@clone yep I think I'll do both - I've pretty much gone through all the big name online stores and most of the store that deal with a lot of custom models (that I know of) so I'll take a look at my one local guy and then I guess whats the problem with putting it on Reverb ? - no cost to me other than time - and not much time either so why not?

I am starting to realize that I'm very attached to my two guitars - more than I knew in fact - so it'll have to be a great deal to get me to move from my les paul to a new strat - especially after a full setup and maybe one or two new humbuckers as well..! - but the deals are out there to be had so who knows?

I just got an email from a store saying that only one of these les pauls has sold over the last year or so (I cant find a trace of the same model with the same top as mine being on the site - so I'm blind as to a genuine valuation) and based on the store research they're offering me what they say is the full price from their research minus 15% so thats pretty good - I just need to confirm their research... But as I said it'll have to be a great trade in to get me to part with the guitar.

Who knew I was so attached to my guitars ? - not me - !!

I'll keep an eye out for a great deal on a strat, and thanks to you all - I have more of an idea of what models and parts to look out for -

 

Last edited: Jul 28, 2022

Yeah, when you're comparing the higher-end Mexican made to the American Standards/Pros, the differences between them are really no bigger than the differences between any 3 random AmPros you'd pick up in a store.

I'd very seriously consider the Japanese-made stuff, it is legit just as well-made (and during certain periods, actually better imo).

The modern MIJ stuff is great, and basically the same price as the MIM Vintera series - it really comes down to what kinda spec you're after.

If you're happy to go used (and I'd recommend you def consider it - literally 90% of all my guitars I buy used) then the MIJ's to really search / look out for are the mid 80's - mid 90's models that were made in the Fujigen factory. Usually a Reverb listing will note it quite prominently, because they're sought after, since you're pretty much buying a guitar that in most peoples' opinion is better made than the Standards coming out of California.

Personally I always gravitate towards mid-late 50's Strats (reissues obvs!) and early-mid 70's models - I've never been a fan of the feel (and tbh looks) of 60's. The fairly era-specific neck profiles on 50's and 70's (mostly soft V's and sorta-U's) really suit me and my playing style.

The 50's MIJ reissues (particularly the '57) are really, really good. I've owned and played several, while also owning AVRI 57 strats, and also my current AmVint 59, and they hold up really well. The neck feel on the AmVint, and obvs the nitro finish do give it the edge, but I've gigged several of the MIJ's alongside AVRI's, and found them to be equally roadworthy and satisfying to play.

Thankfully, since they were never promoted at all in the West, a lot of people still don't really know about them, so the prices haven't gone completely mental - if you're patient and/or lucky, you should be able to pick up a nice early-mid 90's reissue Strat for about 800-1000 quid. It's usually worth checking sellers/stores actually based in Japan, because often even including shipping and import duty, it'll still work out as a better deal.

Looking to the MIJ stuff also gives you a lot more choice as to the specs you might want - they released way more cool, experimental type stuff, from the Aerodynes to Dual (and single) HB Strats, etc. I've owned quite a few over the years, and tbh regret selling most of them!

There were other MIJ models that were insanely good in the early-mid90's too, although they're not Strats. In particular, I owned a '96 Squier Vista Jagmaster, which they literally thought up because they had a load of leftover US-made Jag necks and Jazzmaster bodies. I think I paid like £180 in '96, and it was literally a US Jag/JM hybrid that just happened to be assembled in Japan. (They later re-released them as non-Vista series Squiers, but they were shite). Anything in that v limited Vista series was class - Courtney Love's sig model, the Venus, was in the line too, and I always regret not picking one up - I'm always on the lookout for one for the right price!

I think you'll be v happy with the Railhammers. Actually, I KNOW you will - I've recommended them to so many people (because not that many people seem to be hip to them over here) and have never had anyone be anything but gushing over them when they've tried em out!

They're not particularly well-known over here in the UK - your best (and indeed only, I believe) place to get them is Merchant City Music up in Glasgow.
They're really cool, friendly and knowledgeable, so def give them a ring and tell them the sound/feel you're going for and they'll be able to advise you on exactly which model is gonna work best for you, (but you can't really god wrong with the Hyper Vintage or Alnico Grande).

Lol, yeah soldering does take a bit of practice! It's a handy skill to have though, def worth the initial frustration and inevitable 2nd-degree burns on the forearms haha!

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2022

If you did end up deciding to splurge on an ultra/ultra luxe, be sure to actually play one - the neck profile is very specific to that model, and you will either love it or absolutely hate it! I don't get on with it at all - it's a compound C-D, and the fingerboard also flattens out to something like 14 or 16" up top - to me, it's the least Strat-feeling neck I've pretty much ever played. The noiseless pickups can be a bit of an acquired taste too (but hey, I like Lace Sensors, so what do I know haha!)

