randythoades Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 In an attempt to gain some genuine insight (as well as to stir up a discussion that no side can win), I am interested in how people use and get good sounds out of a Stratocaster... I love a strat, for me they embody the epitome of guitar design, sleek and still look space age after all this time. All my favourite players played strats and coaxed amazing tones out of them. BUT, I have had (genuinely no lie) more than 40 strats of various makes in the 35 years that I have been playing, 10 Fender USA, 7 Mex, 6 Squier and 11 MIJ Fender and a splattering of other makes (Gordon Smith, Greco, Aria etc). I lust after strats all the time but cannot make them work for me musically. I can make a telecaster work in almost every situation I am in, but not a strat (hence my building my own tele in a strat hardtail body). I always find the neck pickup too muddy, the bridge pickup too thin and shrill, so I stay on the middle pickup for the most part but keep catching it with my plectrum. I have tried out every make I could find on after market pickups and wiring looms to no avail. The only strats I can get to work for me to some degree are single humbucker strats in the vein of EVH, when I play rock orientated stuff, but even that isn't really my style for the most part, they don't have the snap that I like. I have had dozens of amps (a lot of different era Fenders to be fair, with some Roland, Peavey and Marshall) and effects units, preamps into PA, software amp modelling etc but always the same issues however I try to tweak it. I feel like the strat is like the Emperor's New Clothes... so many players seem to love them and use them but they just don't work for me. I know that I am the common denominator here and it is something about my style and how I approach it, but really... what am I missing? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 1 hour ago, randythoades said: so many players seem to love them and use them but they just don't work for me. There’s nothing wrong with that, as you are aware, there are many other guitars out there and one is right for you, turns out it’s a Tele. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 41 minutes ago, ezbass said: There’s nothing wrong with that, as you are aware, there are many other guitars out there and one is right for you, turns out it’s a Tele. Thanks for this. I know the tele is the one for me, every time I play one it just feels right. But I look longingly at a strat and wish I could just make it work I just can't get it to sound good at all to my ears, it isn't even about playing experience. I just don't understand how people manage to get them to sound so fantastic...!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 1 hour ago, randythoades said: I just don't understand how people manage to get them to sound so fantastic...!! One of my favourite players is Eric Johnson, usually associated with the Strat. However, his most recognised track is probably Cliffs of Dover, which he plays on a Strat live, was recorded with a 335, still sounds like him. Conversely, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a Tele. Some folks bond with certain guitars, others find sound/bond with others. Horses for courses and all that, don’t beat yourself up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 I drink tea, we've been drinking tea in the family since before I was born. There is a sort of ritual to making a pot of tea, with the goal, every time, to be able to drink what we call a 'magic cuppa'. How does one create this delight..? I don't know (I wish I did..!). Our tea is excellent, and litres of it are drunk daily, but only once in a while does a 'magic cuppa' appear. Is it the water..? The 'standing' time..? The temperature of the mug..? A combination of dozens of subtle factors..? It's wonderful when one comes along; all the more so for it being a surprise. Why do I relate this..? I rather think that, with music in general, and guitars in particular, there's similar 'magic' at work. Why is it suddenly 'there'..? Again, I wish I knew. I'm of the opinion that these maestros that play so well have, each in their own way, 'cracked' the code, and are able to (most of the time...) bring out this 'magic'. How to acquire this skill..? Maybe it's in one's DNA, maybe one has to sacrifice black goats on mountain tops at midnight, maybe ... If you enjoy trying, carry on with your researches and experiments, but it's not given to everyone to have all the abilities in all domains. Keep cracking on with what you succeed in, too; there's doubtless at least some 'magic' in your other guitars that needs to be brought forth. Your call. