my first Strat.

[Davo]

Wow now that is cool!  Im thinking of doing something  similar, with seymour duncan p-rails.  They get humbucker/p90/single coil tones.

Your jazzie would fit right in with sonic youth.

[DannyB_KY]

Sweet axe!!! Congratulations on that find!!

[launched]

Glenn - I see the grey Dunlop .88 pick in there. Love those!!!

MM

[Glenn Mitchell]

Lol, what an eye!!. They've been the only ones for me for years now.
I've worn some down to a semicircle and they still work great.

[Davo]

I love the grey dunlops but I still dropped one at an open mic.  Didnt The Edge use them?

[lg]

That sure is a beauty Glenn!
I can't wait to hear what music you will produce with it!

LG

[IanR]

I'm also in the market for a strat.  Does anyone have any tips for buying a used one?  I have never bought a second hand guitar so I'm not sure what to look for. For instance, how can I tell if its in good condition?

[Glenn Mitchell]

I knew almost nothing about Strats but I knew I loved a certain set of sounds many of them had (not all!!) and I had played a couple of friends strats that "spoke to me". I could literally play stuff I never could before.
This sounds odd but I'm confident lots of folks here will know what I mean.

I spent several months studying online (Start with Wikipedia) and playing as many as I could get my hands on.
I've played for 50 years so I have definite opinions on what it should play like and feel like in my hands so in the end I went for the sound and feel almost exclusively.
Interesting that price is not a sure way to judge.
Then there's colour, (There is a limit to what I would tolerate. Pink? sorry),
 fret wear (are the frets worn where the strings are?),
action (close to the frets all the way up the fretboard),
modifications (Factory or home made)
and general wear. (abuse).
Also mine came with a high end case. (But that does not fit the whammy !!)

Often the action is not set up properly (Surprisingly often those at the store need a lot of help)  and you might take it to someone who can tell you if it can be adjusted if that's the only deterrent.
Good luck

Certain years and locations are better than others tho I'm not convince the US made models are alway better than MIM (Made in Mexico) but they are always considerably more expensive.
Mine is from Korea.

There are a gazillion models, weights, neck shapes, colors, materials etc etc.
In the end a blind man would have an easier time choosing.

[Davo]

I'm also in the market for a strat.  Does anyone have any tips for buying a used one?  I have never bought a second hand guitar so I'm not sure what to look for. For instance, how can I tell if its in good condition?

Check that the neck is straight, and that the electronics function.  See if the tuners and trem are smooth.  Besides that-if you like the look you should be fine-they are built pretty well.

[Glenn Mitchell]

Question to other strat owners re electrics
Do the tone knobs work on all Pickups on other strats?
Mine seems to be connected to just the top 2 and not the bridge one.