Stratocaster appreciation thread

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
Post Reply
User avatar
Pepe Silvia
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5700
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 11:44 am
Location: Philadelphia

Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Pepe Silvia » Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:09 am

There seems to be decent amount of people here that hate the Strat, so I thought I would make this appreciation thread. Post your Strats!

Before I found offsets, I was convinced that the Strat was the best guitar ever made. Sure, in the 50's garb it might not be that great for modern music, but the Strat is basically a modular guitar, you can make it exactly how you want. You can get them cheap, you can get parts everywhere. And I still think the Strat is the most comfy guitars to play. If the Strat had an offset trem, it would be perfect.

Yeah, Strats can look generic and boring (black or red with white guards), but they can also be the classiest guitars ever (Sonic Blue with tort guard)
Image

User avatar
panoramic
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16925
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:09 pm
Location: baltimore, md.

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by panoramic » Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:11 am

i made a thread once about hating them, it was a gem
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

User avatar
bussche
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 413
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:23 am
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Contact:

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by bussche » Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:15 am

I love mine, my first electric. New pickguard and a SD JB later and it's still my favorite to this day.

Image

User avatar
Pepe Silvia
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5700
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 11:44 am
Location: Philadelphia

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Pepe Silvia » Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:17 am

I'm really really digging the GFS Mean 90 I put in the bridge of my Strat. It is basically the perfect pickup for a Strat.

User avatar
crazyzeke
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4692
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 12:19 pm
Location: West Sussex, England

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by crazyzeke » Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:30 am

I don't hate the Strat... I hate the Tele ;)

Nah, I can't really hate either because they can be great guitars. I just never found them to sound or feel right for my style, they were always a little off somehow. I'm sure I'm not the only one on the boards who feels like this.

Nice Jag, BTW.
"Feast our eyes on lower things
When suffering is craving the light"

- WILLOW, "Symptom Of Life"

User avatar
pj29
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 619
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:55 pm

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by pj29 » Fri Jan 15, 2010 10:54 am

I love my Strat. I find it to be the most comfortable guitar to play that I have had. We will see how that changes when I finish my Jazzmaster build!!!

User avatar
Pepe Silvia
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5700
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 11:44 am
Location: Philadelphia

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Pepe Silvia » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:00 am

crazyzeke wrote:I don't hate the Strat... I hate the Tele ;)

Nah, I can't really hate either because they can be great guitars. I just never found them to sound or feel right for my style, they were always a little off somehow. I'm sure I'm not the only one on the boards who feels like this.

Nice Jag, BTW.
Tele needs a forearm contour and I would like it. But then it looks goofy.

User avatar
zhivago
Mods
Mods
Posts: 21926
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:18 am
Location: London, UK

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by zhivago » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:05 am

I've played two incredible Stratocasters...one was late 70s, and the other AVRI...both sunburst, both great...
Resident Spartan.

User avatar
spacecadet
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 4351
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:03 am
Location: Long Island, NY
Contact:

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by spacecadet » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:11 am

I understand why some people like Strats, and I have one, but for me it's a guitar I noodle around on when I'm lazy. It's not a guitar I'd ever play out with. (I don't just mean because mine's a Squire, either; I don't think I'd play out with a Fender Strat either.) It does sound very generic to me, and it looks it too.

It's very easy to play, though; easier to play than my JM. You can put light strings on it and get really low action with no buzz. The trem works well, and it's a very comfortable guitar to hold. I get it. But it has no real personality.

The Strat is like the Toyota Camry of guitars. It gets you where you want to go, in comfort if not in style.

User avatar
Kilgore Trout
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3668
Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:28 pm
Location: Montreal, QC

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Kilgore Trout » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:18 am

My souped-up CIJ 57 Strat:

Image

I like strats.
I wish to propose a doctrine which may, I fear, appear wildly paradoxical and subversive. The doctrine in question is this: that it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true. - Bertrand Russell

User avatar
Pepe Silvia
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5700
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 11:44 am
Location: Philadelphia

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Pepe Silvia » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:18 am

spacecadet wrote:I understand why some people like Strats, and I have one, but for me it's a guitar I noodle around on when I'm lazy. It's not a guitar I'd ever play out with. (I don't just mean because mine's a Squire, either; I don't think I'd play out with a Fender Strat either.) It does sound very generic to me, and it looks it too.

It's very easy to play, though; easier to play than my JM. You can put light strings on it and get really low action with no buzz. The trem works well, and it's a very comfortable guitar to hold. I get it. But it has no real personality.

The Strat is like the Toyota Camry of guitars. It gets you where you want to go, in comfort if not in style.
I would say it is like the Honda Civic of guitars. They can be boring and reliable. There are lots of parts out there, and they can be cheap and ugly. But when they are done right, they are nice looking and be great.

This is great looking
Image

User avatar
luau
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10019
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 7:07 am
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by luau » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:21 am

I'm completely smitten by this look:

Image

Of all the guitars I've played I really have a hard time making a strat sound good.

User avatar
Pepe Silvia
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5700
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 11:44 am
Location: Philadelphia

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Pepe Silvia » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:30 am

And now, playing a Strat would be more Indie than playing an offset. Cheap to get, modable.. I bet you if SY came about now they would have an arsenal of pawn shop Strats.

User avatar
Brock the Mod
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2828
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:28 pm
Location: Santa Ana, CA
Contact:

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Brock the Mod » Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:33 am

I'm on a quest for a strat right now... this doesn't help.

User avatar
Mr. Peabody
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 602
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:22 am
Location: Brooklyn NY
Contact:

Re: Stratocaster appreciation thread

Post by Mr. Peabody » Fri Jan 15, 2010 12:01 pm

I recently fixed up my Strat, and it is my current fave.
I found a 1990 Gun Metal Blue body on ebay, because back when I started playing, I got this magazine, which continues make me think, 20 years later. The main guitar Marr features is a Gun Metal Blue Strat.

The neck is some kind of vintage spec All Parts. My friend finished it and made a bone nut for it.
Lollar Blackface pickups. Love these.
Rewired with CTS pots, switchcraft jack with:
1. Neck and Middle Volume
2. Bridge Volume (I also added a Lindy Fralin Baseplate to the Bridge PU)
3. Master Tone with .22 Paper and Oil cap

Image

One thing I love about the Stratocaster is that it is what you make of it. A Strat can be the cheesiest "hard rock café/Blueshämmer" guitar, or you can think of it as the Ron Asheton/Wayne Kramer/Johnny Marr/Buddy Holly/Robert Quine/Richard Lloyd/Alex Chilton circa Radio City awesome machine. Obviously, I prefer the latter mentality.
Last edited by Mr. Peabody on Fri Jan 15, 2010 12:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply