The middle pickup is right where I pick. I hit it constantly. I guess this is what happens when you’ve played two-pickup guitars all your life. I do love all the great Strat sounds. A Mustang just wouldn’t be the same.
It’s not Leo’s fault, but . . . .
- Thread starter ChicknPickn
- Start date
I found that too and it helps to lower them or even just lower the middle pickup.
Robbie Robertson solved it by having a guard made with the middle pickup next to the bridge pickup.
Or get a flat pole/ flush pole middle pickup.
Robbie Robertson solved it by having a guard made with the middle pickup next to the bridge pickup.
Or get a flat pole/ flush pole middle pickup.
Folks have 'strumming location issues' with either this, or the placement of a Stratocaster Volume knob, being in the way...
Must be a personal ergonomics thing- where a player picks/strums.
I've been playing Stratocasters since 1991 and these issues just never came up.
Not that I don't move my right hand around, but I pick mainly above or below that middle pickup
SixStringSlinger
Poster Extraordinaire
I learned on a Strat and don't have that problem at all. But then let me palm mute on a guitar with a bridge humbucker and you'll hear a lot of clicky-clicky to go with the chugga-chugga.
I lowered the middle pickup in my Strat and played like that for years. I have a "neck on" push/pull so I can get the bridge+neck pickup position, and that was my go-to. It works in regards to not hitting the middle pickup when I strum, but then I don't get the same sound out of it so I'd end up never using it. Once I got a proper Tele again, I decided to raise the middle pickup on my Strat so it's balanced with the other two. It was very annoying at first, but I forced myself to get use to it for the sake of those Strat tones that a Tele can't get. After all, that middle pickup is a big reason to reach for the Strat over the Tele.
Good thing for me, I just don't care for the sound of a Strat at all. I like the comfy body shape, but hate the third pup position, and the knob positions, and the tremolo/tuning, and the 25.5 scale. The only Strat I ever had was a little "super Strat" and I had to remove the volume knob.
~1988 - drinkin' playin' and singin' Cold Gin with my buds...with no volume knob on a "Series 10 by Bentley" whatever that was. Always got a kick out of this old pic because it looks like someone mangled my hand, badly. Funny. Maybe that explains why 30-some years later I can't handle a 25.5 scale.
Faces blurred just in case: Kyle (left) was doing this thing where he bends over and rubs his hands in circles violently in his hair then springs up and his hair is sticking straight up, CRACKED me up! So he did it to mine too. Darrin (right) is just sportn' his regular old pretty boy mullet.
~1988 - drinkin' playin' and singin' Cold Gin with my buds...with no volume knob on a "Series 10 by Bentley" whatever that was. Always got a kick out of this old pic because it looks like someone mangled my hand, badly. Funny. Maybe that explains why 30-some years later I can't handle a 25.5 scale.
Faces blurred just in case: Kyle (left) was doing this thing where he bends over and rubs his hands in circles violently in his hair then springs up and his hair is sticking straight up, CRACKED me up! So he did it to mine too. Darrin (right) is just sportn' his regular old pretty boy mullet.
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AAT65
Poster Extraordinaire
Whichever guitar I'm playing I hit pickups sometimes. Doesn't bother me except when I drop my plectrum...!
What does annoy me is hitting switches (mostly if they're in the LP / upper bout position) and the volume control (Strats, I'm talking about you!).
What does annoy me is hitting switches (mostly if they're in the LP / upper bout position) and the volume control (Strats, I'm talking about you!).
Strats are confounding instruments.
They’re comfortable and versatile, but the controls are placed
in the way.
Perhaps I should say in my way.
I hit the pots when I don’t want to, the selector, too.
Grrrrr.
The middle pickup bugs me less, I generally don’t hit it.
I really only like the sound of the neck pickup line n Strats.
I have 4 of the silly things.
I rarely gig with them, but I do use them when the other guitar player (if there is one) is using a Tele or Paul.
They’re comfortable and versatile, but the controls are placed
in the way.
Perhaps I should say in my way.
I hit the pots when I don’t want to, the selector, too.
Grrrrr.
The middle pickup bugs me less, I generally don’t hit it.
I really only like the sound of the neck pickup line n Strats.
I have 4 of the silly things.
I rarely gig with them, but I do use them when the other guitar player (if there is one) is using a Tele or Paul.
JL_LI
Poster Extraordinaire
Each of my guitars is different. I play finger style and pick between the middle and neck pickups on my Strat and closer to half way between the pickups on my other guitars. The pickups are close to the strings on my Gretsch. I have to be careful muting so a string doesn’t contact a pole and click. I haven’t strummed except with my thumb in more than 40 years. I think I forgot how. Strumming with a pick is so Kingston Trio. You can complain all you want but you still have to set up a guitar for your playing style and learn to play it. Or sell it and get something else, but you’ll have to set up and learn that one too.
