NGD: Fender Strikes Again! Also: Need help, ASAP!

[Hellbat]

Having never bought a guitar I haven't played, I would keep the one I knew to be a good player.

[emperor_black]

$700? It's a deluxe, not a standard. The only ones I could find for sale google searching forums years back were all in the $900-$1200 range.

Yeah, I know, but still you can get them under $900. Here is a 2001 one with hard case for $865

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-Fender-American-Deluxe-Stratocaster-with-Hard-Case-/321031472058?pt=Guitar&hash=item4abef783ba

and this one for under $700 w/ case

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-Fender-American-Deluxe-Stratocaster-NO-RESERVE-/321028465446?pt=Guitar&hash=item4abec9a326

but none of them look anywhere as gorgeous as your guitar. Its a tough one mate.

and you paid $1200 out the door or + tax? I assume it was at guitar showcase? those guys don't budge on the prices I've seen.

[RacerX]

Did you have cash, Mike? I would've fanned out 11 C-notes?

[Shawn Lutz]

keep it, Floyd it and replace the tuners with black ones and call it a day

[DonP]

$1200 is a lot of coin. Here's what I'd do. Ask yourself "Are there any other axes you would rather have for this much money?"

[triplehold]

Did you have cash, Mike? I would've fanned out 11 C-notes?

Yeah, or maybe 8 or 9. Flashing cash always makes a seller squirm.

[Hellbat]

I didn't notice the compensated roller nut earlier. Thats sweet.

[xenophobe]

Here's some info about the S1. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/brows...ediaId=m712031

Thanks man! Appreciate it.

I think it's more phasing vs splitting.

As for the price, they sold for 1599.99 in 2005 (I believe), I doubt they will go lower than 900-1200.

They were a very limited run, Either 250 or 500, and they came out with almost no marketing.
I lucked into one as I was looking for a SSH strat as they hit the market. Fell in love with the pics then the guitar.

Yeah, I fell in love with it when I saw it. Then I played it. I knew really early on that something right was going on. lol

Having never bought a guitar I haven't played, I would keep the one I knew to be a good player.

And there lies my fear and why I'm ultimately keeping it, even though I'd like one just like it for less money and all the case candy, it plays well enough that I would regret taking it back.

Yeah, I know, but still you can get them under $900. Here is a 2001 one with hard case for $865

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-Fender-American-Deluxe-Stratocaster-with-Hard-Case-/321031472058?pt=Guitar&hash=item4abef783ba

and this one for under $700 w/ case

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-Fender-American-Deluxe-Stratocaster-NO-RESERVE-/321028465446?pt=Guitar&hash=item4abec9a326

but none of them look anywhere as gorgeous as your guitar. Its a tough one mate.

and you paid $1200 out the door or + tax? I assume it was at guitar showcase? those guys don't budge on the prices I've seen.

Was at Starving Musician. Guitar Showcase is somewhere you buy something you just can't live without.

Did you have cash, Mike? I would've fanned out 11 C-notes?

Manager didn't even come to see me, and I don't know him, so it was either buy it or leave.

keep it, Floyd it and replace the tuners with black ones and call it a day

You know, I'm seriously thinking that. It stays in tune very well, so I'll see how well I get along with it. I do have a spare Gotoh laying around too.

$1200 is a lot of coin. Here's what I'd do. Ask yourself "Are there any other axes you would rather have for this much money?"

That's why I bought it. I would have regretted leaving the store without it.

[Flatpicker]

I'd be afraid to add the floyd seeing as how it's a great player as is.

[xenophobe]

So, having put a good few hours on it...

I've never had a volume knob that was so pervasively annoying. It feels like it's gritty sandpaper and it jumps in the way to purposely aggravate me even when I'm trying to consciously avoid it. Fucking pissing me off. But the neck is pretty fucking amazing. Blank ebony is pure win and the action is so low. It doesn't feel like a typical vintage Fender neck at all. Man, I'm loving it.

Good news, the S1 knob is easy to remove. Bad news is Fender doesn't make a black one. Normal dome knobs won't fit, the shafts are too large. So I need to machine dome knobs to fit. I don't care about the S1 function. I think it's neat and does offer quite a range of tonal options that I won't ever use, so I don't mind covering it.

As for putting in a Floyd? I'm not afraid to, and while I'd probably like that upgrade, these baby-Floyds, or whatever they call them works great and it stays in tune as well as any double locking guitar I've ever owned.

This is one of less than a half dozen guitars I've ever played or owned in the last 20 years that play better than my Jackson Strathead... but that volume knob definitely has to go...


Oh, it does have some string buzz... but it's really light and very consistent across the whole neck... not that horrible bad string-fretting-out type of buzz, just low action buzz which is a non-issue plugged in, which I can deal with.

[vampire dark]

so now you've got 3 black strats right?

[xenophobe]

Yup! 3 black strats!

[emperor_black]

That calls for a group shot!!

[xenophobe]

That calls for a group shot!!

I'll do that after I finish blacking it out. Still haven't decided if I want to replace the trem with a black Hipshot or a Gotoh Floyd. I'm leaning towards the latter because I have a spare one that's ready to go.

[xenophobe]

Oh, I've decided this thing is sweet enough it's worth the gamble that adding a Gotoh Floyd will make it the perfect guitar. It goes in tomorrow.