Anyone else play their Strats more than their Les Pauls?

[Gfunk_Minor]

Old school Fender purists would say a 2-point trem with chinesium saddles doesn't qualify as a real Strat either.

My personal opinion is that Leo got it right the first time but if making music is your goal, it doesn't matter how you get there.

Good eye Scott....
I had no idea that the 40th anniversary model had a different bridge than a "standard" Strat.
But, after doing my research this morning, I see that this type of bridge appears to be the norm on this particular model. To the scrap heap with her head...

 

[NotScott]

Good eye Scott....
I had no idea that the 40th anniversary model had a different bridge than a "standard" Strat.
But, after doing my research this morning, I see that this type of bridge appears to be the norm on this particular model. To the scrap heap with her head...

I'm a vintage freak who grew up as a Strat guy so I pay attention to all this minutiae. It's all good though. It's not the brush, it's the artist.

 

[danohat]

I tend to pick this up most often. What does this mean?

 

[crazytrain513]

I almost fell in love with my strat. It's an 08 custom shop and it plays amazingly but my r9 is just such a better instrument for me that I look for excuses to play it, whereas I play the strat because I need the tone or to occupy a certain tonal spectrum within a mix.

That makes perfect sense to me. A Strat is a tool you use to make music. A Les Paul is an experience, dare I say, privilege.

I consider Fender to be similar to the Android world - generally lower cost of entry, tons of customization, wide user base with many flavors from various manufacturers.

Gibson is Apple, with its higher cost of entry, expensive label, and generally more attention to detail with large amount of haters to match!

I tend to pick this up most often. What does this mean? View attachment 600279

I consider this a Strat! Like mine - non-traditional pickup configuration and control layout, but the shape and feel is there. I know the purists will disagree with me but for all intents and purposes, these are my thoughts.

Also not sure if this is still true but at one point, mexican Fenders, Charvels, Jacksons, and EVHs were all made at the same factory.

 

[joba]

Interesting dilemma . Made me think what I would pick if I had no guitar hero's. No visions of what iconic players used. No mental history of guitars at all. I would probably just use my suhr HSS super light Strat , PRS semi hollow Mccarty. Just light , so easy to play plus I can get just about any sound with the right pedals and amp. Cant erase the Visions of Johanna I guess.

 

[pmonk]

Depends on the style I plan on playing: Country style blue/rock the Stratocaster or Telecaster

1970's style hard rock: The Les Paul all the way.

 

[GrandJunction]

Although I love the tone and playability of all of the Strats that I have owned over the years, there is something about the placement of the volume and tone knobs that keeps me from getting too hooked on them. Every time I am in the middle of playing something on a Strat I suddenly realize that I am slowly losing volume because my right hand is contantly rubbing against the volume knobs, causing the volume loss. Consequently, whenever I am using my Start, I have to be continuously aware of where my right hand is - and because I am concentrating too much on my right hand position, I am not playing freely and naturally - which ultimately means that I am less 'comfortable' on a Strat than on other guitars.

 

[Dilver]

I think it depends on what you’ve spent the most time with. I grew up playing a Les Paul, so it’s most familiar to me and I sound most like me when I play a Les Paul.

I want to love Strats… I really do. But they just don’t provide the “girth” and bite that I need for the rock/heavy rock music I play. There are some things that Strat does that a Les Paul can’t - that quacky “position 4” tone is amazing for funk rhythm playing, or that super glassy tone Clapton gets on Roger Waters The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking.

I did just finish building a partscaster with a Fender AVRI ’62 neck and bridge, pre-98 Fender 57/62 pickups and a Warmoth body. I’m really happy with it.

I do often wonder if my rig just isn’t built around a strat (amp, pedals, etc). Strat player pedalboards seem to always involve a fuzz and a Klon/klone of some sort to make them sound “bigger”.

 

[crazytrain513]

@GrandJunction on the two “Strats” I have, the volume knob is a bit farther away than on the regular Fender Strat so that helped me.

On my Jackson, it’s also a high friction knob, so those two changes have helped me tons.

