Played 16 Strats today...

[pc]

Or, as an alternative title... "I just don't get the whole relic thing... But I bought one anyway."





I went to GC because I was pretty sure I wanted to buy one of the new Hot Rod Strats--the same one that TFF member 69strat got except in 'burst. It has just about every single feature I'd want (on paper) on a Strat except a maple board. Okay, I know there's really no difference in "Tone," but I just prefer Strats with maple boards and Teles with rosewood. Sue me.

So I figured since I was there and there was essentially nobody in the store, I'd pretty much run the board on what they had hanging there and at the Sam Ash, which is three blocks from GC. I played, in no particular order:

American Vintage 62 "Hot Rod"
American Vintage 57 "Hot Rod"
50s Classic Player Strat
60's Classic Player Strat
Eric Johnson Strat
Used 1978 Strat Seemed modded with newer electronics.
Used 1981 Strat
Brand new American Deluxe
New "Custom Classic" Strat
7 different Custom Shop Relic/Closet Classic/NOS Strats in the GC "don't come in if you wear a hairnet at work" room. There was the 56 Relic pictured above, a 56 Closet Classic in vintage blonde, two 60s NOS, one 65 Closet Classic, and two of the "limited Dealer Select" 63 Strats (made for GC).

They were all great, but I did feel the CS instruments were a cut above, except for one of the GC select pieces with an oddly photoflame finish. It sounded really thin.

I won't review each individual guitar, although I will say I wanted to hate the EJ but didn't. It was quite nice.

Sound wise, both of the CS 56 Strats were the winners. All of the CS instruments sounded slightly fuller and throatier than their contemporary counterparts, but for my tastes, I just loved the 56s the best.

And yeah, I don't get the whole relic thing, and because of that, I wanted to get the vintage blonde Closet Classic, but the neck on the 56 relic was absolutely to die for. The way they've done that relic thing where they've essentially sanded off the whole back of the neck to this perfectly smooth and 100% non-sticky feel, and that "10/'56 boat neck" that it has---WOW!!!!!!!!! Never knew I'd like something called a "boat neck," but it is just perfect for my hand.

So sure, I ended up spending around twice as much as I planned to, but I'm very happy with what I got, both in the "new gear thrill" sense and also the "quality purchase" sense. I know better than to gush further than this until I gig it and do some recording with it, but after spending a few hours in my studio with it blasting through my gig rig, all I can say is


(Sorry my pics aren't phtotoweborama worthy. I'll take some better ones later).

[Bluestar]

That just looks great - major congrats!

[Wilko]

Yeah. Looks nice.

Very fun.

[curtisstetka]

So then what happened? Man, you're a tease.

By the way, the bridge on your new strat is rusty. You ought to take that back and complain.

[pc]

Sorry guys--there was some punctuation problem in the original post that kept crashing the system when I tried to post it. Had to do a rewrite and now it seems to work fine. Weird, but whatever. So Curtis, the answer is now above where its supposed to be.

But yeah, about the rust. Gonna have to take it back and complain... I could get lockjaw!!!

[JAM]

pc,

That's a nice looking Strat. I'm surprised the pickguard isnt an 'aged' one to go with the relicing (or maybe it's just the pic). But like my old teacher used to say "you're just buying a neck"!

[Guitar_Mc]

Didn't you already try strats? And then realize you are just a Tele guy?

Edited to add: By the way, nice lookin axe!

[zenland]

pc-She is beautiful!!!
Congrats!

Now you have to get an old 87X Marshall to feel the glory!

[Kap'n]

Very, very nice. I love 2-color and maple.

[pc]

Thanks Guys.

Zen, I'm not far from the Marshall. I really am going to try to have a Weber Marshall-clone built sometime during the first half of the year.

[pc]

Didn't you already try strats? And then realize you are just a Tele guy?

Edited to add: By the way, nice lookin axe!

No that wasn't me, it was Mort.

I'm pretty sure I'm always gonna be a Tele guy. But I sold that last Strat because it was no different than my '81 once I put some 57/62s in the '81 (except my '81 has the maple board).

The irony of the whole thing is that I thought I wanted my next Strat to have the 9.5" radius and MJ frets of my Teles, but I ended up coming away with one that's technically 7.25" and vintage frets. I'm pretty sure the "Time Machine" and "Relic" things combine somehow to translate into a slightly flatter radius though, as if the wear they simulate flattens it out a bit. Maybe that's just an illusion based on the 10/'56 shape of the neck, but it still feels that way.

Marcondo probably knows for sure, and I could be way off on that, but it feels much flatter than my '81 (or the 62RI), and the frets are definitely bigger visually comparing them.

And, FWIW, I have no idea if the "thin-skin" nitro is voodoo or not, but every one of the guitars I played with that (including, I hate to admit, the EJ) definitely had more oomph than those that didn't. I'm perfectly willing to accept that it could be better wood selection in those guitars (particularly the CS guitars): Marketing hype often lies, but my ears usually don't.

