Avi Shabat worked on my guitars when I lived in LA. I had no idea he built such great guitars. I reached out to him last night and Avi told me next time I’m in LA to stop by his shop to check out his guitars. Thanks Rhett.
The tube screamer is outdated, there are many well-made clones that bring much more to the table...I never bonded with the ts808 I had, but a fulldrive2 instantly found a place on my board
Great vid. I'm 71 years old and played since I was 10 years old. I have connected with several guitars, un-connected and re-connected over the years. I was a 12-string play for many years and have in the past few years not so much. Ric 660-12 Tak acoustic 12. and others. Now it's Tele, Martin and 335 style. Partly because how my gigs have changed, partly because of who I play with, The only thing constant in life is change. L
I've seen Tim Pierce play Fenders, Gibsons, PRS, etc, semi-solid body, acoustic, through many different amplifiers and he sounds great with every combination. The gearhead mentality is destructive. No one listening to a song, apart from another guitarist maybe, cares what guitar you're playing as long as its played well.
Not strictly true. Different guitars and amps contribute massively to the over sound / feel of a track. Talk to any producer that is responsible for crafting the sound of a track and they'll tell you exactly how important gear is.
Very funny if you are saying this as a guitarist. Cause you're focusing of what you hear, as you were the audience. Well, you are the player! You have to connect with your gear, cause YOU have the guitar in your hands, you are touching the neck, the wood, the frets, the strings, you are feeling the action, the radius, the neck profile, and most probably you are hearing something the audience is not hearing cause they don't have a clue about neck pickup etc. Your guitar can inspire you as well as obstacle your inspiration. Pierce chose his gear very carefully and this is what every pro does and what we should learn to do.
I agree. You can get a great sound with a minimal amount of gear, as long as you have the skill in your hands. Of course gearheads and producers will tell you the reason something was a hit because of their sound skills, as if the player isn't the key.
Often, the producer is trying to pull a performance from the player, a certain guitar might inspire the player more than another, or push them towards a different direction. It's actually got very little to do with the tone at mixdown and everything to do with how the part was played, and the guitar might be an aspect of that.
As a drummer of 40 years, I can say that “the sound” is true with drum sets and cymbals as well. Three ride cymbals of the same make and model can have different tone. Drum shells are unique as well. Really enjoyed your video today! Thanks.
I wasn't much of a Strat guy for most of my guitar-playing days. Then, about 6 years ago, my niece said she wanted to play guitar. I went out and found a sweet Squier Strat that I really liked. It was hard to put down. Happy birthday present for sure. Shortly after that, I picked up an MIM Fender Strat at a pawn shop, and ended up walking out with it. A good setup, and it felt (still feels) great to play. Ive played others, but for some reason, that pawn shop find is my go-to... Pawn shop is also how I found my workhorse Tele
Those Pawn shops with their sometimes reasonable prices are dangerous man, a real trap. Years and years ago we (people I play with) couldn't pass up bidding on a local HSS MIM Late 90s Strat, said and done, we got it for $170 with a soft case. Just saying.
And in May I stumbled upon an old Fender Stratocaster Highway One in very good condtion, also at a good price under Reverb standards. Said and done it was a birthday present to myself, this was the early ones with the small head and SSS type. It's the best (for me) I have played and my first stratocaster, the MIM in 2007 was not mine.
Holy shit that strat sounds so warm and pure! I totally feel what you must have felt when you played that magnificent piece of art for the first time. I'm truly happy for you man. Keep the amazing work up!
The set-up of the pickup heights on those two guitars look like polar opposites. The JM Strat pups are set way low, and the other guitar pups are cranked way high. That one difference will dramatically affect the tone of the guitars.
On the JM strat the lows are set too low and the highs too high, the bridge sounds terrible LMAO, just by looking at the shabat strat you can see the pickups are set almost "flat"
"okay guys, so today we're gonna talk about what intentional fellowship really LOOKS like! I mean, we always say that word right? Fellowship fellowship fellowship? But like.. what does it MEAN?"
The only Tele I have ever bought is a 2012 Nashville , MIM . Would not have picked up anything with 25.5" scale length at that time , but curiosity killed this cat . Still love the 5-way ...
I've always been a Fender guy, and after playing a Les Paul for a few years, I made the switch back to Fender, pretty much just my Jazzmasters and Mustang. I've gone back and forth considering selling it, as I had left it in the case to take up room in the closet for a couple of years. I needed the money and almost pulled the trigger on selling it last month, but after spending time with it and playing it for a good week, I will absolutely not be selling it. The Les Paul makes me write differently, play differently, and express differently, and those changes are helping me get out of a musical rut that I didn't even realize I had been in! This video came at the perfect time, thanks Rhett!
Rhett, I am a massive fan of your channel and have been following you along with this BLK1 for years. I have been searching for one for a decade now and it's actually the only dream guitar I hope to own one day. I have actually had dreams of owning one. If you ever decide you want to part with yours, please keep me in mind. Sincerely, Sterling
@@stupidthefish1979 Funny you say that! I actually built my own replica a few years back. I love it very much but it still does not fill the same hole as owning a real one someday 🙌🏼.
Great video Rhett, I have an HSS strat that is firmly 3rd under my tele and SG for very similar reasons. the strat was my first excellent guitar, and I was certain it would be the only one because of how much I loved JM's music at the time. Hundreds of videos, product demos to live at nokia confirmed that i was a Strat-Man™. It was my best guitar for a long time, so I was strat man, until I bought my tele, and the shift was immediate. It's been years, and the strat still didnt do *IT* for me the way the tele did, or the SG with 14's on it in C# tuning. I took a nearly year long guitar break, and just picked up my acoustic again a few months ago, and have very recently just started to hear the melodies again in my head, and I think they're strat-voiced, so once i'm ready to plug in again I think that is where I will start.
To be honest, Rhett, I've never seen you get excited over a Strat-like guitar, even when you've done the custom shop and hot-rodded MIM comparisons. Probably just not your style of guitar. Nothing wrong with that. I have never been excited by Teles, and the one Tele I own doesn't get used as often as it should (though I don't want to get rid of it because it's the only Tele I've ever liked).
@@OscarASevilla He actually put a video up where Tim Pierce went around with him to find the perfect Les Paul, and he did! If you search TH-cam, you'll find a video or two on it.
Best fix for the strat bridge pickup, if you insist on keeping the S-S-S setup, is a blend pot. Mix in a bit of the neck pickup to add some warmth, or when you’re on the neck, mix in some sparkle from the bridge. Go full on to get a pseudo tele middle sound. It should be standard on any and every single S-S-S guitar made.
Real talk, that Harry Potter analogy ("The wand finds the wizard") is actually spot-on... sometimes a specific guitar just clicks with you (the danger is in trying to force that click or expect to find that click).
Thinking of the story of Andy Summers Tele when I read this comment. Sometimes, it's like destiny. I think Frampton had it too, but it kinda went downhill too after he lost Phenix. Only to be found decades later.
Yep, I was in a music store trying to pick a fuzz. I had no plans to buy a guitar. But, I asked if they had a Strat with low output pickups because that's what I like to hear going into a fuzz. So, they handed me this used, faded Fiesta Red Strat made by a small company in Nashville. I had about 5 fuzz pedals set out going into a Fender amp. I proceeded to check them out, but after a while I was just playing this guitar for fun with the clean sound. It had the perfect feel (for me) and had a beautiful singing voice to it. Anyway, I chose the Hendrix fuzz and went on my way. But, after leaving the store I couldn't stop thinking about that Strat. About an hour later I called the store, letting them know I was on my way to buy the Strat. It was maybe my only chance since they were about to close and I was leaving to go home 4 hours away. I just so happen to have the money (and that never happens). So, I do believe this guitar chose me in a way, and at the right time. When I got it home I realized why it sounded so good. The pickups were Lollars with 50s style wiring. Pickups do make a difference, but also the feel, and the wood, the shape, the neck joint, etc. It's the total package.
Funny thing is that happened to me, I started out wanting a red special replica, got it and it was great and all but it didn't feel right, a few months later I took my 1st guitar ( a black beginner strat ) to the shop to get the neck sorted out cause it was a cheap guitar, the shop owner said he couldn't do much and I was sad but a sunburst strat caught my eye, a week later I had enough to get a new guitar, I went back to the shop and tried a les paul gold top, an SG and a strat with a humbucker in the bridge, I asked the owner to pull down the sunburst, it was a revelation rts 57, it looked like eric clapton's brownie strat, I played it and it just felt right, I only had £167 and the retail price was £200 but the owner lwt me buy it with the amount I had, a year later and I've nicknamed the guitar ginger, put 9 gauge strings on it, took to guitar shows and played it at school, on the 18th I saw eric clapton at the CO-OP live in Manchester, it reinvigorated my love of the guitar and my love of playing in general.
