Who would you say defines the Strat sound?

[Post Toastie]

2 guys that approach this from 2 directions and state their case.
Mark Knopfler
Robin Trower

[Suttykins]

It varies alot I think.. that's one of the reasons strats have become so popular.. they're not so much a sound that you can use but a tool for crafting your own sound

for example.. when I think of "the strat sound" it can be anything from hank marvin to david gilmour, stevie ray to robert cray, rory gallagher to buddy holly, etc.

they're the first ones that come to my mind (and I wouldn't say any two of them sound alike)

[David Barnett]

Hendrix
Gilmour
Anson Funderburg
Richard Thompson

[Post Toastie]

Single coil sound only!!

[zombuswoof]

Clapton
SRV
Steve Wariner
Hendrix
Lowell George
David Gilmour
Robin Trower

[babalooga]

SRV, nuff said

[otterhound]

Originally Posted by babalooga

SRV, nuff said

Welcome to the fray , I'm only six miles away .

[LuvN Guitars]

Depends on which Strat sound, but some of the most obvious to me are;
Mark Knopfler
Buddy Guy
Lowell George
Rory Gallagher
Jimmi Hendrix
Buddy Holly
SRV
Bonnie Raitt

[CodeBlue]

Hendrix
Gilmour
Blackmore
Malmsteen
Trower
Cray
etc.

[brewwagon]

jeff healey



bw

[fezz parka]

Post #2 nails it.

[tazzboy]

Originally Posted by Suttykins

It varies alot I think.. that's one of the reasons strats have become so popular.. they're not so much a sound that you can use but a tool for crafting your own sound

for example.. when I think of "the strat sound" it can be anything from hank marvin to david gilmour, stevie ray to robert cray, rory gallagher to buddy holly, etc.

they're the first ones that come to my mind (and I wouldn't say any two of them sound alike)

I can agree with that.

[Del Pickup]

I think Dave Gilmour nailed it when he was interviewed for the film 'Contours, Curves and Body Horns' when he said that the strat was the one guitar that lets the player impose their style in such a way that you can tell who it is from hearing a few notes.

Other guitars seem to have more of their own signature sound than the players often have - and yes I know that there will no doubt be all sorts of arguments about that statement!!

But that could be why there are so many answers to the original question here.

[thunderbyrd]

what defines it is "flexable". look how different rory gallagher sounds from eric johnson, and robin trower for yet another paradigm.

but this post is just repeating what everybody else has said. for me, the baseline strat sound is rory's early records. wire-y is how i'd describe it.

[Paulie13]

Everyone copies SRV's tone so much now, I would probably have to say that it is what it thought of as "Strat" tone. I here a lot of players with a similar tone and style and wonder why everyone copies it.

I listened to my "Texas Flood" on vinyl earlier and remembered just how incredible it was.

[E5RSY]

For me, it'd have to be:

Buddy Guy
JLV

End of story...well, OK, Jeff Beck, too.

[jrfrond]

You know, we think of the Strat as having "that" signature tone, and some of them do stand out in my mind, like Jimi, SRV, Knopfler, Gilmour, et al. The thing is, the Strat, all depending on the player and gear, is a real chameleon! There's "that" Strat, the clean quack we all know and love, plus the overdriven "woman tone" (ditto), but there are those OTHER tones, like Blackmore, Beck, Hendrix (at times) and even Trower (especially on the "Bridge of Sighs" album) where it's this thick tone that is so "Un-Strat-like". That is the beauty of the Strat. It's like an old Chevy. You can leave it nice and stock and cool, or you can buy endless bolt-on parts to customize it as you wish. Without a doubt, one of the most versatile electric guitars ever made. You can rock, jazz, funk, bop, punk and fusion on the Strat, all with great results. If Fender only made the Strat and Tele (along with the P and J-Bass), they would still be legendary.

[FatTeleTom]

+1 to post #2

[musicalmartin]

You seem to be able to get any tone you want .I was playing a stock SX strat ,hardly a high end guitar though it has to be said rather good for its low end price ,or even bottom end price .I was playing through phones from a Gdec junior and a Dano CT0-1,fiddling with amp settings etc and I was amazed how many tones you could get from one cheap strat .It pinned down that early rock n roll sound and the Shadows and Ventures classic tones .I moved on to some hot SRV blues via some Knofler and ended with a Gilmouresque licks and chords ,all played badly of course .I then plugged into my Modded Champ 600 and got some sweet clean country tones and then switched to the neck pup ,tuned the tone down and played some soft chordy jazz.,again badly of course .All this from one cheap copy the US Strats I once owned were similar .Once I installed the Keystones things got even better for most tones.I also wired up the end tone control to the bridge pup .The Strat is just so versatile .Dunno why I sold my earlier strats now .I just seem to have come back to my first desire (apart from Janet Banwell's breasts that is ) .A Strat, though not Fiesta red like Hanks .

