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Being a huge fan of EC, I had to get myself one of these. After saving my pennies, I grabbed a black "Blackie". I love all my strats as if they are children, but "Blackie" is something special. The first thing that struck me was the 8 hole 1 ply pickguard. A little odd I thought, but handy for stuffing a pick into as it doesn't sit flat against the body. The diversity in sound is what really makes this guitar stand out. It took me a little while to come to terms with the options and I've seen an odd review around where people bag the EC Strat for being difficult, but I think they just don't play it long enough to understand it. A two stage middle tone pot takes you into a strange territory, giving a real muffled sound (which you can get an idea of by listening to Journey Man by EC) which when mixed with a healthy dose of distortion can get some great sounds that are near on impossible to get through anything else. The TBX boost is great for solo's, adding a bit of extra volume and bite to the sound. The vintage noiseless pickups are, well, noiseless but you still get a beautiful "strat" sound which can be pushed to give a cleaner version of the vintage strat sound. I've played Blackie through a Fender Supersonic (lovely amp), Peavey Delta Blues 15 (nice laid back blues sound) and a Mesa Boogie 525. For versatility, this is one of the best strats around. I'd love Fender to make an EC Plus with S1 switching and a coil split humbucker in the bridge for the absolute ultimate, then I could retire my Les Paul to pasture, but then again, it's a lovely guitar itself. A lovely sounding, versatile, easy playing guitar. 9.5 out of 10 for me and pretty much as good as money can buy.
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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