I get where you’re coming from Rhett. I had two Les Paul Studio guitars, and really didn’t feel comfortable with either one of them. I started migrating back to my Godin SDXT…. 2 humbuckers and a middle single coil pickup, with Fender switching, and the neck and headstock look like a Strat. The body is shaped like a Les Paul. Nice guitar that I feel comfortable playing. My other guitar is an Epiphone double cut with two humbuckers that are coil tapped and also has a phase switch on one of the tone knobs…again, I feel comfortable playing it, and get all the tones I’m looking for in a guitar. Thanks for the video.
If you want a Mayer strat, try out the Stevie ray Vaughn signature, it’s basically a Mayer strat, it has the sound, and it has the neck shape. Mayer was a srv fan, so he had an srv signature strat that he based his signature off of
Yes but that has Texas specials which are hot. John’s allegedly had pickups that were not “right” and lower output. No idea how truthful that is. The fretboard radius on the SRV & Mayer are different as well. You’re definitely correct though- early John Mayer stuff was him using his 90s SRV signature.
You are right. I have the same Mayer black 1 Strat that Rhett owns and its heavily based on the SRV Strat. But the pickups are really different and the neck is thinner. I think they are two interesting guitars.
I just want to remind everyone that SRV's Number One was essentially a partscaster. It had a '62 neck on a '63 body with pickups taken from a '59. Not to mention the left handed tremolo that his guitar tech put on it because that's what was handy when he needed it.
I’ve owned both and the necks and pickups are different. The SRV neck has a Pau Ferro fingerboard, 12” radius and 1.65” nut. JM has rosewood, 9.5” radius and 1.6875” nut. Frets are the same, and profile is similar. The SRV has Texas Specials, a hot single coil set. JM has big dippers which are very mid scooped with vintage output.
I completely understand where you’re coming from. I have a Carvin CT6. I had it custom made, pickups, woods, fretwire, electronics, tuners, everything. It is a beautiful piece of kit. I played it for a couple of years, and it just doesn’t do it for me. It should, it was everything I wanted in a guitar. And, it sucks I don’t love it. However, I picked up a gently used Squire Strat at a local music store in Delaware. It just felt great. For a cheap guitar, the neck just felt right. I bought it just to test pickups, and I dropped in a set of no name humbuckers and a EMG select in the middle position. Split the coils with a push/pull, as well as added a Gilmour switch to play the bridge and neck. This has turned into my “go to” guitar. Set up was easy, action is super low and it is a breeze to play. Mostly playing acid jazz and funk. So the sounds totally fit my current tastes. I really don’t want to get rid of the Carvin. Especially, since I will never get back what I put into it. And I could by 10 Squires for what I paid for the Carvin, including the pickups and wiring… It goes to show, nothing is written in stone. Inspiration comes out of nowhere sometimes. You just have to let it happen. Your video resonates with me. Thanks.
I love my Stratocaster! I bought my 75th anniversary commemorative Stratocaster. I did not want it but I went and played and I just knew it and I went and bought it that is my all time favorite guitar it does the SRV and Hendrix thing perfectly. I will never part with it.
As an acoustic player, I completely understand what you're saying about sound and feel. I just never thought that would apply to electric guitars. Thanks for opening my eyes!
Certain guitars simply appear to find their way to you. I was never a strat guy growing up. In my 40s I went into a shop to get a revstar and ended up leaving with a pro 2 strat. Like you put, it reshaped my playing completely and brought me a renewed sense of joy on the discovery side. I hope we can hear you strat more here in the future.
I bought my first Strat new in 1994, it was a Fender Strat plus, with those gold Lace Sencor pickups, I just didn't get on with it, as I'd been using an Ibanez RG550 for a few years, but I struggled on with it. It eventually ended up living in it's case, which was a shame, as it's a beautiful guitar. I had the pickups replaced for Seymour Duncan's, but that didn't really change the amount I used it, so it carried on in it's case, as I'd bought a few Gibson's buy then, and then a couple of core PRS guitars. But I'd been missing using a Strat, as I just love them, so I bought another Strat that had a humbucker in the bridge, and that woke me up! So I had a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates put in the bridge, and what made a big difference was having the trem blocked off, now it gets played a lot, and I've had stainless steel frets fitted.
Strat Plus was a great guitar. The hardware was very forward thinking and they had a cool tone. I have a 96 Clapton with gold lace sensors and I love the sound. And like Rhett, I didn't get it because Clapton I got it because it was there.
Here’s what I didn’t like about Lace Sensor pickups. If you could look at volume as going from 1 to 10, it was like the Lace Sensors went from 3 to 10. It seemed like you couldn’t get really “sensitive” with them.
Cuando tenía 19 años compré una Jem 7 VWH Japan 1994. Hoy con 49 años de edad uso una Tele tipo Esquire. Por más que no use la Jem, nunca podría venderla. Para mi humilde forma de vista son algo más que una herramienta. Muy buen video Rhett!!!
@@doofwop I got no issues with someone buying a nice guitar. It’s just kind of click bait-y to say “why I never play this guitar” when the answer is “I bought myself one that’s 3x the price so I play that instead”.
If you used the exact EQ amp settings as the Mayer, the difference is in the pickups. The Mayer was either overwound or used ALniCo 3 mags. The blonde axe has well-sourced components and the PUPs were wound properly, giving it Stratocaster "sparkle."
@@TwstedLizardDepends on what material you are working with. In most cases, you won't need it. But if you're playing something written like a Nuno Bettencourt, a 21 fretter won't cut it.
So, I've been struggling to actually learn to play guitar for 30 years, I never really put the time into learning and memorizing things beyond power chords...I've always been addicted to how guitars feel, sound, look, and the whole aura around them, so I've been collecting and buying/selling guitars for years off and on... 2 years ago I bought an early 90's Fender Squier SE "strat pack" guitar as the basis for a modded Strat project, as I'd gotten into luthier work and wanted to tinker...it looked nearly perfect in the photos online and it was cheap...what showed up on my doorstep was missing chunks of finish in places that hadn't been photographed and had been obviously worn down and gigged with for years that way...I was pissed, because it was meant to be a clean guitar body and neck that I could do some mods on and find "my tone" with...and here was this battered and beaten cheapo guitar that was worth less than I'd paid for it and would never have resale value... And then I plugged it in...as far as I know it's 100% stock, but I never opened it up to confirm...from the first 2 minutes of strumming and playing this pile of shit I immediately went "Oh no, I can never get rid of this thing now"...whether it's due to someone else replacing the pickups, or the stock pickups just aging a certain way from what appears to be years of abuse and gigging, it is one of the creamiest and sweetest sounding Strats I've ever owned...the irony being that I'd bought it to make it sound that way, and it showed up looking horrible and sounding amazing...I am now the caretaker of that sweet pile of shit for as long as I'm still alive, and I couldn't be happier about it...
I bought my ‘62 reissue strat when I was only a few years into playing. It sounded great but it wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t fully connect with the feel or the sound. I was a Les Paul guy for years until I rediscovered my strat almost 20 years later. The band I’m in now demands the strat sound, so at first I played it out of necessity. The more I played it, the more I fell in love with it. It is now, easily my #1…..to the point that I purchased a second ‘62 reissue strat to have a backup.
I've had a similar journey with Strats. When I first started playing in the 90s, I never knew about scale length and how it affects the feel of an instrument. I was always a Gibson player and could never get on with Strats. It wasn't until years later that a luthier told me that a Strat being 25.5 inch scale length and a Gibson being 24.75, the Strat requires more tension in the strings to bring it up to pitch and the strings will feel tighter under the fingers at the same tuning with the same gauge strings. That was a game changer for me cause after that, I tuned down half a step on a Strat and it felt like a Les Paul in terms of string tension.
Right on. Very few people get that. I'm pretty sure that is also a big part of the difference in sound between Gibson and Fender, beside the obvious humbucker vs single coil dynamic.
You're totally right, the Single Biggest thing is the Feel of the guitar. It's the amalgamation of how it Feels in your hands, how ye Feel the Sound it makes and how you Feel as ye bond with the guitar. The guitar must Feel good or yer not gonna reach for it. No matter how "good" it is!
