I have loads. People are talking about Fenders. The Mexican ones suck. Don't waste your money on those. Late 80s // early 90s Jap/Korean Squiers are much better, if you can't afford a USA. This is my main Strat, 1986, MIJ 72 re-issue.. Rare as hen's teeth.. Built when the Corona plant shut down & production moved to Japan for a couple of years. & they gave Fender a serious kick up the arse & the American guitars came back better.. Seriously the best Strat I ever played. I've only had it 12 years, totally mint, had been sat in it's beautiful tweed case for 30 years. Mick taylor has played it, Peter Perrett's son Jamie borrowed it for 2 years. it's the absolute borrocks, it really is. I don't like the colour & plan a white paint job. Will de-value the guitar, but I don't care. It's my keep forever Stratocaster.. There she is, with the Perret band..
No disrespect to Mexico with Fender, or countries who build cheaper guitars under classic brand names. But I wouldn't give tuppence. of course, I'm a snob, been playing a long time. Saying that, players, in the know, are aware of some great lawsuit builds in the 70s, illegal, but built to spec.. I have this awesome 1988 Epiphone Les Paul, prior to the budget range, A Gibson in all but name, even has the open book head. It blows my 92 Gibson away, but people might still be snotty that it's 'only an Epiphone..'? Don't get me started on my Telecasters, I'll be here all week.x
The irony is that Hooky had never played or owned a guitar before him and Sumner decided to form a band after seeing the Pistols at Manchester. He therefore bought a bass and the rest is history ! Sumner owned a guitar but was hardly proficient. Obviously they didn’t do too badly !
His stuff with Joy Division and the early New Order stuff is excellent - fairly straightforward but very effective & imaginative. Disappointingly he seems to have turned into a bit of a strummer with the more recent stuff.
It was always implied that he preferred vocals and electronic stuff to the guitar but his greatest performances were doing Age of Consent which was the first tune they played on the first time I saw them around 84
Perrett's sons were in an early version of Babyshambles for a time (2004-2006). Perrett himself joined The Libertines onstage in 2004 for a rendition of Another Girl, Another Planet, Doherty understandably was taken with the older Peter and had an affiliation with him. Doherty was saying in the press that Perrett was going to produce Babyshambles' second single Killamangiro, which never happened. This was at the height of Doherty's addiction, and when Perrett was a recluse.
That's right. His boys play with him now, I know the family really well. I auditioned for his first solo band in the 90s, my pal Jay got the job. Barrstard..
Some of the new Mexican strats are some of the best guitars I've ever played/heard. I had an American Tele, looked gorgeous, well built, but played awfully. Must have had over 50 guitars in my life and played many, many more, and I always end up going back to the cheap Fender strats. You're right, the Korean Squiers are great. Most of the MIJ too, but some of the newer stuff I've heard can be a bit iffy. Different strokes for different folks of course. But for the vast majority of people, give a good guitar player a Mex strat and an America, they won't be able to really tell the difference. I just find the Mex seem to feel better... whether thats because I can play them a bit more freely instead of damaging an expensive American one, I don't know.
Aye, I was a bit mean about the MIMs. I think it took a couple of years to get them up to scratch. They weren't coming out of the factory as playable as they could have been. Some people still slate the MIJs, but the 80s ones are fantastic. I keep hoping to drop on lucky with a early 80s JV Squier at a decent price. Chuck Prophet has a blonde tele & plays very little else..
There's myself & PP when I picked up my Strat after a the loan. Nowadays he lives in the legendary old Pathway studio building. A tiny place, pretty cool to visit him there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathway_Studios & one of his boy Jamie when he came up to Sheffield to borrow it, a couple of years earlier. & my old dog, Ellie..