what do you guys think of this strat??

[redb]

well what are people's thoughs on the eric clapton sig guitar??

Ok the following is personal opinion and I apologize in advance to all players and general fans of the eric clapton strat:

it is the worst sounding stratocaster Ive ever played; the pickups are absolutely horrible. they dont sound good with the volume up at all. I was actually considering one for my first guitar rofl, but then I played it and decided I best just get the cheap mexican. I have since gone back and played a handful and they all sound "pingy" to me. They sound like what my mexican strat sounds like after recording with my 7 year old stick microphone with a stripped wire. And there are good hum cancelling single coil pickups (dimarzio) imo.

I wish I was joking, its a nice guitar from a physical standpoint, I think its got a nice neck though I was suprised how round a V shape really is.

I never go into the guitar store with the intention to buy something specific unless its a follow up visit and I try and play as many nice guitars as I can because I dont want to miss a special guitar. I will continue to try the clapton guitars, but I suspect I will continue to put them back on the wall awfully fast.

[Doc W]

Come on, tell us what you really think!

I really did like the midrange boost idea but that is probably because I was a Gibsonite for so long. But you are right. There is no "one size fits all" guitar. Your criticisms are valid because they come from a particular point of view and taste. No need to apologize.

[phantomman]

I share the kid's sentiments, Don. Like me, he's done his research an' performed some "hands-on" analysis then made a reasoned conclusion. I'm a big EC fan myseff, though in truth my favorite Clapton incarnation remains his "Pressed Rat And Warthog" era (ie: Gibson). Re his adoption of the Strat as his primary instrument, I prefer Eric's early work wif Derek & The Dominos, Delaney & Bonnie, etc......before Fender started makin' a guitar wif his name on the headstock an' all them high-zoot bells an' whistles.

Jus' mah 'pinion, y'unnerstan'......

[Erock_Germany]

.......in truth my favorite Clapton incarnation remains his "Pressed Rat And Warthog" era (ie: Gibson).........

Jus' mah 'pinion, y'unnerstan'......

++++ His fingerwork and tone with the SGs and 335 was just magical!!!!!

[phantomman]

Ayup. An' so much of my intial phrasing an' tones when I began to take the instrument seriously in '67 were emulations of EC's on "Fresh Cream" an' "Disraeli Gears". Even today, that toonage stands up very well in comparison wif contemporary acts.

[redb]

Ayup. An' so much of my intial phrasing an' tones when I began to take the instrument seriously in '67 were emulations of EC's on "Fresh Cream" an' "Disraeli Gears". Even today, that toonage stands up very well in comparison wif contemporary acts.

I prefer my clapton pre-hendrix =/

He really got messed up in the head and like townsend said in some interview eric always thought he had to be jimi hendrix.

More opinion incoming but eric really is pretty low on my list of gutiar players. I look at a hard road and I honestly believe its a much stronger record than bluesbreakers, and that cream was nice but too jammish and while it sounds good, it just falls short of the really elite records to come out of 67-70 when the stars basically alligned, and it becomes taxing to listen to for extended periods of time.

Im sure at the time it must have been mind blowing but I wasnt there. So when I look back its stuff like hendrix, fleetwood mac and the jefferson airplane that really stand out and cream is just an occasional listen to pick up some new licks.

Trying to get back on topic, try out the john mayer strat. Really, it is such a good sounding guitar, and the neck on every one Ive ever played has been spectacular.

Here is a very high quality video of john mayer playing one of his strats, at least Im pretty sure it is. Certainly looks like one with the finish being in such good shape despite the plasticy bits and bridge aging (sign of poly?), along with the finish/tortoise shell pick gaurd and rosewood board being the right colours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WEC5UN9cqE&fmt=18

[RamiLP]

Here is a very high quality video of john mayer playing one of his strats, at least Im pretty sure it is. Certainly looks like one with the finish being in such good shape despite the plasticy bits and bridge aging (sign of poly?), along with the finish/tortoise shell pick gaurd and rosewood board being the right colours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WEC5UN9cqE&fmt=18

pretty cool, now i know where Joe bonamassa got his strat tone from, well besides just playing the strat as well

i like that guitar now, i just want to get away from the regular triburst colors or the sunburst stuff, every electric guitar i have owned so far has been a burst or somesort, thats what that custom classic strat i posted kinda cought my eye, it was a little different, but like i said, its more about feel/tone and playability, so if it looks great and sounds like ass then its not a winner.