Great video and so true, the wand chooses the wizard. Bought two guitars online, sold one and did a complete new setup on the other just to make it mine. It clicks or it doesn't and its the whole package that counts. The weight, the neck, the setup, pickups, the color, the whole bunch. If you're in doubt just put is aside, if you pick it up again within 8 minutes it speaks to you ;-)
You are spot on with the point you are trying to make. Prime example - Cobain played crappy guitars for the most part... and yet he managed to figure out how to get the sound HE wanted out of them. It really isn't about the price of an instrument...it's about the "feel". I personally own some crappy guitars myself, but there's something about how they feel and how they make ME feel when I play them, and that totally makes it worth having them. Very cool video, Rhett.
@@JaredR-gk6rxWhatever rig you use, you're gonna try to dial it in as close as you can to the sound you hear in your head...and if you're handy with an eq pedal you can get there with pretty much anything
I had a similar experience with the Telecaster. Never liked them, other than the sunburst double bound custom, I never even liked the way they looked. I'm sitting around a local music store one day and some guy was trying to sell an amp, the owner says, "you mind playing thru this amp, I just need to see if it works." A Danny Gatton custom shop Telecaster , a guitar I never would have normally picked up, even though I like Danny Gatton, just happened to be the nearest guitar to me so I picked it up and just instantly fell in love with it! It became my main guitar for about 10 years. It's still my go to guitar for studio work. You just never know...
I really liked the tone of the John Mayer Strat. I felt it had kind of a darker sparkle that I like. The relic'd strat has a good crystal clear sparkle, but I like the darkness of the black Strat.
Something similar happened to me. Walked into a shop and saw a used MIJ strat before I even knew what MIJ meant, picked it up and started playing and it was like a strike of lightning. i just instantly connected with THAT one, and it had me playing in a new way. I've tried others, but that one just vibes different for me
Even w/CNC & digital bla, bla, A guitar is still hand made & all are different.( as are ppl.) Some just fit & feel better & you have found one for you. Matters not brand or price, but the vibe that makes you want to play.
2 months ago I bought my first strat. Not just any, but one that was “my” strat. Way down in South Texas (McAllen) I went into a Guitar Center to destress from work and stuff. Inside a glass cabinet they had a Fender American Pro 2 in Olympic white, with a maple fretboard. SSS pickups. No intention of buying this one until I played it. Went back to Dallas where I live and tried the identical model and color. None even felt close to the one in south Texas. A month later the two guys (Randy and Tony) that attended to me in McAllen somehow still remembered me and remembered the guitar I played. Bought it and they shipped it. It’s amazing how when a guitar speaks to you, you can’t get it out of your mind. So I get you Rhett.
Besides the player, two things effect the tone of a start, the pickups and tremolo. My 92 Strat bought new was a dog. Five years ago I swapped pups and got halfway there. Put a bell steel trem block in it and now it finally sounds like a classic strat.🥰🥰🥰
I agree the trem block makes a difference, but no more so than the pieces of wood in the guitar, and probably less so than the saddle type and alloy. Every S-type I have ever owned or played over the last 4+ decades with an Indian RW FB has had less "glassy" sparkle than a neck with a thickly lacquered Maple FB, but can also have less punch and midrange cut. It's all about how whatever is under the frets damps string vibrations, just as true with the saddles and trem block. The body also has some affect via the neck pocket. Even removing the rear trem cover can allow the wood from the neck pocket to the bridge to absorb more midrange. Assuming you stick with the neck and body you have, there is one more factor. An Aluminum pickguard or pickguard shield, as came standard in the early 60s, creates eddy currents in the pickup coils that reduce the upper-mids. That's probably a key reason those Strats are so coveted.
@@aaronwinter1092Before I started this process I was well on my way to selling the guitar. I put a set of 57/62's in it. That really helped. I then swapped out the saddles for vintage. And yes I heard a slight difference. In a mix the difference was negligible. About a month or so later I heard a guy playing this $5K custom shop Stat at Guitar Center. It had the sound I was looking for. When he put it back on the rack I saw the huge stainless trem block. That was my aha moment. I bought a Calaham trem block and problem solved. Guitar has all the chime I could ever image. A few more things to note. A good EQ can solve alot of problems and if you can get the mfg pickup spec Seymour Duncan, Dimarrzio and Guitar Fetish in most cases sell pretty much the same thing.
Does it? Or maybe YOU JUST THINK it does, because now you know it's got the "right" componenents...?! Folks, guitars are SYSTEMS! And part of all that snake-oil is the simple fact that we cannot attribute a change in sound to one certain component in about 95% of all cases - but we guitarists strubbornly go on jabbering about "those great new pickups" (btw: Lollars -because they are mentioned here- don't do anything special for me...). And the trem block: It does make a difference - mainly in weight! And exactly THIS can be good or bad for your guitar...🙃😉
I’ve owned a 68 Strat for 45 years, it’s actually the only guitar I can use the thumb over technique because of the super thin neck, but I still play my Gibsons and PRS more.
Right there with you on the Neck & Middle - and the Bridge - I have always either bought or made my strats HSS. My US Silver Sky is going to get a Seymour Duncan Little 59 stacked. I’ll keep the 635JM pickup, even though I have no doubt after six months that tue Silver Sky is a keeper for me. The US Silver Sky has the best Middle sound I’ve ever heard. I’ve never owned a real ‘63/‘64 Strat, but to my ears, the SS nails it better than any of the dozen Fenders I’ve owned.
I had a 1992 or 3 sunburst Fender Strat ultra with the lace pickups and ebony fb. I bought it new and waited about 6 months to get it after it was ordered, it was a beautiful axe but I always preferred my 1983 Ibanez Roadstar 2. The Strat stayed in it’s case under my bed for about a year and I eventually decided it had to go so I sold it and bought a new bicycle and I still play the Ibanez today and love it. I know how you feel Rhett, some just don’t gel.
I totally get this. I've always been a strat guy, ever since my '62 (first decent electric, cost me £110 back in 1965) I purchased an immaculate '89 Strat PLus in blue but it has been sat in the case ever since. My go to is a Korean Squier purchased around 35 years ago for £90. Possibly afraid of giving it a ding? Not sure 🙂
Damn right. I bought a used one with tropical turquoise. I wish it was the firemist colour. With this said, I will say it’s one of the better strats I’ve played. The neck is very nice!
Well said. For me, the shift was from the Tele that was my #1 for 15 years to suddenly only really ever wanting to play a Les Paul Special. It's been pretty much everything for the last few years.
I too have had the strat blues. I bought a 50th anniversary addition strat back in the 90's and I just never bonded with it. I tried setups and pickups but it was the same no matter what. We had a new pastor at our church and he played guitar so I bought him a tele at guitar center here in Nashville. It was butter! I loved everything about it. He loved it too but decided to sell it years later and I bought it back from him. I will never sell it. It is the best playing and sounding tele I have ever heard. I have a Les Paul too, I will never sell because I love to play 70's rock. That with an OCD get's AC DC and Led Zep among other.
I totally agree with the guitar at that point in time. I have two Takamine’s and a Taylor Koa. My favorite guitar is now is a $200 Blast guitar from China. I just had it refreted and the Taks I’ve had for 20+ years. Original frets.
@@keithzuccolo6729 I actually have a Strat with two P90s in it. I like it a lot. Strats are amazing in the hands of a Strat player, but I've never been able to make them sing. My current favorite is a Tele. So simple and reliable.
Rhett, you are nailing it on the head, Firstly, how it feels and how it sounds. Most hobbyists get hung up on the features ie: pickups, bridge, wood , finish etc. I have a friend, Paul Richl out of Winnipeg, phenomenal player, who is currently using a Squier Infinity Tele, he is out gigging all the time with this as his main.
I've been playing for over forty years. I've had the same struggle as you. I loved the idea of a Strat. But, finding the right one for me seemed like a hopeless quest. I finally did find the ONE about two years ago. Finally!
I'm the same way with Strats. I've owned Mexican ones, American ones and currently own a 1994 '62 Reissue Foto Flame that plays like butter and they all did the job I needed them to do at the time. But there were limits to what they would do so I always, and still do carry a second guitar specifically with humbuckers. Then I traded a Mexican Tele for a G&L Tribute Comanche and everything changed. It had the sound I was looking for, different from a Strat but not thumpy like my Les Paul. Last year I found an '01 American model and since then it's become my #1 guitar and goes with me to all my gigs, recording sessions and most rehearsals. I love my Strat and won't get rid of it. The value is climbing on it but compared to the G&L the pickups are anemic.
I'm sure the John Mayer strat is technically just as good as your Shabat but you do sound way better on the Shabat, probably because of how much more it inspires you.
