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?
Look into the hardtail (no-trem) Strat. I think Fender just recently discontinued the line, but you can find plenty of them on eBay. Or just get a Telecaster.
Try a PRS SE series. Very reasonable, and very well made for an import. I have an SE Soapbar II and love it.
Actually, those pickups are Ultra Sonics, made in Germany and designed by Bill Lawrence. They only made them one year (1987) and I’ve since replaced them with ‘57 reissue single coils.
I also have an ‘89 American Standard which is identical, but has it’s original pickups.
Body thickness is the same on most all Standard Strats.
“Open question: affordable electric with great sound WITHOUT tremolo bar (can’t stand them). Suggestions?”
Lots of choices out there. Depends on what you want to spend.
I bought an ‘89 Epiphone Les Paul with Carvin M22 pickups for $350.00.
BTW. If you don’t like the ‘whammy’ bar, you don’t have to use it. Just tighten up the springs in the back until the bridge sits tight to the body.
I use mine this way most of the time.
Yeah, ditto the PRS SE series. Those are cool.
Of course, if you really want to maximize your bang for buck, buy used. My favorite non-trem guitars are the Ibanez Artist series from the late 70s/early 80s:
http://search.ebay.com/ibanez-artist_W0QQfromZR40
Try a Mexican strat or Tele, Jeff. Since you don’t like the tremolo, just put five springs in the back of the strat and take the whammy bar off. It’s how mine are set up.