APC NS = Fender Strat of jeans?

Just curious - is there anyone here who went thru all sorts of high-end Japanese denim, only to return to New Standards?

I've been playing guitar most my life, and I've known people to do the same in that vein... go thru tons of very pricey boutique gear (seriously we're talking tens of thousands of dollars - myself included), only to return to the basics. Like maybe a custom shop strat, a reissue deluxe reverb amp... and that is heaven for them, the elemental purity of tone/feel. They may have a nice collection of other guitars but the strat is it for them like 90% of the time.

So I'm facing a dilemma, my New Standards I bought back in Feb have been worn at least 100 times, washed 5-6 times, and are pretty faded. They look great, but there's something about dark denim...

Now I have a couple pairs of other nice jeans. I have some EG selvedge slim-fit, and some limited edition slubby KMW 50s denim, which are both nice but don't fit quite like the NS. I don't _love_ them the same, and in turn they get rarely worn. The NS simply are the best fitting jeans I've ever had.

So should I just buy another pair of APCs and call it done? Or is it really worth it to venture in the big-wide world high end Japanese denim - if i don't will I be missing out? It seems the next contender would be Somet 003s, but it's a little hard to justify spending twice the price over APCs, nice as I'm sure they are...

After wearing somet for the last year, I think I would now rather go pantsless than wear APC.

There are a lot of people that do (read: APC fanboys) but that doesn't make the jeans great by any means

The title should read, "APC NS= Fender Squire Strat of jeans."

Please don't insult or confuse the American line with that crap.

If you're happy with APC, stick with it. Try Somet if you want to (I've no experience), but if you like APC, why change?

On a side note, I just bought one of the Japanese Strats from the 80's and I love it.

I've a pair of the PS in 31 and I love them, though I still like the Slimane-era Diors, of which I've got two pair (Blue, Black)
I've never done the other crazy pair of raw jeans, though I know people who love their Samurai jeans...

Yeah, I'm sort of in the same situation. I've had SDA's, Flatheads, Skulls, Somets, PBJ... and all I wear when it comes to indigo denim is NS. Partly because some of the other one's didn't fit me properly, or I got tired of the cut. Partly because I've worn my NS a ton, and washed them a lot. I like how they look/feel now. However, I don't care much for the look of APC in their raw state, so I'd probably not start over with another pair.

Honestly, my favorite out of those I've had were Skulls 5010xx, or whatever they're called. Sure the construction and denim was probably better in the SDAs and Flatheads, but something about the cut and color did it for me. Unfortunately mine were a bit snug in the waist so I had to let em go.

I'd say, since you have a pair of nicely faded APC's, you should probably look for another pair, another brand. Different indigo, possibly different cut. Starting all over again with the same jean doesn't seem that tempting to me.

I owned Diors, Jomons etc so yes. To me APC is the perfectly designed blue jeans. It just integrates better with my wardrobe, lifestyle and aesthetic considerations etc.

Originally Posted by whodini

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The title should read, "APC NS= Fender Squire Strat of jeans."

Please don't insult or confuse the American line with that crap.

Let's be real, the Strat was meant to be a mass produced assembly line kind of guitar, not some sort of precious artisan relic.

$29 501s are the bog standard Strat of Jeans. APC, Nudie, LVC, Japanese brands are like expensive boutique variations of the Strat.

Interestingly, I paid less for my Japanese Telecaster than what a lot of people here pay for their jeans.

Wing it and buy the 003s, it'll be fun. If the cost bugs you sell other jeans that are still in good condition. You sound like you want your curiosity satisfied by looking at other jeans.

Originally Posted by slaani

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After wearing somet for the last year, I think I would now rather go pantsless than wear APC.

Wow, that's quite an endorsement. Would you care to elaborate?

Hypothetically speaking, if I went ahead with buying some Somets and had the same reaction, they would totally be worth it in my eyes.

The basic idea is the APCs fit like chick jeans, haha. A bit rockstarish... I'm 5'5" 132 lbs, my gf is 5'6" 122 lbs... they look killer on both of us. The Somets caught my eye because of the low rise, sleek/darted profile... they seem like they could be 'it'. I guess I'm a little gun shy at buying them, wearing them a handful of times, then having to eat $100 loss if they don't quite have the magic for me.

Originally Posted by Dedalus

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Let's be real, the Strat was meant to be a mass produced assembly line kind of guitar, not some sort of precious artisan relic.
So? Mass produced, certainly. All built the same, hardly. In keeping with the denim/guitar analogy, just by picking it up you can tell the difference in materials. I liken people who rave about APC to people to who buy a sports car because of the look instead of gearheads who buy for what's under the hood.

Oh, you want the 008 somets. 003 isn't darted and has a higher rise. Though at your height the darts will go well past your knees, I'm 5'8 and they end below my kneecaps.

Originally Posted by everybodynobody

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APC, Nudie, LVC, Japanese brands are like expensive boutique variations of the Strat.
You just went from $150-300+ with some huge leaps in materials and construction.