Well, finally someone putting the focus where it should be: Your connection with your instrument. We always get lost in technical guitar stuff, but as you said it all comes down to one question ¿do you like it? The problem here is that many of us have not learned to trust in our criteria. Great vid 🫶
T H I S ! Plus, advertising keeps telling us: "If you just buy xxx (insert component of your choice), and you will ssound like yyy (insert name of your greatest guitar hero)!" - also untrue.
@@junehabsen6368 Absolutely, that's another thing to deal with, we don't have to focus on being like no one, because that means rejecting your self and your unique way of communicating through art/music.
I'm NOT a Strat guy, I'm a Tele/LP Special guy, but every once in a while I crave the 2/4 sound so I picked up a used Nash S63 and I love it for what it does.
Rhett, you're definitely the #1 weirdest guitar player I've ever seen. "Oh I don't like this pickup sound" - proceeds to show the most glorious sound ever - "not really my thing, it doesn't really do it for me..." WHAT? This video is the prime example of "the guitar you'd kill for is collecting dust in somebody's attic somewhere"
I bought a JM Strat, in 3 color burst about 10 years ago. It had nothing at all to do with Mayer, I just liked the 'specs' of the guitar. After 2 years I couldn't make friends with it, and sold it. To me, the artist guitars are a way to get sort of 'custom shop' feathres in a production guitar. I just bought a Robert Cray Hardtail Strat. I think that's the only production hardtail you can buy now. My go to Strat is a David Gilmour one I built. A guy in Ca. built me an exact detailed replica of Gilmour's Black Strat loaded pick guard.. I bought a 1990 very well worn black Strat with a broken truss rod for $300. Added a Warmoth neck, built to my spec, and the Gilmour loaded pick guard, thick bakelite like his, with the small switch for adding the middle pup, and small wiggle stick. It has all the correct pups also, including Fender, and Duncan custom shop ones. He did an awesome job! (link on request) LOL I love it! --gary
I love the channel and love your videos, but one thing I hate is when you do exactly what you did here: you take a $1000 (initially) Fender and compare it to a $3500+ dollar boutique guitar. There isn't really a comparison. It's like comparing those weird fruit drinks in the little plastic barrels with the foil top to a $50 Moscato. Sure, this wasn't a shoot out video comparing the two, except that it kind of was.
It’s a pretty pointless video overall. He never really explained why he doesn’t click with the Mayer Strat other than he just likes the other one better
Wohoo, calm down friend! In the end, are these both strats - or not? Therefore, the comparison is 100% legit. Your reasoning reminds me of guys who bought a dreadfully expensive 'boutiqe' (as you call it) instrument, blinded by the price... and at the first rehearsal, they deon't get the "wow"-comments - because the dreadfully expensive guitar is just.... a dud! Been there, seen that. More than once!
@@lt_johnmcclane See? You just GOT the point! And that's all that really counts: the "click"! Once you find a great sounding, playing, and above all great feeling guitar (that you would normally dismiss bcs of parts, price, brand etc.) - you will understand! Ofc, maybe you'll never experience this, and thus go on chasing Callahm's cold-rolled steel blocks (by moonlight) forever...? Good luck!
I got a Shabbat Thin lion deluxe in a trade from the 2022 namm collection. Best guitar I’ve ever played or heard, almost unbelievable. Beats every custom shop/ custom made guitar I’ve owned or played.
Sir, I would like to suggest that you try this first, on your John Mayer Stratocaster raise the bridge pickup buy a quarter turn to a half turn. It should sound closer to what you're looking for and then turn it a little bit more. You will be surprised or maybe not are the difference in the sound of that bridge pickup when raised
Spot on, Rhett! Someone showed me a really expensive strat the other day and said to me: Wanna play it? I said YESS, and after a moment playing thought: this is one is not made for me, I do not connect with it. Nice guitar, I said (it really is) and gave it back to him!
I was about twelve minutes into the video when I realized that I know exactly what you're talking about. Although I love my guitars, there are a couple that I seem to lock into more quickly and more deeply than the others. Most of my guitars are one level or another of Strat, ranging from Peavey Raptor Plus EXP (super vintage except for the traditional Peavey body shape and a bridge humbucker) at Level Zero to a Bullfighter branded neck-through with a Floyd Rose vibrato at Level Two (Super Strat). My two favorites are the Bullfighter and a Schecter C-1 Elite -- both two-humbucker Super Strats with non-traditional neck-to-body joints and 14-inch fretboard radii. It takes me less time to lose myself in playing with those two axes than any others. If I REALLY wanna rock, those are my go to axes, and that doesn't mean I love the others less, but -- well, I like what I like!
I played a reissue '57 strat for 36 years. I bought it in September of 83 and it went through some changes over the years. I finally unloaded it in the summer of 2018 and I got my money back, all of $650.00 w/tweed case. And the sad part is I don't miss it.
I still haven’t found a Tele or a Strat that I’ve fallen in love with. I’m a Les Paul guy through and through. Well, technically I play an Eastman SB59/V which in my experience is just as good if not better in many cases than any Gibson I’ve previously owned or played. I plug it straight into the newest iteration of the BadCat Cub and man it’s just the sound I like. I can dial in some tones that come dangerously close to how Jimmy Page sounded on the song “Since I’ve Been Loving You” live at Madison Square Garden, 1973 and it’s the tone that lives inside my head. Low output humbuckers and EL34 power tubes pushed just beyond the point of breakup is a match made in tone heaven for me.
Yes sir; minute 9 is it. LOVE that sound. It's the overtones; they ring. I'm a saxophonist (primarily); it's a magic. You can get just SO close to it with math... the rest is like a sort of magic. Sometimes that ONE instrument has it. That's it.
I grew up and learned to play on a Gibson SG when I got older and acquired a number of guitars they were always in and out of favour till it finally twigged I'd gotten used to the radius everything else felt odd My Strat is an Eric Johnson custom with a 12" radius, I just absolutely love it, it is so playable and easy on my fingers to each their own
Happened to me with an Eastman orchestra model acoustic guitar. I knew I wanted a new acoustic, but I had Martin, Gibson and Larivee in mind beforehand. Never even heard of Eastman. I walked in the shop and walked out with one 30 minutes later. Still the finest and most inspiring guitar I have ever owned
The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. I casually picked up a Silver Sky SE and we just clicked. I’ve played core models and other SE’s-and of course other strats, but this was one of those rate moments where you connect with an instrument.
Another JM Strat owner here. I have one bought new from GC with the deluxe gig bag and it has chrome plated hardware and Tortoise pickguard. I've never seen one with Gold plated hardware and a white pickguard. The distinguishing feature for me is a beefy neck and generally overall heavy feel.
I can completely relate to your experierence. Strats didn't do it for me for years. I've owned several strats that I sold and a custom shop G&L that is objectively a very good guitar. But I just could't connect with any of these guitars. It changed when I first tried my Macmull S-Classic. It just had the sound and feeling that inspired me (on all 5 positions). I had a great experience with Shabat guitars too : I own a Korina Lion deluxe, not exactly the typical T-Style guitar but an incredible instrument on its own. Thanks for the great work with your channel and music !
I'm a retired touring sound engineer after 45 years out on the road. I am alsio a guitar player. There was two different Fender strat owners I mixed that had sound that was exceptional. One of them was in the middle 80s. The other player I worked with was from 2012 to 2016. Both guitars had one thing in common. Both of those strats had EMG pickups installed. I play a Sire S3 strat. I love it.
I get it, my first guitar was a Vai Jem, so not me these days. I fell in love with a MIJ Tele in Tokyo a few years back and bought it for $600 new old stock. Worth $2k back in Oz. It’s the only guitar I play. I found another MIJ Tele that just ups it slightly and may purchase that. My 20 year old self def was not a Tele guy. It is amazing how much we change.
My first electric guitar was a 93 USA ultra deluxe I bought from a friend. Second was a tele, after getting a tele I never played the Strat. I traded it for a jazz American pro 2 bass.
I was never a strat guy. Chose washburn brand (because of Nuno) and HSS for the options and the lack of twang. Years later I got an Ibanez HSS because it had a bit of twang without the full on strat sound. Then a couple of years ago I picked up a strat copy for £30 that needed a bunch of work and I wanted to learn how. I put a £20 set of single coil pickups in it and they transformed it and it is now one of my favourites. My tastes have changed over the last 30 years and I guess I found the right guitar at the right time.
In terms of having a guitar that I don’t connect with, it’s hands down my Gibson Les Paul Special, purchased around 2018. I bought it at the time because I wanted something different than my strat styled guitars and have always wanted a non strat with p90 pickups. While I love the sound of the Gibson, I wasn’t prepared for the neck profile of the guitar nor the weight of it. I’ll still hang on to it if a situation arises where I need that particular sound, but I won’t play regularly.
