Are Any Of You Bored With Stratocasters?

[mainestratman]

When in doubt, be a guitar slut and have one of each!

[Eric***]

I don't know why -- possibly just due to how common they are -- but I have never been such a huge fan of strats. It's weird. Maybe someday I'll learn.

[MAXIFUNK]

I can come at this from three different angles.

1. As a Bass player in my Band (from high school to mid 20's) we had one guy who played Strats and one who played LP's. Both got accepted to Berklee College of Music awesome players. Anyway I always loved how both of those Guitars sounded together it was magic. But because of Jimi's influence and its cheaper price most players in the inner city started with a Strat or Strat copy. Plus most if not all the 70's R&B/funk Players played one so most the kids followed suite. Ala Ernie Isely & Michael Hampton.

Most of the old school music I have posted here has been Brothers playing Strats just the way it was back then.

2. As a music fanatic I love the sounds of all guitars from Jimi to Robin Trower to SRV (Strat players) to Jimmy Page to Peter Frampton to Gary Moore (LP players) to Al Di Meola to Blackbird to Robbie McIntosh to Steve Vai ( Various Axes) if it sounds good to me I could care less what your playing all that matters is DO YOU HAVE THE CHOPS!

3. As a Guitar player of 1 1/2 years I own 3 Strats each one sounds like a Strat but completely different in its own right. Right now I seem to be playing the HSS the most the tonal capabilities abound via that axe. Do I want sounds other than my Strats from time to time. Hell yeah I do certain songs/riffs etc etc just sound better on my LP or Tele HH. I honestly try to play a single coil axe & then a HH axe on longer wood shedding sessions.

Although the Strat body shape is so comfortable that I have been looking at the new Charvel's HH sound with the Strat Body a match made in heaven IMO. I just happen not to be a fan of the flatter necks so I'll will have to give that 12 to 16 compound neck a good once over before I buy it.

Even with that I will never give up my LP that sweet sounding axe is to die for. So, I guess I am in the camp of I want them both one of each A single coil axe and HH axe.

[markb]

I'll always love Strat's. While I can't see owning more than 2 or 3 Strat's (seriously, what's the point of being so redundant, regardless of body wood or pickups?), ...

So how are you going get your strat to match your shirt? Tell me that!

The only guitar I've ever had three of at once was a few years ago I had three teles. All two single coils and post-67 wiring. They all had quite distinct voices but ultimately could all do the same thing if pushed. (Oh, they were all blonde but three different blondes!)

[duhvoodooman***]

If I was ever forced to pare it down to two guitars, it would be a Strat (SSS) and a Les Paul (dual HB). To me, those two guitars between them are the quintessential voices of classic rock & blues. And they are s-o-o-o-o different.

Now, if I had to go down to just ONE guitar....wow, that would be a tough, tough choice!

[Tig***]

If I was ever forced to pare it down to two guitars, it would be a Strat (SSS) and a Les Paul (dual HB). To me, those two guitars between them are the quintessential voices of classic rock & blues. And they are s-o-o-o-o different.

Now, if I had to go down to just ONE guitar....wow, that would be a tough, tough choice!

Trust me on this... You are in no danger of paring down to 2, or God forbid, 1 guitar, DVM!
That road leads to madness!

[oldguy]

A strat doesn't have a thin sound. (Well, not in Sonny Landreth's hands.)

[birv2]

I was a complete Strat guy till about 3 months ago when I got my first telecaster, an Affinity BSB. Since then, I have barely touched my strats.

Not saying I'll never go back, but for now, that pure telecaster tone has completely captivated me. No picks, no pedals, just pure fingers on guitar into amp.

YMMV.

[otaypanky***]

Who called me a slut?

[deeaa*]

Gotta say, that left sofa section does look infinitely better than the right side...real nice solidbody gibbys there, those three on the sofa and 2 in front...in comparison the right side just pales in looks IMO...

[otaypanky***]

Gotta say, that left sofa section does look infinitely better than the right side...real nice solidbody gibbys there, those three on the sofa and 2 in front...in comparison the right side just pales in looks IMO...

I tend to stay on that side ~ The yellow LP Special is a Bombshell, not a Gibson.
Here's a cool video from Tomo, a real fine player. The page is in Japanese but if you look to the right you'll see 3 light blue ovals, the top one is the video. This stuff is made for a Strat

http://www.rittor-music.co.jp/tomofu...xercise14.html

[DrumBob]

A strat doesn't have a thin sound. (Well, not in Sonny Landreth's hands.)

Sorry to disagree, but compared to any Les Paul, yes it does have a thin sound.

