It’s not Leo’s fault, but . . . .

[codamedia]

The middle pickup has never bothered me on a strat. My hand anchors at the bridge while I pick, and that places the pick (and/or fingers) right in between the bridge and middle pickup. Sure - I'll move my picking hand around depending on the tone/flavor I am looking for, but it still never gets in the way.

 

[Skyhook]

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.

I don't share your issue, but I can relate as the bridge on an SG is exactly where I need to strum.
Hence, no SG:s for me even though they look and sound completely badass.

 

[old soul]

I've had that issue with strats. I think the domed screw heads on either side of the middle pickup are what I hit most, and could probably be easily remedied, but never been enough of an issue to make me change it.

 

[ChicknPickn]

I've had that issue with strats. I think the domed screw heads on either side of the middle pickup are what I hit most, and could probably be easily remedied, but never been enough of an issue to make me change it.

I think this is what it comes down to with any good instrument - - you'll be willing to adapt if the payoff is there. With the Strat, the single coil sounds of three pickups and a 5-way switch are worth it. I'm trying to adjust my picking hand. Not going so deep with the pick would probably be a good change for me in general.

 

[fraser]

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

yeah, like others here who played strats for years, ive never had a problem with any of the pickups or knobs being in the way.
it must be a muscle memory or subconcious thing- although i dont recall it giving me trouble when i was first learning to play.

on any guitar i mostly pick just forward of the bridge, on a strat that would fall between the bridge and middle pickups.

i do hit the strings in other places of course, but even then no issues.

only other thing i could add is, i hold the pick backward so one corner of the round end hits the strings. very little pick actually protrudes past the skin of my thumb, so it may not reach far enough to hit the pickup, but thats because it feels more natural for me, not a response to hitting anything- but it could be a factor

 

[unixfish]

Never really had an issue with that.

BTW - @Quexoz when I saw your pic, I thought of this:

 

[Audiowonderland]

I have never understood how you hit a pickup while playing. Why is your pick so far below the strings?

 

[arlum]

I'm thinking this might be an issue caused by players with freakishly long or short wrists. A properly wristed individual seldom experiences this issue and when the do ..... it's usually because their forearm is freakishly long or short.

 

[nojazzhere]

My biggest issue when I played Strats was the "upper" volume knob. So much so, that I removed it, and wired the other two pots as a master volume and master tone....like a Telecaster. But when I added a middle pickup to my Tele, I found I frequently hit it with my pick. I loved being able to get that "in-between" Strat quack on a Telecaster, but eventually went back to the "normal" two pickup Tele arrangement.
Right now, though, it's a moot point......I'm primarily just playing my new Yamaha silent guitars.

 

[Platefire]

Well I bought a used all original 65 Strat in about 1975 for $200 and when I plugged
it into my Silverface Bandmaster---it's like the guitar lights came on for the first time.
I was amazed that this was far superior to everything I had previous. That guitar became
my high standard I judge all others by.

For Leo to make a guitar that pleased everybody perfectly---Impossible! He did get it
close enough to where it's still blazing a Trail 58 years later>>>>>>>>>even though
I've tried a lot of stuff, I keep coming back on the stat trail

 

[FortyEight]

I'm thinking this might be an issue caused by players with freakishly long or short wrists. A properly wristed individual seldom experiences this issue and when the do ..... it's usually because their forearm is freakishly long or short.

Im 5'7" with i think rather average size hands. when i mute any guitar its basically the edge of my palm on top of where the strings come out of the bridge. or just a hair forward. that puts my pick right on top the middle pickup.

When i pick single notes its sometimes anchored to bridge just behind that, or in the same spot as muted but lifted up.

as far as going below the strings, i mean its diggin in. some of us do it. it doesnt make it wrong. i would say u play with a light touch if u dont. nothing wrong with that. but everyone has their own style and size. to think everyone should fall into the size and type of playing that fits another person seems pretty narrow minded.

whats funny is that i never have an issue with a tele or just about any other 2 pup guitar in regards to this. I have noticed im not in love with the / Fender Starcaster (hollow body) cuz the pups are close together and the neck pup gets in my way.

yeah the domed screws might be the bigger issue.

strat guys, deal with it. its a common complaint about a strat. just like some of us that long strum sometimes hit the switch or first knob. Les Paul type switching gets hit sometimes, jaguar lower switches will do a number to my fingers. Curt Kobain put tape over those. but i guess he was doing it "wrong". lol.

 

[Telekarster]

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.

Man.... brings back a lot of good memories Thanks for sharing! Me and my buds were equally nuts back in the day! LOL!! Gosh... the things we did, the things we got away with.... LOL!!! Crazy man!

 

[Zepfan]

1.Don't hold your pick at the top, hold it close to the bottom. I only have 1/4" pick below my finger and thumb. Don't get that annoying clack clack pick sound.
2. Be versatile. Pick between the pickups, plenty of room there.

 

[Telecaster582]

This isn't exactly related to the strat, but my guitar teacher played a dual humbucker D'Armond in a band. He now gives guitar lessons and I ended up with it only having the bridge pickup and the volume and tone pots for the bridge and the switch. Anyways, this is the bridge humbucker. He literally chipped part of the plastic off.

 

[Blazer]

No issue with it at all but then again, strat style guitars are pretty much all I play.

 

[Telecaster582]

Here's an answer

 

[Telecaster582]

The Squire contemporary

 

[Timbresmith1]

Yeah. I’m a hybrid-picker, so I drop the middle pickup way down.

 

[naveed211]

As mentioned, lower the middle pickup.

Doesn’t even have to be flush, just give yourself a little more room with a couple turns.

I think it often sounds better and it doesn’t get in your way as much.

 

[Jakedog]

My middle pickup cover gets dirty, so I’m obviously touching it sometimes, but I never notice that I’m hitting it. I don’t feel it. So it’s just barely, and not all the time. It doesn’t bother me.

I tried to get a picture of my guard, but couldn’t get it to show up. I’m a hybrid picker and I have a dull spot in the guard where all the shine is gone, right behind the middle pickup. That’s where my middle finger is making all the contact, so it’s not in my way for that, either.

I can’t float the trem on a strat. Because A) I mostly hate trems and have no use for one, and B) I’m one of those “anchors my palm on the bridge” guys so floating bridges of any kind just do not work for me.

I’ve tried hard tail Strats. I think the concept is incredibly cool, as is the look, but they just don’t sound like a strat with a decked trem. It’s a different thing. I prefer a decked trem.

The volume knob is contentious. Many many times I’ve modded a strat to just use the lower two holes for a master volume and tone. It’s an easy solution, and gets that thing out of the way. Not that it’s a huge problem, but playing a traditional Strat, it’s something I really have to pay attention to.

Enter my Silver Sky, one of the things that makes it not just a strat copy with a different headstock, is the volume knob placement. The list of adjustments away from the original design is not short, and I find every one an improvement, but the volume knob placement is just genius. It’s close enough to the original placement that it looks normal. It’s close enough that reaching down there without looking, it seems like it’s where it’s supposed to be. It’s just far enough off, that it’s completely out of the way and not an issue at all. It’s so close, that I didn’t notice it was off until I played my SS for a straight month and then picked up my other Strat. Then it was glaringly obvious. So now I have to be extra careful on my Fender. But that’s ok, cause I pretty much never play it.

Got my first Strat in 1991. I’ve never had an issue with the switch placement.