[redb]

pretty cool, now i know where Joe bonamassa got his strat tone from, well besides just playing the strat as well

i like that guitar now, i just want to get away from the regular triburst colors or the sunburst stuff, every electric guitar i have owned so far has been a burst or somesort, thats what that custom classic strat i posted kinda cought my eye, it was a little different, but like i said, its more about feel/tone and playability, so if it looks great and sounds like ass then its not a winner.

D: hope that helps

the last one was the special edition, if I was in the market for one thats probably the one I would get if I could find one.

[RamiLP]

i love the color of the last one, same color as my car lol, nice match, do they also make them with a maple fingerboard?? or just rosewood?

one thing i dont like about it are the vintage tuners, i hadted those things casue i had them on my tele and it felt like my strings used to start to slip off them, especially the B and high E strings, or i just dont know how to string fenders, i mean with the tuners on my les paul you can do the self locking wind.

bah, i need to stop by the store and play some strats.

[demioblue]

the 2 point isnt any worse than the vintage type imho.

his strat is nice, I dont like the pickups though.

I have to say, I think I'm finally seeing the truth behind this... I used to be super anal about my strats having the 6 screw bridge as opposed to the 2 point bridge, thinking that the 6 screw ones sounded better. Then I realised. My favourite EBMM Silhouette Specials all use 2 point bridges, and I've never complained about their tone...

Though there are some pretty obvious tonal differences between the strats and my ebmms , I'd have to say, this difference is something I can live with.

[Schtang]

Man that's cheap, we are paying close to that for a regular USA Standard Stratocaster here in Australia. Get it now because I hear the USA and the UK are going into a Depression worst than the 1930's according to the ecomomist on the BBC.

[RamiLP]

ok here's the deal, i went out to sam ash music today, and played like 15 different strats, i started off with the MIM strats. and my memory served me Right, they still got crappy necks. the fret ends are sharp and craftsmanship is just not the best out there. body dont resonate as well, many sounded dead acousticly.

moving on to american standards, the necks are a little thin, but i can live with it, i liked the maple necked ones much more than the rosewood, i played 4 different american strats, they sounded much better acousticaly, fret work is good, but they kinda needed setups, but thats an easy part.

i played a john mayer strat, a really nice strat, but i did not like the neck, it felt weird. and the 12" radius on it isnt crazy, but it played nicely, and loud acoustically.

i didnt have a scale with me but they all felt to be in the 8lb area. i also stayed away from any strat that was over 2k, if so i would just purchase from wildwood.

so i have narrowed it down to this, the guitar that i mentioned 1st over at wildwood, or just an american strat.

the price over at wildwood is set, the prices over at sam ash are flexible, i might be able to work out a decent deal on a new strat.

plus or cons:
the wildwood guitar, has an awsome flamed neck, gloss nitro finish front and back, nitro body that is transparent, which means not much finsihing was applied to the body compared to solid color strats. it has a thicker neck that most guitar i played today, along with the schaller tuning machines. what im still thinking about still is price, and the machined stainless steel saddles, and what a few mentioned was the weight. weight isnt an issue for me, the saddles are replaceable. only thing left is the actual price.

a USA standard, they got nice necks, a little thin, but no flamed maple, gloss on fingerboard only and the back is satin, the finish on neck and body is poly. but its a much cheaper option, and only trasparent finish is the sunburst.

so this is where im at, i might go to guitar center tomorow and play alot of their strats,

[redb]

just go play more until you find something.

I wouldnt personally spend a dime on a guitar I wasnt sold on though.

btw the john mayer is 9.5 radius, not 12 mate. care to explain what you didnt like about the neck? was it the shape or the feel or the size or what?

