Thoughts on the Stratocaster

[Bacchus]

Don't much like Jeff Beck, but he plays out of his skin on this. I love this performance so much.

[youtube][/youtube]

[Fran]

Don't much like Jeff Beck, but he plays out of his skin on this. I love this performance so much.

[youtube][/youtube]

Pffft. I can play better than that with ten pints in me.
Not really. Awesome player. I have the Tokai trem set up like Beck's, the trem is so responsive and NEVER goes out of tune. Still, its hard to pull his shit off

[Bacchus]

It's so alive and electric sounding, really malleable or something.

[George]

It's like a technique of stringing hundreds of mini-techniques together in silk like smoothness and spontaneity. It's so fucking cool. Always exciting to see.

[George]

Haha I sound like Mr Buzz Words there. (TWAT).

[hotrodperlmutter]

I dunno. Even an actual strat with a Floyd Rose and a hunbucker isn't a strat to me.

Why?
How about a Jaguar without a tremolo, rhythm circuit and single coils Paul? Is it still a Jaguar if it says so on teh headstock?

I dont know either.

I'd have said no, it isn't. But there's plenty who disagree (and some of them happen to be the ones who decide what the things are actually called).

and the thing about it for me (the is it what the headstock says if it X) comes down to:

scale length - does it hold true to the original?
body - has anything changed drastically (contours added/deleted, extra switches in different spots, is the output jack in the original location?)

pickups are always forgivable to me, but they should have subnames like they did with the telecaster deluxe. some sort of indication that you're not going to get the same sounds as the original, but it will feel like the same guitar, unplugged and in your hands.

bridges/trem systems are a point of contention in my mind, but i don't think it's a different guitar, just a variance. fender stratocaster METUL or fender jaguar RAWK would be suitable.

[Bacchus]

Pretty much the opposite away round from my thinking, then.

To be honest, I think it depends on the guitar. A Les Paul with single coils and a bigsby is still a Les Paul to me, but change the bridge and pups on a strat and it's a different guitar.

I think maybe a strat is identified by those things in my mind, but a Les Paul is identified by big bits of expensive wood stuck together.

[Fran]

Why?
How about a Jaguar without a tremolo, rhythm circuit and single coils Paul? Is it still a Jaguar if it says so on teh headstock?

I dont know either.

I'd have said no, it isn't. But there's plenty who disagree (and some of them happen to be the ones who decide what the things are actually called).

and the thing about it for me (the is it what the headstock says if it X) comes down to:

scale length - does it hold true to the original?
body - has anything changed drastically (contours added/deleted, extra switches in different spots, is the output jack in the original location?)

pickups are always forgivable to me, but they should have subnames like they did with the telecaster deluxe. some sort of indication that you're not going to get the same sounds as the original, but it will feel like the same guitar, unplugged and in your hands.

bridges/trem systems are a point of contention in my mind, but i don't think it's a different guitar, just a variance. fender stratocaster METUL or fender jaguar RAWK would be suitable.

There is little difference from a HM Strat to your average Superstrat though dude, and Contemporary Strat's moved stuff like the jack socket.

Here is a HM model, its nothing like most Superstrats and i'm sure all the contours are within standard margins.

[onedaycloser]

I'd say if it isn't 3 singles and the vintage bridge it isn't a Strat, otherwise it's just a variant. Same thing with other models too though, after it's been altered in basic design it should be given a different name to show it's a derivative.

[Justyn]

IF IT DOESN'T HAVE A WRAP AROUND BRIDGE AND P-90s IT AIN'T A LES PAUL

[Mo Law-ka]

IF IT DOESN'T HAVE A WRAP AROUND BRIDGE AND P-90s IT AIN'T A LES PAUL

It's not?

[Justyn]

Yeah I have no idea what he ended up doing to his own personal geetah

[dezb1]

LAL @ telecaster's being perfection.

ok; I may have exaggerated slightly, but if I had to choose just one guitar it would be a Tele

[JJLipton]

I still think the strat is basically the best electric guitar. The great thing about superstrats is that they "update" the strat for modern rock music with humbuckers and locking tremelo systems. My ibanez jem 7vwh and charvel dimas are my favorite guitars.

[DICHOTOMY]

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.

agreed. i could make first act have swagger

[endsjustifymeans]

Whoah... honey. First act already HAS swagger.

[DICHOTOMY]

hah nice.

[knpknpknp]

Some of the real first act guitars are actually totally cool. They made some for Minus The Bear a while back that, although not my style, were pretty great looking.

[stewart]

the one they made for the guy from franz ferdinand was quite cool in a makes-your-eyes-go-funny kind of way.

[finboy]

first acts in this thread > strats