[Tonedog]

Nice guitar!! and welcome to the fat, or boat neck club. I believe that a lot of the fuller sound comes from having the extra mass of a fat neck right under the strings. I love the 56's too... Great score!!

[Gravity Jim]

Niiiiiice!

[frank thomson]

wow

my toes actually curled

that rawks!

[pc]

Thanks guys. It don't get no better than a thumbs up from Borat and curling Frank's toes.

[Wilko]

That toe curling thing was a bit creepy...



tmi.

[frank thomson]

but it just looks like you could curl up w/ it on a rainy day and hang out all day.....in your slippers.....playin like 6 amps....in your PJs....


.....whoa, this is gettin creepy

[pc]

And yet you just described my evening. Well, three amps, not six, but still...

[Cogs]

Ooooh that IS nice.
Is this a new Relic? I ask because the headstock looks kinda Cunetto-ish.

[melody]

Looks used Nice!

[KevinWaide]

Awesome strat. Congrats.

[pickaguitar]

Great guitar!

[NeoFauve]

but it just looks like you could curl up w/ it on a rainy day and hang out all day.....in your slippers.....playin like 6 amps....in your PJs....


.....whoa, this is gettin creepy

Yeah.
Thanks for stopping short of candles and strawberries.

Nice one, pc.
I digz 2-tone burstz.

[Fripperton]

Just stopped in to say "nice guitar" but it's gettin' kind of weird in here so I'm gonna go search for the "Ever shipped your guitar by International Trebuchet" thread.

[NTBluesGuitar]

Zen, I'm not far from the Marshall. I really am going to try to have a Weber Marshall-clone built sometime during the first half of the year.

That seems to be the consensus around lately. A LOT of folks are raving about the 6M18TMB. Supposedly a LOUD 18W. That's on my list of builds coming up very soon, too.

But hey, this is a thread in which I can read about a guitar that I'll likely never have the justification to buy!

It was almost as enjoyable to read this thread as it was to imagine myself PLAYING one.

[hudpucker]

Looks great.


BTW, how does it compare to the 62 RI you had a while ago? (since both are 'vintage' spec and all...)

[KevinWaide]

That's not funny! lol

[NeoFauve]

That's not funny! lol

Post of the day.

[ian hall]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/...t/Img_0366.jpg


Here,s my 56 for comparison

[69strat]

Congrats. That is awesome. All those guitars you listed would've been the same ones I'd be drawn to. Vintagey with modern features.

I never heard of this run for GC. It looks very cool. I love two tone sb strats.

How was the neck on the 57 hot rod PC? Was it thin? sharp V?

One thing I'm not too happy with on my hot rod 60's is after playing it for a half hour last night, I notice how black my fingertips are. Where I was playing is now a lot lighter colored rosewood. I was hoping these weren't dyed like the lower line strats.

[pc]

Hi all. In the light of day when buyers remorse might usually kick in, I'm even more jazzed about it than I was last night. So I take that as a good sign.

Okay, to answer questions/comments...

First, thanks for all the nice posts. Hud, the answer to your question is that I like this one much more than the 62RI, and I really did like the feel of that guitar. Mainly its the 10/'56 neck: like JAM said, I bought the guitar mainly for the neck as often happens. Whatever combination of that profile, mixed with the sanded/worn-off back, mixed with the slightly flattened out feeling radius, it makes the guitar infinitely more playable than the 62RI was. It also sounds louder and fuller. No idea if that's the wood, the lack of poly undercoat, the CS 50s pickups as opposed to the 57/62s, or all of the above, and I guess I don't care--it just is.

Ian--thanks for the shot of yours, and it reminds that I have to go ahead and chastise myself for a comment I made a month or so ago. I'd seen several CS 65 Relics and they all had (what seemed to me) as identical relic wear, which bugged me. I must say that not one picture of the 56 Relic that I've seen so far has the same contrived wear patterns as mine. That to me makes the relic idea cooler--that mine is just a little different from all the others. Don't know how universal that is, but Ian's picture supports it.

69strat, the neck on the 57 was EXACTLY the shape of the recent Clapton Strat I tried out about 6 monts ago. I would not say thin, esp. not in comparison to the neck on my 62RI which was quite thin. I can't say for sure, but I don't believe it was the "tapered V" like my 10/'56 is. It had some girth to it, but nothing like the 10/'56.

Also, this Strat is NOT a GC run, this is a regular Fender Time Machine CS piece. There were two GC "Limited" run Strats there, but mine is not one of them.

Cogs, I need to check serial number info to be sure, but I think its a new one. In fact, there's probably a "born on" date on my certificate. I just haven't looked. The kid who did my sale said it had just come in, and I know that much is true because this one wasn't there last week.