Every strat of mine has been modified in some way. The least modified has just the standard bridge pickup replaced with a hotter, single-coil size dual-rail humbucker. But my favorite is a non-Fender clone of a JazzMaster with three P90 pickups. Its the best sounding "strat" I own. Unfortunately it weighs about 11 pounds, but it sounds great.
Rhett you’re spot on in the premise of growing into different sounds, different needs. Strats are at the top of this equation. They are challenging to play, not the boldest pickups, yet Strats ARE a major fixture in contemporary guitar. You just reach a point, and eventually find A Strat that speaks to you. Or not, everyone is different. But Strats ARE different, and an acquired taste, and, they ARE highly customizable! Also significant. Once Allan Holdsworth got his PAF’s in a very playable Super Strat, it was game on. The red and white Super Strats made for Allan by Grover Jackson were AMAZING! EVH had to make his own FrankenStrat to find his voice. Very individualized instruments. Cheers. (Great pup, btw)
3:20 The Reveal: you and your dog have the same hair cut.
You beat me to it . 😢
😂
woof!! woof!!
HAHAHAHA
even the color matches :D
Avi Shabat worked on my guitars when I lived in LA. I had no idea he built such great guitars. I reached out to him last night and Avi told me next time I’m in LA to stop by his shop to check out his guitars. Thanks Rhett.
Rhett, the reason why you don’t like that Mayer strat is because it needs a tube screamer and you refuse to use one. Haha!
He needs to try the Boss Super Overdrive since he likes the DS-1
The tube screamer is outdated, there are many well-made clones that bring much more to the table...I never bonded with the ts808 I had, but a fulldrive2 instantly found a place on my board
lol, yeah it should come with one built into the circuit 😅
Comment of the century
@@matt926uk1Or you make a guutar that sound great as it is.
Great vid. I'm 71 years old and played since I was 10 years old. I have connected with several guitars, un-connected and re-connected over the years. I was a 12-string play for many years and have in the past few years not so much. Ric 660-12 Tak acoustic 12. and others. Now it's Tele, Martin and 335 style. Partly because how my gigs have changed, partly because of who I play with, The only thing constant in life is change. L
Yep. 🙂
Rock till you drop.
@@simonwilliams7608 Remember also, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end the faster it goes!" 🙂
@@dalecoffing8655 Haha... I know what you mean!
I've seen Tim Pierce play Fenders, Gibsons, PRS, etc, semi-solid body, acoustic, through many different amplifiers and he sounds great with every combination. The gearhead mentality is destructive. No one listening to a song, apart from another guitarist maybe, cares what guitar you're playing as long as its played well.
This and the rig! Pedals and amp might be more important to get the sound you find pleasing.
Now with dsp it may be even easier
Not strictly true. Different guitars and amps contribute massively to the over sound / feel of a track. Talk to any producer that is responsible for crafting the sound of a track and they'll tell you exactly how important gear is.
Very funny if you are saying this as a guitarist. Cause you're focusing of what you hear, as you were the audience. Well, you are the player! You have to connect with your gear, cause YOU have the guitar in your hands, you are touching the neck, the wood, the frets, the strings, you are feeling the action, the radius, the neck profile, and most probably you are hearing something the audience is not hearing cause they don't have a clue about neck pickup etc.
Your guitar can inspire you as well as obstacle your inspiration. Pierce chose his gear very carefully and this is what every pro does and what we should learn to do.
I agree. You can get a great sound with a minimal amount of gear, as long as you have the skill in your hands. Of course gearheads and producers will tell you the reason something was a hit because of their sound skills, as if the player isn't the key.
Often, the producer is trying to pull a performance from the player, a certain guitar might inspire the player more than another, or push them towards a different direction. It's actually got very little to do with the tone at mixdown and everything to do with how the part was played, and the guitar might be an aspect of that.
As a drummer of 40 years, I can say that “the sound” is true with drum sets and cymbals as well. Three ride cymbals of the same make and model can have different tone. Drum shells are unique as well. Really enjoyed your video today! Thanks.
Yeah! The "curse" of working with living materials (wood)!
I wasn't much of a Strat guy for most of my guitar-playing days. Then, about 6 years ago, my niece said she wanted to play guitar. I went out and found a sweet Squier Strat that I really liked. It was hard to put down. Happy birthday present for sure.
Shortly after that, I picked up an MIM Fender Strat at a pawn shop, and ended up walking out with it. A good setup, and it felt (still feels) great to play. Ive played others, but for some reason, that pawn shop find is my go-to...
Pawn shop is also how I found my workhorse Tele
Those Pawn shops with their sometimes reasonable prices are dangerous man, a real trap. Years and years ago we (people I play with) couldn't pass up bidding on a local HSS MIM Late 90s Strat, said and done, we got it for $170 with a soft case. Just saying.
@@nissehult6768I wish I had your pawnshops around here. All the ones around me price higher than Reverb. Sheesh
@@RockWonder210 Ohh wow, this was in 2006/2007 before I went to Epping Forest in London and bought a 67' Tele.
My MiM Strat is just... I can't put it down. You're right, a good setup is key to a good instrument!
And in May I stumbled upon an old Fender Stratocaster Highway One in very good condtion, also at a good price under Reverb standards. Said and done it was a birthday present to myself, this was the early ones with the small head and SSS type. It's the best (for me) I have played and my first stratocaster, the MIM in 2007 was not mine.
Holy shit that strat sounds so warm and pure! I totally feel what you must have felt when you played that magnificent piece of art for the first time. I'm truly happy for you man. Keep the amazing work up!
The set-up of the pickup heights on those two guitars look like polar opposites. The JM Strat pups are set way low, and the other guitar pups are cranked way high. That one difference will dramatically affect the tone of the guitars.
But... But... Mojo!
I guarantee if you swapped the pickups from the white Strat into the black JM Strat, it would be a big big difference too.
Yeah they do! But keep in mind you have staggered pole pieces on the Mayer and flat poles on the boutique
I thought u was the only person using Raoul Duke as a handle with the Gonzo peyote button fist profile pic.
On the JM strat the lows are set too low and the highs too high, the bridge sounds terrible LMAO, just by looking at the shabat strat you can see the pickups are set almost "flat"
This guy gives me youth pastor vibes
That there is funny, I don’t care who you are
Virginity is COOL
😂😂😂😂😂 ☝️
i did not know i needed to read this
"okay guys, so today we're gonna talk about what intentional fellowship really LOOKS like! I mean, we always say that word right? Fellowship fellowship fellowship? But like.. what does it MEAN?"
I love a Strat middle pickup! That’s why I put one in my Tele. So underrated!
I intend to build a Tele and do the same thing. Best of both worlds for me.
Ask the great Jimmie Lee Vaughan!
My go to pickup setting for crisp funk breaks
Didnt Fender that line of guitar Nashville Tele i think the name. Stuart from Mogwai probably my favorite with that guitar
The only Tele I have ever bought is a 2012 Nashville , MIM . Would not have picked up anything with 25.5" scale length at that time , but curiosity killed this cat . Still love the 5-way ...
I've always been a Fender guy, and after playing a Les Paul for a few years, I made the switch back to Fender, pretty much just my Jazzmasters and Mustang. I've gone back and forth considering selling it, as I had left it in the case to take up room in the closet for a couple of years. I needed the money and almost pulled the trigger on selling it last month, but after spending time with it and playing it for a good week, I will absolutely not be selling it. The Les Paul makes me write differently, play differently, and express differently, and those changes are helping me get out of a musical rut that I didn't even realize I had been in! This video came at the perfect time, thanks Rhett!
I've played my Gibson SG almost exclusively for 15 years. I bought a strat a few years ago. I like it but it needs some fret work
Rhett, I am a massive fan of your channel and have been following you along with this BLK1 for years. I have been searching for one for a decade now and it's actually the only dream guitar I hope to own one day. I have actually had dreams of owning one. If you ever decide you want to part with yours, please keep me in mind.
Sincerely,
Sterling
I recently bought one. Absolutely hands down the best decision I’ve made. Plays like a monster and looks so classy
You must be over the moon brother 🙌🏼. Congrats, you will have and cherish it forever!
Have you ever considered just building your own? I imagine finding the specs wouldn’t be too hard
@@stupidthefish1979 Funny you say that!
I actually built my own replica a few years back. I love it very much but it still does not fill the same hole as owning a real one someday 🙌🏼.