[RamiLP]

ok this explains it a bit mroe then lol. reading back through this thread now, im mixing between the JM sig and the eric johnson sig. now i know why i couldnt fell a 12" radius on the JM, becasue it wasnt.

as far as the neck on the JM, it had a weird shape to it, its like a mix between a C and a D shape? it wants to be wide shoulders but its still not and the middle felt a little flat. i found the standard american strat neck to be more comfortable just a bit thinner. or maybe it has less shoulders on it.

i played an SRV sig as well, and that one felt really good out of most, i just never payed too mcuh attention to whats special about it, but the one i played felt like it had 9's on it, and i though they were supposed come with 11's?? buy it had the best neck that i played out of the bunch, just that SRV carved in the picguard has to go.

[Erock_Germany]

plus or cons:
the wildwood guitar, has an awsome flamed neck, gloss nitro finish front and back, nitro body that is transparent, which means not much finsihing was applied to the body compared to solid color strats. it has a thicker neck that most guitar i played today, along with the schaller tuning machines. what im still thinking about still is price, and the machined stainless steel saddles, and what a few mentioned was the weight. weight isnt an issue for me, the saddles are replaceable. only thing left is the actual price.

a USA standard, they got nice necks, a little thin, but no flamed maple, gloss on fingerboard only and the back is satin, the finish on neck and body is poly. but its a much cheaper option, and only trasparent finish is the sunburst.

I would not worry about the saddles on the Custom Classic - they sound great the way they are and Callaham makes drop in fit vinatge steel saddles for that bridge and even the new American Standard bridge saddles may fit - can not confirm this though.... As I see from your Lester, you do not shy away from modifications - this is simple.

The Custom Classic C shape neck is definitely a bit fatter than the American Standard - as stated I get to play one from time to time.....

If you call Wildwood, the can give you the neck measurements at the 1st and 12th so you get an idea.

There are slso some nice guitars on www.gbase.com - just search Fender Custom Shop and go through the list - there are some dealers that order some special runs with cool features including different nect dimensions - think I spotted some there recently.....

[Doc W]

i played an SRV sig as well, and that one felt really good out of most, i just never payed too mcuh attention to whats special about it, but the one i played felt like it had 9's on it, and i though they were supposed come with 11's?? buy it had the best neck that i played out of the bunch, just that SRV carved in the picguard has to go.

The SRV neck has a 12 inch radius which may be why, as a former Gibsonite, you liked it so much. I will say, once again, that you should definitely try the Eric Johnson model. Most of what you like (at least, from what can tell in your posts) is in the EJ: maple board with a fairly thick soft V profile, 12 inch radius, nitro finish. Note that this is the previous EJ model, not the new one which has a rosewood board, bound neck, and is very expensive. You can find maple board EJ's second hand in mint shape for $1000 to $1200 and even the new price on it ain't bad.

If you don't like the EJ, then I would go with the Wildwood guitar (with which you seem to be having a long distance love affair - don't worry, we are all guitar sluts here).

[RamiLP]

well i emailed wildwood guitars about that one strat, and thats what they told me about the neck:

"This neck is not as large as your Les Paul, it is a bit larger than the American Series neck in the shoulder, but the front to back thickness is less.

At the 1st fret the Custom Classic is .825
At the 12th fret the Custom Classic is .897

At the 1st fret the American Series is .851
At the 12th fret the American Series is .903"

in which my les paul comes in at .932" at the 1st fret, it gets close to the 1" at the 12th, i forgot the exact measurement.


i need go find an eric johnson sig to play, and see how that one feels.

[Erock_Germany]

well i emailed wildwood guitars about that one strat, and thats what they told me about the neck:

"This neck is not as large as your Les Paul, it is a bit larger than the American Series neck in the shoulder, but the front to back thickness is less.

At the 1st fret the Custom Classic is .825
At the 12th fret the Custom Classic is .897

At the 1st fret the American Series is .851
At the 12th fret the American Series is .903"

in which my les paul comes in at .932" at the 1st fret, it gets close to the 1" at the 12th, i forgot the exact measurement.


i need go find an eric johnson sig to play, and see how that one feels.

Funky, in this day and age such a difference. We played this afternoon and our other guitar player (the one that plays better than me, I do the singing and dancing part of the show too )

His Custom Classic (maple board) measures .896 at the first and .943 at the 12th. Definitely more defined shoulders than my 95 American Standard neck and definitely beefier....that was measured with digital calipers.

