Playability and good pickups
Playability and good pickups
Trying it out in person before you pay for it is what makes for a great Strat. That's the main one .... by far.
All the other factors like wood, radius, frets, pickups, etc. added up together equal only about 10% of the importance of trying it first. Buying a guitar online and choosing it according to some specifications or features you read about is nothing more than a recipe for clogging up the guitar forums with more threads about disappointment in a guitar purchase and stories of having to send it back.
Ah yes, the never ending threads of internet guitar buyers:Originally Posted by MGW-AB
Post one: I just ordered this, waiting for the truck
Post two: Just received it. It surpasses all my expectations
Post three: I ordered new pickups, bridge, saddles, and nut.
Post four: Now it really sounds great. Sustains!
Post five (a bit later): Never really bonded, flipped it to buy a different guitar.
Go back to post 1 and start over.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
I was thinking more like:
Post one: I just ordered this. Waiting for delivery.
Post two: It just got here. Sounds and plays great!!
Post three: Oh bummer. There's a flaw in the finish. Some kind of fisheye or something. You can't see it with the naked eye but I found it with a magnifying glass and a flashlight. Take a look at this 20X close up.
Post three responses from forum: It's nothing. You like the guitar. You can't see it except under a microscope. Just play it and love it.
More responses: Yah man. That sucks. I wouldn't tolerate that. You need to return it while you still have the 15 day window.
Post four: Okay, so I returned it and now I'm thinking I won't ever buy another Fender. That experience scarred me for life. Lousy QC. They can't get anything right. Fender sucks.
Post four responses: Yep. You shoulda got a Gibson.
Post five: I just ordered this Gibson. Waiting for delivery.
Post six: It just arrived. Oh man this thing is a beauty. Just look at these pix.
Post six responses: Oooooh .... Aaaaaah .... Sweet guitar dude.
Post seven: Oh bummer. The headstock broke but I got it fixed. I can't say enough about John Doe Guitar Services. They do primo work. Look at these pix. You can't hardly even tell.
New thread by a different member: I just got this Strat. Isn't this the same one you had? There was no fisheye. It was just a tiny spec of black. Don't know if it was ink or paint but I buffed it out with some 1200 wet paper. Guys, this is a perfect guitar. I'm going to cherish it the rest of my life.
FedEx & UPS: I just love these online shoppers who return guitars and then do the same thing 4 more times this year. We get paid both directions each time. Business is booming.
Guitar Online Superstore: We offer free shipping on purchases over $300. Sorry about rising prices. Nothing we can do about that.
For me, it's gotta be a slab-board.
My personal fave checks all the boxes for me.
1960 sunburst, slab board, green guard, NON RWRP, three position switch. Fairly light weight, slightly taller frets. Straight neck with little/no relief (that stuff about straighter being better is spot on) gets great action. Four springs, bridge on the deck.
As fine a specimen as there is!
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Such a beautiful example, it made it to the header!
For me, it's gotta be a slab-board.
My personal fave checks all the boxes for me.
1960 sunburst, slab board, green guard, NON RWRP, three position switch. Fairly light weight, slightly taller frets. Straight neck with little/no relief (that stuff about straighter being better is spot on) gets great action. Four springs, bridge on the deck.
That one's certainly got the looks
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