@@SterlingBauerMusic fair enough
I am a Gibson guy, but recently found myself playing a pro II strat every day. I’ve been in a Pink Floyd kick. I’m loving it
My strat is Mexican👍🏼💪🏼🎸
I've had a MIM strat since 96, and I've never looked back. Never needed Work done on it, still sounds great. I love it.
So is yours called “the brown one”? 😂
Great video Rhett, I have an HSS strat that is firmly 3rd under my tele and SG for very similar reasons. the strat was my first excellent guitar, and I was certain it would be the only one because of how much I loved JM's music at the time. Hundreds of videos, product demos to live at nokia confirmed that i was a Strat-Man™. It was my best guitar for a long time, so I was strat man, until I bought my tele, and the shift was immediate. It's been years, and the strat still didnt do *IT* for me the way the tele did, or the SG with 14's on it in C# tuning.
I took a nearly year long guitar break, and just picked up my acoustic again a few months ago, and have very recently just started to hear the melodies again in my head, and I think they're strat-voiced, so once i'm ready to plug in again I think that is where I will start.
To be honest, Rhett, I've never seen you get excited over a Strat-like guitar, even when you've done the custom shop and hot-rodded MIM comparisons. Probably just not your style of guitar. Nothing wrong with that. I have never been excited by Teles, and the one Tele I own doesn't get used as often as it should (though I don't want to get rid of it because it's the only Tele I've ever liked).
The only one that I've seen him play which he adores was a Shabat S-style guitar that he bought. Looks and sounds phenomenal.
He said the MIM player series was the worst strat but its by far the most sold strat on reverb and probably everywhere else.
He sure sounds good with a strat in hand. Everyone sounds better with a strat.
Still waiting on him to find a les paul he adores and gets excited over lmao. Rhett's definitely always been a tele man though
@@OscarASevilla He actually put a video up where Tim Pierce went around with him to find the perfect Les Paul, and he did! If you search TH-cam, you'll find a video or two on it.
Best fix for the strat bridge pickup, if you insist on keeping the S-S-S setup, is a blend pot. Mix in a bit of the neck pickup to add some warmth, or when you’re on the neck, mix in some sparkle from the bridge. Go full on to get a pseudo tele middle sound. It should be standard on any and every single S-S-S guitar made.
Real talk, that Harry Potter analogy ("The wand finds the wizard") is actually spot-on... sometimes a specific guitar just clicks with you (the danger is in trying to force that click or expect to find that click).
Thinking of the story of Andy Summers Tele when I read this comment. Sometimes, it's like destiny. I think Frampton had it too, but it kinda went downhill too after he lost Phenix. Only to be found decades later.
Yep, I was in a music store trying to pick a fuzz. I had no plans to buy a guitar. But, I asked if they had a Strat with low output pickups because that's what I like to hear going into a fuzz. So, they handed me this used, faded Fiesta Red Strat made by a small company in Nashville. I had about 5 fuzz pedals set out going into a Fender amp. I proceeded to check them out, but after a while I was just playing this guitar for fun with the clean sound. It had the perfect feel (for me) and had a beautiful singing voice to it. Anyway, I chose the Hendrix fuzz and went on my way. But, after leaving the store I couldn't stop thinking about that Strat. About an hour later I called the store, letting them know I was on my way to buy the Strat. It was maybe my only chance since they were about to close and I was leaving to go home 4 hours away. I just so happen to have the money (and that never happens). So, I do believe this guitar chose me in a way, and at the right time. When I got it home I realized why it sounded so good. The pickups were Lollars with 50s style wiring. Pickups do make a difference, but also the feel, and the wood, the shape, the neck joint, etc. It's the total package.
This speaks too me
Funny thing is that happened to me, I started out wanting a red special replica, got it and it was great and all but it didn't feel right, a few months later I took my 1st guitar ( a black beginner strat ) to the shop to get the neck sorted out cause it was a cheap guitar, the shop owner said he couldn't do much and I was sad but a sunburst strat caught my eye, a week later I had enough to get a new guitar, I went back to the shop and tried a les paul gold top, an SG and a strat with a humbucker in the bridge, I asked the owner to pull down the sunburst, it was a revelation rts 57, it looked like eric clapton's brownie strat, I played it and it just felt right, I only had £167 and the retail price was £200 but the owner lwt me buy it with the amount I had, a year later and I've nicknamed the guitar ginger, put 9 gauge strings on it, took to guitar shows and played it at school, on the 18th I saw eric clapton at the CO-OP live in Manchester, it reinvigorated my love of the guitar and my love of playing in general.
The same applies to women.....
I get where you’re coming from Rhett. I had two Les Paul Studio guitars, and really didn’t feel comfortable with either one of them. I started migrating back to my Godin SDXT…. 2 humbuckers and a middle single coil pickup, with Fender switching, and the neck and headstock look like a Strat. The body is shaped like a Les Paul. Nice guitar that I feel comfortable playing. My other guitar is an Epiphone double cut with two humbuckers that are coil tapped and also has a phase switch on one of the tone knobs…again, I feel comfortable playing it, and get all the tones I’m looking for in a guitar. Thanks for the video.
If you want a Mayer strat, try out the Stevie ray Vaughn signature, it’s basically a Mayer strat, it has the sound, and it has the neck shape. Mayer was a srv fan, so he had an srv signature strat that he based his signature off of
Yes but that has Texas specials which are hot. John’s allegedly had pickups that were not “right” and lower output. No idea how truthful that is.
The fretboard radius on the SRV & Mayer are different as well.
You’re definitely correct though- early John Mayer stuff was him using his 90s SRV signature.
You are right. I have the same Mayer black 1 Strat that Rhett owns and its heavily based on the SRV Strat. But the pickups are really different and the neck is thinner. I think they are two interesting guitars.
I just want to remind everyone that SRV's Number One was essentially a partscaster.
It had a '62 neck on a '63 body with pickups taken from a '59. Not to mention the left handed tremolo that his guitar tech put on it because that's what was handy when he needed it.
@@SeanOHanlonyes, but the guitar JM played when he was a kid was SRV Fender artist Stratocaster, not the exact guitar SRV built.
I’ve owned both and the necks and pickups are different. The SRV neck has a Pau Ferro fingerboard, 12” radius and 1.65” nut. JM has rosewood, 9.5” radius and 1.6875” nut. Frets are the same, and profile is similar. The SRV has Texas Specials, a hot single coil set. JM has big dippers which are very mid scooped with vintage output.
I completely understand where you’re coming from. I have a Carvin CT6. I had it custom made, pickups, woods, fretwire, electronics, tuners, everything. It is a beautiful piece of kit. I played it for a couple of years, and it just doesn’t do it for me. It should, it was everything I wanted in a guitar. And, it sucks I don’t love it. However, I picked up a gently used Squire Strat at a local music store in Delaware. It just felt great. For a cheap guitar, the neck just felt right. I bought it just to test pickups, and I dropped in a set of no name humbuckers and a EMG select in the middle position. Split the coils with a push/pull, as well as added a Gilmour switch to play the bridge and neck. This has turned into my “go to” guitar. Set up was easy, action is super low and it is a breeze to play. Mostly playing acid jazz and funk. So the sounds totally fit my current tastes. I really don’t want to get rid of the Carvin. Especially, since I will never get back what I put into it. And I could by 10 Squires for what I paid for the Carvin, including the pickups and wiring… It goes to show, nothing is written in stone. Inspiration comes out of nowhere sometimes. You just have to let it happen. Your video resonates with me. Thanks.
I love my Stratocaster! I bought my 75th anniversary commemorative Stratocaster. I did not want it but I went and played and I just knew it and I went and bought it that is my all time favorite guitar it does the SRV and Hendrix thing perfectly. I will never part with it.
Do you mean the 70th anniversary Stratocaster? - because Fender isn't 75 years old yet.
@@SeanOHanlonThe Strat is 70 but there are Strats that commemorate 75 years of Fender as a company.
@@dragonhealingarts8993
You are right. I stand corrected. 👍
As an acoustic player, I completely understand what you're saying about sound and feel. I just never thought that would apply to electric guitars. Thanks for opening my eyes!
2:58 That dog is definitely copping your Hendrix licks!
lol so true 😂
And hairstyle , lol ?
Dogs name is angel
Certain guitars simply appear to find their way to you. I was never a strat guy growing up. In my 40s I went into a shop to get a revstar and ended up leaving with a pro 2 strat. Like you put, it reshaped my playing completely and brought me a renewed sense of joy on the discovery side. I hope we can hear you strat more here in the future.
