If you had £1,400 to spend...

[strummer10]

I recently got a bonus at work and have decided that I would like to buy a new electric. I have a '98 Gibson Les Paul Studio which I've had for 11 years (I got it for my 21st birthday so dont want to part-exchange it).  I had thought that perhaps I should get a Fender for a different type of sound. What would others recommend?

[Edwardnnc]

If you want a fender...

My #1 is an American Strat Deluxe V-neck.  I am pretty sure it is an 05 model.  It has the S1 switching system too.  This is really nice for getting a whole extra set of tones out of the typical strat setup.  I got mine used (new/mint condition) for around 750 or 850 (US dollars).. somewhere in that range.

[strummer10]

Thanks, Edward.  I am hoping to try some Fenders out this weekend. My thinking has been that as I have a guitar with humbuckers perhaps I should try something with single coil pickups but I know that previously when i've tried a Strat on the bridge pickup it felt too trebly to me but that's presumably because i'm used to the humbucker sound.

The Johnny Marr Fender Jaguar looks very cool but i've only seen him playing it...and i'm no Johnny Marr!

I like classic rock, blues and a bit of hard rock/metal (Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer at the most extreme). Has anybody got the Stevie Ray Vaughan Strat? I tried one the other day and I really liked it but I wondered how universal it would be (ie is it only good for blues?), or should I get something with more modern features like the American Deluxe Strat.

Any comments/suggestions greatly appreciated.

[bruno]

I wouldn't buy new - by an old USA made guitar - they tend to hold their value - and are great guitars. Plenty to choose from other than Fender and Gibson, PRS and MusicMan to name a few!

[AndyR]

Sounds to me at the moment that you're a bit like me (Fender and Gibson). Bruno's right, there are some other very fine instruments. But one of the things I want is the "rock and roll" heritage that comes with a guitar. And for me, rightly or wrongly, that's Fender and Gibson, and I can't get away from it. So-and-so might make a guitar that's easier to play than my strats with vintage style bridge and saddles (in fact, even Fender does!), but I haven't managed to buy enough guitars yet to step too far out of the "rock and roll" heritage that seems to be so important to me.

So, if Fender is "it" for you, and you're after both the single coil experience and versatility... do not rule out the telecaster.

Strats are definitely stratty. They take some getting used to but they are fine instruments (even the bridge pickup works once you know what you want it for and set your amp accordingly - helps if you wire the guitar so that the bridge has a tone control). However, before you get one - or a three singles one, anyway - make sure you want a strat sound. There are lots of strat sounds, but they all include a basic honk, spank, and cluck that I personally adore.

I suspect that the others (Jags, etc) have the same thing - a tone that is peculiar to them.

A tele has something else. It does the tele thing, but it is an all round work-horse as well. As long as your pickups (and you!) are versatile enough, it will also play parts that were meant for strats and parts that were meant for Les Pauls. Depending on your tastes, it might not look as cool, but tonally it will play anything with a lot less compromise than some of the other models.

Sounds to me like it's a strat though. Once you've learnt to deal with the new tone, most strats will play most types of music. It's still going to sound like a strat though (listen to early ZZ Top - La Grange, that riff is the middle pickup on a strat). Whether you want "vintage specs" or more modern hardware depends on what's more important to you - "I want the old tones and I think the old hardware designs give me a better starting point" (that's me), or "I can't be doing with the possible foibles of the old hardware, I want one that's easier to adjust if I need to".

While you've got the money in the bank though, you owe it to yourself to at least check out some PRSs - they might not have the "rock and roll" heritage that I suspect you're into like me, but they are seriously good guitars. I understand from acquaintances that own them that PRSs are NOT holding their value at the moment - you can buy some seriously "expensive" PRSs 2nd hand for your budget.

Another option is to check out some more Gibsons, but with P90s instead - that might be the single coil sound you want? (With your budget, I'd get a Fender Roadworn strat and a mid-price Gibson P90 guitar, instead of one guitar )

A further option is custom - your budget is just touching the amount that could get you there. I don't know where you're based, but there's a guy in Croydon - he does my refrets etc - look for Feline Guitars, check his site out.

[Burtog]

How about a '72 reissue deluxe Telecaster, a hybrid tele with some of the Strat features and 2 humbuckers which aren't over hot,............I had one V nice. £800 ish and they now do a roadworn version!!!

You would still have enough cash for a high end Yamaha Pacifica with the 3 in 1 pick up, it does single coil, humbucker and P90 settings all in one pick up, cant remember the model number but about £500

[chip]

Anything by Orville, or any MIJ Strat. My Strat is a MIJ Squire from 92 and is as good as an American real strat. Also Yamaha MIJ electric guitars. The quality of the MIJ stuff say, pre 1996 is right up there. Good advice about buying an older guitar too. Although I must admit I have recently bought two new guitars, one of which is a real gem.

 I am toying with getting shot of the 1992 Les Paul Standard and replacing it either with an MIJ Orville, Burny, Edwards or a Greco which by all accounts are as good if not better than the Gibsons of that time,

[Burtog]

The Pacifica I mentioned above is a 510v. Just over £400 now!

[strummer10]

This is all really helpful, thanks.  I've always liked the look of a Tele but was concerned that they might sound too similar to a Les Paul, which is the only reason i'd ruled them out. Perhaps I should look into that.

I live near Brighton and work in Croydon so Andy's suggestion is an option.

I went into GAK in Brighton recently and the guy was pushing me to go to £1650 for a Custom Shop Strat (he offered to knock £100 off the asking price of £1750) but a) it was above my budget and b) I really didnt like the colour.  Would a Custom Shop really be that much better than say the American Deluxe at £1350? Are you paying the extra because it was made on less of a production line, and is that worth it?

