What do you look for when buying a strat...

[100watt marshalls]

I'm looking at a 50's Cunetto Relic in Aztec Gold and I love how it plays. The sound is great without plugging in and in is a definate improvement soundwise plugged in to my Jimmy Vaughn strat which I love.

The only thing I'm worried about is the the low E string, I want it to be twangy and tight. It's not bad (not boomy or flat) just not perfect and twangy and I'm hopeing I'm not just settleling on the guitar because it looks so good.

So far I've concentrated on getting great sounding amps (60's Vox AC30, 73 Superlead etc) and effects (Captain Coconut, RMC3LE etc) because they make a bigger difference to my sound.

But now I want to sell 5 guitars to get one good strat to compliment my Les Paul.

How do you guys know when a strat is a really good one.

[Tele-Bob]

Once again, acoustic resonance proves nothing! LOL

I play a lot of guitars. I play new ones every week. First, I make sure a guitar is comfortable to play. Then I jam on it pretty hard to see what it might be like in a gigging situation. Over the past couple years, I have bought a a couple guitars that were great when sitting around at home but just didn't fight back enough when played with the energy level at a gig. I tend to over bend and make harsh rythm sounds on guitars that require too light of a feel.

Then, if I like the way a guitar plays, I'll plug it in and see how it sounds. Very often, I turn away from the amp so it's behind my back. It sounds different that way and of course that's how I do the majority of my gigging. With my amp behind me.

If I can play lots of stuff easily, and I'm not groping around for stuff, and certain notes really blossom when I hit them and give 'em a little shake, then I go home and come back on a another day to try it again and see if I still dig it. If I do, I'll often buy it.

[chaz498]

Very often, I turn away from the amp so it's behind my back. It sounds different that way and of course that's how I do the majority of my gigging. With my amp behind me.

Now that's the kind of advice that I love. Common sense, but I've never thought of it before. Cheers T-B!

[100watt marshalls]

Wow I just learnt the guitars history it came in to the country as a Mary Kaye blond then resprayed Gold and it's trying to be cast off as a relic how dodgy is that. Anyway I still like it but don't know what it's worth, any ideas???

[Kap'n]

If it's refinned, I would imagine that it's worth only slightly more than a partsocaster of similar quality. My guess is they're asking far too much for it, and in that case, you should keep looking.

[hudpucker]

Once again, acoustic resonance proves nothing! LOL

Hmm...David Gilmour (for one) doesn't agree with that and the prevailing opinion at our esteemed sister site seems to run counter to this assertion as well. Acoustic resonance of electric guitars seems to be quite important to most of the many luthiers with whom I've spoken as well.

[Offshore Angler]

It doesn't matter to me.

I take it to a gig, plug it in, and play it. If it'd good, I keep it. If I want good acoustics, I'll buy an acoustic. How does it sound at 70dB? Cause that's what matters, right?

[fezz parka]

Acoustic resonance of electric guitars seems to be quite important to most of the many luthiers with whom I've spoken as well.

It matters as much as your strings, pickups and amp.:yay

[sabby]

|: Dog sees tail. Tail flinches in surprise. Dog, go get tail!!! Grrrr, gotta get tail, gotta get tail. Where did tail go? Hmm ... No tail. Dog see tail. :|

(x) ad infinitum :rolleyes:

[photoweborama]

I'm finding that acoustic resonance, can either work for or against you. It all depends on the accumulation of parts. A guitar with good resonance may sound great with XYZ type of pickups, and lousy with ABC pickups.

But when you get the right guitar with the right acoustic resonance, and the right combination of parts, they just sing!... but also there is no set formula for this.. What works with one combination, may not work on a guitar with the exact same specifications.

Why? Electrical tolerances. Each part is designed with a specific tolerance.
Get two components at the same value, and they can be either + or - 5-10%, depending on the quality. Lets say you get all components they are on the -5% side and stick them all in a great resonating guitar.. Yuck, maybe.. Or that may be the formula for a fantastic plugged in guitar...

[Offshore Angler]

phtotoweborama, it's all a crapshoot any way you look at it. So why not just grab the axe, use it the way you'll use it, and see if it works? That's all I'm saying. If it works, good, if not, ditch it. That way all the hand-wringing and guess work is totally out of the equation.

[photoweborama]

phtotoweborama, it's all a crapshoot any way you look at it. So why not just grab the axe, use it the way you'll use it, and see if it works? That's all I'm saying. If it works, good, if not, ditch it. That way all the hand-wringing and guess work is totally out of the equation.

That’s what I'm saying.. Unless you can measure the + or - tolerance, then there is no way to nail the formula down. Plus, there are so many variations. Who has the time to do that anyway?

My new Epi Les Paul. Plug in 3 guitars; pick up the Honey Bust LP. Plug it in.. Hum, that sounds great... plug in 5 other guitars.. Plug back in the LP.. Hum.. It still sounds great... ... buy it..

[chopp3r]

acoustic resonance only matters on an acoustic... IMHO ;)

[sinner]

Re: What do you look for when buying a strat...The Price Tag...

[Tele-Bob]

The most acoustically resonant guitars I have ever owned have been the least desirable when when plugged in. That's my experience. Someone asked. I answered. I don't doubt that others find "acoustic resonance" to be a big part of what they like in a guitar. That's their experience. Neither is wrong. They're just different.

I thought it mattered at one point but as I stood there holding this acoustically resonant Strat saying, "but it sounds great unplugged, why does it sound like dogmeat through my amps?" I knew it was time to change the way I shop. Just my personal experience.