Interesting point on familiarity @Dilver. Personally, I have spent the most time with a Les Paul, but still have found great comfort in my two Strats over time (with a decent amount of adjustment and work over time) so while I do think familiarity is a part of it, it seems that it’s just a part of it.

 

[dspelman]

Nah. I'm mostly playing the LPs, but I have a couple with single-coil SIZE humbuckers in the 18K region that not only sound much different from a full-size neck humbucker, but that can be split for a 9K single coil sound. No muddy or wooly sounds there.

I don't own a single conventional strat. My "strat-alikes" are mostly Carvin DC-145s and a DC-135. The former are HSH configuration with a five-way and a bridge pickup add-in switch as well as a coil split for each of the humbuckers. The DC-135 has three single coil pickups, each with its own on-off switch (so you CAN turn off the whole guitar if you want). One of the DC-145s is a 22-fret 25.5" scale instrument, the others are 24-fret 24.75" and 25" scale guitars.
All are neck-through guitars in mahogany and koa (mostly).

While my main guitars are LP style, I'll pull out a strat-ish guitar fairly often. Dunno what the ratio is, but they do get played.

 

[pmonk]

I can't even contemplate playing a Strat with a tone bender or tube screamer these days, that is Les Paul territory.

When I play my Strat or Telecaster, it goes straight into the amp with no effects so depending on the mood I am in, that determines the guitar I play.

I also can switch from my fat neck R8 to my 57 V neck (maple) or 62 C shape Strat (rosewood) with ease

 

[Neffco]

KEEP YO STRAT, OUT MY WIFES MOUTH!

 

[Meatwad]

I'm a Strat guy.....I mean, I've got a Lester that I dig a LOT, but for me a Strat is home.
I can't live without single coils and a whammy.

 

[efstop]

I have a plywood Squier Strat-shaped object that I bought for $70. I put a P-90 in it. I take it out of the gig bag now and then. It's a change from all the 24 3/4" scale guitars I have.

 

[Robert Parker]

I certainly don't play my Strat nearly as much as my LP, but I play my Teles as much or more than the LP these days. Admittedly, I have been really digging the Fender-type tones and am strongly considering upgrading from my Squier Strat. I doubt I'll ever have a Strat as a number one, but I appreciate them more than I used to.

 

[searswashere]

My strat is for sale. If i want jangle i reach for my jazzmaster instead. The funny part is, the strat is my ideal version; fat C neck 96-1.0, suhr ML pickups, light relic body, flamed maple neck w 22 fret rosewood board, callaham brass block trem and vintage style kluson tuners. It sounds great, it playa great - and I dont play it. Ah well!

 

[Leumas]

 

[NotScott]

View attachment 603836

As much as a vintage fiend as I am, I LOVE the idea of a Strat with P90s.

My next guitar build will be a Strat thinline with a pair of Filtertrons. It won't be a proper Strat, but I am quite certain it will rock!

 

[Leumas]

As much as a vintage fiend as I am, I LOVE the idea of a Strat with P90s.

My next guitar build will be a Strat thinline with a pair of Filtertrons. It won't be a proper Strat, but I am quite certain it will rock!

Thanks! I put them in the white one on a whim over 10 years ago. Slowly it kind of became my number one. Finally I decided to transition the green one too just so I have a backup.

It’s hard to describe the tone. it’s nice and thick, beefier than even other humbucker equipped strats I’ve played, but still has clarity and some of the signature strat tone. It’s very unique.

 

[NotScott]

Thanks! I put them in the white one on a whim over 10 years ago. Slowly it kind of became my number one. Finally I decided to transition the green one too just so I have a backup.

It’s hard to describe the tone. it’s nice and thick, beefier than even other humbucker equipped strats I’ve played, but still has clarity and some of the signature strat tone. It’s very unique.

I hear ya. My #1 with my country/rock band is a Tele with a pair of Filtertrons. It has all that Fender sparkle and twang when clean but screams like a good PAF when cranked. I just want to try Trons in a Strat, as that body style is very comfortable.