The original EJs sound to be a good deal for you too......the new ones are cool with the bound neck but WAY too much coin!

[RamiLP]

His Custom Classic (maple board) measures .896 at the first and .943 at the 12th. Definitely more defined shoulders than my 95 American Standard neck and definitely beefier....that was measured with digital calipers.

now thats a neck that would come close to my les paul. wonder why such difference over at wildwood.

i saw thsoe new EJ strats with the bound finger board, they just dont look right to me. but like i said i want a maple board.

[Erock_Germany]

now thats a neck that would come close to my les paul. wonder why such difference over at wildwood.

i saw thsoe new EJ strats with the bound finger board, they just dont look right to me. but like i said i want a maple board.

My 60's CS Closet Classic Strat measures .990 at 1st and 1.04 at 12th. If you like FAT necks, look around for No Neck Strats - they can be had. Eddies Guitars in St. Louis orders them sometimes as does the Music Zoo. Wildwood has the CS Wildwood 10s (10 inch radius - you like 'em flat I see) available in Nocaster Necks (=No Neck). They a a 1956 Strat version that they order - maple board, some have ash bodies, some have these big necks.

I love a fat neck on my Strat.

My 1957 Historic Goldtop has a big piece of wood on the neck too.....

[RamiLP]

most of those guitars you mentioned are past my budget tho. im trying to keep it under 2000$ USD

i emailed wildwood again, and their best bang for the buck is some of these guitars

http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/elect...trat/index.php

[redb]

most of those guitars you mentioned are past my budget tho. im trying to keep it under 2000$ USD

i emailed wildwood again, and their best bang for the buck is some of these guitars

http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/elect...trat/index.php

send mark bishop an email and ask him about #556:

http://www.marksguitarloft.com/image...tclassic/1.jpg (picture way too big, sorry)

its a little over your range but if you can spring the money Id go for it.

[RamiLP]

i actually was looking at that strat yesterday redb, i liked it, and i saw the light weight body that is under 7lb's, but not sure why i kept passing by. probably casue i want to get a maple fingerboard.

but ill send him an email

[redb]

i actually was looking at that strat yesterday redb, i liked it, and i saw the light weight body that is under 7lb's, but not sure why i kept passing by. probably casue i want to get a maple fingerboard.

but ill send him an email

I know you are leaning towards maple mate but at the end of the day the custom shop represents a big step up in quality imho and thats the kind of strat that has the type of rosewood you want to have; the super dark, brutal kind that looks close to black.

Its a good deal, it may be worth taking and if you cant come to like it you could just find someone willing to swap you another custom shop guitar.

Just a possibility.

[pc]

I'm REALLY hesitant to step in here, but I have to be really honest--there's a lot of good advice in this thread, but redb, you may want to dial it back since your experience involves playing guitar for only two years and not having ever played in a band.

It's clear you're basing a lot opinions on things you've read on the Internet, because I have to tell you some of it is wrong, especially in terms of neck shapes--how they actually play and feel versus what your very limited experience and internet misinformation are telling you--and the types of wood used in different guitars.

Rami definitely has your suggestions and opinions--I suggest you dial it back a bit and let him discover what he likes on his own based on your suggestions and the other, more experienced suggestions in this thread.

I know you're going to feel stepped on here and I apologize about that, but I'd rather that happen than Rami come over here and get bad info. I really appreciate that you mean well.

Thanks.

[redb]

your experience involves playing guitar for only two years and not having ever played in a band.

It's clear you're basing a lot opinions on things you've read on the Internet, because I have to tell you some of it is wrong, especially in terms of neck shapes--how they actually play and feel versus what your very limited experience and internet misinformation are telling you--and the types of wood used in different guitars.

Look I dont want to get into an argument with you about this, but Ive played a LOT of fender guitars. I dont know how many of them I have to play in order to be experienced in your opinion but its not like Ive played a small handful. I have played american standards, 57 reissues, 62 reissues, john mayer, stevie ray vaughan, eric johnson, eric clapton and jeff beck artist series guitars, as well as the custom shop eric claptons, custom shop 56, custom shop 62, custom shop 69, custom classic, as well as quite a few charvels. The only guitars in this whole list I have only played one example of are the jeff beck strat and the custom shop clapton.