Oh, and Fezz, the day you play a HRD and love the tone is the day I'm switching to trumpet.

[pc]

Oh--one more thing. 69strat--don't blame your rosewood neck just yet. My fingers were also very black last night and mine's a maple board. Don't know if what they treated the neck with makes that happen, but the strings had just been put on a couple days before.

I'm anxious to see what happens when I use my usual D'addarios instead of whatever is on it right now.

[Guitar_Mc]

pc,

Maybe you're just trying to fill that hole in your heart that was left there Monday night. We're all dealing with it in our own ways. I suppose buying a new axe is as good as any.

GMc

[pc]

pc,

Maybe you're just trying to fill that hole in your heart that was left there Monday night. We're all dealing with it in our own ways. I suppose buying a new axe is as good as any.

GMc

Yeah. I don't recognize the guy in your avatar because he's not under a pile of blue and orange.

[69strat]

Oh--one more thing. 69strat--don't blame your rosewood neck just yet. My fingers were also very black last night and mine's a maple board. Don't know if what they treated the neck with makes that happen, but the strings had just been put on a couple days before.

I'm anxious to see what happens when I use my usual D'addarios instead of whatever is on it right now.

Thanks but I'm pretty sure they dye them though, real dark rosewood is supposedly hard to come by. The fretboard's already a little lighter where I was playing, and I've never had my fingers turn black from new strings from only playing a 1/2 hour. I know some people have sanded a little area of some Fenders with dark boards, and the rosewood is much lighter beneath.

Also on a lot of the Squires and stuff, when you see them played for awhile, you see the board much lighter in the heavy playing areas. It should be the opposite!
If it stays dark, I won't worry too much about it. Maybe it's just a little bit of the excess that needs to be wiped off.

[Offshore Angler]

Cool score pc. Seems like there's a whole Stratitus bug going around lately. That one is a real looker. Congrats.

[Don]

Very nice! I don't go for relics either, but 2-tone sunburst is 2-tone sunburst!

Besides, you don't have to worry about the first scratch!

[pit_s_xroad]

Or, as an alternative title... "I just don't get the whole relic thing... But I bought one anyway."



Sound wise, both of the CS 56 Strats were the winners. All of the CS instruments sounded slightly fuller and throatier than their contemporary counterparts, but for my tastes, I just loved the 56s the best.

And yeah, I don't get the whole relic thing, and because of that, I wanted to get the vintage blonde Closet Classic, but the neck on the 56 relic was absolutely to die for. The way they've done that relic thing where they've essentially sanded off the whole back of the neck to this perfectly smooth and 100% non-sticky feel, and that "10/'56 boat neck" that it has---WOW!!!!!!!!! Never knew I'd like something called a "boat neck," but it is just perfect for my hand.

So sure, I ended up spending around twice as much as I planned to, but I'm very happy with what I got, both in the "new gear thrill" sense and also the "quality purchase" sense.

...

Hi there...

congrats to this wonderful guitar... Good decision... to take the one which sounds and handles best... and don't get away of it just because it was visually not your kinda thing... The sound and then handling are is the most important thing...

Same happend to me Gibson-wise in last December. Planned to buy a Lester Standard and walked out with an R0 VOS historic. It is slightly aged which I never took in serious consideration up to this day... and in fact I still don't care.... ah no that's not right, because I realized I handle it more relaxed as I do with my new ES... it twice was as expensive as the Std.... but it was THE Les Paul for me... and I was able to do it... so I did it...

Enjoy this lovely guitar...
PIT...

[mrh1275]

nice axe man,same thing happened here..planned on buying usa std..walked out with a 59 relic..planned on buying a lp standard..ending up with a 57 customshop v.o.s..planned on buying a marshall dslo..ended up with a carr mercury...
1 life live it!

[pc]

Right you are!

For anyone interested, here's a clip of it in action:

Beckish 56 Strat

This is a backing is called "Slow Beckish Backing" from LPF's jamzone from awhile ago that's really dynamite. I believe Scott Lerner put it together, but please forgive me if I'm wrong. Also forgive my crummy noodling. I just set up a mic and hit record. Strat into OCD, Fat-Boost, DD-3 (slap delay), DRRI. A little 'verb added in ProTools but no EQ.

Starts off with the neck pickup into Fat-Boost. On the second chorus I turn off the Fat-Boost and switch on the OCD, with the guitar's volume rolled back to about 7. Later you'll hear me up the guitar volume. A couple choruses later I go to the bridge pickup.

And... FWIW, if you wasted five minutes of your life listening to my drivel, you might be interested in a comparison. As soon as I was done recording, I set down the Strat and picked up my AmDx Tele and did exactly the same thing with the same exact pedal changes, etc. Didn't move any knobs. This version is shorter though--I left off the last chorus.

Beckish AD Tele