Mike McCready Strat MIM version

timmypix · September 2023

So, understandably, Pearl Jam are a big band so there's demand for this but... what makes this a signature model other than the relic job? The original's a 1960 Strat, right, nothing unique to it other than the wear?

I see the spec lists special pickups:
> custom Mike McCready Stratocaster pickups are voiced to replicate Mike's vintage single-coils
But surely they already do a 60s style Strat pickup in the Mexican line up? Or am I ignorant of something special about Mike's pickups?

GoldenEraGuitars · September 2023

timmypix said:

So, understandably, Pearl Jam are a big band so there's demand for this but... what makes this a signature model other than the relic job? The original's a 1960 Strat, right, nothing unique to it other than the wear?

I see the spec lists special pickups:
> custom Mike McCready Stratocaster pickups are voiced to replicate Mike's vintage single-coils
But surely they already do a 60s style Strat pickup in the Mexican line up? Or am I ignorant of something special about Mike's pickups?

Marketing. It’s all about marketing.

Creed_Clicks · September 2023

FUnnily enough the Squier J Mascic Jazzmaster seems to be extremely popular still, but I guess we are talking about a third of the price of this strat.

Creed_Clicks · September 2023

Someone needs to do some demos of Fredric Effects playing only Pearl Jam stuff

mo6020 · September 2023

MagicPigDetective said:

Mike McCready. Plays the guitar.

Bit late to this, but what an unexpected delight it was seeing a bit of Mad Season today. Thanks.

victorludorum · September 2023

soma1975 said:

McReady is an amazing player. PJ, Temple of the Dog and Mad Season all great.

Is he related to Mike McSteady, or Mike McGo? ;-)

timhulio · September 2023

CaseOfAce said:

almost certainly true if they weren't around when '10' was released in the early 90s heyday.

And I was around then. I wasn't trying to be "what, who?!?" like the aforementioned Youtube commenters. It's just that in an era of really exciting and innovative guitar playing and guitar music, Pearl Jam never struck me as a guitar band, but... more of an Eddie Vedder band.

You guys would hate to hear what I think of the guitar player(s?) in Foo Fighters.

Cols · September 2023

timhulio said:

It's just that in an era of really exciting and innovative guitar playing and guitar music, Pearl Jam never struck me as a guitar band, but... more of an Eddie Vedder band.

You guys would hate to hear what I think of the guitar player(s?) in Foo Fighters.

“Not a guitar band”?

I’m implore you, go off and have a listen to Ten. There’s guitars bloody everywhere. And they’re not just chord bashing, it’s intricately arranged and layered parts.

Eviltwin14 · September 2023

Pearl Jam Ten is one of the greatest debut rock albums. It's deffo guitars!
That MIM looks terrible to me. The YouTube Channel Let's Play All had Oswald guitars make him a homage strat and it looks really nice and whilst it may have been c£700 more than an MIM I suspect you are getting a higher quality instrument and made to your own specs. Here's a demo

https://youtu.be/QwM3SuAhAl8?si=yZfGSXCHQ_rrY2fw

stickyfiddle · September 2023

Guys, you have to remember that there hasn't been a single piece of good guitar music recorded since Purple Haze/Stairway/Hotel California/Eruption/Texas Flood/Cliffs of Dover (delete as required). You'd think people on a guitar forum would know that...

(FWIW I think that Mad Season video is utterly meh but there's no doubting the absolute powerhouse that is Ten)

Boromedic · September 2023

Have you heard the Mad Season album Mike? Tis great I think, I probably like it more than 10!! Not much in it tbf

stickyfiddle · September 2023

Boromedic said:

Have you heard the Mad Season album Mike? Tis great I think, I probably like it more than 10!! Not much in it tbf

No, or at least I don't remember if I have. I'll check it out

impmann · September 2023

stickyfiddle said:

Guys, you have to remember that there hasn't been a single piece of good guitar music recorded since Purple Haze/Stairway/Hotel California/Eruption/Texas Flood/Cliffs of Dover (delete as required). You'd think people on a guitar forum would know that...

(FWIW I think that Mad Season video is utterly meh but there's no doubting the absolute powerhouse that is Ten)

Utter bollocks (and I know you're being sarcastic/funny).

But honestly... the US grunge/alt acts of the early 90s did *NOTHING* for me at the time and still do nothing for me (with the exception of RAtM - but they are their own thing altogether). There was so much better stuff starting to come through on this side of the pond that connected with my younger self - because it was more relevant to my life then (and now).

And for the record - I fucking hate the Eagles.

Doesn't detract from the fact this is an ugly-looking battered Strat that isn't actually that different to any other 'relic' Strat, in reality...

Boromedic · September 2023

stickyfiddle said:

Boromedic said:

Have you heard the Mad Season album Mike? Tis great I think, I probably like it more than 10!! Not much in it tbf

No, or at least I don't remember if I have. I'll check it out

Yeah, give it a whirl, it's a bit of a slow burner compared to the immediacy of 10, but it's great. Layne's voice and the songs work so well together, great vibes. Such a loss I think in Layne and then Chris later on.

Svartmetall · September 2023

impmann said:
There was so much better stuff starting to come through on this side of the pond...