Ok I can go to a guitar store and spend 5 hours there and just play all manner of guitars because Im a jobless college student and I dont have a lot of obligations.

I own 3 strats, a cheap mexican one, a production charvel san dimas and a 56 relic. I bought the mexican strat when I first started playing and the charvel and 56 around christmas of last year (in fact I even made a thread about it here so I could track down a second hand one). I also have a les paul classic I bought in summer of 2007, returned, then rebought a few months later from the guy who bought it from that guitar center.

But then, you may ask, why am I so hestitant to talk about them and parade them around? Because I dont have a digital camera, nor do I want to own one seeing as I owned a VERY expensive one and it was nothing but headache, nor do I wish to go and buy a scanner so I can post some pictures of a guitar on an internet forum. Nor do I wish to post pictures of all of my guitars on an internet forum as a generality, I know some guys like to do that, and some guys like to look at pictures of guitars, but thats not me. I posted pictures of that les paul on the lespaulforum and I didnt get anything out of it so I wont be doing that in the future.

But not having pictures essiantially makes me a liar doesnt it? Isnt that how the internet works? Pics or it didnt happen? You must understand that makes me tentative to speak about anything expensive that I own.

And how have my opinions on neck shapes been off? Maybe necks feel differently to me than you? To me a 57 V feels like a round neck with soft sholders, incidentally my "boat neck" feels much the same way to me. 60s necks feel smaller and flatter, and modern C feels even smaller and flatter still, while my charvel would basically fit into "very slightly larger than ibanez" but not overly flat. Am I missing any neck shapes?

as for wood, its true I dont know a ton about what wood is in what fender guitar, but I did a search of this forum and by far my most active post about wood was the ronnie wood thread. I have made some comments about gibson wood quality and I have asked specific questions about certain models/woods/etc or not been 100% on what was on what, but I dont think Ive talked about wood species, quality, or the like particularly often on this forum, in fact from what I was able to see I kept it mostly to an aesthetic sense.

Please point out where I have made these errors and I will be happy to correct them.

I want to specifically adress all of my advice in this thread:

post one: I second the recommendation of the eric johnson stratocaster and comment that I think its a nice looking guitar.

post two: I suggest the two point is a fine tremolo unit and I dont like the yjm dimarzios

post three: I adress inflation, prices and the used market, and I make a comment that most cbs headstock fender models come with "large C" shaped necks as stated by fender.

post four: I say I dont like the eric clapton pickups, and I was suprised by how soft a "soft v" really is.

post six: I say that I dont like eric clapton, and recommend that rami try a john mayer strat and post a video of said guitar played in concert.

post seven: rami expresses interest in john mayer model and says he doesnt want a sunburst strat so I post the other colours the john mayer strat comes in

post eight: I suggest rami continues playing guitars until he finds one he really likes, and ask what about the mayer strat neck he didnt like, and post the correct neck radius of that guitar

post nine: rami says hes really trying to stay within a price range and I suggest a particular guitar that he could pick up that was both a custom shop (something he seems interested in) and close to his range, a guitar which he points out he has been looking at himself.

Please tell me which one of these posts contains misinformation.

small texted because of length

[pc]

Thanks, I already read the thread so I know what you said and why you said it. It's cool. My post was more for Rami's benefit because I knew you wouldn't understand or accept what I'm saying. No worries. Carry on.

[redb]

you suggested that my personal perception of guitar necks after playing them was wrong.

Im sorry but thats bs as well as insulting.

[RamiLP]

well thanx for the help from everyone, people might not agree with each other on everything, and thats why im still looking for the strat the speaks to me not just by looks, altho looks don't hurt

i spoke with Mark about that one guitar redb, and it has a vintage spec radius wich i think is 7.25", and that is too much for me, people already have some problems with 9.5" radius fretting out in the higher end. and the 7.25" will be over kill form me, as i like to do 2 step bends up there in the neck sometimes, ill keep looking, till i find the right one, i wont make a purchace unless im decided on what i need.

i also live in LA which isnt that far from Corona CA, maybe i should go pay fender a visit.

[phantomman]

Why don't you jus' put a coupla coil-tap mini-switches on a Les Paul an' forget about it?

