LaupMcr Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 (edited) Why does my 30 year old rosewood Mexican strat sound and feel so good compared to newer models? Thanks, Paul Edited December 17, 2023 by LaupMcr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 If you've had it since new, I would imagine that you're getting to be quite familiar with how it feels and plays, and anything else would feel strange. On the other hand, if you've only recently acquired it, some instruments have 'mojo' (a technical term...); that indefinable 'je ne sais quoi' that gives it sublimity in spades. There is, as yet, no agreed scientific explanation for this, and it's beyond the realms of possible for manufacturers or artisans to build 'mojo' into their production except by chance. If your guitar sounds and feels great, just play it and thank your lucky stars. Be warned: 'mojo' is not transmissible. If you pass the instrument on to someone else, they may well find it to be a 'dog'; we all have differing perceptions of what constitutes great sound and feel. Hope this helps. Douglas 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 I think sometimes guitars also change a little over time. It's much more obvious with acoustics, but pickups and things age over time too... I think too there is just a lot to be said for how a guitar wears in ,feels in the hand over time. The hand will sense those tiny, minor differences that the eye can't see. It's like when you have a favourite pair of shoes, and you buy an identical pair from the same brand a few years later, they'll not be quite the same or feel just quite the same until broken in. A lot if it is also psychological, imo. I once had the opportunity to play Hendrix's Black Angel, the custom lefty Flying Vee. When I played Purple Haze on it, it felt like that song was just in there. Part of that will doubtless be that Jimi played that number on there so many times, there will be those wear patterns, for want of a better way of putting it, but also - handling a hero's guitar? A mystical object like that? Bound to be something all in the mind with it. I don't even like other flying Vs.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaupMcr Posted December 18, 2023 Author Share Posted December 18, 2023 Yeah, that all makes sense. It's definitely a feel thing, even the fact that it's rosewood compared to maple makes a difference to me (i know it also makes a difference to the sound). There is something about certain guitars (look and feel) that somehow connect with your character. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted December 18, 2023 Share Posted December 18, 2023 32 minutes ago, LaupMcr said: Yeah, that all makes sense. It's definitely a feel thing, even the fact that it's rosewood compared to maple makes a difference to me (i know it also makes a difference to the sound). There is something about certain guitars (look and feel) that somehow connect with your character. ... and can change from day to day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo85 Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 I don't know anything about guitars, I just play a Fazley telecaster copy, but if the two things I have learnt about bass guitars can be of help, over such a long period of time Fender is likely to have made small changes in terms of some of these factors: -neck radius -neck depth and overall shape -neck finish -fret size (which for the older strat may have also been affected by fret dressing at some point?) -pickup winding Any of those things would make a massive difference in feel, and the pickups would make a massive difference in terms of sound. Then there is QC. No two industrially made guitars have the same quality in terms of fretwork, which affects playability and even sound. On that front, there are simple but big things like nut slots. Any chanche they are cut a bit lower in the older guitar? Possibly a bit down in the list there is the fretboard material, which feels different under the fingers, especially if frets are not big. And maybe feels different as the wood ages. Also, I personally tend to fall in love with naturally aged necks. I am pretty sure technically it does not make any difference in terms of amplified sound nor in terms of playability (unless it's bare wood, which is never the case). But it just feels nice to hold them in my hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaupMcr Posted December 19, 2023 Author Share Posted December 19, 2023 Yeah that makes a lot sense. I'm sure cost cutting plays a part in the newer models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 18/12/2023 at 16:55, LaupMcr said: Yeah, that all makes sense. It's definitely a feel thing, even the fact that it's rosewood compared to maple makes a difference to me (i know it also makes a difference to the sound). There is something about certain guitars (look and feel) that somehow connect with your character. TBh, I think for me personally the feel - and even the look of a guitar - makes as much of a difference, maybe, more, than the sound. When I life an LP style guitar, my approach, my own associations, both conscious and unconscious, with that style as distinct from a Strat, a Tele, my HB JA or MR Classic are so specific that I approach the instrument in a different way, and that every much informs what and how I play. There are guitars out there I could never play my best on because I hate how they look so much. (Though that can be overcome: years ago I bought a Steinberger Spirit as a travel guitar, before the restrictions changed and anything bigger than a violin case had to be checked in hold baggage - and although it was a purely utilitarian choice, an appreciation for how it actually worked so well gave me a new appreciation for its aesthetics.) On 19/12/2023 at 09:58, Paolo85 said: I don't know anything about guitars, I just play a Fazley telecaster copy, but if the two things I have learnt about bass guitars can be of help, over such a long period of time Fender is likely to have made small changes in terms of some of these factors: -neck radius -neck depth and overall shape -neck finish -fret size (which for the older strat may have also been affected by fret dressing at some point?) -pickup winding Any of those things would make a massive difference in feel, and the pickups would make a massive difference in terms of sound. Then there is QC. No two industrially made guitars have the same quality in terms of fretwork, which affects playability and even sound. On that front, there are simple but big things like nut slots. Any chanche they are cut a bit lower in the older guitar? Possibly a bit down in the list there is the fretboard material, which feels different under the fingers, especially if frets are not big. And maybe feels different as the wood ages. Also, I personally tend to fall in love with naturally aged necks. I am pretty sure technically it does not make any difference in terms of amplified sound nor in terms of playability (unless it's bare wood, which is never the case). But it just feels nice to hold them in my hand. Yes. Look and feel are, if anything, underrated as reasons to buy / not buy particular guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
