ishibashi is somewhere around 1000:-(swedish krona)...
Information in english with email: http://www.ishibashi-music.com/
Used guitars here, Click in E.guitars and put the brand you want to see used guitars in stock of in the first textbox, then click search, some guitars are really cheap: http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/u_box/

I totally agree all it's missing is the SRV inscription on the pickguard but it's a sweet looking guitar, have allot of fun with it

So you guys think the playability will be nice? :-)