[Stratoblaster 63]

First thing I would do is carefully look at the neck and play the guitar
without plugging it in. A LOTof new guitars have dead spots on the neck.High spots and twists.
Bro bought a tele a few years ago and there was actually one area that was sharp on the neck and it ened up being a fret that was for some reason incorrectly installed. Don't know how that could have happened at the factory ? Another 57 RI gold top that was one of the Brazilian rosewoods, the neck was actually back bowed !!Quite often the hut has to be recut dialed in or even replaced, they really don't spend enough time there.Look at the saddles on the guitar and see how high or how low they are, they are an indicator if the neck has a good angle.If I really like a new guitar, I ask to pull the neck to see if it has or needs shims in the neck pocket, shims no good, it obstructs contact, and I sand the back of the neck heel down to wood when I get a new guitar for better neck to body contact, it improves the guitars sound.Check neck pocket, fit too loose, no good, neck can move and go out of tune.
Bring an OHM meter with you to the store and measure the output of the pickups on a guitar you like, and then you have an idea of what you want as far as out put. A lot of guitars have unbalanced pickups as far as output positoning.Pickups can be chanced tho.
Weight does not really have that much effect on the sound, some heavier guitars can sound great, the properties of the grain of the wood more important. Hold the guitar up to your ear and tap on the body in a few places and listen to how it resonates.
You always have to dial in a guitar.One that plays well and stays in tune can be set up with different hardware and pick ups etc...So I would say that is the most important aspect.

[Offshore Angler]

Stratoblaster 63 wins the prize for nailing it perfectly.

"One that plays well and stays in tune"

Man, that is the whole discussion distilled down to eight single syllable words.

Nice work.

[JAM]

<snip>
Weight does not really have that much effect on the sound, some heavier guitars can sound great, the properties of the grain of the wood more important.

It's just me, but I dont like to play heavy guitars. I had a nice Ibanez years ago that was real heavy, and unbalanced (what some refer to as "neck heavy") it seemed to wear me out playing it. My first Strat was very light and I really enjoyed playing it. In regards to acoustic resonance - do you guys mean how loud it is acoustically or just the overall acoustic balance? I've alway felt that good guitars have a balanced sound acoustically. Maybe some people play well on dead sounding guitars.

[ajwain]

I've said this before....

Acoustic resonance is often a lucky accident, but in some cases it is the carefully chosen woods, sympathetically and lovingly put together into a hand-crafted (and usually expensive) guitar.

BUT.....!!! Like giving a child a good education, it doesn't automatically mean that they will yield the best fruit in later life. So, a guitar with good unplugged tonality and vibrant feel isn't guaranteed to make the right kind of vibrations which transmit themselves through the pickups.

Sure, if strings sustain forever and the player feels some empathy and synergy with the instrument because of this acoustic characteristic, then it will manifest itself in the player's technique, and therefore in the sound.

I think that a good acoustic property is a good indication of an instrument well crafted with high quality materials, but it really REALLY doesn't guarantee a good plugged in sound.

Tonal beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but most of the tone of a guitar comes from the player; how he/she uses it and what they plug it into. Hendrix used to use a different guitar every night at one time in his career, and he still managed to get his same unmistakable tones out of them all.

Personally, my advice would be this: If you can find a guitar which you can't put down, you've found your perfect partner! The reason that you can't put it down might be any one of a hundred reasons. Maybe you like the look, maybe it hangs just right, maybe the neck is perfectly suited to your hands.....the list goes on.

If you can find such a guitar, you will feel real attachment to the instrument when you play it.....and real tone comes from the heart, not from a piece of wood!

Good luck to you.

[Kap'n]

I look for store securi...oh, you said BUYING a guitar.

The absolute first things I look for are what Stratoblaster and OA said.

Plays well and stays in tune.

That's what any instrument needs to qualify. If it can't do both of those, I don't want it. No matter what it sounds like.

Then we get into the other stuff. Workmanship, sound and visual appeal. No locking whammies, no non-standard parts.

[Johnny64]

....how much?,and does it work. :ahem

Don't care if it's alder/ash/mahogmanay/balsa/bakelite or knotty pine. :zzz

[69strat]

I like to listen to the guitar acoustically. That tells me everything I need to know. "acoustic resonance" is a funny term I read all the time.

But I could care less how much I feel the guitar vibrating. I just listen to the tone of the guitar. How much bass, mids and trebles it has and how fast is the response. I hate sluggish guitars that sound dark or muddy. Overly vibrant guitars sometimes lack balls or oompph. No pickup can give you "oompph". That's the makeup of the wood and the energy response. Like when you chick'n pick or palm mute and the note just goes dead or stands up at attention. I also listen to how thin or thick the tone is. Many guitars sound very thin on the high strings. I run from those. I look for a big tone with lots of clarity and balance. I want those notes to stand tall and not lay down. Pickups cannot change that.

While pickups can be changed, you can never get rid of that original tone, unless you change the neck or body. I have a strat that I stuck a hot output humbucker in and it still sounds like the same guitar, as when it had single coils, but with much more mids and output in the bridge bucker. The important stuff like string response, attack, and the voice sound the same no matter what pickup is in there. So I never worry about plugging in when buying a guitar. It's gotta pass the test before that.

[Tonedrip]

+1

I could not have said it any better 69strat. The inherent tonal characteristics of the wood can never be changed by the pickups, perhaps enhanced ,but not changed. Strumming acoustically is the first test. I do however feel for resonance ... mostly in the neck... where alot of tone will be generated and transferred.

btw. Jeff , I sent you an email.