Two strats here, although neither are the norm, … one isn’t even a true “Strat”, it’s a 1990’s “Squire” strat from Japan, … and I truly doubt I’d swap it for a Yank one. Fantastic guitar, … love it.
The Americans got that ■■■■■■ off at the quality they were producing, they shifted “Squires” off to Korea or something, and got the ■■■’s to just do the high end repro’s, shortly after the ■■■ Squires started out selling genuine Yank strats.
The other is an American one, that I bought that had the ridiculous floating bridge set up, with lockable headstock nuts.
Stripped it, and installed a modified classic Tele “Ashtray” bridge, (so sans wah wah and springs,) and mounted the strings in a “Through body” fashion, after blocking out the cavity with some very hard to source matching spruce.
I have a very different take on the relevance of timbers in Electric Guitars to most, and often have heated disputes with advocates of that scientifically disprovable stance, but thought that if there was a chance of timbers affecting tone at all, then they should have to be in contact with, and running through it, so decided to set it up that way.
Still can’t tell if it made a jot of difference, but I do like it now, even with it’s standard “stringy” original pick ups.
Next journey is to install a gen Fender humbucker in the tail possie, and wire it up with a splitter switch, and see how that sounds. Hoping it will become a sort of, “Universal use” weapon, so I can get away with just taking it, and an Amp, and be able to adequately use it for any style.
Although I do like to take the Maton MS500 with me, I also love that Guitar. You can stick your hundred tonne Les Pauls, and your horridly balanced SG’s fair where the sun don’t shine IMO,… one of those Aussie made & Owned babys, with a set of Seymour Duncans installed will shitt all over them.
When it comes to “Electric” Gutars, … there’s really nothing at all in a name or legend, … bar Name & legend. In the days of the like’s of Line 6 amp sim etc. It really only matters from the pick up onward. See Josh Homme & his Matons,… all the way to Grohls Lucite special. No one had a clue he had produced the prior record with essentially a “Plastic” guitar, until he produced it on stage for the tour.
Also, someone mentioned White Stripes in this thread or another, … if you are unaware what Jack was playing on at least the 1st 2 Albums, you should check it out before thinking spending thousands and thousands on any Electric, … no matter the rep or pedigree.
One of the greatest scams ever pulled on the world, was the equating of the relevance of tone woods in electric instruments, to the actual, trule relevance thay have in acoustics.
