Stratocaster appreciation thread

[PuppyGirlBelly]

I know this is a bit of an aside from this topic, but I hope it's on-topic enough for "Strat Appreciation". But what is it that makes y'all appreciate strats?

The background is that I recently inherited my first cheapo no-name strat copy, and I have been trying to make this guitar work as best it can. Fret levelling, properly cut nut, good setup, and adjusting the cheap ceramic pickups to their sweet spots.

So I know it's a cheap guitar, but I personally believe in the philosophy that any guitar can be appreciated with the right combination of TLC, mods, and tone shaping. But I find myself finding it difficult to appreciate this guitar; and I think it's due to the "strat sound" more than anything. It's too thin, lacking in both low-end and mids, but the highs are likewise dull and lacking presence. The quacky 2 and 4 positions are even thinner and unpleasant. Just kinda a dull guitar that I can only get a decent sound when it's smothered in overdrive and distortion sound.

Now my main comparison point is my JMJM with quality pickups, so it's got a pleasant amount of low-end and tons of sparkle and presence. But I find even listening to online samples of other strats don't sound different enough to make me think that a simple pickup swap might fix things.

So, ultimately, I am wondering if I maybe need to learn what makes a strat lovable rather than trying to blindly upgrade components in this guitar.

[tdksa90]

I’d slap on a gold anodized pickguard to take it next level, but it’ great either way.

Nice case too.

I'm not a huge fan of anodized pickguards. I'm pretty happy with the three-ply white pickguard. Even though it looks like Yngwie Malmsteen



Today I stopped by my local guitar shop and bought my favorite strings (DR Strings Pure Blues). The guitar had 11s, and I prefer 10s. After switching them out, I realized that the previous owner put 11s on there and did not setup the guitar. With 10s, it's perfect. I don't really need to adjust anything right now. It's such a great guitar, I'm thrilled.

[MKR]

I know this is a bit of an aside from this topic, but I hope it's on-topic enough for "Strat Appreciation". But what is it that makes y'all appreciate strats?

The background is that I recently inherited my first cheapo no-name strat copy, and I have been trying to make this guitar work as best it can. Fret levelling, properly cut nut, good setup, and adjusting the cheap ceramic pickups to their sweet spots.

So I know it's a cheap guitar, but I personally believe in the philosophy that any guitar can be appreciated with the right combination of TLC, mods, and tone shaping. But I find myself finding it difficult to appreciate this guitar; and I think it's due to the "strat sound" more than anything. It's too thin, lacking in both low-end and mids, but the highs are likewise dull and lacking presence. The quacky 2 and 4 positions are even thinner and unpleasant. Just kinda a dull guitar that I can only get a decent sound when it's smothered in overdrive and distortion sound.

Now my main comparison point is my JMJM with quality pickups, so it's got a pleasant amount of low-end and tons of sparkle and presence. But I find even listening to online samples of other strats don't sound different enough to make me think that a simple pickup swap might fix things.

So, ultimately, I am wondering if I maybe need to learn what makes a strat lovable rather than trying to blindly upgrade components in this guitar.

I think the Stratocaster is great for so many things. Suited for so many genres. And it has a stock tremolo which is very effective. Keep in mind it was the first tremolo fender offered.

Neck pickup on a strat is my favourite neck pickup sound on any guitar.

Bridge pickup is fantastic for surf guitar or a 60s vibe. Think Dick dale.

A young David gilmour would argue that the other sounds a strat has to offer are cool too.

Yeah I guess other guitars are sexier and cooler, but the strat is such a work horse.

Also For what it’s worth I don’t think I would put any money or fancy parts into a no name knock off strat (vintage lawsuit era guitars being the exception). Totally not worth it and the honeymoon period will wear off quick. Any actual fender strat is a great guitar IMO.

[marqueemoon]

I know this is a bit of an aside from this topic, but I hope it's on-topic enough for "Strat Appreciation". But what is it that makes y'all appreciate strats?

The background is that I recently inherited my first cheapo no-name strat copy, and I have been trying to make this guitar work as best it can. Fret levelling, properly cut nut, good setup, and adjusting the cheap ceramic pickups to their sweet spots.