And then - like a steaming turd being dropped into a favourite Ming vase - Oasis happened, and British guitar playing was dumbed down for years.

soma1975 · September 2023

I'd take the best of PJ over anything made in the UK in the mid to late 90s.

His Strat is incredibly well known if you know anything about him. He's lead guitarist for one of the biggest touring bands in the world that has been going decades.

People's incredulity over the tribute guitar is weird when they also fawn over a Danish Pete pedal or Rabea guitar.

elstoof · September 2023

Svartmetall said:

impmann said:
There was so much better stuff starting to come through on this side of the pond...
And then - like a steaming turd being dropped into a favourite Ming vase - Oasis happened, and British guitar playing was dumbed down for years.

They had guitars? I always thought of them as more of a Liam Gallagher band

Boromedic · September 2023

For ze haters (and everyone else!!)

chris78 · September 2023

Svartmetall said:

impmann said:
There was so much better stuff starting to come through on this side of the pond...
And then - like a steaming turd being dropped into a favourite Ming vase - Oasis happened, and British guitar playing was dumbed down for years.

On the contrary. Guitar made a huge comeback and people stopped playing noodly indulgent bollocks that bores everyone to tears other than the muppet playing it

GoldenEraGuitars · September 2023

Svartmetall said:

impmann said:
There was so much better stuff starting to come through on this side of the pond...
And then - like a steaming turd being dropped into a favourite Ming vase - Oasis happened, and British guitar playing was dumbed down for years.

And yet I’d say Noel Gallagher influenced a lot more kids to start playing the guitar than Mike McCready did/does.

Good songs, albums, playing etc doesn’t require any form of technically profound wizardry. If anything, as a kid, if you hear stuff that’s too difficult and you think “nah, I can’t do that”. Hear an Oasis song (driven by the melody and not some complicated riff) and you think “hey, maybe I could play that”. That’s how I started, and I grew up in a house of GnR, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith etc.. it was hearing “rock n roll star” that made me wanna play.

Go figure.

hollywoodrox · September 2023

timhulio said:

My first thought was 'oh, I suppose Pearl Jam must have had a guitar player'. They're a rock band after all, but it had never crossed my mind.

As someone who hated the whole grunge thing I didn’t know who he was when I saw the email headline from peach and Andertons . It’s not bad for a relic strat but unless you’re a super fan or grunger it’s just a relic mim

hollywoodrox · September 2023

Can’t you usually get epiphone sig’s under a grand

hollywoodrox · September 2023

theatreanchor said:

Wouldn’t pay that much for any MEX Fender,
personally.

£1200 would be a better price point
Especially if it could be any FMIC company

eg a Charvel San dimas with Classic pointy headstock & crackle paint
or a Mexican Jack Butler (Steve Vai ) Jackson

hollywoodrox · September 2023

victorludorum said:

They go to all that effort doing a matching relic look, and then they stick the string tree in the wrong place. I know a lot of people don't care, but it bugs me. Bastards!

Really ? At the price point you’d expect it to be pretty spot on

hollywoodrox · September 2023

It does still seem expensive . Assuming you could get an American strat for a grand
Dropping production to Mexico should bring in a signature strat ,allowing for the extra work to relic & slightly different specs to a grand or £1200 at most .

that’s the same way FMIC manage to do crackle finishes on Jackson’s , they get the work done in China instead of Indonesia .

I thought they’d be able to do it for about the same price as a Vintera

jonnyburgo · September 2023

I don't have any issue with relics, in fact I own one but the Master Built thing is pretty mad, are they just really masterful at screwing things together?

Philly_Q · September 2023

Wow, so many arsey comments in this thread.

Cols · September 2023

timmypix said:

So, understandably, Pearl Jam are a big band so there's demand for this but... what makes this a signature model other than the relic job? The original's a 1960 Strat, right, nothing unique to it other than the wear?

I see the spec lists special pickups:
> custom Mike McCready Stratocaster pickups are voiced to replicate Mike's vintage single-coils
But surely they already do a 60s style Strat pickup in the Mexican line up? Or am I ignorant of something special about Mike's pickups?

I think the only real distinction from a standard 60s MIM Strat (other than the dubious benefits of having a friendly Mexican beat the shit out of your guitar before it leaves the factory) is that the fretboard radius is slightly flatter at 9.5” instead of 7.5”.

MagicPigDetective · September 2023

We've all got different perspectives on the music of the 90's. For me, and many in my small town where nothing happened, the music that came for Seattle was deeply relatable. Far more than the gobby Mancs and fashion victim Londoners that came after them, playing pastiches of 60's music. The early 90's was so full of inventive and great guitar bands, alternative, grunge, indie and shoegaze, blending genres and pushing effects, and what got me into playing guitar. Then in the mid 90's it all came to a halt, and whilst Britpop guitar bands gained big popularity, I didn't appreciate the lad culture and the narrower musical style that came with it.

But of course, I understand others will have the complete opposite view, which is fine. I consider McCready a guitar legend and one of my all time guitarists and fully deserving of signature guitars. Although I can't stand Noel and his music, I fully accept his role and influence in the guitar world!

Boromedic · September 2023

As ever, there's always room for, and to like both, it doesn't have to be the usual either or like everything seems to be these days. Both the grunge movement and the Britpop stuff are the soundtrack to my youth, love em both.

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Mike McCready Strat MIM version

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