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Hatsubai « Strat with some attitude »
Published on 08/16/11 at 18:16This is the Lone Star strat, which is also known as the Pearly Gates strat because that's what pickup it has in the bridge position. It's very similar to a regular fat strat. This guitar has an alder body with a maple neck, a rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, two point tremolo, HSS configuration, one volume, two tones and a five way switch.
UTILIZATION
This Fender was put together pretty good, although there were some slight issues. The frets, while even, weren't completely crowned. I noticed that they were a touch flat. It doesn't really hurt anything too much, but it can affect action a bit. The nut on this was cut properly, so no issues there. The neck joint on this was also nice and tight, and that's always a good thing to see on these Fenders as they can sometimes get a bit sloppy. The radius on this isn't exactly my favorite radius in the world. I tend to prefer flatter ones, but that's just me.
SOUNDS
The main reason people buy this guitar is for the Duncan Pearly Gates that's in the bridge. However, this isn't the standard Pearly Gates pickup. It's the Pearly Gates Plus. This is a Pearly Gates with an Alnico V magnet instead of the normal Alnico II. This makes it a bit brighter. In fact, it's very close to the Duncan 59 instead of the actual Pearly Gates itself. I find that it works nice for certain things, but I'd probably replace them with other pickups that are out there.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a guitar that has an old school PAF sound but has singles in the neck and middle, this might be worth looking into. The quality control on these can sometimes vary, so keep that in mind. I recommend playing a bunch before buying, if you can. If not, try getting one real cheap on eBay or something so you can sell it again easier.
UTILIZATION
This Fender was put together pretty good, although there were some slight issues. The frets, while even, weren't completely crowned. I noticed that they were a touch flat. It doesn't really hurt anything too much, but it can affect action a bit. The nut on this was cut properly, so no issues there. The neck joint on this was also nice and tight, and that's always a good thing to see on these Fenders as they can sometimes get a bit sloppy. The radius on this isn't exactly my favorite radius in the world. I tend to prefer flatter ones, but that's just me.
SOUNDS
The main reason people buy this guitar is for the Duncan Pearly Gates that's in the bridge. However, this isn't the standard Pearly Gates pickup. It's the Pearly Gates Plus. This is a Pearly Gates with an Alnico V magnet instead of the normal Alnico II. This makes it a bit brighter. In fact, it's very close to the Duncan 59 instead of the actual Pearly Gates itself. I find that it works nice for certain things, but I'd probably replace them with other pickups that are out there.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a guitar that has an old school PAF sound but has singles in the neck and middle, this might be worth looking into. The quality control on these can sometimes vary, so keep that in mind. I recommend playing a bunch before buying, if you can. If not, try getting one real cheap on eBay or something so you can sell it again easier.