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 2 hours ago, Dad3353 said: I drink tea, we've been drinking tea in the family since before I was born. There is a sort of ritual to making a pot of tea, with the goal, every time, to be able to drink what we call a 'magic cuppa'. How does one create this delight..? I don't know (I wish I did..!). Our tea is excellent, and litres of it are drunk daily, but only once in a while does a 'magic cuppa' appear. Is it the water..? The 'standing' time..? The temperature of the mug..? A combination of dozens of subtle factors..? It's wonderful when one comes along; all the more so for it being a surprise. Why do I relate this..? I rather think that, with music in general, and guitars in particular, there's similar 'magic' at work. Why is it suddenly 'there'..? Again, I wish I knew. I'm of the opinion that these maestros that play so well have, each in their own way, 'cracked' the code, and are able to (most of the time...) bring out this 'magic'. How to acquire this skill..? Maybe it's in one's DNA, maybe one has to sacrifice black goats on mountain tops at midnight, maybe ... If you enjoy trying, carry on with your researches and experiments, but it's not given to everyone to have all the abilities in all domains. Keep cracking on with what you succeed in, too; there's doubtless at least some 'magic' in your other guitars that needs to be brought forth. Your call. I agree that we don't all have to have all the abilities in all the genres in everything and I am sure there is a lot of goat sacrificing going on... !! I am not down on my playing necessarily, I like a Tele (well Esquire actually), it works for me and I like to sound the way I do... I manage to still sound like me (and get a sound I generally like) with an SG or LP junior or Gretsch, so why can't I get the Strat to work? I can understand that the overall playing experience, neck thickness, weight, bulk etc might put off players in droves regardless of the tones achieved (I don't play Les Paul for instance) but some players seem to manage to get some amazing sounds out a guitar that I struggle to get even a decent basic tone from. Due to the huge variances with effects, amps etc, it is just that one's technique? I will admit to being quite an 'angular' player in that I dig in deep and 'chop' at the string rather than smoothly strum or pick. I like the percussive snap that comes with it, even though I use a very light touch and use very light strings these days. Maybe that is why the Tele suits and the Strat not. Bit frustrating though... Maybe I need to buy another, just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 8 minutes ago, randythoades said: ... Maybe I need to buy another, just in case. Have you no buddies with a Strat that they get to sound well..? A joint session (no, not that kind of joint, dummy..!) might show up a trick or two. He/she plays something sounding good, passes the guitar to you to see what you can make of it. Any good..? With so many variables (light strings and a vibrato, for instance, ring warning bells...), I'd suggest that one-on-one might be instructive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 16 hours ago, Dad3353 said: Have you no buddies with a Strat that they get to sound well..? As it happens I don't ... These days I am the only guitar player in our group of friends and the others I know in the area are are Gibson players. Used to be that every man and his dog played guitar, but I was always in demand because I also played bass. Now the other way round. We have another 5 bass players in our little area and I am the only guitarist who doesn't only play punk... I do know a good guitar teacher, so might take a visit to him to discuss the finer points of tone. I do still have a strat in the cupboard and without strings so I could take my stuff over there. He is a PRS player, and is very experienced played around a lot. My use of very light strings is relatively recent, only the last couple of years due to increasing discomfort with RSI. I used to use flatwound 12s and gradually got lighter and lighter over the years.. Maybe it isn't that the strat sounds bad, maybe it is because of the tone that I have in my head (which fits nicely with the Tele) that I am trying to get from a strat. Perhaps I am being a little unfair. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 4 hours ago, randythoades said: .... I used to use flatwound 12s ... These don't sound, to me, the most appropriate for a Strat, at least for obtaining the more typical Strat tones. A set of ordinary light 10-46 would be my starting point (I'm not particularly fussy about make, or even gauge, normally; this is just the String 101 suggestion...). Those flat-wounds would certainly produce 'better' jazz vamping tones, and would sit well on many of my arch-tops; a Strat would be good with them on, but not for 'typical' Strat tones, is all. Put a set of Ernie Ball Light on, to try..? These will require a quite different 'touch', compared to flat-wounds, so right-hand technique should be adapted as a consequence. Any help..? (Disclaimer : apart from being a drummer, my guitar playing is very limited, and much more suited to fake 'jazz' stuff. Liquid runs à la Steve Vai are far from my repertoire. On the other hand, Our Eldest plays well, but not on Strats specifically...) