Ventures Fender Stratocaster

Almost every guitar player has a Stratocaster, many started with it as their first guitar.  Don Wilson played a few (both maple & rosewood fret, in sunburst body) when he and Bob Bogle started The Ventures in late '50.

Rosewood fretboard


Maple fretboard


So I got myself a Fender 50th anniversary Strat and a Fender 57 Vintage reissue.  I found that I really prefer maple fretboard to rosewood.  The Strats I bough later all come with maple fretboard.





I even got myself a vintage 1976 Fender Strat but did not care for the feel and tone.  Had also tried a few vintage 60's Strats. The ones I tried did not impress me much and I couldn't afford them anyway.



Sold all three of them eventually and upgraded to a Fender Custom Shop Strat



I was happy with the CS Strat until I saw a Custom Strat made by a boutique shop maker; Don Grosh in Bloomfield, CO.  I love the feel of it's specially treated neck (beautiful 1 pc 5A Birdseye neck too!) and the Fralin S/S/S pickups. This Strat will stay with me for a while.



In addition to The Ventures instrumentals, my band also play the tunes by The Shadows, so I bough an used Fender Hank Marvin Signature Strat from another guitar player. It was made in Japan but sounds and plays better than my previous American Strats.  I love that odd "Fiesta Red" color and the upgraded Kinman pickups.  This is my work horse and I take it to practice, jam, gig everywhere.  Many of my fellow players think that the only guitar I have.





The other lead guitarist of The Ventures; Gerry McGee loves to play Strats with Lace Sensor Pickups.  In addition to the Jazzmaster, Jazz bass, Fender also designed together with Gerry and issued a Tribute Strat in 1996.  In 2008 Gerry worked with Combat; a Japanese guitar maker to produce his own Gerry McGee Signature Telecaster. It is probably marketed in Japan only as I have not seen them in the US.  I was lucky to get one.  It looks and plays more like a Strat than a Telecaster .  We will talk about that guitar later.

Gerry with 1996 Ventures Tribute Strat


Gerry with his Combat Signature Telecaster


That's my story on Ventures Strat.  I will wait for a few days for viewers to chime in.... then move on to Jazzmaster.