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johnfish

By johnfish
in Electric Guitars

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johnfish Newbie

johnfish

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Hi Everyone,

 

THis is my first post and my NGD. Just got a wine red MIM strat tonight.

 

I am a complete beginner. well not complete, use to own a yamaha acoustic 25 years ago. Havent picked it up for many years and sadly it was lost in a fire at my parents house recently. (along with my sons new Gibson SG and Agile Ghost!) the insurance will make good on it but it is going to take a while.

 

For some reason i really got the urge to start playing again. I had an SX SST57 with P90s that I bought off a friend a year ago but didnt have an amp. Picked up a Fender Mustang 1 over the weekend and was going to start playing but the nut and tuners were not in good shape on the SX. sent it off to get an estimate but suspect this is going to become a peice of wall art.

 

So now i have an amp (pretty awesome one for the money I think). But no guitar. I spent a lot of time researching it. was going to by a squire but after twiddling with it at Guitar Center I didnt like the sound or the feel. GC had a used MIM strat for 293. I loved the way it sounded but the body was rough and i didnt like the arctic white.

 

I really wanted a new MIM but I really didnt want to spend 500 + on it. Tonight I happen to walk into Music and Arts and they had a black and a wine red MIM strat for 397. I picked up the red and played it for a little bit and fell in love.

 

So was 397 a good price? I havent seen it any where for less than 499. All I know is that I spent the last three hours practicing chords that I thought I had long forgotten and feeling absolutely great! So I guess I did good by me.

 

strat-1.jpg

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jrfan Newbie

jrfan

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Sounds like a fair price just not the deal of the century.

IMHO the MIM std's are some the best value guitars available.

With just a few mods they can really be improved tone wise.

Don't give up on the SX.

A Graph Tech preslotted nut and a decent setup

are probably all it needs.

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BlackCat Newbie

BlackCat

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Happy NGD and welcome to the forums.

 

I'm in the same boat with you as an older guy who decided to start playing again after giving it up for many years. Coincidentally the first guitar I picked up after renewing my interest in playing was a MIM Start.

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GAS Man Newbie

GAS Man

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With the "every day pricing" on those these days at $499, you did good.

 

It wasn't all that long ago (like a year or two) that they were blowing out black ones of the previous version of MIM Strat for $299, but that was mostly to do with retiring the older model. So consider that these days the best deal one might find is 20% off the street pricing, I don't see how you could have done better.

 

Funny thing to is that many years ago (like back in the 90s), the MIMs used to sell for about $400 and then they lowered their prices once production got into full swing but you'd have to go back a few years to find a time when they were routinely selling for less than what you paid.

 

On your SX, I could see having a tech do the nut for you, but putting new tuners on your guitar is something you could pretty easily do yourself.

 

Here's a couple sites with inexpensive parts.

 

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Tuners_c_5.html

http://www.azguitarparts.com/machine.html

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johnfish Newbie

johnfish

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Thanks for the welcome everyone.

 

JRFan, Tell me more about some of these mods. I am not planning anything for a bit but would love to know more. I am handy with a soldering iron so if its electronic i can do it.

 

GAS Man, I have the SX out for a estimate on the nut. If that can be repaired resonably I will definitely be looking into replacing the tuners myself. Thanks for the links. I have used guitarfetish in the past. (new pots etc. for my sons first guitar a squire strat).

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bsman Newbie

bsman

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I would recommend leaving it alone for a while before getting on the mod-train. However if it is a pre-2006 (the serial number should start with MZ and a digit. The Z and digit will give you the production year (i.e. MZ5 = 2005) I might suggest an upgraded bridge and saddles -- as a quick improvement. In terms of pickup upgrades, that's really pretty personal and nobody can really point you in the right direction. From my perspective, the MIM standard pickups are fairly "modern" -- hotter and less bell-like. If that works for your music, you may want to stick with them, otherwise, you may want to either go for something even hotter or go with a more vintage-sounding set. The electronics (e.g. switches, pots, etc.) are good quality on the MIMs, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

 

I guess my main point is this: Play it a LOT before you start playing WITH it!

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johnfish Newbie

johnfish

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Got a wine red MIM myself. But I havn't done any mods. What humbucker is in the bridge?

 

 

Helstrume, That is a good question. Being that I am so new to all this how does one tell what the brand is without taking it apart. I bought it new in the store so I imagine it is what ever fender is putting in their guitars at the present time. When i get home I will take a close up picture of it and posted it in the thread.

 

John

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