NGD! Pawnshop Rondo Strat

[Glacies]

I meant to post pics last night but couldn't stop playing it. It's been in the shop since before Thanksgiving and every time I go in there I see it. I've been putting my hands on as many strats as I can becuase I wanted a bit more twanginess than my LP offers. Anyway, this was listed for 90, retail is 100, I offered the guy 50, he asked 60, I said done.

It is super comfortable for me to play (which is weird because I could not play a C neck at all when I first started) and I really funked it up last night.

It does need some work to get things a little better set up, but it plays out of the box so to speak and I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[Katastrophe]

You got that SX you were looking at?

Congrats!

 

[Glacies]

Thanks man.

Yeah, I'm really digging this thing. The neck is playing so fast for me for some reason.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Pics, or you're just making this all up.... oke

 

[Glacies]

I'm trying to one up your request and post a video of me playing it, but I keep forgetting when I get home from work. If I don't get it up tonight, it will be this weekend.

I love this thing though. I never realized how the neck was going to influence my playing. Suffice to say, it's 10X easier to play barre chords on this thing, but not as easy to play powerchords and they don't sound quite as good as they do on my LP either. But clean barres on this thing.... WOW. And again, it's a $60 guitar so I'm sure the pickups aren't the best but I'm just blown away by how much I'm enjoying the feel and the clean tone on this thing. I can't put it down.

I hated the tone of it when I finally got home and plugged it in. This prompted me to learn a little bit more on how to manipulate my tone from my amp. I finally found the settings I wanted for it and realized I had this amp for 2 years and still barely knew how to work it. In my defense I always have my eye on playing and not as much the tone. It's a modeling amp (Peavey Vyprr 15) so I can usually dial until I find something I like and leave it there which is all I've ever done with it. For the single coils that just didn't work.

Anyway, this is probably going to influence me to look at some of the more serious fender strats when I'm finally ready to take that plunge. I wanted to continue to develop my skills before I really splurge on a good guitar. I was very iffy when I was looking before, some of the actual Fenders I played didn't impress me for the price but I never looked at anything over a MiM at a pawnshop. I did enjoy playing the squire classic vibes though. The white one with the gold pickguard and maple fretboard kind of reached out and touched me and the tobaccoburst tele was pretty hot too.

Okay I'm rambling now, video to come soon.

In the meantime, I posted the last band get together in the member clip section (not the strat):

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/20244-Our-cover-of-Basket-Case

 

[duhvoodooman]

I definitely recommend strongly considering the Squier Classic Vibe series. I have both the '50s and '60s versions (maple vs. rosewood fingerbaord, plus a couple other differences), and you can pick 'em up for $380 new (less with a discount deal), and considerably less than that used. Solid quality guitars by any standard.

 

[Glacies]

I didn't know there was a 50's AND a 60's - not sure which ones I played... gonna have to go back and lock that down. Purchase will not happen for a while though. I need my wife to forget how much money I'm spending.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Here are my two Squier CV Strats--'50s on the left, '60s on the right:

 

[Glacies]

That blue one is awesome. Was the pickguard standard?

What is the functional difference between the '50s and '60s?

 

[duhvoodooman]

That blue one is awesome. Was the pickguard standard?

No, that's an aftermarket guard from Warmoth. It came with a plain white one (boring!).

What is the functional difference between the '50s and '60s?

Besides the fingerboards, the main difference between the two models is the pickups--alnico 3's on the '50s for a very jangly, bright tone, and alnico 5's on the '60s model, which are a bit fuller sounding with a stronger midrange.

 

[Glacies]

Better late than never?



Just messing around with it. I was in a weird position playing on my couch (I never play on the couch) and was having trouble fretting it properly.

The first thing I played was just a little rhythm diddy I like to play around with. Then I went into Sublime Badfish with a short solo that I play with it. Then I went into a song I'm working on, Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Shepherd. And then the last thing was Time of Your Life by Greenday.

 

[Glacies]

I put this thing through the paces today with the band. The drummer mentioned I was able to get a lot more notes ringing out than I ever had and asked me what I did. It's the guitar. The single coils were humming like a B, but this thing really sliced through once we started playing. I didn't expect it to stay in tune after about 3 hours of pretty hard playing either but it did and there were no problems with it.

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Congrats!

 

[Glacies]

Thanks man!

It seems that this guitar is way easier for me to play while standing. I also have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing going on with my beautiful, polished LP and my $60 SX beat up rusted screw strat.

 

[Katastrophe]

Congrats again! I love the look of the old headstock SXs.

 

[stingx]

Cool guitar. Sounds good. Play it till it breaks.

 

[Glacies]

Yesterday I was at the same pawn shop that I bought this SX, and I mentioned to the guy that I bought it from that I had it screaming with the band I play. The guy said "I'm not surprised man, the previous owner swapped out the pickups for DiMarzio's, the thing is nasty!"

Didn't know that.

 

[Katastrophe]

Then you got a good deal made great!