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Post by prowler on Mar 13, 2006 16:38:02 GMT -7
After 20 years of playing mainly humbuckers I have decided that my ears are more into the sound of singles these days. So, I have decided to look into Strat style guitars from three different mfgs.
1) Lentz SSL 2) Shur 3) Fender Vintage 57 or 62 reissue
Any thoughts on any of the above guitars? I like how the Lentz looks but I have never played one nor do I know anyone who has. The other question is are the Letz/Shur guitars that much better to warrant double price of the Fenders?
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 13, 2006 17:40:28 GMT -7
Tom Anderson and Grosh are great choices too. Anderson's have stainless frets that don't wear.
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 13, 2006 19:57:17 GMT -7
Ditto the Groshes - I own three here, and they are outstanding.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2006 23:50:29 GMT -7
I think there are special guitars from all three manufacturers. The best thing would be going to a store that you can try them all out. I owned a Suhr for a while but ended up liking my Fender Custom shop 69 Strat more, and I sold it. But I have played Suhrs since then that I thought were amazing and some that were just okay. Wood is wood and you don't know how a guitar will sound until it is strung up. The name on the headstock does not guarantee an amazing sounding axe, though it might guarantee and amazing feeling one. PRS comes to mind as an example. I would say that you try as many as you can and find the 'one' that you love. That being said the Grosh guitars do look quite lovely. I think Steve's axes look beautiful. You can't beat that hand made look. They probably sound amazing too.
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Post by hdahs143 on Mar 14, 2006 5:10:41 GMT -7
I own a Tom Anderson which I love, and I've tried several Suhrs, both Teles and Strats, and they are very nice as well
It boils down to how a guitar looks, feels, and sounds to you and how much $$$ you want to spend ;D
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Post by prowler on Mar 14, 2006 6:25:32 GMT -7
I have one local dealer that sells "boutique" gear & he doesn't stock any of the guitars that I'm interested in. This is the ongoing issue that I have when looking for a new piece of gear.... nobody has them around here.
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Post by guitarman1 on Mar 14, 2006 11:24:20 GMT -7
After 20 years of playing mainly humbuckers I have decided that my ears are more into the sound of singles these days. So, I have decided to look into Strat style guitars from three different mfgs. 1) Lentz SSL 2) Shur 3) Fender Vintage 57 or 62 reissue Any thoughts on any of the above guitars? I like how the Lentz looks but I have never played one nor do I know anyone who has. The other question is are the Letz/Shur guitars that much better to warrant double price of the Fenders? I've owned a Suhr & a Fender 62 re-issue. The 62 was OK, had decent tone and action, but the Suhr was way, way, way better in every aspect. Impeccable fit & finish & outstanding tone with a great compound radius neck, locking Spertzels & Feinten tuning system. I only sold it because I really needed some fast cash. If you hold almost any current production Fender (including a Vintage 57 or 62) up to the light and turn it slowly, you will see uneven spots/ripples under the finsh. Suhr's finish looks like a sheet of glass. Anderson & Grosh make some beauties too, but I personnaly like Surhs the best. Check out the Strat I just built. It just replaced my Fender 62 re-issue and it beats it in ALL catagories and it cost about the same as the Fender. drzamplifiers.proboards41.com/index.cgi?board=strings&action=display&thread=1142351062
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Post by jb on Mar 14, 2006 11:45:09 GMT -7
Prowler My main strat guitar is a Suhr carve top. Can't say enough about the feel and quality of the guitar. Aruntang is right about each guitar being different, but I think most people would speak highly of the consistency in the quality of John's guitars. His pickups are great too, particularly the V60 LP's. Can't go wrong with a HSS configuration, which will cover a lot of bases for you. I special ordered mine and was not disappointed. Good luck.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2006 12:35:23 GMT -7
Sorry guys, I don't mean to sound like I am bashing John Suhr's guitars. I am only talking from a tone stand point. John Suhr's guitars all feel amazing and play great. His finishing work is the best I have seen. I was commenting on the fact that not all wood is the same, but not all ears and hands are the same either. That is why I made the PRS statement. All PRS guitars I have played feel great, but not all sound the same. It is the same thing as why some $500 guitars sound better than some $3000 guitars. Though the $3000 guitar probably would feel better, look better,...smell better? My friends have played my guitars and could not get them to sound good. Then I would play my guitars and they would comment on how great it sounds. The same thing has happened to me with my friends axes. Guitars become so personal and in the end they are more of a vehicle to your sound which is, ultimately, in your hands. So I guess it is about finding the best 'tool' for the job. John Suhr definitely makes some of the best 'tools' in the biz.
