Best HSS Strat on a budget

[uneven iris]

what is the best HSS Strat i can get that will be well contructed, solid feeling, and good out of the box for cheap? id like something under 1k USD but the cheaper the better of course. i would prefer something without a super chunky neck, and maple fretboard isnt neccesary but much encouraged. other than that, its all fair game for me. was thinking a Yamaha Pacfica Standard Plus, but ive heard Ibanez AZs are good, and i really like my Fender Player II Telecaster

[umbral dragon]

U can get a player 2 hss

[uneven iris]

i very much have looked at those, but i imagine theres better bang for my buck out there

[umbral dragon]

With a budget of 1k u can get a fair bit and have some options Altho of times its ppl w a budget of 200 looking for hss stuff

U could look at the Schecter nick Johnston hss

[uneven iris]

well id like to not waste money if possible lol. i have no issue finding HSS strats under 1k obviously, i just want the best value out of my purchase

[uneven iris]

i dont much care for the bridge single coil on strats, but i want a stratocaster style guitar for the neck+middle position

[umbral dragon]

If u want bang for buck on the cheaper end I say a squier classic vibe or a Pacifica then

I don’t have experience w the az

[uneven iris]

i have a feeling people are gonna say the pacifica

didnt know if there were any like super solid niche brands out there like eart tho

eart has a super sweet HH strat for like 250

[umbral dragon]

Cort might have one

[uneven iris]

very possible

[umbral dragon]

Yea the cort g110

And g250

[uneven iris]

yeah those look like pacificas

probably where theyre made

nope, just similar designs i guess

[lament mauve]

those new Earts are quite nice I hear@uneven iris

[marsh sedge]

If it doesn't have to be new, I'd look into a used Charvel. I meanwhile have two and they're absolute fine work horses right out of the box and even come with Seymour Duncans.

[stray fjord]

for $1k you can buy used American strats just about any given day

[stuck shell]

pacifica plus would be my pick

contoured heel, cool inlays, spoke wheel truss rod, gotoh hardware, ss frets, neve designed pickups

and the fact its yamaha

and 14” fretboard radius makes bends easier and less prone to choking

yeah pacifica plus

[uneven iris]

I only saw the 1 HSS i wasn't crazy about, but its possible I missed some

[uneven iris]

that would be cool. any particular series to look at?

[uneven iris]

I am seriously considering this one. absolutely stacked spec sheet for the price and, as you said, the fact that its a Yamaha

[tribal pasture]

i heard those pacifica+ pickups aren't great for distorted tones, haven't looked into how true that is though

[uneven iris]

I can always just swap it out

HAHAHA

they had no idea what to say for the cons did they?

[stuck shell]

i imagine they fetch a decent price used, considering theyre yamah exclusive and Rupert Neve voiced them

from the other pickup snobs ik that played them

theyre nice

unique(?)

[uneven iris]

yeah exactly, I cant find them anywhere so if I did sell it, I could probably get a pretty penny for it

[stuck shell]

or u cant find them anywhere cus everyone that has them likes them

[alpine orbit]

How about a Player II Modified

[uneven iris]

but im not getting for like slam metal or anything so it doesnt need to be the most tight pickup in the entire world

[stuck shell]

the only guitars that would contend against the yamaha to me are a charvel dk24 hss, and a Vola

i’d still probably choose the Yamaha, but the charvel has 24 frets

[alpine orbit]

I had one of these =]

[uneven iris]

I dont like noiseless pickups, and I dont want a Floyd, and everything else it has isnt worth the price jump from a player ii

I can put locking tuners and a graphtec nut on a player ii for way cheaper

[uneven iris]

thats not important to me, I have my ibby for metal lead work stuff on those upper frets. ill take a look at some charvels but its probably gonna be the Yamaha

[torpid karma]

Charvel hss with a gotoh 510

[stuck shell]

Yamaha also has a gotoh 510

[marsh sedge]

Basically any ProMod, San Dimas or DK, you might also take a look at the bridge, since a lot of Charvels come with a FR

[torpid karma]

yea

DK24s do come with a gotoh 510

for example

but the yamaha is also a good choice

i like charvel necks, they're quite thin and have a compound radius

but they're not so thin that it's weird to get used to like an ibanez wizard

and the finish is quite nice for the price

this one has a roasted maple neck so should feel even better

[balmy plank]

Honestly, everything mentioned above is fantastic

But if you want the cheapest possible, ima go with Ibby AZES, Pacifica 112V, used Fender Player

If you want pickups that are closer to that strat feel (like the neck pickup), and you don't wanna tinker with electronics, honestly just go used Fender

[uneven iris]

yeah my only issue with fender is they almost all do that block heel

its my one gripe on my tele, but it doesnt bother me a ton on that one

and i do take issue with those azes, ive heard the qc is lacking

id probably go for an AZ standard

[balmy plank]

Yep pretty much the biggest sticking point is that block heel, agreed

AZ standards are wonderful, give it a try

[uneven iris]

next gc trip i will