Hey Blueman, got a serious question for you!

[blueman335]

Or when you say, "So in your mind, if you're the better player, then the decades old 'LP vs. Strat' is settled in your favor?" when you know full well I am saying nothing of the sort, nor would I.

What you posted in another thread recently, wanting hear clips from me: Let's 'hear these great Les Paul tones that justify mocking Strat players for their lack of taste in the preferred instrument.' I interpreted that as a Strat vs LP challenge that hinged on my playing. It seemed like you insisted that I prove my case, as if there weren't enough CD's already with LP's on them. Sorry if I took it wrong. BTW, I've never mocked good Strat players, I've consistently praised them. I think one of the greatest losses in the history of music was Hendrix's death.

I have friends that have been professional musicians for decades, their whole adult lives. Some own Strats and Teles. I joke about them, they joke about my guitars. We all laugh. I do that here, and some guys get all huffy. Face-to-face we'd have no problems, any of us. Put everyone online and things change. I don't understand that. Everything I've said on the forum, I've said to many of the Fender owners I know, and not one of them has ever had a negative reaction. Nor I when they laughed at me and my approach to music. Why does it make enemies here? It doesn't have to.

[crusty philtrum]

So you don't like what someone says: don't read their posts, or in this case, threads about them.

I guess it's my own fault really. I should know better. My quirky way of describing my experiences with Stratocasters is clearly not able to be presented here unless i carefully modify my wording, as it seems is if you sit on high and swoop down the moment you see a few derogatory 'anti-Fender' words that you can use later when deriding said brand ; unfortunately disregarding the context in which those words were originally used. It seems you still won't accept that you took my words out of the larger context of what i had said when i used those words.

In the interests of balance, i will also say that i think many Gibsons are hunks of junk too in recent decades, and that's why when i lusted after a Les Paaul, i ended up buying a Hamer. I consider many Gibsons this way for different reasons .... Gibson guitars are built in traditional ways in a lineage that traces a long way back through mandolins and archtop acoustics, but their quality has been very hit-and-miss over the last 30 years, and for the prices one has to pay (particularly outside of the USA) they should all be good, not "make sure you play a lot to find a good one".

Anyway, now that i understand it is impossible for me to point out anything negative about (my) Fender instruments even in the bigger context of saying that i like them anyway, I will revert to a position of saying nothing because doing anything else has been proven to give you the opportunity to misrepresent what i may say.

Which is a shame, but that seems to be the state of play so i will need to sidestep it to avoid being further misrepesented.

[blueman335]

It seems you still won't accept that you took my words out of the larger context of what i had said when i used those words.

Relax, no need to clam up. Apparently you read my post in haste. Yes, I'm fully aware that you are a Strat fan. I just thought it's interesting that the worst things said about them are from the guys that play them. You've expressed great satisfaction with yours, along with a lot of problems and frustration. Maybe that's one of the reasons some of us choose not to own one.