There's just something about a Strat

Voxman

I have 12 electric guitars and I like each for what they can do and my main gigging guitar is a PRS, Cu24 with a Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro as my back up, because these both do HB and single coil tones.

But for me there's just something magical about a traditional three single coil Strat with a rosewood board that just feels so 'right' to me. I have three Strats, an original 69 hard tail, a 50th Anniversary American Deluxe that I bought for investment, and a 2009 limited edition US standard in Daphne blue, matching headstock, 2 point trem, delta tone.  Gigging needs aside, it's my favourite guitar. It's light, comfy, great slim neck and it just sounds great.

For some it's a Tele, for others it's a LP but for me it's a Fender Strat. I'm retiring end of April and I might treat myself to something a bit special. Not silly money, and not necessarily a vintage style custom shop as I actually prefer modern features and playability.  Adjusting a truss rod at the wrong end of the neck is too awkward and I prefer the stability and set up ease of a modern 2 point trem to the older style 6 point and either modern lockable tuners or the vintage style slot tuners on my 69. 

I'm not really sure what I want yet but once I'm retired I'll have the time to visit stores and try a load. No rush, but I'd like to find 'the one' if such a thing exists. 

HarrySeven

Interesting. Despite all of the guitars I own/play, I’ve always gravitated towards Strats.

Fingers657

Even though I’ve a few Strats and like them Telecasters and SGs are my favourites.

soma1975

Strats are perfect. Thin, fat, spiky, wiry, chimey, wonderful clean and wonderful with drive and fuzz. They can do everything. 

ditchboy

I agree. I only own two electrics. A tele elite which is a stunner but there’s nothing quite like a strat. 

LionAquaLooper

What if you find that "the one" is a Harley Benton or a Squier? Would you ignore it and still opt for a pricey Fender? 

strtdv

I love how other people sound with a Strat, but never when I'm playing. It a Tele for me, they're "just right". I've no use for a tremolo and even when they're blocked I notice less energy transferring from the strings to the body compared to a telecaster bridge.

I also dislike the tendency of the bridge pickup towards ice pick compared to a Tele which tends towards either rock or twang.

Alder bodied strats are better compared to ash, but I'd still have a Tele over a Strat any day

blueskunk

Yeah, can go all round the block and always end up back to the Strat. Recently picked up one with some Oil City Humbuckers in. My days , whole new world but still a Strat !!

tone1

I’ve tried to get something to capture various guitar sounds….PRS 513, DGT etc, but nothing comes close to capturing a great Strat…..so no arguments from me….A Strat is number 1 for me 

Fingers657

Strats and me have never looked right in a mirror 

soma1975

LionAquaLooper said:

What if you find that "the one" is a Harley Benton or a Squier? Would you ignore it and still opt for a pricey Fender? 

Mine is a Tigger's broom partscaster and it's better than my old Fender CS. 

maltingsaudio

My Musicman Silhouette best Strat I’ve ever played and definitely my equal favourite to my Berlin.

Now the elephant in the room, is it the feel or the sound?

Voxman

LionAquaLooper said:

What if you find that "the one" is a Harley Benton or a Squier? Would you ignore it and still opt for a pricey Fender? 

I have a HB Tele TE52NA which is tremendous bang for buck, but its quite heavy.  Sorry, but whilst HB's and Squiers are superb value and many may feel & sound good, if I'm going to treat myself to something special it has to be a US Fender Strat.  

strtdv said:

I love how other people sound with a Strat, but never when I'm playing. It a Tele for me, they're "just right". I've no use for a tremolo and even when they're blocked I notice less energy transferring from the strings to the body compared to a telecaster bridge.

I also dislike the tendency of the bridge pickup towards ice pick compared to a Tele which tends towards either rock or twang.

Alder bodied strats are better compared to ash, but I'd still have a Tele over a Strat any day

All my 3 Strats are alder. The 2009 has delta tone that has a slightly hotter bridge pickup with a no-load tone circuit that controls both bridge and middle pick-up so you can ease off any ice-pick-iness.  

maltingsaudio said:

My Musicman Silhouette best Strat I’ve ever played and definitely my equal favourite to my Berlin.

Now the elephant in the room, is it the feel or the sound?

Both - the Strat shape & body contours are just so comfortable and it's just the most iconic & most copied shape in the electric guitar world. 

Fingers657 said:

Even though I’ve a few Strats and like them Telecasters and SGs are my favourites.

I like Tele's & SG's too - I have a 2006 SG Standard, a 1988 US Standard Telecaster (alder, rosewood board), and a HB TE52NA (ash, maple board). 

munckee

I live strats and teles. Currently don’t have a Strat for the first time in years, have a tele custom and a jazzmaster, I’m finding the jm ticks the Strat boxes, for now at least. 

BillDL

The "Strat" I like the most from Fenders, Squiers and Strat copies (I'm excluding "superStrats" here), is an early 90s Levinson Blade Texas Standard Pro in red with maple fretboard.  I don't need nor want a Fender Strat while I have that guitar because it sounds and feels as good as any Fender I've played.  I always used to prefer laquered maple fretboards to rosewood, but I've more recently developed a liking, but perhaps not yet a preference, for rosewood boards on Teles, Tele copies, and Strat style guitars.

Fishboy7

I actually find Strats a bit boring.

Also a lot of Strat players tend to gravitate towards tedious SRV / Hendrix impersonations. 

slacker

I have 5 very different guitars and one of them is a strat. It's not my number 1 but it does things no other type of guitar does.

The best mod is a tone control on the bridge pickup. Makes a world of difference.

paulmapp8306

I gravitate to teles.   I use all 3 positions.  On my strat I use the neck or the bridge - and added an "add bridge" swich which I use a lot - guess what.... the same 3 positions a tele offers lol.  ive NEVER liked the in between strat sounds....and I have a tone pot on the bridge or thats uns-useable for me without.    

now,  the strat does feel more comfortable with its contouring rather than the teles slab, but I always end up back to the tele.

Each to their own.   I am looking for a replacement strat (after i bring in an amp) as mine has a modern C neck profile, and Ive gravitated away from those to chunkier necks (not U ordeep C, but bigger than the modern C - particularly at the 12th fret and above).

chrisj1602

I’ve never seen a Strat as my number one, I’d go for Les Paul or Tele usually, but I recently got a MIM Classic 60s that was NOS from a closed down store. I’ve played it more than any other Strat I’ve owned. It’s been my sofa guitar, I’ve been learning songs on it, and writing bits too. It’s getting a lot of use and I can’t wait to gig it. I’ve always fancied a CS relic Strat, even more so now.

Lestratcaster

My first ever guitar was a strat and I've still got it and use today. I think I'm mainly a Les Paul guy for rock but for general playing I'll plump for the Strat over a Tele. It just feels right and sounds good in my hands. Most of the players I grew up idolising where strat players, Clapton/Hendrix etc.

Vintage65

A Tele with a LP are the only guitars I use for recording, as they sound so good together. However, my noodling/composing guitar is a Strat.