Thoughts on the Stratocaster

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:44 pm

Why do we (generalising here) look down our noses at the Strat, is it because we think the person lacks imagination and just went with the obvious / boring choice. Or because when we try to picture a typical Strat player they look like this:

Stewart wrote: other guitarist had a strat (yawn).

And not like these:

Some of my favourite music has been played and recorded using a Strat so why are they so un-cool

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:49 pm

I think for the reasons you said.

I've started to like them again, though. Dunno why. They are super versatile I suppose.

George · Post by **George** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:49 pm

People play them because they're good guitars. The uncoolness is that whole "ubiquitious" thing I hear tossed about. I look cool playing a Strat because I'm cool. I see plenty of people who look idiots playing Jaguars, Ric's, Gretsch's etc etc.

EDIT: So yeah, they're not uncool. It's just the wider majority of middle-aged men wearing socks and sandles play them in their kitchen looking for the perfect tone. That's simply because they're functional and sound good.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:18 pm

I certainly never used to like Strats, but I'd never played a nice one. When I picked mine up in the shop I thought "shit - what have I been missing through some misplaced prejudice?!". Very versatile guitar and I do play mine quite often. Having said that, I don't find them aesthetically as pleasing as a Jaguar or Les Paul for example. If it came down to it, it would be the first of my "nice" guitars to go - but a lot of that is to do with the scale, I've played shortscales virtually since I picked up the guitar and so they feel familiar and right.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:21 pm

GeorgeF wrote:"ubiquitious"

this isn't the reason i don't really care for them, because i don't feel the same way about teles or SGs, etc...

GeorgeF wrote:It's just the wider majority of middle-aged men wearing socks and sandles play them in their kitchen looking for the perfect tone.

this probably has something to do with it, but probably a fairly small part of it...

i think they just don't do it for me aesthetically, and i'll cheerfully admit to prizing looks over sound any day of the week (playability is a different matter). i'd play one if it was a nice shade of blue, perhaps.

edit: actually, i really like fiesta red ones for some reason. gah! i'm confused...

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:24 pm

Donâ€™t get me wrong; theyâ€™re great guitars, Iâ€™ve got one (well a Burns copy of one) and I had an original JV one; selling it is my biggest guitar related regret. They do seem to be the most stigmatised guitar I can think of surely the middle aged blues hounds canâ€™t be totally to blame (or be allowed to ruin the rep of an excellent bit of guitar design if they are)

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:28 pm

I think that for me there's also the link to 80s hair metal super strats that used to put me off.

jcyphe · Post by **jcyphe** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:33 pm

I don't look down on Strats. I don't rave about them because it would be like raving about a hammer.

I do believe that The Fender Stratocaster is the greatest guitar ever invented. Some might say Leo got it right the first time with the Telecaster but I think the Telecaster while capable is crude in many ways and the innovations of The Stratocaster were fundamental to what electric guitar is. Everything after that is really just gravy. There are guitars I like the sound of better and others I find "cooler" but design wise The Stratocaster is undeniable.

I think it was George Harrison who said he'd love it even if it wasn't a guitar. Like if it was door stop he'd still own one.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:40 pm

The only thing I donâ€™t like about the Strat is itâ€™s tremolo, the action of a Jag or a bigsby trem is more my thing

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:44 pm

For me, I don't want to sound like everyone else and since the Strat is one of the greatest guitars ever, lots of people use them. I know one day I will probably own a Strat, but I have not found one that excites me enough to drop money on it. I also prefer 2 pickup guitars over 3 pickup guitars. Strats are used so much, their sound is becomes kinda generic to me. I just have not found the strat that makes me stop and take notice which is funny because I love guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Hendrix.

crofty · Post by **crofty** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:46 pm

I think because theyre the most established of the fender range I find something unappealing about the fact that I know the next guy who plays guitar has great odds of owning a strat. Also, aesthetically jags etc are much prettier and interesting guitars.

aen · Post by **aen** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:56 pm

I think the strat gives itself a bad name, because fender makes so many SHIT strats. BUllet? Squier standard? Even a lot of the MIM standards are pants. When you find that rare "nice strat" half of the people who would love it probably never picked it up because they are used to ShitStrats. That Squier CV strat is tits on glass! Wish I had another one!

Justyn · Post by **Justyn** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:01 pm

DEM BLEWS

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:03 pm

I think Aen got it right. There are just too many sub-par knock offs or poor quality officially licensed strats out there that give the strat a bad name. I have 3 strats and I love them all. The only thing that I don't like about it from a design standpoint is the placement of the volume knob directly below where the strings come over the saddles. It gets in my way all the time, except for on my tom delonge strat because they moved it out of the way on there. I've thought about modifying my other two to just one master volume and one master tone, and having them sit further back so they're out of the way.

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:12 pm

I like the knob there. you can do neato volume swells with ease. I never use the trem over the knob either, which some people seem to complain about. I use it over the strings, so it never gets in my way.

but yeah, my love/hate feelings for them come from it being: one of the best guitars ever made/ubiquitous. I waste enormous amounts of energy in a futile attempt to be original.

Fiesta Red Strat = Hot.

moore65 · Post by **moore65** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:17 pm

I like Strats and would probably say it is the best overall guitar ever. I don't find the scale of the neck very comfortable so I can't wait to get a shortscale to replace my Squier Strat. But everything else on them is perfect.

broncobuster80 · Post by **broncobuster80** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:18 pm

I wouldnt take a million bucks for my strat... As I have posted before, if I only have room for one guitar its going to be my 76 strat. Its the only guitar I have that can do just about anything I would need for any gig and I really dig the look of that guitar.

I have a couple of other strats as well, the 89 squier II is only other strat that I would risk out on a gig. I do know what you mean on them kinda pointing to a "middle aged band going nowhere" kinda thought when ya look at one, aged ones not so much but yeah.. its there for sure. On that same hand I think the same thing when I see a LesPaul or a Tele though

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Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:22 pm

I love strats, but I've always thought they were just a bit meh. They don't look exciting, and although they suit me perfectly, in most cases I just find them too boring.

I would like one of these though:

finboy · Post by **finboy** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:34 pm

i just find them boring
-to play (boooring trem)
-the overall sound
-the look

with that in mind, i would LOVE to own one of these...

peecheeclean · Post by **peecheeclean** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:35 pm

those SRV strats are riduculous...the necks are baseball bats.