I swore I wasn't going to buy any more guitars this year, and I mean to stay true to that vow. Of course, there are only two more days in the year, so I think I'm safe in that regard. :)
But today, I came across a very sweet-looking Strat that I thought I would pass by the expert audience and get your reaction. It's "on sale" for $2,799 (I've seen another listed for $3,500!).
Here's the description: 2005 NAMM Fender Custom 1956 Strat Relic Features a Light Ash Body in "Well Aged" Desert Sand Lacquer Finish. Bolt-On Maple Neck with "V" Shape and 9.5" Fingerboard Radius. Medium/Jumbo Frets. Three 50s Custom Shop Pickups. Gold Anodized Pickguard. Vintage Bridge. Seriel # CZ-52033 is BRAND NEW NOS and Comes with Fender Black Custom Shop Case, Strap, Cable, Owners Manual and Certificate.
So here's the good news: It's offered by a local guitar shop, which means I can actually go eyeball and handle it. I'm a little concerned with the "V" neck, but the "soft V" on my new Telecaster is pretty awesome, so maybe that's not an issue. I don't know much else about whether the pups are a good choice, but the rest of it seems pretty sweet.
A bit of a side issue: I seem to have a mental ceiling on what I'm willing to pay for something. I don't go looking for the cheapest deal, and I believe you have to pay for quality. But there are price limits I seem to have self-imposed on myself. I won't pay more than $400 for a suit (who wears suits anymore, anyway?), I won't pay more than $1,000 for a firearm (guns, guitars and girls are my passions. Well, two out of three ain't bad!), I won't pay more than $90,000 for an automobile, and to date, I haven't been willing to spend more than $2,000 on a guitar. At $2,799, this goes beyond my limit, so my feeling is this has to be one spectacular guitar for me to open my wallet that wide.
Is it?