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Post by jb on Mar 14, 2006 14:33:56 GMT -7
Aruntang, It didn't sound like you were bashing, your points are all good ones.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2006 15:06:50 GMT -7
Thanks jb, being on 'the gear page' kind of puts you on the defensive some times. The energy at that forum sometimes is not that great, though there are great people over there. I forget that the Z forum is a much cooler and safer place to be.
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Post by zdogma on Mar 14, 2006 15:16:40 GMT -7
Amen to that. ;D
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Post by fishman on Mar 14, 2006 17:52:33 GMT -7
IMHO more $$ does not automaticly make one guitar better than annother....I have had strats for years as well as gibsons, PRS, parkers, Ibanez, hagstroms....etc...etc....some cost a bundle and sounded bad or worse, bland....some cost a little and sounded great...the Ibanez comes to mind here, an older roadstarII strat style, i think I payed 200.00 for that guitar and it was a good one....my PRS 10 top/birds...custom 22....went the way of the trade....i swapped it even for a 2002 LP raw power standard, no emg's....great guitar, and for me, way better sounding than the PRS....not that PRS makes a bad guitar.... It is in the ear and the hand of the holder....I have a MIJ early 80's Fender butterscotch tele copy of a 52 tele....great guitar.......take it out of the case and play it...never had to fiddle with it..... I guess my recommend would be put on a blind fold and go by the sound, playability and if it "belongs to you" feel.... I have a old sigma/martin MIJ acoustic electric that I have had forever and I just bought a Yairi DY40C w/ condenser mic option....the sigma kills it.....don;'t know why, but it does....just sounds better...and I had a Airia acoustic that sounded better than my Guild....who could figure...,its a strange world this musical instrument maze that we navigate thru.....good luck....
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Post by prowler on Mar 15, 2006 17:15:18 GMT -7
I wish there were other players in my area that had some of the gear I am interested in. Thats the problem around here. Everyone goes into a place like GC & thinks thats all there is out there.... sucks.
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Post by zane on Mar 16, 2006 3:59:39 GMT -7
Got a Lentz ash hardtail S... ;^) love to get an alder SSL with trem ;^)
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Mar 16, 2006 5:10:31 GMT -7
I'm primarily a Strat guy. My main axe is a Warmoth parts Strat that I made about 10 years ago. It's got a Birdseye maple neck and fingerboard, and a light swamp ash body. The pickups are Fralin's, and the hardware is Callaham. The frets are 6100's. I did the wiring, and a really talented local luthier did the set up. I've put it up against a lot of Strats, new and vintage, and I've never heard a better sounding axe. I've played some that were as good, but none that I felt hike I *had* to own. I still need to try the Eric Johnson Strat, just out of curiosity. I've also got a SRV sig Strat. I love the neck and frets (after tweaking by my luthier). However, it just doesn't have the "ring" that my homemade Strat has. I changed the pickups and changed the tremolo block to a Callaham, but it's still not near as good. I have come to think that I'm more of a swamp ash/maple fretboard guy v.s an alder/rosewood guy.
PDW
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Post by prowler on Mar 16, 2006 5:12:39 GMT -7
Nice Lentz, love the color. I'm seriously considering an SSL in the same color.
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nickg
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Post by nickg on Mar 17, 2006 16:11:51 GMT -7
You should also check out the fender custom shop time machine range. Very period-accurate, and great sounds. I've got a 60s closet classic in red and it's the best strat i've played. Compared it with a friend's real 61 and it won hands down, even he agreed.
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Post by kruzty on Mar 20, 2006 7:25:27 GMT -7
Has anyone tried the Fender's with the S1 switching system (the pushbutton on the volume knob)? You can get a lot of different tones with that. I'm looking at getting a strat style guitar, too, and I played a couple of those. It's almost too versitile!