I should say that at the end of trying a number of Strats I did try the Stevie Ray Vaughan signature and thought it sounded great, but I thought that may have been because I tried the SRV on a Supersonic amp, not the Blues Junior as I had with all the rest.  Is that likely?

Lots to think about so thanks again!

[chip]

Hi Strummer.. What amp have you got? The reason I ask is... A good valve amp can make a load of difference to the guitar you have already. Also, are these new guitars you are talking about? Don't forget the older used ones.  It can be quite confusing with all the custom shop, deluxe, standard and so on and so on. I tend to not take much notice of all that and go with the one that feels right/looks right and sounds right no matter if it's a signature, deluxe, standard or even who's name is on the headstock etc , etc.

[strummer10]

Hi Chip. Its funny you ask that. I recently got a new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 40w valve amp. And ever since I wondered what a Fender would sound like through the amp, which is why I had been thinking that my next guitar would be a Fender.

I see that a lot of people have suggested looking for a second hand guitar but I'm a bit worried that I won't be able to spot any defects, and/or don't want to get ripped off. Where do people in the UK look for used guitars?

Stupid question I suspect, but do Tele's sound very similar to Les Paul's? I dont know why I have this preconception especially as I've never thought that Keith Richards sounded like Jimmy Page. Does anybody have a Les Paul and a Tele, or is it more common to have a Tele and a Strat.

In all honesty I think it's only the fact that I found the bridge pickup so treble-y on the Strat that made me think twice but as someone mentioned above, I'll probably grow to love it. Someone also mentioned that on some Strats you can use the tone control for the bridge. Do you have to modify that yourself or do some come with the facility already built in?

Finally, what do people think about the S1 switch on the American Deluxe: good idea or not?

[chip]

Hi Strummer... I get my high end guitars off David who is a great bloke and very genuine, here is the link
http://www.99guitars.co.uk/. He gets some cracking guitars, very nice no problems with this man's guitars.

A Tele will not sound like a Les Paul, think Country twang for the Tele, J Page for the Paul. Mind you I can get a nice treble sound out the Paul too. Me, I like the treble side of life and the Paul is now pretty much resigned to sitting in it's box gathering cash, it is pristine condition and was bought from David a few years ago.... I mainly use the Strat or the Italia Rimini now as our other guitarist uses a Les Paul and a Tele... In answer to your question about Strats and Les Paul's.. Yes guitarists usually have both so they can add different colours to their sound. The combination of Strat, Paul is where the majority of players are at..

Have a look at Davids stuff, they are not cheap but they are right up there.... Just looked but no Fenders at the moment but they do come in, Give him a call... He may not remember me, but If you say the chap you delivered a guitar to in a hospital in the snow, it will soon jog his memory:)

[AndyR]

Some modern strats are wired so that the bottom tone does both bridge and middle. I personally always wire mine so that I have a master tone and the other tone control is disconnected.

I don't actually know what they use the S1 switch for on strats. I have one on one tele, it switches the phase of one of the pickups so that they're electronically out of phase when both pickups are on - sort of hollower and reedy sound. I don't really use it, so when the switch breaks (or if I ever get round to putting nice knurled knobs on the guitar) I'll just take it out and replace it with a standard volume control.

All the S1 switch is is a fancy push-push volume or tone control. They use it instead of having to put micro-switches on the guitar to achieve the same sounds. What the switch does depends on what it's been wired to do.

I wouldn't really say a tele sounds like a Les Paul. But it can sound more like one than a strat can through the same amp settings, and it can sound more like a strat than a Les Paul can. But on the other hand, you can make anything sound like anything else (they'll feel different to play though)...

For example, are you aware that all of Led Zeppelin I and Led Zeppelin II are a telecaster? So is the studio solo on Stairway to Heaven. And that most of Presence is a strat?

I haven't played live for years, but when I did I liked to play through one amp tone all night. If I was going for different sounds, I'd use whatever ever I wanted. But if I wanted a back-up guitar, I'd be a lot happier with a Les Paul and Telecaster pair. Next would be a Stratocaster/Tele pair. If it was a Les Paul and Stratocaster pair, I'd be expecting to tweak the amp when switching guitars.

Out-of-the-box, telecasters are generally brasher and wider sounding than strats. A strat has a more incisive sound. A tele's a sword, a strat's a rapier. That's how it works for me. Do bear in mind they're all made of wood though - no two pieces are identical. You could go and find a specific strat and tele that when compared would sound the other way round!

Chip is spot on with "go with the one that feels right/looks right and sounds right no matter". You'll kind of know, for me it's the one that makes you go "ooh, I want this" when you try it, even if it's the wrong colour! Sounds to me like the SRV strat you tried was very close to this. Don't be in a hurry though, take your time, try lots, ask questions. But sooner or later you'll hit one that is IT (so make sure you don't try too many £1800 guitars! )

[chip]

" so make sure you don't try too many £1800 guitars! " So true Andy, you can get carried away with it all so easily. Good fun though.

[strummer10]

Good advice not to try the £1800 guitars, I knew it was a bad idea at the time!

I had no idea Led Zep 1&2 were recorded with Tele's.

Knowing what I'm like I'll feel that I'm missing out if I don't get the S1 switch, which I realise sounds a bit stupid. So it looks like I'll go for a new American Deluxe, but I will definitely try the SRV Strat again, just to make sure! I will definitely give the 99guitars website a look when I get home tonight.

Thanks for all your advice, it really has been incredibly helpful.