You do have options for turning any Strat into an HSS, without having to cut/replace the pickguard on an SSS model - namely stacked/rails singlecoil-siized HBs. My mid-70's hardtail has 3 Dimarzio rail-type HBs in it, and coupled with the hardtail bridge, and fairly decent weight, it sounds like a really badass combo of a Strat and and SG.

With Strats, I find it's really most important to find one that feels right for you. The sound you can tweak after the fact, but if you don't click with the neck profile, weight, resonance, etc, then a Strat can feel like hard work. Strats are really easy guitars to work on, they were designed to be almost kinda 'modular' - you can literally take one fully apart and reassemble it in about 20 mins - I haven't owned one that I've kept stock in prob about 15 years.

With that in mind...

...Yep, Strats tend to show a lot more variation than a lot of other models / brands. Like everything else about Strats, that leads some people to love em, and others to despise em! Personally I like it - it can be a bit of a faff trying to find ones that you really click with, but when you do, it really pays off.

Funnily enough, there tends to be less variation the further towards the less pricey end of the spectrum you go - with the higher-end MIA stuff (we're talking mainly Ultra, AmVint, CS, etc - not quite so much with Standards/AmPros) a lot more of the actual shaping of the neck/body/etc is done by humans. As you move down the ranges, from MIM, through to Chinese and Korean, etc more and more of the work is done my machines working to very tight tolerances, so they tend to be more consistent (some would say a bit.... predictable?) That doesn't make them bad, but the experience is just a biit different.

The MIJ stuff I would say tends to slot in around the same place as MIA AmPro - AmVint kinda level.

Esp if you've not really lived with Strats much, you may not get it right the first time - you might find you buy and sell a couple over a year or two, as you really dial in your preferences - just deciding on your favourite neck profile(s) alone can take years - but imo it's so worth it. I've never had a stronger bonding experience with any guitar than I've had with a couple of my Strats, and while I own and play other guitars that I really, really like, I can't really say I love them in the same way I feel when I pick up my #1 and #2 Strats...

But hey, that's just me, and everyone's different! But I'd say it's def worth satisfying your curiosity and picking at least one up - so long as you buy something cool, it should hold it's value well if you decide to move it on down the line.

Wow, I'm really wittering on this evening haha! I hope some of this makes sense / is helpful - tbh I just like chatting about guitars with other folks who know what it's like haha!

 

Last edited: Jul 28, 2022

As goes with any guitar for any part of the world you put it up for sale and see what comes from it. That's all there's to it. Google and eBay around a bit and in minutes you'll have a hint of what your axe might fetch. You either get an offer or you don't and either take them up on it or leave it. That way you never lose, really. Check it out. I mean if it doesn't sell your way you'll still have... your Guitar...

 

In my experience using Reverb, if you use the "bump" option it's an additional .5% charge when you sell the item; but if you post an item for the correct price it will not sit very long at all. After about a week or two, is when I start to consider other options. Modular devices often go nearly immediately.

You have to keep in mind the difference is not the 15% from 65 I regularly see, down to 50. It's flat out half what you will get if you sell it on reverb, minus their fee. Shipping is always additional to the price, and this is also covered by the buyer not the seller.

When you list your item on there, it will give you a suggested range to price your item at; and that is based on it's past 90 days sales history. Merchants can look at this data without listing, but I can't seem to find that on my own account. If you are questionable about what to ask, leave about 50$ room in the price and you'll be covered either way. The standard lowball offer in attempt to get a "good deal" is almost always $100 less than your item is listed for.

I don't know a lot about selling guitars, but the used hardware thing is something I have been doing for a long time. My favorite part about it is repairing things and finding hard to locate parts.

 

Last edited: Jul 28, 2022

@clone thanks for the insight from an experienced seller on Reverb but I don't understand what you mean when you say

@Lube Bag WOW you are a fountain of knowledge I'm bookmarking this because of all the valuable information here - Thank you for all the info and I'll be calling Glasgow tomorrow - I need to read your posts a couple of times to get all the info in, thanks again!

I'll be checking Reverb for the '57 MIJ reissues asap.....

 

I meant no offense in can you really play..? I just wanted to know you skill level so i might be able to give better advice for the money part of it.
NP I was shocked also that I had to play / try so many but hey it is what it is.
I would look at the player series before the Squire they players are better quality.
I saw a review of this Guitar GTRS P800. It strat like but has a few added features. I don't know the UK price

 

@midi-man honestly no offense taken I was just teasing Yes I think I can play. Not lighting up the room with massive shreds but yes I know my way around and can improvise, hold a beat, improvise, play rhythm, finger pick, play different styles..... Need to improve my theory and composing.. Key changing and so on...

