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Topic: I just got a great deal on a Stratocaster!.......... |
Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 30 Jul 2010 9:02 am |
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Yesterday I was at a guitar dealer's house looking at his latest aquisitions and spotted an Eric Clapton signature "Blackie" Stratocaster. I asked him what he wanted for it and he said I could take it home for $500.... I said I'd get back to him. I went to Guitar Center and found that the standard EC strat went for $1,599 and the Custom Shop version $3,500... I immediatly went home and got my checkbook and bought the guitar. It turns out it's a 2000 model so it's 10 years old but it great shape.....
It was really grimy so I took it home and took off the strings and polished and cleaned it up till it sparkled and then put on a set of 9-42 Elixer strings and lowered the action to where I like it and got it gig ready......
We do three sets on our Thursday night gig so I thought for the first one I'd just leave me effects board unhooked and go straight into the amp (MusicMan HD-212 One Fifty) which was really nice. The guitar sounded awesome to say the least....
The standard Strat control configuration is a master volume and tone control and two tone controls, one for the neck pickup and one for the middle pickup. This guitar has the master volume on top and the middle knob is a master tone for all three pickups.
the bottom knob is a midrange boost which has it's own circuitry and is battery operated from a 9V battery in the tremolo compartment. When you crank this up the volume increases and it makes the single coil pickup(s) sound like a humbucker, very useful!
Also the tremolo is factory blocked with a piece of wood (Just like Clapton's is) which is nice as it's unuseable but it doesn't move when bending strings.
I went to the TDPRI forum and a thread was going on about the EC Strats with some comments that the best ones were the older models with Lace Sensor pickups which is exacly what I have........
All in all, I think it's the best $500 I've ever spent in a good while and it's a "keeper". I'm going to take it to all of my gigs and A/B it along with my trusty Telecaster! Here's some shots of it, a little dark but I was the photographer.....JH in Va.
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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 30 Jul 2010 12:07 pm Congrats!
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| The deal of the day! Strats will live forever. |
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Mike Taylor
From:
Wetumpka, AL
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Posted 30 Jul 2010 3:15 pm Hardees world tour
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Will I see it Tuesday nite??? See ya there..
Mike |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 30 Jul 2010 3:38 pm
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Nice job on the cleanup Jerry. That thing looks beautiful. What a deal! 
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Mark |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 30 Jul 2010 9:15 pm
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Thanks guys.......
Mike, this is the guitar you'll be playing with us on Tuesday night! I have an adjustable guitar strap for it as I know you're "vertically challenged"  .......JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Mike Taylor
From:
Wetumpka, AL
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Posted 31 Jul 2010 3:44 am
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Just bring me a step stool!!!
I'll call you tomorrow when I hit town.. Staying up by the Patrick Henry Mall.
Mike |
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Mike Taylor
From:
Wetumpka, AL
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Posted 4 Aug 2010 2:07 pm
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Jerry..
I had a great time picking with you guys. This guitar plays and sounds great. I think the action is just right!!! Tell Russell and the gang thanks for the hospitality..
Mike |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 6 Aug 2010 8:24 am
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Hey Mike, I took it to GC to the setup guy and had the nut slots filed and the frets dressed so I could get the action "really low" on it and then took it to the gig last night. It played so well that I left my trusty old Telecaster in the case. I can't believe that this guitar has more treble than my Tele does, could it be the Lace sensors? Here's a shot of Mike taken a year or two ago when he was in town and still in the Air Force, if you'll notice, he's playing a "lesser" guitar. Then a shot taken last Tuesday with me on Tele, Russell Willaford on Gibson SG and Mike on a "real Strat"!......JH in Va.
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Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Mike Taylor
From:
Wetumpka, AL
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Posted 8 Aug 2010 3:54 pm lesser guitar player maybe!!!
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Jerry..
Thanks for the back handed compliment!!! It was great to pick with you guys again. That Strat is a fine guitar and yes with those pickups I think you can get as much cutting treble as your tele.. Now don't go and get the action too low!!! See you next time and let me know how the CD is coming. BTW can you send these pictures to my email.
Thanks
Mike |
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