So I know it's a cheap guitar, but I personally believe in the philosophy that any guitar can be appreciated with the right combination of TLC, mods, and tone shaping. But I find myself finding it difficult to appreciate this guitar; and I think it's due to the "strat sound" more than anything. It's too thin, lacking in both low-end and mids, but the highs are likewise dull and lacking presence. The quacky 2 and 4 positions are even thinner and unpleasant. Just kinda a dull guitar that I can only get a decent sound when it's smothered in overdrive and distortion sound.

Now my main comparison point is my JMJM with quality pickups, so it's got a pleasant amount of low-end and tons of sparkle and presence. But I find even listening to online samples of other strats don't sound different enough to make me think that a simple pickup swap might fix things.

So, ultimately, I am wondering if I maybe need to learn what makes a strat lovable rather than trying to blindly upgrade components in this guitar.

As I’ve said in other threads Strats have a lot of sonic baggage.

Strats have a sound, and if you can use that sound to your own musical ends then great. There’s gear I can’t do a damn thing with that other players do amazing stuff with.

To me what they are best at is relatively dry clean sounds and heavy fuzz, particularly fuzzes that clean up with the guitar volume.

I usually like a lightly breaking up amp sound which can be cliche with a Strat, but sometimes it works.

My favorite use for my Strat is playing solo sets, particularly with random backline amps. It’s full and clear in the neck position and it’s easy to get a workable sound with.

[Kinx]

I know this is a bit of an aside from this topic, but I hope it's on-topic enough for "Strat Appreciation". But what is it that makes y'all appreciate strats?

The background is that I recently inherited my first cheapo no-name strat copy, and I have been trying to make this guitar work as best it can. Fret levelling, properly cut nut, good setup, and adjusting the cheap ceramic pickups to their sweet spots.

So I know it's a cheap guitar, but I personally believe in the philosophy that any guitar can be appreciated with the right combination of TLC, mods, and tone shaping. But I find myself finding it difficult to appreciate this guitar; and I think it's due to the "strat sound" more than anything. It's too thin, lacking in both low-end and mids, but the highs are likewise dull and lacking presence. The quacky 2 and 4 positions are even thinner and unpleasant. Just kinda a dull guitar that I can only get a decent sound when it's smothered in overdrive and distortion sound.

Now my main comparison point is my JMJM with quality pickups, so it's got a pleasant amount of low-end and tons of sparkle and presence. But I find even listening to online samples of other strats don't sound different enough to make me think that a simple pickup swap might fix things.

So, ultimately, I am wondering if I maybe need to learn what makes a strat lovable rather than trying to blindly upgrade components in this guitar.

The looks, ergonomics, sound - in that order.

I've been drawn to the looks of a Strat since really early childhood. Then I became a Hendrix fanatic, so it was a logical first 'proper' guitar for me. I still consider the Strat my 'home' guitar, although I haven't been playing them as much as my offsets in the past couple of years. The fact that I love the Strat's ergonomics may be attributed to the fact that I grew up playing a cheap Cort Strat copy and then graduated to an American Standard Strat at the age of 15, which I kept playing exclusively until my mid-20s.

[tdksa90]

When I am able to play many Strats in a store, they can feel and sound very different. And I think there are a number of reasons why that is, most notably the guitar's setup.

If I play a guitar without an amp, it's immediately apparent that some guitars have sustain, others are dead as doorknobs. The Strat is unique in that it has the tremolo system that can be adjusted in many ways: spring tightness, the gap between the bridge plate and the body, the weight of the tremolo block, and the type of saddles. And all of these things have a huge influence on the feel of the guitar... I would argue moreso than other guitars.

And then there are the the adjustments that are made on every guitar: Pickups vary widely. Pickup height effects not only tone but string resonance. The shape and feel of the neck. All of these things add to the guitar's playability.

The combination of all these things are what makes me appreciate Strats. I think there is a Strat for everybody, because it can be easily tailored to the player's preferences. For years, I thought I hated Strats, but I realize now that I just hated the Strats that I was playing (the partscaster I made in the 90s, the early 2000s MIM that I sold years ago). Now that I have a Player Strat that is properly setup for my preferences, I have a higher opinion of them. As always, YMMV.

[SuperAxe]

Me and my buddy had a little facebook argument about usability of strat's middle pickup, so I recorded a quick jam utilizing mostly middle pickup of my '66 partscaster.
I used a recently purchased Neural DSP Morgan suite plugin and I am utterly amazed how it sounds straight outta the box, first preset and anything. Miles ahead of all the plugins I used to use in the past.

