Stratocaster question. (Page 2 of 3)

Japanese guitars typically leave American stuff for dead quality wise, but I had a Reissue MIJ and it had weak pups and small frets, neither of which I liked.  Only 21 frets too, which is fine until you hit a song that needs 22.
If those things don't bother you, great, go for the MIJ, the quality is perfect typically, but keep those things in mind when looking at any guitar.  Fretwork is the most important thing to look at.  Pups can be changed, scratches are less important, but frets and undedr your sensitive hands and fingers constantly.
I suggest you grab a cloth and clean any guitar you lok at.  You will notice every minute detail, and really assess the quality of the fretwork in particular by holding a cloth in you rhand and running it down the neck.  Poor fretwork will catch and pull threads.
Good Luck.

+1

It'll be sooo worth it. Why spend your time dicking around in lower quality instruments when you can save for a bit more and buy something that you'll play for the rest of your life.

Roy, What happened was I had Curt Novak make me up some of his handwounds for the chestnut goldtop tele being made over in Fairbanks.  We were talking and when he found out I had some chestnut, he wanted some, so I sent him a few boards. Novak is known for his custom handwounds but also builds guitars.  So when he got the wood, he sent it onto Ron Kirn and said when he wants special wood put together right, he has Kirn do it; advised me to do it too, nx time around. I think I did send you picts of a tele & strat body Kirn did for Novak from wood I sent him. Kirn used 3 bds for each body and I liked what I saw with all the swirling grain patterns.   So I started paying attention to posts about Kirn builds after that.  Wifey was in better than average mood one day and mentioned I should have a chestnut strat built if that was want I really wanted, WOW, I jumped right on that real quick.  Ended up sending Kirn 130 lbs of nice chestnut and he will have a chestnut strat done for me in July. If all goes well, having him do me an LP come fall.  Ya know, Roy if ya ever want any chestnut to build your own, I'll send ya some.  Kirn has enough chestnut there for 10 bodys at least if you ever wanted him to do one for ya.  Anyway, nothing wrong with more geetars; but I still usually only play maybe 2 of them everyday, the rest sit in cases, fall in and out of favor throughout the year.

Here's something else.  I bought that Motion Sound SRV-212 a month back, Rotary Speaker.  I haven't played my Cowtipper since. My junk 2005 Twin Reverb reissue sounds great thru rotary; better than cowtipper. I think its how well those speakers sound with 85 watt TRRI.  I'm not jokin, if I'd heard that rotary first, I'd never bought the Bruno or even consider a Two Rock.  That's how lush that rotary sounds; you gotta hear one.

Would be nice to post picts here, how do you do it?

Zhurh,
I'm meeting up with Ron Kirn before the Jacksonville Joe show. Looking to try out one of his teles. Should be interesting.

Ken

I'd like to see pics of that chestnut guitar. Send them to the email under my name. I'll have to remember to ask him about it.

I'm looking at his basic telecaster, with his own handwound pickups. He says all his guitars play the same, the differences in price come from any customizations. The more I read about him, the more I like. He sounds like a real character as well.

Out of the 3 you list, my choice would be the classic 60's. In reality, buy what you can afford. Don't worry about the asthetics. Just play.

Spider

Hi Simon,

congrats to your new strat.:)
Sure I'm (and maybe others too) interested to see that beauty.
I once played a classic 60 and it sounded very good. But I never liked the 7,25" fretboard and the thin frets. From that point I would have gone for the classic player (12" and jumbo frets).

rock on
Alex

Ken, emailed some picts. let me know if you can't open them