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Dad3353 said: These don't sound, to me, the most appropriate for a Strat, at least for obtaining the more typical Strat tones. A set of ordinary light 10-46 would be my starting point (I'm not particularly fussy about make, or even gauge, normally; this is just the String 101 suggestion...). Those flat-wounds would certainly produce 'better' jazz vamping tones, and would sit well on many of my arch-tops; a Strat would be good with them on, but not for 'typical' Strat tones, is all. Put a set of Ernie Ball Light on, to try..? These will require a quite different 'touch', compared to flat-wounds, so right-hand technique should be adapted as a consequence. Any help..? (Disclaimer : apart from being a drummer, my guitar playing is very limited, and much more suited to fake 'jazz' stuff. Liquid runs à la Steve Vai are far from my repertoire. On the other hand, Our Eldest plays well, but not on Strats specifically...) Well, my initial guitar heroes were Buddy Holly, Hank Marvin, Scotty Moore and the players from the 50s and early 60s so I had no ambition early on for 'Liquid runs' (that came much later)... and was more about clean, reverb drenched rhythm initially or purely melody (like Hank). Then I started to do both rhythm and lead together like Buddy. I used the flatwounds on a strat originally as they were the same strings I used on my first guitar (a hollow body ply wood thing with an action you could put a whole finger underneath). I did move from the flatwounds after a year or so on the strat to a 'standard' 10-46 for the next 15 years, but as RSI started, I went to a 9.5 set, then 9.0s, now on 8-38 sets. I don't find I get much of a different tone on my Esquires whichever string I use, although it definitely needs technique adjustment. I might do that though and set my current strat to a 'standard' setup and use that as a base. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strumbarmy Posted October 27, 2023 Share Posted October 27, 2023 I have a Burns Shadows Special which is quite stratty and started off on 9-42's as recommended by many. It seems that if you want to get more "Shadowy" you need to have the heavier strings (with a wound third) that Hank had on some of his guitars and experiment with effects to get the (sometimes) triple echo etc. It seems that extra effects were added in the studio, so they rarely happened on live gigs! I used to love flatwounds in the 60's as they helped with my sore fingers! I picked up a couple of "project" strat copies last week and after a fair bit of setting up, they are settling down and are producing something close to the Burns! They had been in storage after the guy had "tried to learn", broke one, bought the other and still had no luck. It was hardly surprising as the settings were well off (double decker bus under the action gap"!). A good set up, everything stripped, cleaned, levelled, wiring resoldered, restrung and put back together within spec and they play! A bit more "cosmetic" work and they will be as good (if not better) than some of the strats I played in the 60's! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Strats definitely aren’t the emperors new clothes! So many of my fave guitarists are strat players, they are definitely playing them right. what I don’t get is why someone who clearly can’t gel with Strats has owned 40 of them! I like Strats a lot, I use pickup positions 1,2,4 & 5 but rarely middle pickup on its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted January 15 Author Share Posted January 15 On 12/01/2024 at 20:56, Angel said: Strats definitely aren’t the emperors new clothes! So many of my fave guitarists are strat players, they are definitely playing them right. what I don’t get is why someone who clearly can’t gel with Strats has owned 40 of them! I like Strats a lot, I use pickup positions 1,2,4 & 5 but rarely middle pickup on its own. Because I love the look of them, and the feel. I WANT to love them, so keep looking for THE one. Never works. So I spend a lot of time gazing at them but really struggle to play them. For some reason I seem to forget that I can't gel with them and after a few weeks of selling one I start looking for another... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tele-strat owner Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 On 15/01/2024 at 02:58, Dad3353 said: IF I DOODIT I GIT THE WHUPPIN........I DOODODIT Well now the search continues, hahahahahahahahahah <waves hand these are not the STRATS your looking for> hahahahahahahahahahah oooooh man I am in trrouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musical Mystery Tour Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 On 12/10/2023 at 07:22, randythoades said: I feel like the strat is like the Emperor's New Clothes... so many players seem to love them and use them but they just don't work for me. I know that I am the common denominator here and it is something about my style and how I approach it, but really... what am I missing? Never really got on with Strats until fairly recently. I've had a few over the years which I didn't really connect with and ended up givig them away, but in the past year I got two which I do like and will keep. The first was a Sunn Mustang, which if you know anything about those, is a license-built Fender Strat made in India for the European market in the late Eighties. That's a very good guitar indeed. Finding that I liked that Mustang, it prompted me to get another Strat, a 1980 model which I relicked the living crap out of and tarted up with a few parts, and that one I really like too. You can see me playing that one through an MG15 here. I guess the moral of the story is, sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