[Jeff_K]

Eric something? Starts with a C.

[68 Shovelhead]

There are many really notable great Strat players, I guess a lot of them would have arguably never picked up a Strat if it weren't for Jimi. That said, I find myself very drawn to John Frusciante 's sound.
The bottom line for me is that I really appreciate anyone who can make a Fender single coil guitar sing.

[rolijen]

Jimi
Ulrich Roth (Listen to any of the old RCA label Scorpions--it will blow your mind)
Mark Knopfler
Robin Trower
SRV
Chris Duarte

[Good Iron]

The question...Who would you say defines the Strat sound?

My answer? Anyone who plays one. I have to admit Knofler came to my mind first... you know the 2 or 4 position, but there are so many, as mentioned.

I was surprised that no one mentioned John Mayer, he has got a killer strat tone! And John Frusciante too, great tone!

Michael

[pmjennin]

When I hear "Strat" I always first think of Buddy Holly.

[telepath]

Most of the contenders already been mentioned.

Overall, it is Jimi that pops up in my mind foremost.

You could add Hank Marvin, as a fair few of the players already shouted above may have mentioned that their interest in guitar (and that it _had_ to be a Strat) was due to the Hank factor!

[Soapbarstrat]

Jimmy Vaughan

[djinn1973]

Buddy Guy

[guitarzan13]

Our own WickedGTR !! James Wilsey!! I love his sound on Chris Isaak's "Wicked Games"!!

[JPW2105]

Originally Posted by Suttykins

It varies alot I think.. that's one of the reasons strats have become so popular.. they're not so much a sound that you can use but a tool for crafting your own sound

for example.. when I think of "the strat sound" it can be anything from hank marvin to david gilmour, stevie ray to robert cray, rory gallagher to buddy holly, etc.

they're the first ones that come to my mind (and I wouldn't say any two of them sound alike)

Couldn't agree more, but I would like to add that although he often doesn't play one, The Edge always makes me think of Strat with his sound.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by Del Pickup

I think Dave Gilmour nailed it when he was interviewed for the film 'Contours, Curves and Body Horns' when he said that the strat was the one guitar that lets the player impose their style in such a way that you can tell who it is from hearing a few notes.

And the logical extension of this is, none of these players define the Strat sound. They're all simply "illustrations" of it.

When someone says "woodland" or "wetland" I imagine scores of examples. Do I have favorites? Sure. But they don't define what a woodland is, or a wetland.

My first really indelible association between the Strat and one player might be Carl Wilson, but he doesn't personify the instrument - at least not in such a way others are not free to do all the amazing things they will do with a Strat.

So, my only question is, is David right that only the Strat is like this; or is the Tele the same way?

[Roli]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

So, my only question is, is David right that only the Strat is like this; or is the Tele the same way?

Every single instrument is like this.

[blkhrs7]

SRV

[blingdogg]

Jimi Hendrix for me.

[JTM45blues]

1. Anson Funderburgh, early Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan - blues strat
2. David Gilmour - rock strat
3. Stuart Smith - country strat back with Rodney Crowell
4. SRV, Kenny Wayne Sheperd, Doyle, Hendrix - blues-rock strat

[neocaster]

The first things that come to mind are Knopfler and Gilmour. Not everybody lives on 2 and 4, but I think it's where a Strat sounds most like a Strat in recordings. 70s wah-heavy funk rhythm stuff always sounded wrong to me without a solid Strat tone under it all. The thing about all of these people, JImi, SRV, Glimour, Knopfler, Hank Marvin and all of these players is that they could pick up nearly any guitar and sound like themselves. What did Jerry Garcia say? Don't just settle for being the best of the best, but be the only one who does what you do. Their sound is their sculpture, and the instrument is their chisel. The result isn't just sounds, it's an expression of something that was in them.

[yegbert]

I like Boris' perspective of them as illustrations rather than as definitions. Those that I remember, like and strongly associate as a Strat sound:

1. Eric Clapton
2. Mark Knopfler
3. Nils Lofgren
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Stevie Ray Vaughan

[soultosoul13]

JLV by way of Guitar Slim

[Faraldi]

Mark Knopfler
Jimi Hendrix
SRV

Love singles!!!!!!!!

[Del Pickup]

As I said before, the strat is the canvas and the player adds their own defining brush strokes to it to make it their own strat sound.

[gmann]

Originally Posted by Good Iron

The question...Who would you say defines the Strat sound?

My answer? Anyone who plays one. I have to admit Knofler came to my mind first... you know the 2 or 4 position, but there are so many, as mentioned.

I was surprised that no one mentioned John Mayer, he has got a killer strat tone! And John Frusciante too, great tone!

Michael

That's cause John Mayer has somebody elses tone! I like all mentioned so far.