[maxsmith]

The guy who has been makin' me love the sound of a Strat for 20 years is Robert Cray - both his lead and rhythm playing is the best advertising a Strat could have. I own a Robert Cray Artist Model Strat and it is truly a working player's axe - comfortable body shape, nice beefy neck, and a really sweet set of pickups. It's a little different in tone because it's a fixed bridge (no trem) - to my ear it has a little more of a Tele-like punch - in fact, I installed a steel base plate on the bridge pickup and it is even more Tele-like while still having the two "cluck" tones and the juicy Strat neck tone.

Max S.