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Post by garyh on Mar 29, 2006 13:31:55 GMT -7
Has anyone tried the Fender's with the S1 switching system (the pushbutton on the volume knob)? You can get a lot of different tones with that. I'm looking at getting a strat style guitar, too, and I played a couple of those. It's almost too versitile! I just bought an American Deluxe ash strat with the S1 system on my lunch hour....wasn't planning on it but she was gorgeous and kept teasing me so I had to have a go at her.....Wow! I think it's a one-piece body with the wickedest light tobacco burst I've ever seen. Lovely neck, locking tuners, medium jumbo you-know-whats , and the S1 system really sold me on it. Mind you, I only played at low volume through a Classic 30 but the humbucking sounds were real. She had everything I wanted so I took her home. Now I can't wait to get home and plug in. I know I'll be up all night jammin' with the computer again. Mussssttttt........sleeeeeeppp.....sommmmetiiime.
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Post by squeallydan on Mar 29, 2006 14:11:18 GMT -7
What is the S1 system?
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Post by garyh on Mar 29, 2006 15:40:49 GMT -7
Sorry, I should have mentioned that. Fender's S1 switching system is on some of their new strats. It mainly switches the middle and neck or middle and bridge pickups into series wiring creating humbuckers (with widely-spaced coils of course). There are other combinations it gives you too like all 3 pups on at once and a couple of tailored sounds with capacitors switched in. So you get 10 sounds from a 5 way switch. I'm just putting the guitar through its paces now and it's pretty cool. Now I can leave my PRS at home; for some gigs anyway. I'm starting to get used to these vintage noiseless pickups.....Didn't like them at all at first compared to my Kinman AVN Blues.
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Post by squeallydan on Mar 29, 2006 15:51:35 GMT -7
I use a PRS and teles, but I'm actually looking for a strat. Thanks for the info!
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Post by prowler on Mar 29, 2006 17:13:44 GMT -7
I have decided to go with a Lentz SSL. Now all I have to do is figure out what options I want. I should have the order placed by the end of next week.
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Post by LeftyLang on Mar 30, 2006 18:08:52 GMT -7
Got a Lentz ash hardtail S... ;^) love to get an alder SSL with trem ;^) Too bad Scott isn't making the regular strat style anymore...I really like a traditional strat.
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Post by LeftyLang on Mar 30, 2006 18:10:01 GMT -7
I think my next Strat will be a Nash
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Post by propellr on Mar 31, 2006 6:57:58 GMT -7
Sorry, I should have mentioned that. Fender's S1 switching system is on some of their new strats. It mainly switches the middle and neck or middle and bridge pickups into series wiring creating humbuckers (with widely-spaced coils of course). There are other combinations it gives you too like all 3 pups on at once and a couple of tailored sounds with capacitors switched in. So you get 10 sounds from a 5 way switch. I'm just putting the guitar through its paces now and it's pretty cool. Now I can leave my PRS at home; for some gigs anyway. I'm starting to get used to these vintage noiseless pickups.....Didn't like them at all at first compared to my Kinman AVN Blues. I loved the Fender American Deluxe (V-neck) I played at a shop last summer. I had read some pretty fiery opinions concerning the different neck profiles from different players and I thought to myself that I wondered which profile would feel right to me. I never thought it would be the V-neck, but I was really surprised. I've never been a strat guy, per se, but something about that V-neck felt like going home, you know? This one had the S-1 switching system and I fiddled around with it for a few minutes. Seems like an interesting concept. I don't know that I would need all those options, personally, but, if it meant not lugging 3 guitars to a gig, I can see why the S-1 could be a selling point to some players. I almost bought one like this: www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0101302767In the end, I finally found my ES-335, which suits my playing style better. If I had not, the Fender American Deluxe V-Neck in Honey Blonde with the S-1 switching system might have been the one.
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Post by taswegian on Mar 31, 2006 16:58:36 GMT -7
My interest in Grosh guitars initially came by the way of a 1995/6 review in Guitar Player of their strat (retro classic). The review said you could not find a better proponent of vintage strat tone...and for 8 years I was wanting one. When I finally got the money together, Don was just releasing his Set Neck and I couldn't resist. Wildwood guitars in Colorado have a couple blondes at the moment. Check out the birdseye maple in that neck! www.wildwoodguitars.com/electrics/grosh/Grosh_Home_Page.html
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Post by benttop (Steve) on Mar 31, 2006 17:02:49 GMT -7
I'm a Grosh player too, but mine is the Bent Top Custom:
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