# I Want to Take Up the Guitar... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 16, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063 "2009-10-16T18:13:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/61 "2009-10-22T05:02:56Z")
Also, teal is a very respectable Strat color, very surf music vibe. It’ll grow on you. I’d love to have a teal Strat. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/62 "2009-10-22T11:27:18Z")
A morning check-in and jeez, lots of progress. Sounds like you are headed in the right direction, albeit rather quickly. I trust you’ll love the Blues Jr. (get a pedal) As for the Strat, you seem to already realize: if you find yourself wanting to play it, you need to listen to that. \*\*squeegee \*\*is offering good observations and advice - including trying other guitars - but ending up with a teal Strat could be a great end to this chapter in your guitar acquisition story. A Surf Green or Daphne Blue Strat are custom color legends - just go to the Gear Page and do a search on either color in the General Guitars forum. You _can_ thicken up a Strat tone - get a pedal. Definitely try an overdrive - Bad Monkeys are dirt cheap and reliable - but a distortion pedal is all about thickening up your tone, so I suspect you could make good use of one. Confirm whether either Tone control on the Strat affects your bridge pickup - on some Strats, they don’t (hence \*\*squeegee’s \*\*comment on incomprehensible tone controls), so you can’t roll off highs. _If_ you like that Strat and _If_ you find that a Blues Jr. + stomp box combo doesn’t bring the thick rock enough, then you can get an easy mod done to get the bridge pickup wired to a tone control. Roll it off to about 8 or so and you could be in heaven. Keep us posted. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/63 "2009-10-22T13:52:28Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’ve always wanted to play the guitar. time has passed and something always seems to get in the way. It hasn’t stopped me from appreciating what others can do. Just got done watching American Masters segment on Les Paul. Wow. Just wow. That’s \*\*Les Paul: Chasing Sound \*\*and is available on DVD - I have a copy; totally worth it. …and it is never too late to start playing! ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/64 "2009-10-22T18:39:04Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > A Surf Green or Daphne Blue Strat are custom color legends - just go to the Gear Page and do a search on either color in the General Guitars forum. And if its [Lake Placid Blue](http://www.fender.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0144702302_xl.jpg) (the Fender color that looks most ‘teal’ to me), I’m totally drooling. I love that color on a guitar. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/65 "2009-10-22T18:46:33Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > And if its [Lake Placid Blue](http://www.fender.com/products/prod_images/guitars/0144702302_xl.jpg) (the Fender color that looks most ‘teal’ to me), I’m totally drooling. I love that color on a guitar. That might be it (I don’t have a good memory for colours). Looking at my poor little amp with no guitar plugged into it this morning, I might have to skip the whole ‘broaden my horizons and try an SG and a Les paul, etc’ thing. A guitar in the hand is worth two in the store. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/66 "2009-10-22T20:16:12Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > …and it is never too late to start playing! I will second that. I started at age 50 and have been loving it ever since. Seems like a good way to get through a midlife crisis! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/67 "2009-10-22T20:23:32Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > A guitar in the hand is worth two in the store. [It’s no longer in the store](http://www.raggedclown.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/picture-14.jpg) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/68 "2009-10-22T20:51:37Z")
Yaay!!! Congratulations! I know you’ll be happy together. (Hmmm, that looks like Sea Foam Green to me, not teal. I like it! And a maple fingerboard, I loves me some of that.) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/69 "2009-10-22T20:52:42Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > [It’s no longer in the store](http://www.raggedclown.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/picture-14.jpg) 🙂 Coolness - and if anything, that’s [Daphne Blue](http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop_image/product/8c38236cc88dd895aafacaef35a0811f.jpg)…very cool. Now - go get a pedal. 😉 And play the crap out of your rig - looks like a ton of fun. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/70 "2009-10-22T20:58:59Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Yaay!!! Congratulations! I know you’ll be happy together. > (Hmmm, that looks like Sea Foam Green to me, not teal. I like it! And a maple fingerboard, I loves me some of that.) Thanks Squeegee & Wordman for all the encouragement. I would still have been playing the same old piece of crap for the next twenty years if it had not been for this thread. It’s Surf Green. Dunno where I got teal from. I think it’s the fingerboard that made me fall in love. It just screams quality and my fingers just slide over it. Any idea how I can find out the exact model? It’s made in Mexico and says "original contour body " on the head. Guy in store said it’s a remake of the '57 (or something). ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/71 "2009-10-22T21:02:27Z")
Got the serial# ? It should be stamped on the back of the headstock. I think there’s sites that let you look up a guitar using that. **WordMan** will likely know about this stuff, his guitar geekery is legend. ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/72 "2009-10-22T21:12:15Z")
MZ7084582 - I found a few sites that tell me that it was made in Mexico in 2007. But not the exact model. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/73 "2009-10-22T21:19:28Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > MZ7084582 - I found a few sites that tell me that it was made in Mexico in 2007. But not the exact model. Not sure on the exact model - I would have to hang out in a few Fender-ific message boards and/or websites. But it should be find-able. AFAIK, the Mexican Strats are most commonly just “Stratocasters” with nothing in front of them unless they are a specific run like “Roadworn” or “Nashville” (which is a Tele with a middle pickup installed), etc…they are nicknamed “Mexi-Strats” and are considered to be an excellent buy and often as good as or better than their U.S. counterparts… That might be considered a '57 simply because 1957 is considered “the best” year for the 50’s maple-necked Strats - although '57 is a LOT less revered as a Strat year vs., say 52 for a Tele (hence the 52 Reissue that is the standard U.S. Tele model) or '59 for a Les Paul Standard Sunburst… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/74 "2009-10-22T21:28:23Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > AFAIK, the Mexican Strats are most commonly just “Stratocasters” with nothing in front of them unless they are a specific run like “Roadworn” or “Nashville” (which is a Tele with a middle pickup installed), etc I thought the Fender nomenclature these days was “Standard Stratocaster” for a MiM strat. ? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/75 "2009-10-23T01:14:59Z")
I’m sure its something like that - you’re right, there is an “official” designation. Perhaps check Fenders’ website? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/76 "2009-10-23T03:23:24Z")
Just wondering if I was getting my countries straight. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/77 "2009-10-23T12:54:44Z")
Fender’s [website](http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?section=guitars&cat=stratocaster&subcat=standard)lists models - just check out the Standard Strat (as opposed to American Standard, which is U.S. made)… These pages get updated when they shift models - and they tend to make changes almost yearly to keep patsies like me engaged - but something like the Standard is, well, standard… ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/78 "2009-10-23T14:40:02Z")
That looks like mine. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/79 "2009-10-23T15:29:15Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > That looks like mine. Yours is very likely [this one](http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0144602332), in Surf Green. However, Surf Green is not a currently available color for this model, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t available in 2007. As **WordMan** said, Fender shakes this stuff up all the time. There’s undoubtedly a resource out there which tracks Stratocaster minutiae of this sort. It does say “Made In Mexico” on the headstock, right? ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063/80 "2009-10-23T16:06:13Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > It does say “Made In Mexico” on the headstock, right? Yes it does. My new friend and I spent some time bonding last night. I ran through pretty much every song I know. What a joy! I need some new material though. There is only so many times you can play Something followed by Wish You Were Here followed by Maggie May. Important question: Do you people name your guitars? It feels disrespectful to be calling her the “new strat”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-take-up-the-guitar/514063.md?page=5)