SnidelyWhiplash
Friend of Leo's
Good thing for me, I just don't care for the sound of a Strat at all. I like the comfy body shape, but hate the third pup position, and the knob positions, and the tremolo/tuning, and the 25.5 scale. The only Strat I ever had was a little "super Strat" and I had to remove the volume knob.
~1988 - drinkin' playin' and singin' Cold Gin with my buds...with no volume knob on a "Series 10 by Bentley" whatever that was. Always got a kick out of this old pic because it looks like someone mangled my hand, badly. Funny. Maybe that explains why 30-some years later I can't handle a 25.5 scale.
Faces blurred just in case: Kyle (left) was doing this thing where he bends over and rubs his hands in circles violently in his hair then springs up and his hair is sticking straight up, CRACKED me up! So he did it to mine too. Darrin (right) is just sportn' his regular old pretty boy mullet.
View attachment 941331
Faces blurred, just in case:
Ah, yes, the 80s...
I had that trouble when I first went to Strats. It just was weird! But it's no longer and issue at all. I use hot pickups though and the pickups aren't that close to the strings...
I'm to the point where I HAVE to have the volume control where the Strat has it! .... and a belly cut.
Platefire
Friend of Leo's
As far as the middle pickup, most of my strats are set low to almost the pickguard level to get the best quack tone, so it's not in the way for me. On the volume knob, I like to do a lot of swells to mimic a steel, so it's in the perfect position for that. I've been playing a strat since the mid 70's and I still hit the pickup switch or volume knob and knock it out every now and them but most of the time, it's OK. On the trem going out of tune----correct set up will take care of 95% of that. IMHO---it's a mighty Machine. You have to fight it a little bit to get what you want out of it, but it's worth it. Platefire
I have never been interested in the trem , it's locked on all of my strats
Changing to a strat I hit the selector and volume knob , on a Les Paul it's the selector........for about one minute , or a couple of verses , then I just adapt....
Changing to a strat I hit the selector and volume knob , on a Les Paul it's the selector........for about one minute , or a couple of verses , then I just adapt....
Double Stop
Tele-Holic
Oxidao
Tele-Holic
... but mine.
As I go mad strumming, I still move the selector to the Bridge and roll back Vol. frequently.
As I go mad strumming, I still move the selector to the Bridge and roll back Vol. frequently.
Hmm I’ve never had a problem with the layout
You guys must be rocking and rolling or something.. like those dang hippies
You guys must be rocking and rolling or something.. like those dang hippies
FortyEight
Tele-Afflicted
Same here. But I have done some things that work. If you don't want to change anything, you can try to slam the middle pup to the pickguard. That solves it for me. I don't love the switch either or the first knob. But if it stays in the middle position it's fine. I have a cheap starcaster I pulled the neck pup, slid the middle to the neck and no pup in the middle. Only ever need to use the switch up to the middle. Which is ideal. I also had a squier strat that I was able to swap positions (couldn't do this with the starcaster, wires weren't long enough) of the neck and middle. So then I could use them all. But the middle pup was position 5 on the switch.
Or, my latest thing I've done to my starcaster is ripped all the cheaper electronics out, I snagged some mexican pups and I'm gonna have 1 pup right in the middle. I'm crossing my fingers it sounds good slammed to the pickguard. If not I will either just have one in the bridge, or go back to the neck and bridge. To me the neck and the bridge is SUPER good on a strat. And it's kind of it's own thing. Nice and round yet cutting.
I might be picking up a deluxe mexican tonight and it's all stock. So I will have to determine what to do. Thing is, the middle is good. I'm not super into the quack sounds. But I just turned 50, and I'm trying to do a little reinventing. I never thought I'd be a strat guy. I didn't like them at all when I was a young man. They always seemed to be played by old guys that were all about classic rock. Which isn't a bad thing. Just not completely MY thing.
The body of a strat though. Oh man. Sitting and playing. Like no other. And the neck is really nice. It actually feels closer to me than any other guitar. Including a jaguar. So it's like you're not reaching real far.
Its funny how strat guys don't have these issues, and can transition to any other guitar with ease.
Anyone who goes the other way, whines about the volume knob, the switch, or the middle pickup.
My only real struggle was when i put a les paul 3 way on my warmoth tele. The standard srat spot was the only place to mount it due to the wood being thinnest there. I used to hit that puppy all the time in 2002-03. I forgot about it, but i notice that i never hit it anymore
Anyone who goes the other way, whines about the volume knob, the switch, or the middle pickup.
My only real struggle was when i put a les paul 3 way on my warmoth tele. The standard srat spot was the only place to mount it due to the wood being thinnest there. I used to hit that puppy all the time in 2002-03. I forgot about it, but i notice that i never hit it anymore
mr natural
Friend of Leo's
Took me about 1 1/2 years to get used to it. Now it doesn’t bother me at all.
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