What are your opinions on the 'Starcaster by Fender' guitars?
I own one of the older, made in China, limited edition Starcasters. It was one of the first models made when they switched to the standard Fender headstock from the pointy one. Most people I have talked to think they're cheap pieces of junk from the one's they've played... But, personally, I think they're hit and miss like a lot of lower priced guitars. Some are complete junk that are basically either firewood or a pretty wall ornament, where as others are surprisingly high quality. I don't think quality control is one of their manufacturers high points. Anyway, I bought the thing for 250$ plus tax. It was a little over 100$ more than the regular Starcaster. Everyone who's played this one thinks it's a true Strat and somehow broke the original neck so I switched it... Why the heck would I buy a Starcaster neck to replace it with? lol It has that heavy, high quality feel to it. Fantastic black sparkle paint job, and a beautiful 3 layered shattered pearl pick guard like the Strat it's copied after. Multi-colored (It's actually really pretty. Light and dark wood swirled and striped throughout it) rosewood fretboard, and perfectly smooth frets. The fretwork on this this is actually pretty phenomenal. I've never seen a guitar that doesn't have a bound neck have frets this smooth along the sides. As for sound? Factory pickups. They sound really nice, actually. Both clean AND distorted. The tremolo and tuners are obviously low quality, but I've never had a problem with them going out of tune. I also never use the trem bar, so that may be why... but I've never been a fan of them. I prefer doing it the old fashioned way using bends and slides. The neck is 1 piece and looks like it's unfinished, but that's fine with me. Cleared necks tend to make my hand sweat and I start sticking to it. Anyway, I was just wondering what your opinions are of these guitars? Has anyone else ever found a gem? Or have they all been junk? Would you consider them actual Fenders, group them with Squires, or are they a class all of their own?
Epiphone Casino vs. Fender Strat?
Hello there, If you really want to research both of this fine guitars, you should read the user reviews at Harmony Central, written by folks who have actually used them. Epiphone (several Casino models to choose). http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revie... Fender (several Strat models to choose) http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revie... I would expect you will find a lot of glowing reviews. Both are fine guitars. There sound is quite different, but both play well. I cannot comment on factory service because I have never had to deal with either for service. John Lennon did use a Casino quite often, however he also owned a Sonic Blue Strat. Brian Epstein bought a pair of them. Gave one to John and the other to George. Later George painted his and it became the famous Rocky. I do not recall George playing a Casino. He owned and played so many guitars, it is hard to remember which ones he played when. George did use a Strat a lot more than most people realize. Folks do not usually associate the Strat with the Beatles. (I usually associate the Rickenbacker with the Beatles sound) I heard an interview of George once talking about how much he liked the Strat. I hope you are putting as much research and interest into the amp you will be playing either of these guitars through. The amp is an important part of your overall sound. Plug one of these excellent guitars into a cheap amp and it will sound like crap. I would think a good tube amp will be needed to maximize the sound. My personal preferences are the old Fender and then the old Vox tube amps. However, there are other decent tube amp available. Those are just my favs. The best part about this is that you cannot go wrong. No matter which you buy, you will get one great guitar. Later,
What do people think of the Fender Mexican Stratocaster guitar?
I own an American Standard Strat, and I can tell you in my opinion there is a big difference in the sound quality between an American Standard and any of the foreign made strats. Judge for yourelf by doing this simple test: pick an American standard and say a Mexican strat of the same neck and pick up configuration (i.e. both rosewood fingerboard or not, both single coil pickups, etc.) at a store that has both. Have them both by your side. Pick out any amp you like - doesn't really matter much. Play clean, and A/B compare the two guitars. Play one into the amp, imediately switch the input cord to the other and play the same chords. When I do this I am amazed at how obviously superior the American Strat sounds. Since I can't speak for others ears and brains I have no idea if this is as obvious to others, but I believe they would easily notice. You get what you pay for, and in my opinion it is mostly the sound quality that costs. Great guitar tone starts first with the guitar.
If I already have a Fender Stratocaster, should I get a Telecaster?
If you’re looking for a Telecaster tone, sure. It’s a different beast than a Strat. They both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and very distinct tones. That’s why Gilmour whips out a Tele for certain songs, cause the black Strat can’t quite get there.With a Strat, you’re usually on the glassy neck pup, comping chords on the middle pup, or out of phase for either position 2 raunch or position 4 quack. The Strat’s bridge pup is thin sounding by itself without swapping it out for something beefier like a humbucker or Hot Rails, but if you do that swap, you lose the position 4 quack. A lot of folks would even say it stops sounding like a proper Strat at that point.With a Tele, you’re usually on both pups, kind of like you might on a Paul or SG, or on the hot bridge pup with the tone dialed back some for that signature Tele bark. In the Tele’s case, the neck pup is kinda thin sounding by itself. You often see Teles modded with a PAF, wide-range, Firebird, or P-90 at the neck, but rarely does anybody mess with the Tele bridge pup. I think the stock blended tone is fantastic for rhythm, myself, but like another answer noted, people love or hate Tele tone in general. I blame Roy Buchanan, who took the “ice pick” bridge tone just a wee bit past the edge.The necks are kinda similar in my opinion. They both have v or c shapes depending on the year. Vintage style Teles are a little chunkier, both in neck shape and tone, getting a little extra mojo from the brass barrel saddles. Those can be a right pain to keep intonated, though. The more modern bridge is more like the mid 70s hard tail you’d see on some Strats. It’s fatter toned than the Strat vibrato, but in my opinion it lacks something compared to the vintage brass barrels.
What is your opinion on the Fender Squier Bullet Strat?
Hello there, The Squier Bullet Stratocaster is a decent quality guitar. It is made for and priced for beginners. It is all right as a beginner level guitar. It retails for $120. In that price range, you cannot do any better. The next up the Squier line is the Affinity. It retails for $180. It is still a beginner level guitar, just slightly nicer. Rate it? I compare it to other simialrly priced guitars and it compares very favorably. It is not fair to compare a $120 Squier Bullet Stratocaster to say, a $500 Fender Standard Stratocaster. Of course the $500 guitar will be a lot better. But compared to other guiters costing $150 or less, it is at the top of the list. Favorite thing about it? I like the color options. Fender now makes the Bullet in some of the classic Fender colors. The daphne blue is sharp. Also, Fender now has added several pickup confi\guration options. You have quite a choice in pickups. Disavantages? it is a cheap guitar. So it has cheap parts. That is all right for a beginner. But a gigging musican would not want one. Gigging takes a tole on your gear. You need sturdy gear for that. The Bullet is not made to stand up to the rigors of heavy gigging. For a beginner or a casual player it will last. For a gigging musican it would not. The guitar is very light weight. For a beginner that is a good thing. For a gigging musican it would not be a good thing. The needs of a gigging musican are different than the needs of a beginner. The Bullet is designed to meet the needs of a beginner. Better in the same price? Under $150, there is no better guitar. Later,