Fenders are far easier to setup as they lack a truss rod cover. I like that.
I always add a bridge tone control and a treble bleed on Stratocasters. I feel as though they really benefit from these modifications.
I've played plenty of guitars in sessions over the years, but I just really could never warm up to the tone and feel of the 25.5" scale. The feel of the string tension and the sharp attack caused me to get rid of all my 25.5" guitars except YelloStrat.
Because my Stratocaster has a 1-3/4" neck, I typically use it only on studio recordings where lots of open chords are used, because it has much more room for my fingers. (Think of a 12 string strung with only 6)
Beyond that, I'm generally playing 24.75" guitars.
I think it's preference in many respects...and perhaps a bit of history too.
I tend to favor "big" sounds and Gibsons with Humbuckers have always appealed to me for those reasons. Listen to the difference between Randy Rhoads and when Bernie Torme took over for him in April, 1982 with a single-coil Stratocaster. The difference in tone is really something, and it wasnt a favorable thing either.
Some play the guitar made famous by a performer they admire or because it looks cool and even that's OK, but to me, it's the sound.
I recall what Angus Young said in a 1980's interview, “I liked the SGs because they were light. I tried Fenders but they were too heavy and they just didn’t have the balls. And I didn’t want to put on them DiMarzios because then everyone sounds the same. It’s like you’re listening to the guy down the street. And I liked the hard sound of the Gibson.”
I always add a bridge tone control and a treble bleed on Stratocasters. I feel as though they really benefit from these modifications.
I've played plenty of guitars in sessions over the years, but I just really could never warm up to the tone and feel of the 25.5" scale. The feel of the string tension and the sharp attack caused me to get rid of all my 25.5" guitars except YelloStrat.
Because my Stratocaster has a 1-3/4" neck, I typically use it only on studio recordings where lots of open chords are used, because it has much more room for my fingers. (Think of a 12 string strung with only 6)
Beyond that, I'm generally playing 24.75" guitars.
I think it's preference in many respects...and perhaps a bit of history too.
I tend to favor "big" sounds and Gibsons with Humbuckers have always appealed to me for those reasons. Listen to the difference between Randy Rhoads and when Bernie Torme took over for him in April, 1982 with a single-coil Stratocaster. The difference in tone is really something, and it wasnt a favorable thing either.
Some play the guitar made famous by a performer they admire or because it looks cool and even that's OK, but to me, it's the sound.
I recall what Angus Young said in a 1980's interview, “I liked the SGs because they were light. I tried Fenders but they were too heavy and they just didn’t have the balls. And I didn’t want to put on them DiMarzios because then everyone sounds the same. It’s like you’re listening to the guy down the street. And I liked the hard sound of the Gibson.”
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