Why do a lot of Strats play "stiff"??

[hal]

I mean they are hard to move on the neck quickly, hard to bend strings--just stiff.

I have owned about 12 Strats in my life. Never completely bonded with any of them. I recently went on an all out Strat search. Mayer, EC, EJ, MIM, Classic, Custom Classic, Custom Shop, Knopfler, Hiway 1, American--you name it, I played it. I ended up with an American Standard because it played the best period. By the way, it was just this one--I played 3 others that were not as good.

So what's the deal? Fret size, spring tension, neck radius, neck tilt? Today I had some time to kill so I went to my local store and played every Strat that had a decent weight--probably about 10 total. The best player was a 50's Player Strat--MIM but designed by the Custom Shop. It played better than all three Custom Shop Strats that cost 4 times as much.

One more thing--can you set up any Strat so it will not play stiff? If so, how? Bring it on TDPRI members and thanks.

[J-man]

Have you tried a hardtail strat or one with a locked trem? The raised action a floating trem provides could be what's causing this.

[charlie chitlin]

I always felt that Strats were among the least stiff guitars.
I figure it's because the bridge moves while bending.

[photoweborama]

Stiff? I find it opposite. Teles are stiff.. Strats play really easy.
But my Tele is still my #1...

[Pete Galati]

If you have a Tele or Strat that's stiff, it's not set up very well.

[teleclem]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

If you have a Tele or Strat that's stiff, it's not set up very well.

i'll second that!..
when i got my Strat last May, it was setup badly..
i bought it NOS (literally, the guy said it was in the shop for 12 years or so)..

a setup by a pro did the job.. plus some fret dressing..
it played pretty well afterwards..
no stiffness whatsoever..

teleclem

[Mark Davis]

I have had 15 or so Strats some played stiff a few didnt. Doesnt matter how they are setup or string size some do have a stiff feel thats unexplainable.

I bought a 56 Relic Custom Shop mail order so I never got to try it. Played it and the strings felt like cheese cutters. It killed my fingers. 10 mins and that was it I couldnt play any longer my fingers felt like they did in 1966 when I first started playing.

I really liked the guitars sound so I tried 9's still stiff. Tried adusting the neck with different relief still stiff, tried all kinds of different bridge and spring tensions. I tried everything the nut was fine it was all adjusted good I just couldnt make it play right. So I sent it back and got a 54 Relic that played perfect.

['caster oil]

Set it up right, tweak it a bit... it'll loosen up...

[elavd]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

I bought a 56 Relic Custom Shop mail order so I never got to try it. Played it and the strings felt like cheese cutters. It killed my fingers.

Maybe the "10/56" neck was difficult for you???

[bobthecanadian]

both my strat and tele have been "stiff" at one time or another, however, after playing with the set up they have both come into their own. Both feel and play great. I play with elevens and bend up to minor third (sometimes major) are not that difficult.

[hal]

Mark is onto what I'm talking about. Sometimes no amount of setup will do the trick. If it plays stiff on the showroom floor, it's probably going to be stiff period. So why?

[Telenator]

hal, I agree, some guitars are just like that and I am at a loss to explain it also.

In case you weren't aware, Fenders have a 25 1/2" vibrating string length as compared to Gibson's 24 3/4" vibrating string length. This makes fenders feel stiffer by comparison. The longer string needs to be pulled tighter to reach pitch.

When I shop, I look for guitars that have a 25 1/2" scale that play slinky and guitars with the 24 3/4" scale that play a little stiff. This way I can play .009 -.042 on my Fenders and .009 - .046 on my Gibsons. Works for me.

[jerseyguy]

I always had the impression that strats were hard to play. I remember reading an article where Jeff Beck said he switched from Les Pauls to strats because they put up more of a fight.
That all went out the window when I bought my first strat, an '87 American standard. That guitar was so easy to play I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. It could be because of the 9.5" neck, but my '62 reissue plays just as easy.
I do notice both my strat and tele feel "stiff" with .010 gauge strings, so I always use .009's on Fenders and .010's on Gibsons.

[hal]

I play tens on all my electrics. And yes, the shorter scale guitars are easier to play as a rule.

Just try this--play as many Strats as you can at a store. You will find one or two that are easier to play, regardless of price, setup, fret size, neck radius, etc. I don't know why that is and nobody can tell me. It's one of the great mysteries of the guitar world.

[Telenator]

Agreed hal. I have 12 guitars and have built several over the years. It's always a crap shoot. You never know what it's going to play like until it's built and you're playing it. Some are gems. Some hang on the wall. Some are especially appreciated by others even though I can't get along with them personally. I guess we all like different things!

[collinsman]

By stiff, do you mean they play hard, you do have to work them harder than say a Les Paul, but that's what I like about Fenders, it brings the player out more IMO.

[SixStringSlinger]

My Strat seemed a bit stiff when I got it, but then I was used to 9's, not the 10's it came with. Now it's better. I guess I'm like Jeff Beck in one respect; I want the strings not fight me a bit when I bend them, or hit them hard.

[soma5]

One thing I've noticed about Strats is that compared to a Tele, the Strat kind of faces upward (so you can see more of the fretboard) because of the tummy cut. That puts my hand in a slightly more awkward position, having to curl around the fretboard more. I find that it slows down my playing just a hair and makes the guitar feel stiffer to play. When I sit to play, there isn't much difference but the angle when standing is enough different. I'm not sure what to do about this, probably nothing, but I'm just not quite as fluid with my Strat as I am with my Teles.

-alotas

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by elavd

Maybe the "10/56" neck was difficult for you???

No it wasnt the neck profile. I love big necks. Ive been working with guitars since 1970 playing since 1966 and never really had this prob before.

9's felt like 12's the strings actually felt like the guitar was tuned up to F or F# they were just real stiff. I tried different brands of strings everything worked on it 4-5 hours a day for 2 weeks gave up sent it back and the 54 I got in its place was perfect in everyway.

I couldnt come up with a logical explaination. Other Strats I have owned were like this but not as bad as the 56.

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by hal

Mark is onto what I'm talking about. Sometimes no amount of setup will do the trick. If it plays stiff on the showroom floor, it's probably going to be stiff period. So why?

This is the only thing about guitars I have never been able to figure out.

I do know its the neck but dont know what makes 1 guitar play fine and the one next to it same brand color everything play stiff.

Here is the part that doesnt make sense.

You can have 2 Strats same year color model everything relief set the same on both .012 tremelo claw same distance from the body so same spring tension same strings same windings on the tuners everything on each guitar setup identical. One of them will play fine and the other will feel like its got strings about 2 sizes bigger cause its so stiff.

If anyone can come up with a logical explaination lets hear it cause I cant.