Gnome saing, mon?

[RamiLP]

lol, i thought about that, but the current pickups that i have in the LP are a single breaded wire, id have to tear apart the pickups and make them 4 conductor wiring, then get another push/pull switch and redo the wiring. to get a single coil sound that dosent sound like a P-90 guitar or a strat. im also still stuck with a hard tail piece guitar.

[Erock_Germany]

well thanx for the help from everyone, people might not agree with each other on everything, and thats why im still looking for the strat the speaks to me not just by looks, altho looks don't hurt

i spoke with Mark about that one guitar redb, and it has a vintage spec radius wich i think is 7.25", and that is too much for me, people already have some problems with 9.5" radius fretting out in the higher end. and the 7.25" will be over kill form me, as i like to do 2 step bends up there in the neck sometimes, ill keep looking, till i find the right one, i wont make a purchace unless im decided on what i need.

i also live in LA which isnt that far from Corona CA, maybe i should go pay fender a visit.

I play a Lester, a ES 335 (12" radius) a G&L S-500 (10" Radius) an American Standard (9.5" Radius) and a CS Strat (the fat neck one, 7.5" radius and vintage frets to boot) and I can do a 2 step bend without fretting out - its all in the feel! If Hendrix could do it, so can we

I think the 7.5" and even the 9.5" is the real feel for a Strat - and I have had a bunch through the years.

The guitars are different from a Les Paul - that is the beauty of it all!

By the way, the soft V necks do not feel like a V - it is more like a neck with no shoulders and a nice beefy feel when your thub is on the side and in the middle of the back of the neck.....I alway shyed away from them after having a Clapton Strat in the late 90's which had a really pronounced V neck that I just could not become friends with.

Also, if you go out to Corona do not expect much. On my last trip to the City of Angels (my Sister lives in Sherman Oaks) we went out there and when I asked for a tour or if they had a showroom or something, they looked at me (and pretty much treated me) like I came from another planet.

They said they only had tours for special groups and people and no showroom.

After telling them I was there from Germany and that I am a true Fender Freak and telling them I had just been through Fullerton, at the old factory where G&L is made and they were really nice.....and that I had gone out to Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana to Leo's grave, they got a bit more friendly and gave me a Frontline Catalog and a nice Fender hat.......

[RamiLP]

ok can you guys tell me what model strat is this??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDAQm2qWnYw

i see 22 fret maple neck, vintage style term, and lace sensors. 1st thing that comes to my mind is a Clapton sig, but i could be wrong

[Bluestar]

The Stratocaster you were first looking at is a beauty, and IMO the EJ Maple necks are very cool also.

[Erock_Germany]

ok can you guys tell me what model strat is this??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDAQm2qWnYw

i see 22 fret maple neck, vintage style term, and lace sensors. 1st thing that comes to my mind is a Clapton sig, but i could be wrong

Black, single ply PG and what you mention above says Clapton to me...

Look at Daves Guitar in the used Fender section - they have a rippin' '56 NOS Ash body, flame neck and it would have the 10/56 Boat Neck.....under 2 Grand

Also an CS American Classic (older version of Custom Classic) in SB with what looks like an ash body.....

[RamiLP]

Black, single ply PG and what you mention above says Clapton to me...

Look at Daves Guitar in the used Fender section - they have a rippin' '56 NOS Ash body, flame neck and it would have the 10/56 Boat Neck.....under 2 Grand

Also an CS American Classic (older version of Custom Classic) in SB with what looks like an ash body.....

that 56 nos looks killer, but dave dosent mention if its nitro or poly, but guessing its a custom shop it should be nitro. i will email him about that strat.

[Erock_Germany]

that 56 nos looks killer, but dave dosent mention if its nitro or poly, but guessing its a custom shop it should be nitro. i will email him about that strat.

Those are all thin nitro finishes......

[marcenfender]

How much were Strats in 1954? I wonder if a $2000 Strat is comparable, correcting for inflation, etc.

I just found one source on the web that says a 1954 dollar is worth $7.82 in 2009. If a Strat sold for around $200, the equivalent price now would be $1564. Not so far off.

The oil companies thinks a 1954 dollar is worth more like twenty something today.