I just did something I said I'd never do

[bombtek]

I went and bought a FENDER Stratocaster.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ST71AshWlnt/

Can't wait until Friday when it's due to arrive.
Gonna be a new experience playing on vintage styled frets!

LOVE the look of this thing in Sweetwater's pics.

[charvelsteen]

Radicalz nads galore man!! I like that. Something like that but with a 16'' radius would be ideal for me.

[toejam]

Nice! Vintage-style frets aren't a big deal, but I hope you can deal with the vintage 7.25" radius. I can deal with the 9.5" radius on Strats, but just barely.

[leftykingv2]

That's almost the same guitar as my original 1976 Strat. The 7.25" Radius is a change from playing the typical USA Jackson radius but with some time you'll learn to love it. At least I did but I had to do it the opposite way you are because I had my Strat before any of my Jackson's. You're going to love the cleans and semi dirty sounds you'll get with that. Nice score and HNGD!!!!

[ulijdavid]

You're going to be in for a real treat with the ash body. All of the Strats I have played with an ash body have a great "woody" tone. I have never gotten that tone out of any of the alder bodies. Congrats and a pretty nice price too!

[bombtek]

Nice! Vintage-style frets aren't a big deal, but I hope you can deal with the vintage 7.25" radius. I can deal with the 9.5" radius on Strats, but just barely.

LOL I didn't even give that a second thought. I've been playing Charvels a few Jacksons (but mostly Charvels) since about 86. I have my Agiles with their radius, and other makes as well. But NOTHING that comes close to a 7.25"! I'm sure I'm gonna be like...WTF? Yep I bought this one pretty much exclusively on it's "vintagy" merits and looks . Looking forward to the impending frustration of having to relearn again. But then again, it truly can't make me sound any worse than I already am on guitar!

[FunkyApocalypse]

One of the nicest Strats I have seen, nice score.

[VitaminG]

oh noes, what hav u dun?

enjoy it, man. That's a sweet looking axe.

[shramiac]

Big headstock +1!!!

[bombtek]

Lotsa Aussies replying in this thread...is it hot there yet? I'm sure Toowoomba is. Cairns not so much.

[leftykingv2]

You're going to be in for a real treat with the ash body. All of the Strats I have played with an ash body have a great "woody" tone. I have never gotten that tone out of any of the alder bodies. Congrats and a pretty nice price too!

+1 My Vintage Strat and Tele are both ash!

[Hellbat]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Everyone needs one Strat in their arsenal. My Strat's neck is kind of built like a C/J neck with big frets and compound radius though. My only issue with it is it doesn't have noiseless pickups and in my main playing space it hums and buzzes like a mofo. When I get an interference free area to play it in, it sounds amazing though so I'm hesitant to swap the pickups out. I'm thinking of maybe ordering a loaded pickguard then I can just hang on to the stock one and change them out if needed.

[roodyrocker]

Congrats bombtek, there is nothing wrong with including a Strat in your guitar collection. Hellbat, assuming your Strat has a 5 way position pickup selector switch, positions 2 and 4 are always noisier than 1, 3, and 5. But anyway, make sure you're not by fluorescent or neon lighting. That adds lots of noise. The other thing which may work if you like the sound of your current pickups is perhaps one of those Hum Eliminator boxes perhaps?

[straycat]

There will be no string bending just be ready for that.
Keep 10's on it and raise the action a bit and you should be OK with it.

[Shawn Lutz]

Nice score! and congratulations. I always loved strats...just hate single coils in the bridge and std trems. A strat with a floyd and hum? perfecto!

I love the large head stock too...fret board radius a non issue for ma as well.