Which Strat & Why?
- Thread starter Mr Grumpy
- Start date
Quit teasing me, Robert.
I am hooked on that middle pickup tone....
Good points....some of the best sounding and playing guitars I have experienced were cheaper models that you wouldn't want anybody seeing you play....
Mr. Grumpy: Have you taken the time, as I have, to figure out what scale length you like best, what neck profile, what radius, what pickup ohms ratings, pot and cap values you like best???
If you have that data, why not build your own from high quality Warmoth or Musikraft parts????
For me, figuring out what I liked was the key, and it took a lot of time:
1-3/4" Nut Width
"U' profile, Neck between .975" and 1.00"
Mahagony Construction
24.75" Scale Length
Thin Vintage Frets
Rosewood Fingerboard 22 Frets
Block or Split Parallelogram Inlay
Stratocaster Body - Traditional Style (1960's)
Mahogany Construction
Flush Mount Floyd Rose
500k Bourn Pots
One Volume with Separate Bridge/Neck Tone Controls
.033uf PIO K40Y Tone Capacitor Bridge
.015uf PIO K40Y Tone Capacitor Neck
17kΩ Bridge Pickup
16kΩ Middle Pickup
15kΩ Neck Pickup
At least knowing these values helps me zero in on what I want....
If you have that data, why not build your own from high quality Warmoth or Musikraft parts????
For me, figuring out what I liked was the key, and it took a lot of time:
1-3/4" Nut Width
"U' profile, Neck between .975" and 1.00"
Mahagony Construction
24.75" Scale Length
Thin Vintage Frets
Rosewood Fingerboard 22 Frets
Block or Split Parallelogram Inlay
Stratocaster Body - Traditional Style (1960's)
Mahogany Construction
Flush Mount Floyd Rose
500k Bourn Pots
One Volume with Separate Bridge/Neck Tone Controls
.033uf PIO K40Y Tone Capacitor Bridge
.015uf PIO K40Y Tone Capacitor Neck
17kΩ Bridge Pickup
16kΩ Middle Pickup
15kΩ Neck Pickup
At least knowing these values helps me zero in on what I want....
Last edited:
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Doesn't matter what it costs if it sounds good.
I wouldn't call the G&L's cheap (the two that I have were $1600 and $1800 new but I bought them both used and saved a ton) but they are as good build quality and better-sounding and better-playing than the Fender Custom Shop Strats I have owned. So I consider them quite a bargain.
ivan H
Ambassador of Tubes & Grooves
I'm with Johnny Goo in that if you have a humbucker equipped guitar go for an SSS configuration. I can relate to you not liking the back pickup tone, I never used to 'til I tried the "delta" tone control setup. This has both the bridge & middle pickups wired to a "no load" type tone pot that takes the tone control out of circuit when turned right up. Fixes the back pickup tone problem. The middle pickup without the tone control I also find a very useful tone. If you get the Fender no load pot it has a detent when turned to 10 where it unloads. Regarding the strat with Texas Specials, if you haven't tried them, they are a "love/hate" type pickup. People seem to either love or hate them. I have a set of CS Texas Specials that I got really cheaply of a buddy who hated them. Had them wound up high looking for a lot of output. I tried them wound down low & found them a lot nicer there. Hope you find a good one. Cheers
I have to agree... G&L's are some of the the finest "Fenders" ever produced.
The fit & finish is second to none.
George & Leo kinda knew what they we're doing.
Used, they are usually quite a bargain.
But I still can't bond with one, Goddamnit...
Big Daddy B
Well-Known Member
I like the Desert Sand Classic Player 50's. To me that has the most vintage vibe and I like that in a strat. However I will say I am not a huge fan of gold hardware. Does it come in any other colors currently with nickel hardware? Unless you are eventually looking for an aged mary kaye type look, in which case by all means carry on.
RVA
Ambassador
Big Daddy B
Well-Known Member
Nice one biut there is also this:
RVA
Ambassador
Nice! Is that yours?Nice one biut there is also this:
Big Daddy B
Well-Known Member
No affiliation, only admiration. It's an Anderson too. My only satin finish is the esp strat, but it's nice.
Gahr
Ambassador of Blues & Brews
To be a bit more serious than in my last answer, think about why you want a Stratocaster. Is it because they look really cool or because of certain sonic qualities that you are looking for? If it's the former, just get whatever guitar you think looks best and mod it to your liking. If it's the latter, get one that comes close to what you are looking for and mod it to perfection!
If I wanted a Strat I would go for a rosewood neck. I wouldn't worry too much about the pickups, because they can be swapped. As for colors, I don't really have very strong opinions, although I prefer cream or Lake Placid blue, or maybe candy apple red, all with a white pickguard. Or a completely black one like David Gilmour (now there's a great Strat player!).