I'll take a look at the GTRS P800 thank you for the tip and yes I'm getting the idea that Squire's are to be avoided.

Definitely looking used - the les Paul was used and a great deal, the tele new but again a great deal

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2022

Ok I can make the math part more obvious. Let's say your item (guitar) will sell for 1000$ as the correct and fair price on Reverb, eBay, or the street. If you take that same item into a music store, they will look on Reverb to figure out the current recent sales prices. They will arrive at that same 1000$ number; and then they will turn around and offer you 50-60% of THAT number. Not the original retail price, but what they expect to sell it for. Again, the shipping is covered by the buyer; so ignore that portion entirely.

Then, they will turn around and list it on Reverb, eBay, or both; for the 1000$, because they have the time to let it sit. They also manage their total inventory dollars for the used items they have on hand, and they know when something has sat too long for their own liking. That's based on their inventory currently, and the max $ they allow themselves to carry of used inventory. (and often a min, but that's another story for now)

If you list it at 1000$, which is the fair market price; you still have the ~500$ to play with before you even break even against the store. So you can give a buyer a great deal, and still come out money way ahead of selling it local. Minus reverb/ebay's fees. It's a very big difference, but you do have to do the work of taking some pictures and looking up the product specs. Ten minutes per item, maybe? It's very easy.

The other interesting part to know about this, is that something that has sat for a long time on there; is only going to land the seller 50-60% of their listing if they pull it and take it to their local store. You can easily figure out the margins.

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2022

No worries mate, glad my Strat-based ramblings have been of some help haha!

It’s kinda interesting, cos this thread has made me think about the fact that despite the Strat being so ubiquitous, when we stop and think about it, it’s actually a really tricky guitar to make a purchasing decision about, given the sheer number of variables involved!

Because I’ve literally always played Strats (and S-type copies, etc) since first picking up electrics, I’ve kinda maybe taken a lot of what I’ve learned about them for granted, but chatting here, and seeing everybody else’s experiences/thought processes has reminded me that trying to find one that really works for a specific individual can potentially be quite a minefield.

But I gusss that’s also why I’ve always been interested and drawn to them too - because once you find one or two that really click with you, it’s difficult to get the same kinda feeling anywhere else!

Interested to see where things go for you, both with potential future Strat, and with the Railhammers - do keep us up to date!

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2022

This may also be a strings things. I use a custom gauge on my guitar to get more bass out of it. For example, I use the Ernie Ball Regular Slinky but swap out the 0.46 low E string to a 0.60 low E string to get more bass. Either that, or I use the Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom, which is now a pack Ernie Ball do to achieve a similar thing using a 10-52 gauge. If you find it too bassy, you could try the reverse of this, which is cheaper than new pickups!

I actually first tried this when I happened to read in a guitar magazine article that this is what Matt Bellamy of Muse does to get more bass out of his guitar for riffing (which was before the Skinny Top Heavy Bottom pack was released), so gave it a go and it worked pretty pretty well, so have done it since. I can't see why doing the opposite wouldn't achieve the opposing aim, i.e. replace low E (and maybe even the A) with lighter gauge strings for less bass?!

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2022

tell me about it..! and trying to find (and yes I was guided by nothing more than price, looks and the SSS or HSS ) trying to find somewhere with all the models that I liked the look of in stock and near by was impossible - so thank you for sharing all your experience, tips and recommendations. and wow those MIJ's are VERY tempting! I'll keep an eye on the market and on the prices. Thank for the recommendations and tips - Maybe rambling and wittering to you but absolute gold to me..! The strat road is one that I've avoided up till now but it seems to be calling my name - thats for the sign posts, without your help I may well have fallen over the first bolder lol - wow thats a tortured metaphor..!

@clone - thats a great breakdown and focused explanation of the vague ideas that were floating about in my head. And thats what I'll do. I'll get my guitars setup properly and enjoy them - put one on Reverb at a reasonable price and wait for a nibble, at the same time I'll keep focused on the MIJ's from Fujigen from the 80's and 90's - thats a plan..! thank you..!

True - I'll try that - I've got the standard 10 - 46 on the les paul, I've tried a few different combinations over the years but I cant remember If I ever dropped the E and A to a lower gauge - I guess I just got used to the bassy'ness (if thats a word) while playing, I only really noticed it when recording on playback and then I got used to sorting it out with eq's - man I'm lazy - - I'll have a chat with the tech about changing gauges and string combos with the proposed setup (shouldn't be too much of a problem but good to get the answer) and I'll ask about @Lube Bag 's idea of a little inline cap - great ideas!

thats all coming together thank you

 

Glad I didn't offend you. Yes your guitars you have sound like you got a good deal. You are welcome for the assistance. Let me know what you get. Be safe and good luck on you hunt.