Stratocaster appreciation thread

[crazyzeke]

I've been obsessed with Conrad Oberg's strat recently.

Looks like Rory Gallagher's battered Strat was also in a fire, and now he's ^^^^ playing it.

[rocklibrarian]

I agree with something said earlier on this thread - there is nothing more "indie" you could do right now than play a like an 80s CIJ Strat. Why? They're 20+ years old, easily customizable, well made, cheap, and nobody hip is using them right now.

Before you protest, doesn't this sound familiar?

20+ years old is older than Elvis Costello's Jazzmaster when he picked it up, or Tom Verlaine's.
Early Fender offsets might not have been easy to customize then, but the gents from Sonic Youth didn't let that stop them from experimenting.
Vintage offsets are definitely well made with lots of attention to detail.
Vintage Jags and JMs were CHEAP even until the 1980s.
When Television and Elvis Costello picked up Jazzmasters, absolutely nobody hip was using them.

I realize there are flaws in the argument. Two of the bands with the most indie cred, The Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective are both starting to bring back the Strats...bet you in a few years they'll be right back at the top of the indie chain.

[sookwinder]

IMO, a strat is an essential tool in one's pallet

My strats
L->R
96 CAR AmStd
98 LPB AmStd (with delta pups)
73 sunburst
2001 CS Daphne blue 1960 NOS
96 FG AmStd
2001 Sunburst Subsonic-strat (tuned B - B)
96 Sonic blue AmStd

2nd pic
Electric XII strat with trem



only one missing is my mint/virgin 73 sunburst with rw neck

[RaDana]

I've been obsessed with Conrad Oberg's strat recently.

Looks like Rory Gallagher's battered Strat was also in a fire, and now he's ^^^^ playing it.

I just saw it in Premiere Guitar Magazine and thought it was some crazy marbly exotic wood. I emailed him and this is what his dad said:

Conrad's guitar is a strat that I built for him from parts that he specified and collected over a two year period starting when he was ten. The parts are all American. The body is mid-90s swamp ash that had the very thick original urethane finish on it. We had to burn the finish off because no chemical stripper or sand paper would touch it. I was planning to sand it down to nice finish and put a light oil on it after we got most of the finish off, but Conrad said that he liked the way that it fealt and asked me to leave it the way it was . I put together, and he's been playing it ever since.

Thanks for your question,

Conrad's Dad

So basically yeah but its unintentional.

[Maggieo]

From 1989 until 1999, this 1983 '62RI (Fullerton) Stratocaster was my only guitar:









I've also still got the infamous Aztec Gold 50th Anniversary Stratocaster:

[garyptaszek]

Maggeo has the coolest gear!

[Maggieo]

Aw shucks, thanks Gary!

Tho' Sook's 12-string might just be the coolest Strat on the planet!

[Maggieo]

Bonus Scooter and Skippy photo!



I HAS AN OUT OF PHASE FLAVOR!

[Soochdaddy]

Your strats are gorgeous, Maggie.

[OffYourFace]

Damn Mags, I hope you got good money for that '62 RI! That looks like a good one... those are climbing up high in price.

[JazzmasterJonny]

I used to really despise Strats, I thought they were too "leather trousers" for me! (I used to be obsessed with teles)!

But now (it must be because I'm getting old) I quite like them. I don't like the heavily modded ones but there is something very cool about a battered sunburst or LPB one.

My mate has just got one of the Roadworn 60's strats in white and it really is a great guitar.

[Maggieo]

Damn Mags, I hope you got good money for that '62 RI! That looks like a good one... those are climbing up high in price.

Oh, I've still got it and it'll only go to another player when I'm dead or unable to play guitar at all. I was playing it just yesterday and whenever I do, it feels like coming home after being away for a while. It's not 100% original- the neck pickup is an ancient Seymour Duncan that got put in after the original pickup unwound itself. According to the guy who installed it, it was one that Duncan wound himself at a clinic/seminar the repair guy attended. It's actually older than the rest of the guitar!

Oh yeah, and the original three-way switch finally crapped out on me around 2005, and I put a five-way in, since I got tired to trying to balance the three-way into the out-of-phase positions.

[Maggieo]

One more shot of Skippy The Wonder Beast, my steadfast pal for 26(!) years:

[secndshft]

I picked up a lefty 90s Fernandes the other day. I'm not a lefty, so it won't stay with me long, but I really like it. Perfect neck.

[mcjt]

i love my hardtail Koa partscaster!