Nice playing and sounds really good to me.

[walterwiseman]

Me and my buddy had a little facebook argument about usability of strat's middle pickup, so I recorded a quick jam utilizing mostly middle pickup of my '66 partscaster.
I used a recently purchased Neural DSP Morgan suite plugin and I am utterly amazed how it sounds straight outta the box, first preset and anything. Miles ahead of all the plugins I used to use in the past.

Hell yeah, this sounds stunning. I love the middle strat position, personally.

[Kinx]

thanks a lot! Gotta say, that plugin was the best 60 euros spent on a piece of guitar gear ever. Best part is that I can even run the output through my macbook speakers in (more or less) real time, perfect for practicing when travelling.

[sal paradise]

thanks a lot! Gotta say, that plugin was the best 60 euros spent on a piece of guitar gear ever. Best part is that I can even run the output through my macbook speakers in (more or less) real time, perfect for practicing when travelling.

Wow yeah, that sounds incredible. What amp was it? And out of interest, how do you connect the guitar to the MacBook? Just read that Neural DSP doesn’t need a DAW, that could be really useful.

[Kinx]

thanks a lot! Gotta say, that plugin was the best 60 euros spent on a piece of guitar gear ever. Best part is that I can even run the output through my macbook speakers in (more or less) real time, perfect for practicing when travelling.

Wow yeah, that sounds incredible. What amp was it? And out of interest, how do you connect the guitar to the MacBook? Just read that Neural DSP doesn’t need a DAW, that could be really useful.

Thanks a lot! this is my setup hardware wise: Guitar -> Focusrite Solo 2nd gen sound card -> Macbook

I use Reaper DAW for VST hosting and audio recording and I have set audio routing in Reaper to have separate device for audio input (Focusrite) and output (Macbook speakers). It works suprisingly well, the latency is hard to notice and it's perfectly functional. I am not sure if you can do the same routing with just the standalone app, but Reaper is super easy to work with (and inexpensive). I used normal headphone output of the Focusrite in the instagram video above, because I didn't want to ruin other people's afternoon with my boomer bends

[Alex!]

I’m about to break down and buy a Billy Corgan DiMarzio for my strat, or maybe a little 59 by SD

[tdksa90]

I'm loving my new Strat Player.

My Partscaster is a different beast. I worked at Stewmac in the 90s, and assembled a guitar out of returns, samples and other such free parts. I sold it to a friend, and after he passed a few years later, I was given it back. I left it as it was in his honor, but frankly it's not that great. Two piece maple neck (returned after somebody cracked the headstock by drilling the tuner screws badly... I superglued the crack and redrilled) plus a green nitrocellulose finish that wasn't done well. It just doesn't feel right.

But I realized that he would probably want to update it too. His main axe was a Gibson 335, and he didn't really use this Strat much.

So i am going to clean up the dings, and refinsh the body in black nitro. I am going to get a Fender Player maple neck. Everything else will stay: Gotoh tuners and trem, Schaller Vintage S6 pickups with a Dimarzio HS1 in the bridge. I'll probably keep the vintage pearloid pickguard.

Here it is now:

[B.T.]

As much as I love banging on it I feel the Strat’s neck pickup tone is so played out they need to do a mock funeral for it and be done with it.

[Kinx]

Here it is with my other Partscaster (I posted about that one earlier in this thread).



I flew to Milan just for a couple of hours (the airfare was super cheap) to get it, and I don't regret it.

The neck, pickups, and pots are from 1969, the body is from 1971, with pickup covers, pickguard, and knobs by Crazy Plastics, AVRI bridge, no routing underneath the pickguard.It sounds wild, way more treble-focused than the other one, almost venturing into Jazzmaster territory. It sustains long 'boomer' bends surprisingly well and, most importantly, it has a little extra 'something' that makes it work better in the band mix than most of my guitars.

I'll do some proper demos tomorrow.

I finally did a proper demo of the 68/71 partscaster ! I was somewhat underwhelmed by the bridge pickup at first, especially when considering that it's an OG '68 pickup and all. However, after playing a bit with the pickup height, all is well and I really, really enjoy playing this guitar. Justifying owning two '60s partscasters is somewhat challenging, but every time I'm in doubt, I just have to pick it up and play a couple of licks.