Always liked the looks of these, but at $1000+ I wound up with a cheap knock-off. That I still can't play. < |:(~
Posted on 05/04/2007 4:13:21 PM PDT by Bean Counter
My wife made a mistake. For my birthday in February, she bought me a calendar from the Fender Custom Shop. I hung it on the wall directly behind my desk, right in my range of vision, and I have been gazing longingly ever since at beautiful guitars. My longing stayed within reason until I turned the page to April, and saw the Engraved Thinline Telecaster in flame maple. The clumsy copy below the calendar proper says "both nice to look at and a dream to play."
"A dream to play" has been ringing in my head ever since, the way a phrase from ad copy will do. And two weeks ago, I drove to the nearest Guitar Center and sat down and started playing electric guitars for the first time in 30 years.
Beautiful Telecaster notwithstanding, I played only Stratocasters on that first visit. I have always been a Strat man. Here is a picture of a very nice one, from the current Fender website.
MY PARENTS BOUGHT ME MY FIRST STRATOCASTER when I was in junior high school, in about 1961. Those of you who know the marque will share my chagrin that I do not still have that model, now known as a "vintage" Stratocaster, and much desired. It had belonged to a country western musician, whose big belt buckles had torn up the sunburst finish on the back. I got a Fender Concert Amp with it, and instantly became a popular guy with the two other serious guitar players in my school, Roger Johnson and Bob Cohen. They used to invite me to play with them, mainly so they could use my amp, which was bigger and better than the ones they had.
**SCHNIPP**
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Gibson Les Pauls are my favorites. I’m settling for the Epiphone version for now.
Always liked the looks of these, but at $1000+ I wound up with a cheap knock-off. That I still can't play. < |:(~
I’ve heard good things about those, but never picked one up.
I mainly play Parkers, but lately been having a blast with a Jetking, of all things!
No Gibsons (unless ya count an ancient Kalamazoo), and my only Fender is a bass. Go figure!
I am curious why you have so many mexican strats, particularly why you have the squires? How do you use them?
Me, I play bass, and leads. Totally different axes altogether!
Love my American Strat, but my Warmoth strat copy actually plays better. I also have a 1961 Fender Dou-Sonic that I am changing to a standard Strat neck. The pickups on that thing are incredible (must be the age). I also have 4 other guitars.
Several amps but the pick of the litter is a 1978 Fender Twin Reverb. 100 watts and sounds like God. Scares the neighbors.
(Note: That is not the original tremelo bar on that guitar.)
Rickenbacker 360F (looks like one from the early 60s)
Shaped a little like a Gibson Byrdland. ....but not quite. And with the classic Rickenbacker tone, of course.
If you have a pre-CBS Fender I woudn't change a thing. (But if you do, keep the old neck). Don't be too surprised if the tone changes (for the worse) after swapping the neck due to the increased scale length. The Duo-Sonic's 3/4 scale is a perfect match for those original pickups. ....very sweet sounding.
Wow. Bet that comes real cheap.
Now THAT I can play!
Plus one MEAN kazoo.
I hope you got those at a discount - they all seem to be missing a couple strings ;)
Great clip. I love that clickity-clickity bell-sound. Of course, they’re about the price of a decent used car.
The second one from the left is tuned BEAD. It's the closest I've ever come to a 5 string.
Single coil pickups - which ones? Thinner body than the newer ones, looks like.
Open question: affordable electric with great sound WITHOUT tremolo bar (can’t stand them). Suggestions?
still sluggin it out with my 1962 Les Paul Jr. thou the pic is a 1963... 
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