Why Do You Like Your Strat?

[Tjeppen]

'Cause it was the first Strat I bought for an absolutely fabulous price. I bought a 1974 Fender Stratocaster made in the USA for about 500 dollars in 1997. They were going for at least double that price where I lived and then you weren't getting a pristine one.
When I gigged at that time I had my Strat in standard tuning, my Tele (52 reissue butterscotch blond, mn) for open G tuning and a Squier Tele as back up guitar. Played it thru' a 1977 Twin reverb, with a Boss OD1 for soloing. Aaaaah, those were the days...

 

[cousinpaul]

My first stat was an honest-to-god '56 I bought at a Salinas pawnshop when I was 19. It set a high bar for everything that's come after. My current strat is a Warmoth hardtail with a boat neck, bridge humbucker and a 3-way switch. I've always been comfortable on strats and like the utility of being able to create different assemblies with little more than a screwdriver and soldering iron. I've had the Warmoth for 15 years or so and it's been through a number of incarnations. IME, if you can find a neck you love, the rest can be sorted out over time.

BTW, how is the CV 50's body routed?

 

[Sputnik03]

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?

I dig my Strat because I've never seen another one like it. The wood grain, book matching is incredible. It's a Yamano Vintage, Japanese crated Strat. '94, it was crafted.

 

[Sputnik03]

 

[Sputnik03]

That woodgrain book matching, that I love.

 

[myfenderissues]

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?

get a used made in mexico, made after 2005 or so. after the pickups are changed they are better guitars than squires and the fender decal on the neck makes the thing better if you want to sell it someday. made in mexico guitars get body woods and maple sourced from this continent. aisan-made, who knows? the body wood on the mim's just sounds better when the guitar's played unplugged. the only option on a start is a trem or non trem, but not many non trems around so finding one isn't easy. in the old days people didn't want a non trem strat so you couldn't sell it, but now there's interest so they get a high price. a rosewood board will sound slightly different from maple, but either one's fine. rosewood will have a slightly warmer midrange and not as bright of a low end but a good amplifier can dial in the right sound for either type. if you are used to playing on rosewood try out a maple board guitar to see if the feel is right. the cool looking figured wood in squires is just a 1/64" 2 mm's thick veneer. asian guitars use fancy veneers over ok wood, so the tone can suffer. fender in the old days never worried about fancy body woods.

 

[myfenderissues]

post

 

[Linkslover]

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?

I have an American Standard with custom shop fat 50s pups.

I bought this after playing a buddies' because I found the range of tones from the different pup settings really broad and pleasing to my ear.

I play a lot of Grateful Dead through Fender reverb series amps. So also having crystal clear chimey tones is important to me. Adding pedals can allow me to get as dirty as I'd like if I'm playing a hendrix tune.

And I agree with other posters that the strat is the most comfortable body shape around.

You're issue is that there are so many pup and neck variations that finding the strat with the combination that speaks to your ear can be a challenge.

Good luck.

LL

 

[xStonr]

For me it’s ergonomics and versatility in tones and components.

 

[Chipss36]

I do like my strats , this one however, the word “love” would better a better describe my feelings for its tone, weight, and looks.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

I like the Stratocaster
(here, I mean classic, w/ 3-singje coils, vibrato bar),
because I feel like you can play any kind of music, on a well thought-out, comfy, and beautifully designed guitar. Timeless

I like MY Stratocaster because it is lightweight and cool! ( Tex-Mex w/parts, over the years.) My #1 guitar since '97.

 

[Dismalhead]

One reason for me - nothing sounds and plays like a Strat except a Strat.

 

[LOSTVENTURE]

The model, in general, is easily the most versatile guitar out there.

 

[loopfinding]

i've never been a big fan of them since i got my first gibson. they kind of turned me off to fenders in general for a while.

but i've been practicing a bit on mine and warming up to them. they really do kind of play themselves, which lets me break certain limits of my playing. then i can take that feel in my muscles and translate it to other guitars. in other words, it gives me some reference about what's supposed to feel easy and tension-free, and then i can adjust my playing/posture on other guitars to match that.

i also need a guitar with a trem for some stuff, and after buying a jazzmaster and having it be an endless project that i eventually got rid of, i'll settle for the "good enough" one i already have. the jazzmaster has a better trem and is more comfortable sitting down, but i find it awkward standing up, and the neck pickup is wimpy. the strat has a baseline functioning trem, is comfortable both sitting and standing, and the neck pickup sounds good.

 

[Jeru]

Because they can make these tones, and are exceptionally smooth-playing once you get used to the volume knob being too close to the bridge pickup.

My two ~Strat-type guitars have just a master volume/tone and no more knob closest to the strings.
Love it.

 

[Beachbum]

I love Strat bodies and necks but the rest? Not so much. I like mine for various reasons but most of all because it's not actually a Strat.

 

[Killing Floor]

Strat is strong like bull.

 

[JoeNeri]

 

[Telecaster582]

I like it because sometimes, there's things that just need to be played on a strat. Mine Hase the coil split, too. Since this picture I've refinished it, but I really love this one

 

[FortyEight]

super comfy, love the looks, lots of interesting sound options, sounds good in a mix.

on top of that they are everywhere at all price points. sometimes a 100 dollar bullet can work well. or u can spend 4-5k on a custom shop. i dont have that kind of money but i own a cheap chinese one and had another for a while. it works.

the older i get the more i move away from teles and play my strat more.