I bought my first Strat new in 1994, it was a Fender Strat plus, with those gold Lace Sencor pickups, I just didn't get on with it, as I'd been using an Ibanez RG550 for a few years, but I struggled on with it. It eventually ended up living in it's case, which was a shame, as it's a beautiful guitar. I had the pickups replaced for Seymour Duncan's, but that didn't really change the amount I used it, so it carried on in it's case, as I'd bought a few Gibson's buy then, and then a couple of core PRS guitars. But I'd been missing using a Strat, as I just love them, so I bought another Strat that had a humbucker in the bridge, and that woke me up! So I had a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates put in the bridge, and what made a big difference was having the trem blocked off, now it gets played a lot, and I've had stainless steel frets fitted.
Good stratocaster tale
HSS with a blocked trem is the only way man
Strat Plus was a great guitar. The hardware was very forward thinking and they had a cool tone. I have a 96 Clapton with gold lace sensors and I love the sound. And like Rhett, I didn't get it because Clapton I got it because it was there.
Here’s what I didn’t like about Lace Sensor pickups. If you could look at volume as going from 1 to 10, it was like the Lace Sensors went from 3 to 10. It seemed like you couldn’t get really “sensitive” with them.
Cuando tenía 19 años compré una Jem 7 VWH Japan 1994. Hoy con 49 años de edad uso una Tele tipo Esquire. Por más que no use la Jem, nunca podría venderla. Para mi humilde forma de vista son algo más que una herramienta. Muy buen video Rhett!!!
😂”I don’t like $1,200 strats, I like $4,000 Strats”. Same…
Why is that? What's the diff?
@@stk7778about 2800 bucks
found the carpet bagging non-musician, you pay 4k for a Strat and you're just a fool
@@doofwop I got no issues with someone buying a nice guitar. It’s just kind of click bait-y to say “why I never play this guitar” when the answer is “I bought myself one that’s 3x the price so I play that instead”.
except the black one goes for like 9k on reverb now lol
If you used the exact EQ amp settings as the Mayer, the difference is in the pickups. The Mayer was either overwound or used ALniCo 3 mags. The blonde axe has well-sourced components and the PUPs were wound properly, giving it Stratocaster "sparkle."
I can’t get past 21 fret guitars. I love the Strat ultra, killer compound neck radius, 22 frets, cutdown neck heel and the trem stays in tune.
How often are you using the 22nd fret lmao
You obviously don't play in B minor.
@@TwstedLizardDepends on what material you are working with. In most cases, you won't need it. But if you're playing something written like a Nuno Bettencourt, a 21 fretter won't cut it.
@@papahoppa1776😂
Your pup watching you gave me chills. My son does that and it’s the best feeling in the world how time just kind of stops
So, I've been struggling to actually learn to play guitar for 30 years, I never really put the time into learning and memorizing things beyond power chords...I've always been addicted to how guitars feel, sound, look, and the whole aura around them, so I've been collecting and buying/selling guitars for years off and on...
2 years ago I bought an early 90's Fender Squier SE "strat pack" guitar as the basis for a modded Strat project, as I'd gotten into luthier work and wanted to tinker...it looked nearly perfect in the photos online and it was cheap...what showed up on my doorstep was missing chunks of finish in places that hadn't been photographed and had been obviously worn down and gigged with for years that way...I was pissed, because it was meant to be a clean guitar body and neck that I could do some mods on and find "my tone" with...and here was this battered and beaten cheapo guitar that was worth less than I'd paid for it and would never have resale value...
And then I plugged it in...as far as I know it's 100% stock, but I never opened it up to confirm...from the first 2 minutes of strumming and playing this pile of shit I immediately went "Oh no, I can never get rid of this thing now"...whether it's due to someone else replacing the pickups, or the stock pickups just aging a certain way from what appears to be years of abuse and gigging, it is one of the creamiest and sweetest sounding Strats I've ever owned...the irony being that I'd bought it to make it sound that way, and it showed up looking horrible and sounding amazing...I am now the caretaker of that sweet pile of shit for as long as I'm still alive, and I couldn't be happier about it...
I bought my ‘62 reissue strat when I was only a few years into playing. It sounded great but it wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t fully connect with the feel or the sound. I was a Les Paul guy for years until I rediscovered my strat almost 20 years later. The band I’m in now demands the strat sound, so at first I played it out of necessity. The more I played it, the more I fell in love with it. It is now, easily my #1…..to the point that I purchased a second ‘62 reissue strat to have a backup.
I've had a similar journey with Strats. When I first started playing in the 90s, I never knew about scale length and how it affects the feel of an instrument. I was always a Gibson player and could never get on with Strats. It wasn't until years later that a luthier told me that a Strat being 25.5 inch scale length and a Gibson being 24.75, the Strat requires more tension in the strings to bring it up to pitch and the strings will feel tighter under the fingers at the same tuning with the same gauge strings. That was a game changer for me cause after that, I tuned down half a step on a Strat and it felt like a Les Paul in terms of string tension.
Right on. Very few people get that. I'm pretty sure that is also a big part of the difference in sound between Gibson and Fender, beside the obvious humbucker vs single coil dynamic.
You're totally right, the Single Biggest thing is the Feel of the guitar. It's the amalgamation of how it Feels in your hands, how ye Feel the Sound it makes and how you Feel as ye bond with the guitar.
The guitar must Feel good or yer not gonna reach for it. No matter how "good" it is!
You don’t play it because you have too many guitars and too little time.
Great video and so true, the wand chooses the wizard. Bought two guitars online, sold one and did a complete new setup on the other just to make it mine. It clicks or it doesn't and its the whole package that counts. The weight, the neck, the setup, pickups, the color, the whole bunch. If you're in doubt just put is aside, if you pick it up again within 8 minutes it speaks to you ;-)
You are spot on with the point you are trying to make. Prime example - Cobain played crappy guitars for the most part... and yet he managed to figure out how to get the sound HE wanted out of them. It really isn't about the price of an instrument...it's about the "feel". I personally own some crappy guitars myself, but there's something about how they feel and how they make ME feel when I play them, and that totally makes it worth having them. Very cool video, Rhett.
damn is almost like the guitar itself doesn't really make that much of a difference in the tone isn't it?
@@JaredR-gk6rxWhatever rig you use, you're gonna try to dial it in as close as you can to the sound you hear in your head...and if you're handy with an eq pedal you can get there with pretty much anything
I had a similar experience with the Telecaster. Never liked them, other than the sunburst double bound custom, I never even liked the way they looked. I'm sitting around a local music store one day and some guy was trying to sell an amp, the owner says, "you mind playing thru this amp, I just need to see if it works." A Danny Gatton custom shop Telecaster , a guitar I never would have normally picked up, even though I like Danny Gatton, just happened to be the nearest guitar to me so I picked it up and just instantly fell in love with it! It became my main guitar for about 10 years. It's still my go to guitar for studio work. You just never know...
The neck pickup playing Hendrix is an acid test for sure.
I really liked the tone of the John Mayer Strat. I felt it had kind of a darker sparkle that I like. The relic'd strat has a good crystal clear sparkle, but I like the darkness of the black Strat.
Something similar happened to me. Walked into a shop and saw a used MIJ strat before I even knew what MIJ meant, picked it up and started playing and it was like a strike of lightning. i just instantly connected with THAT one, and it had me playing in a new way. I've tried others, but that one just vibes different for me
Even w/CNC & digital bla, bla, A guitar is still hand made & all are different.( as are ppl.) Some just fit & feel better & you have found one for you. Matters not brand or price, but the vibe that makes you want to play.
2 months ago I bought my first strat. Not just any, but one that was “my” strat. Way down in South Texas (McAllen) I went into a Guitar Center to destress from work and stuff. Inside a glass cabinet they had a Fender American Pro 2 in Olympic white, with a maple fretboard. SSS pickups. No intention of buying this one until I played it.
Went back to Dallas where I live and tried the identical model and color. None even felt close to the one in south Texas. A month later the two guys (Randy and Tony) that attended to me in McAllen somehow still remembered me and remembered the guitar I played.
Bought it and they shipped it. It’s amazing how when a guitar speaks to you, you can’t get it out of your mind.
So I get you Rhett.
I have two strats, an American Standard strat and a Squier Bullet strat. Which one do I play the most? The cheap one.
LOLZ! Exactly like me - but here, it's "cheap chambered Standard" VS Murphy-aged RO (and it's not a "lab")!
