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Posted by: klasaine Aug 4 2019, 10:23 PM

It is a guitar forum.
3 or 4 months back I mentioned that I ordered an "Xotic" brand Strat style guitar. They're a local company here in Los Angeles.
California Classic XSC-1




Here's a super quick 'clean' demo with my phone.
I'm using pkup position #2 (Bridge/middle) with some delay and reverb.

Posted by: Mertay Aug 4 2019, 10:37 PM

Super congrats!

I'm hearing a lot of tonal variety as you strum differently, high's ring nicely (more airy than an average Fender?). Almost brutally responsive, being used to humbuckers probably a guitar I can't play

Posted by: Phil66 Aug 4 2019, 10:56 PM

Sweet, not watched the video yet though. Is that a Pau Ferro fingerboard?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 5 2019, 12:01 AM

nice!!!!! Thanks for the pics and demo!

Posted by: klasaine Aug 5 2019, 03:24 AM

It's what a good vintage Strat should sound and feel like - responsive and airy. It does kind of lay everything bare but you'd get used to it.
I'm playing with my fingers and a pick. The amp is at a decent level so you can really hear my hands.
The pickups are 'vintage' or normal wind (not hot) though the bridge pkup I chose is slightly overwound - what Xotic calls "60s wind" (1962) whereas the neck and middle pkups are their 50s wind. All the hardware (and electronics) are golden age Fender correct. 6 screw bridge plate and full sized tremelo block, real bone nut and no string trees. They even manufacture their own trem springs so that they're not too stiff. Everything is proprietary except for the tuning machines which are Gotoh vintage style (though they do lock).
If you get a Danocaster or a Suhr, or a Tom Anderson or a real custom shop Stratocaster - it'll sound and respond like this. There are certain things on a Strat or a Tele or a Les Paul that you can't fuck with if you want it to actually sound and play like a Strat, Tele or LP.

I'll do another vid with overdrive and play some lead. It can totally rock out.




It's a Rosewood board. Probably from India or parts thereabout. I have an axe with a Pau Ferro fingerboard. I like it a lot.
*Having said that, I do have a few guitars with real Brazilian RW fingerboards. They are extra special.

Posted by: Mertay Aug 5 2019, 12:04 PM

I watched my luthier a few times changing frets on not so expensive guitars. After removing the frets at some point he does an overall sanding to the fretboard (maybe not called sanding as term but something like that). It makes the fretboard very smooth and you really start to see the rosewood grain., as if almost polished.

In a Squire video a master builder from Fender commented on this, said at factories with inexpensive guitar they avoid that process almost completely to save time.

Posted by: Phil66 Aug 5 2019, 12:26 PM

It's that light strip of grain that threw me, all along the board, nice. My SRV Strat has Pau Ferro board.

Cheers

Posted by: AK Rich Aug 6 2019, 03:56 AM

Man, the neck looks really nice on that thing. Looking forward to hearing more of it. Somehow I don't think the phone recording does it the justice it deserves but it still sounds pretty damn good.

Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Aug 6 2019, 12:08 PM

Very nice. This looks and sounds exactly like the kind of strat I would want to buy - and with vintage specs (as far as I can tell). Big congratulations!! 👌👌👌

Posted by: klasaine Aug 6 2019, 06:27 PM