Go listen to Eric Clapton's pitifully poor tone on his first solo album, and pay attention to the end solo on "Let It Rain." That is the epitome of puny, squeaky, awful Stratocaster tone. And to think, he went from a '59 Les Paul, a '61 SG Les Paul, and an ES-335 through Marshall amps to that?

[otaypanky***]

I could be way wrong on this, but I think one reason so many Starts sound so thin is that most everyone I see play keeps their tone controls on 10. In fact, many guys I see keep the volume pots on 10 as well and get a boost for a solo from a pedal. There are lots of nice sounds on most any guitar at the in between places on the pots, especially with good pots, caps, and a good cable

[deeaa*]

I could be way wrong on this, but I think one reason so many Starts sound so thin is that most everyone I see play keeps their tone controls on 10. In fact, many guys I see keep the volume pots on 10 as well and get a boost for a solo from a pedal. There are lots of nice sounds on most any guitar at the in between places on the pots, especially with good pots, caps, and a good cable

I for one never thought strats sound thin...quite contrary, single coils give a much fuller and 'scooped' sound with more low end...sure, buckers are punchier but that's because they have much less frequency range and the punch is in low mids. But therein lies also the problem...if you have two strat players in a band, they tend to overwhelm everything because the sounds are so 'big'. Buckers/gibsons leave much more territory for bass and cymbals and cut thru much better. That's why I think many lead or wannabe lead guitarists use strats, they have such a sweeping big sound. And conversely, I think many engineers are forced to reduce that to stop it masking other instruments and end up with a feeble tone. But it's definitely NOT the fault of the strat! Using a gibby you need much more effects and volume to achieve a similarly full, big sound for leads, it's more biting and midrangey.

But about the tone controls...I never use the tone, I don't like to cut the guitar's tone at all, except at the amp or a pedal. If I cut the guitar tone, I feel it loses something more than just high-end, there is no more 'gliss' on mids either etc...much better doing the EQ'ing somewhere else, not the guitar. I don't know why I still bother putting tone knobs on my guitars actually...I should really start putting an extra volume or coil switch or something there instead!

[markb]

I could be way wrong on this, but I think one reason so many Starts sound so thin is that most everyone I see play keeps their tone controls on 10. In fact, many guys I see keep the volume pots on 10 as well and get a boost for a solo from a pedal. There are lots of nice sounds on most any guitar at the in between places on the pots, especially with good pots, caps, and a good cable

+1

Is that a Les Paul Signature hiding behind that tele in your picture? Now there's something I haven't seen in years.

[oldguy]

Here's a nice Strat sound I really like.
This is what I was talking 'bout.
Not a thin sound in Sonny's hands.

[birv2]

Sorry to disagree, but compared to any Les Paul, yes it does have a thin sound.

Go listen to Eric Clapton's pitifully poor tone on his first solo album, and pay attention to the end solo on "Let It Rain." That is the epitome of puny, squeaky, awful Stratocaster tone. And to think, he went from a '59 Les Paul, a '61 SG Les Paul, and an ES-335 through Marshall amps to that?

Funny you should mention that solo, since that is one of the main recordings that made me want a strat. I love that glassy tone.

However, I'm also a big fan of Clapton's Cream era tone. But it does seem that strats need some pedal help to get that big sound that lots of players love.

[Retro Hound]

Well, I've been playing less than a year, but I always play either the acoustic or the Epi LP Ultra. I only play the Strat if I'm trying to reproduce a paticular sound. I just prefer the sound of the LP. Of course I'm still new and "I don't get no screaming solos" no matter what I do.

[wingsdad]

... if I had to go down to just ONE guitar....

... it would be my '81 The STRAT.



First-ever Fender Fullerton factory 'hot-rodded' model, with a massive brass bridged trem system, a juiced-up bridge pup branded the 'X-1' and a wiring/switching scheme that goes with just a master tone pot to use the bottom one as a mode switch and provide a total of 9 pup positions, adding series combos to the standard parallels, including all 3 firing at once. Prior to this, the only 'deviant' model was a mid-70's hardtail; after this, came the onslaught of the various strat alternative models we take for granted today. And the closing of Fender Fullerton to go MIJ for a while.


And I did. When I retired from gigging 25 years ago, I sold my lst remaining LP Custom & Tele to leave me with the overall most versatile go-to 6-string.

PS: I also hung onto my Rick 12 and 1 acoustic, my ancient Guild D40...but I think we're narrowly talking about 6-string electrics in this topic...?

Sure, I've added a bunch back to the hardcore over the last 14-15 years, but if it ever came down to it again, this one stays.