Carvalho from Brazil writes:

Dear Lori;
My guitar is Strat model, but is not Fender, just Eagle that i imagine you do not know. I brougt it in a Music shop in my town five years ago. I love the sound of my guitar. When I brought the guitar I had project to play rock”n’ roll like Nirvana, Alice in Chains with a friends, but it didn’t work right. Now I am just amateur, but I like too much play and watch you playing.
Many greetings from Brazil.
Carvalho.

This is an older picture of me with my Jackson Dinky EX that I have had since March of 1993. I got it at American music in Tukwila Washington in trade for a Fender HRR50 that I regret getting rid of…a momentary lapse of reason due to being booted from my first band. It was initially a deep metallic red. I later scraped all the paint off and there have been numerous rattle-can paint jobs over the years but I finally settled on black. It sat around my apt in piece for a couple years as I played various Ibanez RG models but I finally got around to putting it back together with a new original Floyd Rose, pickguard, and some EMG single coil pickups. Over time I put in two EMG 85s in the bridge and neck positions with a single in the middle and I now have Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz humbuckers and a hotrails single coil.

While I regretted the purchase after finding out that the neck pocket was a bit sloppy-I was not a very skilled or savvy guitar shopper at the time-I have since shimmed the neck and played many gigs with it. It has the loudest (and pleasant) unplugged/acoustic response of any electric I have ever had and with the recent fret leveling/dressing it plays as if it were brand new. Melodic leads with this guitar have a very vocal sound I am told…I have also been told to never get rid of the guitar…after all the work that’s gone into it…its stayin with me. Eddie Van Halen had his Frankenstein, this one is mine.

Mike Leslie
www.myspace.com/mikeleslieproject

Okay, so… here’s a piccy of my Strat n’ m’ self…

It’s a ‘77 - white, maple neck w/trem -

I bought this (new) in July ‘77… (after having seen Uli Jon Roth with the Scorp’s two months earlier !) It was bought in a shop called “Norbury Music” in South Croydon (UK)… it cost me £270.00 - (Two hundred and seventy “quid” as we say !). After a LOT of searching around (’cos I knew EXACTLY what I wanted), I feel I was very lucky to get this, ‘cos I really had my heart set on that “whiter than white” look, as opposed to the creamy/off white Strat’s that were appearing at the time. Also, it was one of the very last to be manufactured, with white plastics, before Fender decided to change over to black - (I SO wanted WHITE !) It also had/has a three way switch that I’d wanted… and of course, it felt nice to play. (I really n’ truly believe that I was meant to have this guitar !) It’s since had a respray - (in ‘95), and (more than I guess), a couple of refrets.

What do I like about it ?!
Hmm… it’s lovely to play, sounds very warm, (and I especially love the fact that it’s as light as a feather !) So… almost everything I guess ?! Hence (’til VERY recently), it’s been my true “one ‘n only” !

What don’t I like about it ?!
Like everyone, I get sick of it going out of tune, every time I even LOOK at the tremolo arm… however, I’m determined to keep it “pure n’ standard” (therefore no Floyd Rose, etc !), so… oh well, (never mind !)

ALSO (BTW), I can’t quite put m’ finger on WHY… but it seems (to me) that almost EVERY (Fender) Strat I’ve ever played (mine included), that’s tuned down a semi-tone, simply feels (and sounds) SO much better, and, well… SO much nicer - in each and every way ?! (Almost as though that’s how they were intended to be !!!) Strange, that !
- (Anyway… we all lived happily ever after !!!) -

(Hey… those Fender maple necks make FANTASTIC perches, y’ know ?!)

Oh, this was a couple of years ago, when we literally had to care for a (fledgling) Crow (who ended up staying a little while longer than we’d anticipated - hence, her cheekiness !) We named her “Mona Lisa”… and (just for the record), she was happily rehabilitated at a bird sanctuary, in Surrey !

[The photo below] shows (ahem), “Me and my Strat” in a more (kinda) contrasting, and natural “environment” ?!

I’ve actually bought 2 Fender HM Strats since March, (one black/one white)… y’see ?!
I

Stephen Heath (UK)

My guitar is a Kramer 360. It’s my third rock guitar. In the
beginning… I bought a second hand copy of a Gibson SG, the same as
Angus Young ; then I bought a black strat-like Epiphone, which wasn’t so
bad, but not yet a real good guitar !
Then I bought the Kramer (some 15 years ago). I really like its shape,
its blue color, the sound of its Seymour pickups. It just miss a little
more access to the high frets, but the axe is cool to my hand. The
strings I use are D’addario XL120 (.009/.042). I never bought, nor used
any other guitar to play Rock music ; so, unfortunatly, the frets are
getting smoothed over. But that guitar is so confortable, I can’t really
imagine buying another one yet !
To give it the perfect sound, I use a POD 2, directly to the computer.
And it rocks

Sylvain (FRANCE)
http://guitaronline.free.fr

Here are my guitars…

On the left, a bass guitar Hondo Deluxe serie 830. I found it on a flea market. It was in another life…lol.
On the right a Stratocaster copy. White product..No brand…got it a few years ago in a pawn shop.
Not a very good one, but it was enuff for the “noise” I was making at the moment.
Center… a Schecter omen-6 Diamonds serie…
Much better than the Strat copy…
2 double mics….Grover mechanics….
Unfortunately, I don’t play very well at all …I suck in rythmics…much better in solo….
I have no patience to learn the chords…..
That gives me headaches….too many strings…lol….
And…owww…I forgot..it’s a gift from my wife…..

You can choose any of the two pictures….( if you choose one of course…)..[Lori’s note: I can never choose! )

Hang Tough!
Guy (BELGIUM)

Lori’s note: If you are ever in Chimay in Belgium, you can stay at le Petit Chapitre the beautiful B&B that Guy runs with his wife. We (Stream of Passion) stayed there when we were filming the video for “Out in the Real World,” and had a really nice time! Thanks again, Guy!

…then feel free to use the one below, provided by the unquenchable Kristof. Just replace his name with yours.

I, Kristof E, henceforth to be referred to as the Picturee, hereby
solemnly declare that Lori Linstruth, henceforth to be referred to as
Her Majesty - The Queen of Metal, is to be permitted to use the pictures
and texts as contained in this e-mail to be used solely for the purpose
of a yet to be unveiled online project. Her Majesty - The Queen of Metal
is free to use the material depicting the Picturee so long as the
material is not used in any demeaning way including but not limited to
racism, pornography (unless lesbian and Picturee gets a meet and greet),
religious way. Picturee reserves the right to reclaim this right at any
given time followin which Her Majesty - The Queen of Metal agrees to
comply and remove all links on all sites she has control over to any
extent within a time period of 24 hours or any other period that Picturee
and Her Majesty - The Queen of Metal deem fair at beforementioned time.
Her Majesty - The Queen of Metal has the right to use words such as
“divine”, “prowess” and “extremely good-looking” in conjunction with
digital photographic material as outlined in the beginning of this
agreement. All the previous in this agreement is void and null if this
sentence is followed by a period.

Wanna charm me? Referring to me as the Queen of Metal is a good way to do it