Does any one else think that these things are really overpriced? If you look at the specs on alot of them, you will notice that you could buy a regular strat and then upgrade it a little bit and have the exact same guitar just without the little signature at the top. The Clapton strat for instance, has Vintage Noiseless pickups, a mid-boost along with TBX circuits, a "V" shape neck, and a blocked original vintage synchronized tremelo bridge. So, you could buy a standard strat and just put vintage noisless pickups in it and put that tremelo system in there and have someone work on your circuitry and have the exact same guitar for alot lower price. Don't you guys think it's a rip-off?
Usually, for the type of cash you are talking for these guitars, you are doing just as well to get yourself a great vintage axe that has its original sound from having its original parts. I bought my strat new in the early 90s when they were all american made, and had the same stock tremolo/electronics that they always had. Ive played some older ones, and all have a similar feel. Once you start to frankenstein a guitar, there are a ton of things that one can do, but few of them improve the classic strat sound. Different tremolos may require router-ing to fit it in, and I am not letting anyone go near my strat with a router!
no offense to fender, they make great guitars and all, but theyre just like any other business, they want to make money. the guitar probably was designed by eric clapton or whatever but by making a new guitar and calling it his signature, they make alot more money if a big eric clapton fan wants the same sound that he makes but pays more for the guitar. i doubt any business start up without money on their mind
Well, EC designed his standard signature series to be lower priced, he plays the same basic thing, only with slightly different contours and a little bit different neck, but he generally uses a V profile. Even his Martins have a smaller V profile. His custom shop models really aren't that different.
It depends which sig guitars you look at. The Custom Shop models, like the Rory Gallagher and Stevie Ray Vaughan, are meticulously reliced to match the originals and are, of course, Custom Shop-made, so they're bound to cost a bomb. But then there are models like the Mexican-made Robert Cray Strat and Muddy Waters Telecaster. They're both under £1000 if my memory serves me correct, and I've heard many great things about both of them
Yeah, the Jimmy Vaughan, I like too. The non-standard series mexicans are great. I'm going to see Robert Cray Band next month, I think. His new stuff is good. Sometimes the cleaness of his strats remind me of Jimi at times. Just more to the bone and not distorted.