Having played a start for the first five years of my electric guitar "career", I have really come to the conclusion that I'm not the biggest fan in the world, but a few months ago I payed a Lake Placid blue Fender CS Strat that really blew me away. While I still prefer the Gibson scale length (how about that, @Robert Herndon?
), this particular specimen had a fretboard radius that felt a lot closer to the SGs I normally play. It felt really smooth, and sounded, well, like a bloody nice Srat! I instantly felt like firing up the AC30 and a treble booster to do some Rory Gallagher.
If I wanted a Strat I would go for a rosewood neck. I wouldn't worry too much about the pickups, because they can be swapped. As for colors, I don't really have very strong opinions, although I prefer cream or Lake Placid blue, or maybe candy apple red, all with a white pickguard. Or a completely black one like David Gilmour (now there's a great Strat player!).
Having played a start for the first five years of my electric guitar "career", I have really come to the conclusion that I'm not the biggest fan in the world, but a few months ago I payed a Lake Placid blue Fender CS Strat that really blew me away. While I still prefer the Gibson scale length (how about that, @Robert Herndon?
), this particular specimen had a fretboard radius that felt a lot closer to the SGs I normally play. It felt really smooth, and sounded, well, like a bloody nice Srat! I instantly felt like firing up the AC30 and a treble booster to do some Rory Gallagher.
To be a bit more serious than in my last answer, think about why you want a Stratocaster. Is it because they look really cool or because of certain sonic qualities that you are looking for? If it's the former, just get whatever guitar you think looks best and mod it to your liking. If it's the latter, get one that comes close to what you are looking for and mod it to perfection!
If I wanted a Strat I would go for a rosewood neck. I wouldn't worry too much about the pickups, because they can be swapped. As for colors, I don't really have very strong opinions, although I prefer cream or Lake Placid blue, or maybe candy apple red, all with a white pickguard. Or a completely black one like David Gilmour (now there's a great Strat player!).
Having played a start for the first five years of my electric guitar "career", I have really come to the conclusion that I'm not the biggest fan in the world, but a few months ago I payed a Lake Placid blue Fender CS Strat that really blew me away. While I still prefer the Gibson scale length (how about that, @Robert Herndon?
Gahr, you are onto something...I love the Strat shape, but the guitar doesn't really come into its own until you put a 12" board on it with the Gibson scale length...Then, something magical happens...
RVA
Ambassador
Wow!
OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
The compound radius on my fugly Cort tele is great; nicest neck I've ever played, so smooth and easy to play, so I fully agree with you on the compound radius, but the channel bound is pricey and the tuners are meh (yeah, I know I can swap stuff out, but when you're heading towards $2000 I'd want everything as I want it).
OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
Funnily enough, at that price they all went within 2 days and the ones left are $400 more.
Yeah; don't forget the singing.
True, but seems as I'm so crappy it has to look good and feel nice in my hands. &, if it magically makes me a better player that'd be great too.
Didn't know anything about her, but I do like those guitars.
OP
Mr Grumpy
Ambassador of Comings and Goings
I will not be making one - too much like hard work! Gibson, PRS and Fender scale lengths seem fine to me, moving between them is fine; my fugly-tele plays great and it's 25.5, but I equally like the SG scale length. I don't like wide and flat or 7.25; the fugly's 12-16 and Gibsonesque thin 60s feels great.
Yes, that makes sense; I don't want lots of guitars, but my fuglytel has a powerful bridge bucker and little 59 with coil split in the neck, so I can get SG, tel and all sorts of punky/overdriven sounds with that.
Interesting stuff, thanks. I was thinking originally of getting something with high output, but after reading the thread I'm thinking I have that covered with fuglytel, so just lower output and maybe noiseless could be a nice option.
I like that too. There is a version without the gold, but it has a lower radius neck which I'm not fond of (it's not a 60th LE):
Nope, too expensive!!!
But, there is a really nice shop in Seoul with lots of lovely guitars you'd like: Music Force-Fender MBS,Gibson,PRS,Suhr,James Tyler,Don Grosh,Bacchus,Tokai,Bogner,AMT,G2D
I payed a Lake Placid blue Fender CS Strat that really blew me away. While I still prefer the Gibson scale length (how about that, @Robert Herndon?
Lots of 12" strats around now, and the standard C seems to be not too different from a Fender to a Gibson? Ohhh, AC30 with an SG...
Yeah, I like the 12" or compound radius necks. I found a tele I had with 7.25 and narrow vintage frets to be interesting, but whereas it should have theoretically been easier to chord, I didn't find it so.