Why Do You Like Your Strat?

[morneau33]

I have a Squier Classic Vibe 50's Strat that is stock, except for the electronics, which I replaced with the Lace Sensor pickups Corgan used on the two best-known SP albums (Red/Silver/Blue), along with the standard upgrades of CTS/Orange Drop/Switchcraft, and changing to master volume/master tone, which is my personal preference.

All said, I am in $400 on it, and it's wonderful. I really love it. It's versatile, quiet, durable, stable... I can't think of one thing I don't like about it, and it does everything from blues and country to classic rock and metal. Great conversation!

 

[The Angle]

I'm not a fan of Strats in general because nothing is where I want it to be. My hand constantly bumps against the switch and knobs, the pick scrapes against the pickups, the whole guitar is just ergonomically wrong for me.

I like MY Strat because it has a fistful of neck with a 7.25"-radius fretboard, the only 7.25" radius in my stable. On the day I find the perfect Tele for me, I suspect it will have a 7.25" radius fretboard.

 

[HolmfirthNJ]

and here, Manny Charlton on Strats

 

[kuch]

I have 2 #1's, if that makes sense.
One's a tele the other is my EJ Strat.
The strat has the best "feel" of all my guitars
I love the 12" R fretboard and med jumbo frets.
I love the pickups and the way EJ designed the 5 way switch
and, I love the way it looks-2 tone burst with nitro finish

good luck in your search

 

[GuitarRod]

26yrs ago my first Strat was this MIM '95 Stratocaster Special that's first maple neck. I didn't like the dark tone of the second position with the humbucker and the middle pickup on 2 so I moved it to the neck position and this was the beginning of a special sound that Strats weren't known for but it sounded good to me that I kept it going for over 22 years; I practically prepared myself for a Telecaster sound ahead of time without notice at that point.

5 years ago I walked into Guitar Center to play a Telecaster and the salesman handed me a blond white Classic '50s Telecaster (the second time in my life I've ever played one overall) and it was a 50-minute experience I'll always carry with me.

After plugging directly into a 2x12 Hot Rod DeVille amp, I took serious notice when I switched both pickups together; that 'special' sound dawned on me as my eyes bulged wide as i realized this Tele sounded exactly like my reconfigured Strat and I was convinced 100% that my Stratocaster was my Telecaster gateway to that 'special' sound. Then i spent less than 10 minutes with a Nashville Tele i didn't gel with at all but I only liked the noiseless pickups (would have been nice if the bridge & neck PU's coulda been switched together). I went home to my Mexicali Angel to rock that special sound with that Telecaster on my mind although it was sold the next day.

I got my first Tele 2 months later from a pawnshop but that didn't stop me nor my Strat as i went traditional 3yrs ago (middle pic) and swapped the bridge & middle PU's retaining that special sound in the 4th position.

2yrs ago I kept the traditional look and swapped the pickups for stacked humbuckers and was amazed of how a 1-Meg volume can make a difference in making humbuckers sound like actual single coils. I now have three Teles along with three other Strats but THIS Strat though... LUVIT!

 

[Platefire]

after about 10 years of playing trying different guitars I picked up an all original 65 Strat for
$200 in about 1975. That changed everything guitarwise for me. It was superior in sound, feel
and intonation than anything I had previously had. It inspired me to play better than ever before.
So what can I say, I've been a Stratocaster man every since. Platefire

 

[Doomguy]

Well, I have a Strat now. Kind of.

I went back up to my old music store to check out what they had. I tried a Squier CV that was pretty cool but I saw this guitar and couldn't resist... It was just slightly overbudget but I had to get it. It's a used MJT reliced partscaster, so not technically a Strat but it practically is one. It feels ridiculously good and the combo of the neck pickup and my Orange head has been to die for as I've been messing around. It didn't come with a trem arm and I'm fine with that, wouldn't be using much of it anyway.

 

[Tommy Biggs]

Love the way my Strat plays, inonates well, stays in tune, lovely action. Sounds great, kinda lighter weight than my other favorite guitars. I’m not a Strat guy, but I think it’s a great guitar.

 

[Maguchi]

I'm primarily a death/doom metal guy looking for a guitar that I can play decidedly not death/doom metal things with. I've always loved how Strats look and like some famous Strat players (Robin Trower and Billy Corgan in particular), so the Strat instantly came to mind when I began thinking about what type of guitar to add to my stable. I want to keep things pretty simple, keep the guitar in E standard for some shoegaze/alternative and bluesy stoner rock stuff, a lot of fuzz. Price range is $300-$500ish so I'm probably looking at a Squier or something used. Since all of my guitars have humbuckers I'm probably going to look for an SSS guitar just to switch things up a little bit.

So all of you Strat players out there, I'm asking to know just why you like your Strats. Should this caveman death metal guy join the Stratocaster cult?

Because of the quack!

 

[Jay Jernigan]

Around A.D.2000 I started spreading the love: Les Paul, Tele, a couple of semi hollows, etc., but for 25 years you couldn't even get me to try anything else but a Strat. All the reasons are listed above, by all the previous posters, including ease of modification (which I over indulge in, to this day), ergonomics, etc. Mostly play Tele types now: it's the pickups, switching and increased sustain that got me to this point, but I do have one with a middle pickup because sometimes I just have to quack.

 

[Platefire]

One more comment on the strat. When a strat is properly set up there is a certain feel in the
action that to me is different than any other guitar. Once you get use to that, it keeps you coming back--or at least it does me!

 

[Gardo]

I like my Strat because it’s sexy

 

[USian Pie]

The neck pickup clean is gorgeous.

In some pickup positions, it has the most "like an acoustic" dynamics and tone of any electric.

 

[ChicknPickn]

One more comment on the strat. When a strat is properly set up there is a certain feel in the
action that to me is different than any other guitar. Once you get use to that, it keeps you coming back--or at least it does me!

I just need the "pickup collision avoidance" feature with that middle pickup. My pick keeps hitting it. Not the Strat's fault.

 

[That Cal Webway]

Like any gd guitar,
It inspires.

.

 

[ChicknPickn]

I have 2 #1's, if that makes sense.
One's a tele the other is my EJ Strat.
The strat has the best "feel" of all my guitars
I love the 12" R fretboard and med jumbo frets.
I love the pickups and the way EJ designed the 5 way switch
and, I love the way it looks-2 tone burst with nitro finish

good luck in your search

View attachment 1028587

That is purdy.

 

[LOSTVENTURE]

For me, it's all about playability and multiple great tones. Particularly when it comes to tone, the Strat is hard to beat.

 

[Platefire]

Doomguy---you must of known you were opening up Pandora's box when you
get a bunch guitar heads talking about their strats on the Stratocaster Thread:>)

 

[burntfrijoles]

It’s the most versatile guitar you can own, capable of playing any style of music. There are some tones you can only get with a Strat.
The body contours make it super comfortable.
It’s got killer looks.
I think the Classic Vibe 50s Strat is a very fine guitar in your stated price range

 

[BlueGillGreg]

I am in kind of an inverse situation to yours: not a metal guy, but I play a pointy shredder Strat made by Yamaha (RGZ 312). When I bought it 32 years ago I did not know much about electric guitars, but wanted something versatile. I got this for its 24 frets, split-coil humbucker, and whammy. This one's position 1 HB is good, and when split gives a good quack in position 2. Like others have said, 3 is very acoustic sounding for an electric. 4 & 5 have those famous tones. There's no pickguard, just beautiful paint. The volume and switch are in much better positions. Some non-Fender Strat-like instruments are pretty good. In my heart this is still a Strat. That said, I'm presently tempted to get a Fender made in Ensenada.