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[Ted O. Jackson]

> trying to cut back on costs by only putting 3 screws (in a triangular
> fashion) where the neck attaches to the body...he told me to stay away from
> these Strats because they will go out of tune all the time...so the Q is, are
> there any other known problems with the Strats that I should be aware of?
>
> ROBO
Robo,
I had one of that particular vintage, and it was apiece of shit.
That's why it took me 20 years to get another one.  The prices quoted
are pretty much the going rate.  If you live in a big city, you can
probably get a Strat, new, U.S. made for about 600 bucks.  That's
rock bottom.  Fender doesn't discount too much 'cause Strats are so
fuckin popular right now.  The Strat Plus is a lot nicer gtr, with
locking tuners and, most important, Lace Sensor P/Us.  figure to pay
about 750 or so.  The 70s models are to be avoided for a number of
reasons--poor quality finish, cheap hardware, cheap p/us, poor
workmanship, etc.  The 3-bolt neck is nowhere as stable as the 4
bolt.  The only good thing is the 'bullet' truss rod.  Makes
adjusting the tension a lot easier, but it's ugly!  The new ones have
corrected this by making the adjustment at the headstock, but with a
small allen-wrench socket that's invisible to the naked eye.  The new
ones, at least mine, are beauts.  I love mine alot, but it's
frustrating, esp if your used to Pauls.  Some times I sound like
Robin Trower, at others like robin droppings.  I've only had it a
month, but I like what I hear so far
ted