Advice on buying
Question:
Hello. Maybe it’s an idea to buy a used Strat immitation, and spend the best part of your money on the amp (for example a Fender Blues Junior). Sucess, John. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I am mainly interested in playing Blues guitar. What is the best kind of > electric I should buy. Everyone says that the Fender Strats sound to hollow > and that the Les Paul has the fatter sound because of the humbuckers. But > then I look and see that Clapton, Ray Vaughan & Cray all play strats. Is it > a matter of buying strat and changing the pickups? Would I be better to try > one of the new "Fat Strats" with the humbucker pickups? It’s al so very > confusing. Any help would be appreciated. > Simon
Response:
Simon I have been playing for a short amount of time. I also like electric blues guitar music. I own a Fender Tex-Mex Strat (Fender doesn’t sell this model anymore – but the Jimmie Vaughan signature is basically the same guitar) and a Fender Pro Junior amp. The Pro Junior is an all tube amp. It is a great amp for the price and size. Check out my website for information on how to buy your first guitar. An ambassador for Christ John 14:21 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Check Out: http://www.jcdisciples.org/davidtannen/index.html
Response:
Thanks for all of the advice guys. You have pretty well confirmed what I thought-go with the strat. I’ll probably look at one of the new style "Fat Strats" with a humbucker in the bridge position. Simon – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Organization: SBC Internet Services > Newsgroups: alt.guitar.beginner > If you’re just starting out, you might want to look at buying something > affordable to start with like maybe a Squire. As far as Fender vs. Gibson, > IMHO they are kinda like comparing apples to oranges. For blues > specifically, I prefer the Strat. > The other thing about buying is this: If you buy a Strat for only blues > playing (Jumbo frets, Texas Special pickups, etc.), it really does limit the > variety of sounds you can get. If you have a Jap/Mexican strat, you can get > a descent blues sound using the neck pickup and a descent distortion sound > using the bridge pickups (especially if you get one that has a combination > of single coils with a humbucker). But if you get a Strat tricked out for > blues (I’m using the Stevie Ray Vaughan signature series), it’s sort of a > one trick pony. What it does, it does better than anything else – but it > primarily only does one thing. I have a much less expensive Jap strat that > I played for years and still use it for everything (including some blues > stuff just for a different sound). Also, if you don’t have a tube amp to > play those Texas Specials through (or a really good emulator like the POD > with a lot of "tweaking"), you might find that you aren’t getting the > biggest bang for your buck. (There are inherent disadvantages to those kind > of pickups. They are hotter than regular pickups and tend to be a bit > noisier). > In terms of buying a cheap Strat and switching out the pickups later (and if > one of you techie guys know more about this please help out) – I wanted to > do that to my Jap Strat once and the guy who was going to do it (a well > respected guy here) said that it would cost an arm and a leg because the > entire guts (electronics) of the guitar would have to be changed. For the > amount of money it would’ve cost, I could’ve bought a "Plain Jane" American > Standard. It may be inaccurate – it’s just what I was told. > I love the sound of the Les Paul for slide playing but I don’t like the way > the neck feels otherwise. It feels flat – like a 2×4 to me. Whereas the > Pao Ferro <sp?> necks (that you can get on some strats) feel more rounded – > which I prefer. Les Pauls are pretty heavy too. If you aren’t going to be > playing out anytime soon, this may not matter. > This really is one of those questions that you could ask 10 different people > and get 10 different answers. You just have to find what YOU like. (And > don’t spend too much money until you figure it out). > Just my 2 cents worth (stand back now from the flames that should be coming > from the Gibson guys 
). > Good Luck > Delta. > Oh. BTW, I’m going to get flamed to death here, this is ONLY MY OPINION – > but if you really want to learn blues, I wouldn’t focus on Clapton too much. > I am mainly interested in playing Blues guitar. What is the best kind of > electric I should buy. Everyone says that the Fender Strats sound to > hollow > and that the Les Paul has the fatter sound because of the humbuckers. But > then I look and see that Clapton, Ray Vaughan & Cray all play strats. Is > it > a matter of buying strat and changing the pickups? Would I be better to > try > one of the new "Fat Strats" with the humbucker pickups? It’s al so very > confusing. Any help would be appreciated. > Simon
