Strat advice

[PaulS2]

I've been stratless for too long.....I love their sound but in my hands they can be pretty thin sounding. Love them, hate them, love them, etc, etc.....you get the idea.

I came across an 80's MIJ and it just felt right. Acoustically, sounded and resonated well - plugged in it was good, not great....but, it got me into the loving strat mind-frame again. I bought it at a fair price. In order to be a keeper it's going to need at least a pick-up swap and maybe pots....somewhere around $300 more.

Yesterday, I played a great feeling EJ strat - much nicer than the MIJ I just picked up (but twice as expensive even with the pick-up swap). Now I am torn. I'm in the love'n those strats mind-frame and not sure if I should spend to upgrade the MIJ (knowing well there is a nicer EJ out there) or just sell off the MIJ and spend double to get a great strat.

I'm sure some of you have been here before - all comments appreciated.

[Troubleman]

The MIJ Strat is what it is. If you LIKE IT and are going to play it, a pickup upgrade makes sense. The right pups could improve its tone. New pickups will not however, increase its value, nor will it turn your MIJ Strat into an EJ. If you REALLY LIKE the EJ, sell the MIJ and buy it. It's probably the easiest path to being satisfied. Please understand - you'll tear your hair out trying to turn your MIJ Strat into an EJ. With enough time and effort you might actually come close, and at a lesser (albeit not cheap) over-all price. Should you decided to sell your heavily modified MIJ Strat somewhere down the road, no matter how much you've put into it, you'll really see how far from an EJ it truely is.

my 3 pesos worth,

jb

[RichieRich]

ej's are great guitars and they hold their value well (if you buy it used and you're thinking of selling it down the road).

i picked up a highway 1 strat for cheap to satisfy my strat fix and it's just what the dr. ordered.

[candid_x]

Upgrading imported and/or cheap models never returns your investment. So if you hope to sell it sometime, accept the loss you'll take.

I put cash into an ash Charvel Strat kit guitar: new bridge, Fralin p'ups, even repeainted it, then wound up selling it for $100 to help fund a new G&L Legacy, which was everything I was REALLY wanting at the time.

Get the EJ if it's got what you need, and don't throw good money after bad on the MIM, is my advise.

[Jimi D]

Oh man, I owned at least 10 Fender Strats and a whack of clones before I finally found the one that was just 'right' for me... I went the upgrade route a bunch of times too, but it never really seemed to pay off for me in the end - I knew what I was looking for, but I was having a heck of a time getting there... In terms of $$, I don't want to even think about how much money I must have burned... I eventually gave up on ever finding the right Strat for me and lived without a Fender in the arsenal for three or four years! Then one day I found exactly what I wanted completely by chance; I plucked it off the wall in a local muso emporium for something to noodle on while waiting for a friend who was trying out a bunch of different amps... I instantly fell in love with the neck, had him play it a bit and thought the tone was fabulous, and I bought it... it's been my go-to guitar for three years now, and I don't think that will ever change... so all of that to say, I couldn't get to my ideal Strat by the upgrade path - maybe you can, but knowing what I know now, if I were you I'd go for the EJ and not look back...

[metz420]

For the cost of the EJ, you could simply build a strat yourself and have EVERY part exactly the way you want it. I've done it both ways and even on the botique guitars there is inevitably some little something that I want a little different to suit my needs. In the end, the little modifications here and there (pickups, neck, hardware, etc.) end up breaking the bank.

[PaulS2]

Thanks for all of your replies - good info.

I wasn't interested in building a strat - I find the wood is too much of a sound factor and too hit and miss to confidently know I could put something together which was what I wanted. And if it wasn't right, the chances of recouping the money spent were very slim.

I did go out and get the EJ - nice guitar! Just does what it's supposed to do and does it well.

After playing it for a few hours today and enjoying it through my '61 Fender Concert, I also decided to keep my MIJ for the same reasons I initially bought it. Fat, smooth and broken-in...but it does need a pick-up change somewhere in the future. I never expected it to sound like the EJ but wanted more of what a strat does well...the wood is there but the pick-ups are a little cold and a touch harsh.

[MichaelThomas]

If you can save for the EJ, then do it. But what sucks is that your strat craze might be gone by the time you have the cash.....well...only if you're as indecisive as I am.