Stratotone:Birth Year guitar?

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 5:03 pm

Everyone wants a "Birth Year" guitar but any electric guitar from my birth year is going to be expensive.The only way to get something cool that is still affordable is it find one that has been refinished or modified. That said,I just ordered this guitar from Guitar Center because It gotta be close to my birth year and I can return it if I don't like it. Also,it should sound cool through my new amp.

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westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 5:16 pm

Also it would be a good candidate to be refinished like Richie Valens guitar

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 5:20 pm

Hope it works out! One that might not get sold if it does?

I think one of the reasons I put off getting a strat for so long was that I'd always secretly wanted an '87 Japanese Squier strat.

George · Post by **George** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 5:23 pm

That would be very cool.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:20 pm

Actually the color of this H44 is kinda cool. I think it is "Studebaker Red" like the '49 (testbed) Telecaster(below).

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:52 pm

This tele reminds me this

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Tue Apr 04, 2017 7:20 pm

2003 Melody Maker,nice! Here is the story about the "Studebaker Red" Tele.

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westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:19 pm

It's funny,I have been looking at these guitars online for years but never noticed all the differences between the 3 models(pickups,fretboards,bridges and electronics).

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 2:53 pm

I never really paid attention to them and also thought there is only one model of this guitar

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:22 pm

sunshiner wrote:I never really paid attention to them and also thought there is only one model of this guitar

Yeah,apparently the H44 made it's first appearance in their 1953 catalog(above). That is what makes this the perfect "birth year" guitar for me.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:54 pm

I made some other threads about Stratotones years back.

Stratotone Doublet(2010)

Afie's Stratotone(2011)

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westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:12 pm

1950s Spanish Electric Guitars - early solidbody electrics

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:22 pm

I think most people had forgotten about these until this happened.

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 4:24 pm

There's also the Stratospheres:
http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=61295&sid=ca48ec3489d9a574cf2d447f69c336df

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westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:35 pm

Nice! There is one on Reverb for $15,000 It's a '57 so too late for my "Birth Year" guitar,lol.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:10 pm

Did you know that the 1st solidbody Carvin guitars were Harmony Stratotones customized with an extra pickup?

sunshiner · Post by **sunshiner** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:15 am

I used to like checking the website of Carvin. Wanted to purchase their Nomad amp as it got good reviews, was cheap and could be switched from 110 Volts to 230 Volts. Didn't know how they started.

The interesting thing for me about Stratotone is that it is one of the rare guitars which is not strat or tele but which has 25.5" scale length

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 3:10 pm

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Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 6:27 am

sunshiner wrote:I used to like checking the website of Carvin. Wanted to purchase their Nomad amp as it got good reviews, was cheap and could be switched from 110 Volts to 230 Volts. Didn't know how they started.

They have a different business model: they priced everything cheaper than anyone else, but sold everything everything by mail order, so there are no Carvin dealers. There are a few physical shops in LA and other places in California, and they only stock Carvin gear, including PAs, amps, and they used to offer custom specifications on their guitars (you could specify the neck specs, pickups, finish and so on). I don't know if they are that successful now with the internet, but they did quite well in the 80s and 90s.

There's a bit of info on their Wikipedia page: lank

jcyphe · Post by **jcyphe** » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:35 pm

That Carvin pickup in the ad is also on the earliest Mosrites. Carvin and Franz(found on alot of Guild guitars) were some of the first companies to offer after market pickups.