Response:
Simon, the advice that Delta gave you is pretty sound, the best thing for you to do is go play as many different new/used guitars you can in the price range that best fits your budget. As for updating the pups in a MIM Fender, I’ve done this to numerous Fenders with the only cost involved was the pups themselves and some solder.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I am mainly interested in playing Blues guitar. What is the best kind of > electric I should buy. Everyone says that the Fender Strats sound to hollow > and that the Les Paul has the fatter sound because of the humbuckers. But > then I look and see that Clapton, Ray Vaughan & Cray all play strats. Is it > a matter of buying strat and changing the pickups? Would I be better to try > one of the new "Fat Strats" with the humbucker pickups? It’s al so very > confusing. Any help would be appreciated. > Simon
Response:
I am mainly interested in playing Blues guitar. What is the best kind of electric I should buy. Everyone says that the Fender Strats sound to hollow and that the Les Paul has the fatter sound because of the humbuckers. But then I look and see that Clapton, Ray Vaughan & Cray all play strats. Is it a matter of buying strat and changing the pickups? Would I be better to try one of the new "Fat Strats" with the humbucker pickups? It’s al so very confusing. Any help would be appreciated. Simon
Response:
If you’re just starting out, you might want to look at buying something affordable to start with like maybe a Squire. As far as Fender vs. Gibson, IMHO they are kinda like comparing apples to oranges. For blues specifically, I prefer the Strat. The other thing about buying is this: If you buy a Strat for only blues playing (Jumbo frets, Texas Special pickups, etc.), it really does limit the variety of sounds you can get. If you have a Jap/Mexican strat, you can get a descent blues sound using the neck pickup and a descent distortion sound using the bridge pickups (especially if you get one that has a combination of single coils with a humbucker). But if you get a Strat tricked out for blues (I’m using the Stevie Ray Vaughan signature series), it’s sort of a one trick pony. What it does, it does better than anything else – but it primarily only does one thing. I have a much less expensive Jap strat that I played for years and still use it for everything (including some blues stuff just for a different sound). Also, if you don’t have a tube amp to play those Texas Specials through (or a really good emulator like the POD with a lot of "tweaking"), you might find that you aren’t getting the biggest bang for your buck. (There are inherent disadvantages to those kind of pickups. They are hotter than regular pickups and tend to be a bit noisier). In terms of buying a cheap Strat and switching out the pickups later (and if one of you techie guys know more about this please help out) – I wanted to do that to my Jap Strat once and the guy who was going to do it (a well respected guy here) said that it would cost an arm and a leg because the entire guts (electronics) of the guitar would have to be changed. For the amount of money it would’ve cost, I could’ve bought a "Plain Jane" American Standard. It may be inaccurate – it’s just what I was told. I love the sound of the Les Paul for slide playing but I don’t like the way the neck feels otherwise. It feels flat – like a 2×4 to me. Whereas the Pao Ferro <sp?> necks (that you can get on some strats) feel more rounded – which I prefer. Les Pauls are pretty heavy too. If you aren’t going to be playing out anytime soon, this may not matter. This really is one of those questions that you could ask 10 different people and get 10 different answers. You just have to find what YOU like. (And don’t spend too much money until you figure it out). Just my 2 cents worth (stand back now from the flames that should be coming from the Gibson guys ). Good Luck Delta. Oh. BTW, I’m going to get flamed to death here, this is ONLY MY OPINION – but if you really want to learn blues, I wouldn’t focus on Clapton too much.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I am mainly interested in playing Blues guitar. What is the best kind of > electric I should buy. Everyone says that the Fender Strats sound to hollow > and that the Les Paul has the fatter sound because of the humbuckers. But > then I look and see that Clapton, Ray Vaughan & Cray all play strats. Is it > a matter of buying strat and changing the pickups? Would I be better to try > one of the new "Fat Strats" with the humbucker pickups? It’s al so very > confusing. Any help would be appreciated. > Simon
Response:
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