I love the dog watching what dad is doing ❤
Besides the player, two things effect the tone of a start, the pickups and tremolo. My 92 Strat bought new was a dog. Five years ago I swapped pups and got halfway there. Put a bell steel trem block in it and now it finally sounds like a classic strat.🥰🥰🥰
I agree the trem block makes a difference, but no more so than the pieces of wood in the guitar, and probably less so than the saddle type and alloy. Every S-type I have ever owned or played over the last 4+ decades with an Indian RW FB has had less "glassy" sparkle than a neck with a thickly lacquered Maple FB, but can also have less punch and midrange cut. It's all about how whatever is under the frets damps string vibrations, just as true with the saddles and trem block. The body also has some affect via the neck pocket. Even removing the rear trem cover can allow the wood from the neck pocket to the bridge to absorb more midrange. Assuming you stick with the neck and body you have, there is one more factor. An Aluminum pickguard or pickguard shield, as came standard in the early 60s, creates eddy currents in the pickup coils that reduce the upper-mids. That's probably a key reason those Strats are so coveted.
What pickups did you put in it?
@@aaronwinter1092Before I started this process I was well on my way to selling the guitar. I put a set of 57/62's in it. That really helped. I then swapped out the saddles for vintage. And yes I heard a slight difference. In a mix the difference was negligible. About a month or so later I heard a guy playing this $5K custom shop Stat at Guitar Center. It had the sound I was looking for. When he put it back on the rack I saw the huge stainless trem block. That was my aha moment. I bought a Calaham trem block and problem solved. Guitar has all the chime I could ever image. A few more things to note. A good EQ can solve alot of problems and if you can get the mfg pickup spec Seymour Duncan, Dimarrzio and Guitar Fetish in most cases sell pretty much the same thing.
Does it? Or maybe YOU JUST THINK it does, because now you know it's got the "right" componenents...?!
Folks, guitars are SYSTEMS! And part of all that snake-oil is the simple fact that we cannot attribute a change in sound to one certain component in about 95% of all cases - but we guitarists strubbornly go on jabbering about "those great new pickups" (btw: Lollars -because they are mentioned here- don't do anything special for me...). And the trem block: It does make a difference - mainly in weight! And exactly THIS can be good or bad for your guitar...🙃😉
I’ve owned a 68 Strat for 45 years, it’s actually the only guitar I can use the thumb over technique because of the super thin neck, but I still play my Gibsons and PRS more.
Penny adores you, clearly. Her carefully watching you play, that's a good dog.
She’s the best
@@madmick78
I like the sound of that Shabat and looked that up myself. I’d like to know what set is in there.
Right there with you on the Neck & Middle - and the Bridge - I have always either bought or made my strats HSS.
My US Silver Sky is going to get a Seymour Duncan Little 59 stacked. I’ll keep the 635JM pickup, even though I have no doubt after six months that tue Silver Sky is a keeper for me.
The US Silver Sky has the best Middle sound I’ve ever heard. I’ve never owned a real ‘63/‘64 Strat, but to my ears, the SS nails it better than any of the dozen Fenders I’ve owned.
If you needed a strat so bad, why didn't you just go to Guitar Center?
Because if he wanted a premium lifelong Strat, why not?
I don't understand what you mean.
Because he probably didn’t want to overpay
I will never purchase anything from guitar center for the remainder of my life. They are the worst.
@@KimmyJimmel69how so?
I had a 1992 or 3 sunburst Fender Strat ultra with the lace pickups and ebony fb. I bought it new and waited about 6 months to get it after it was ordered, it was a beautiful axe but I always preferred my 1983 Ibanez Roadstar 2. The Strat stayed in it’s case under my bed for about a year and I eventually decided it had to go so I sold it and bought a new bicycle and I still play the Ibanez today and love it. I know how you feel Rhett, some just don’t gel.
Well, just change the pickups, that's what I do !
I totally get this. I've always been a strat guy, ever since my '62 (first decent electric, cost me £110 back in 1965) I purchased an immaculate '89 Strat PLus in blue but it has been sat in the case ever since. My go to is a Korean Squier purchased around 35 years ago for £90. Possibly afraid of giving it a ding? Not sure 🙂
In my opinion the Eric Johnson Rosewood stratocaster in lucerne aqua firemist is the best looking strat Fender put into production.
Damn right. I bought a used one with tropical turquoise. I wish it was the firemist colour. With this said, I will say it’s one of the better strats I’ve played. The neck is very nice!
@@Clayphish the tropical one is beautiful as well! The neck on those models are amazing. Nice and thick, but not too much. Just right.
Well said. For me, the shift was from the Tele that was my #1 for 15 years to suddenly only really ever wanting to play a Les Paul Special. It's been pretty much everything for the last few years.
I too have had the strat blues. I bought a 50th anniversary addition strat back in the 90's and I just never bonded with it. I tried setups and pickups but it was the same no matter what. We had a new pastor at our church and he played guitar so I bought him a tele at guitar center here in Nashville. It was butter! I loved everything about it. He loved it too but decided to sell it years later and I bought it back from him. I will never sell it. It is the best playing and sounding tele I have ever heard. I have a Les Paul too, I will never sell because I love to play 70's rock. That with an OCD get's AC DC and Led Zep among other.
"Why I never play my John Mayer Stratocaster,"
I totally agree with the guitar at that point in time.
I have two Takamine’s and a Taylor Koa. My favorite guitar is now is a $200 Blast guitar from China. I just had it refreted and the Taks I’ve had for 20+ years. Original frets.
I absolutely love the Strat sound. I have such a hard time branching out stylistically because of how much I love that 2 and 4 position
It’s magic.
It's so 'human' sounding.
Try a Les Paul Jr. With a P90. You'll fall in love.
@@keithzuccolo6729 I actually have a Strat with two P90s in it. I like it a lot. Strats are amazing in the hands of a Strat player, but I've never been able to make them sing. My current favorite is a Tele. So simple and reliable.
Position 4. 😊
Rhett, you are nailing it on the head, Firstly, how it feels and how it sounds.
Most hobbyists get hung up on the features ie: pickups, bridge, wood , finish etc.
I have a friend, Paul Richl out of Winnipeg, phenomenal player, who is currently using a Squier Infinity Tele, he is out gigging all the time with this as his main.
Your pup had a front row seat.
Guess it was a front pup then. 😂 … (I’ll get my coat.)
I've been playing for over forty years. I've had the same struggle as you. I loved the idea of a Strat. But, finding the right one for me seemed like a hopeless quest. I finally did find the ONE about two years ago. Finally!
8:55 Now that's a lick I didn't think I'd ever hear on this channel.
what is it?
@@qirico Lenny by SRV.
Why?
I'm the same way with Strats. I've owned Mexican ones, American ones and currently own a 1994 '62 Reissue Foto Flame that plays like butter and they all did the job I needed them to do at the time. But there were limits to what they would do so I always, and still do carry a second guitar specifically with humbuckers. Then I traded a Mexican Tele for a G&L Tribute Comanche and everything changed. It had the sound I was looking for, different from a Strat but not thumpy like my Les Paul. Last year I found an '01 American model and since then it's become my #1 guitar and goes with me to all my gigs, recording sessions and most rehearsals. I love my Strat and won't get rid of it. The value is climbing on it but compared to the G&L the pickups are anemic.
if you don’t use it, can I lol ?
Imo on how to fix the Mayer Strat 1. Ts9 just try it 2. DiMarzio h8 in bridge 3.rail style
Pickup in bridge
I'm sure the John Mayer strat is technically just as good as your Shabat but you do sound way better on the Shabat, probably because of how much more it inspires you.
These days, almost any guitar is "technically good"...
Well, finally someone putting the focus where it should be: Your connection with your instrument. We always get lost in technical guitar stuff, but as you said it all comes down to one question ¿do you like it? The problem here is that many of us have not learned to trust in our criteria. Great vid 🫶
T H I S ! Plus, advertising keeps telling us: "If you just buy xxx (insert component of your choice), and you will ssound like yyy (insert name of your greatest guitar hero)!" - also untrue.
@@junehabsen6368 Absolutely, that's another thing to deal with, we don't have to focus on being like no one, because that means rejecting your self and your unique way of communicating through art/music.
Rhett really made an entire video to convince his wife he needs a new guitar 😂
I'm NOT a Strat guy, I'm a Tele/LP Special guy, but every once in a while I crave the 2/4 sound so I picked up a used Nash S63 and I love it for what it does.
Rhett, you're definitely the #1 weirdest guitar player I've ever seen.
"Oh I don't like this pickup sound" - proceeds to show the most glorious sound ever - "not really my thing, it doesn't really do it for me..."
WHAT?
This video is the prime example of "the guitar you'd kill for is collecting dust in somebody's attic somewhere"
I bought a JM Strat, in 3 color burst about 10 years ago. It had nothing at all to do with Mayer, I just liked the 'specs' of the guitar. After 2 years I couldn't make friends with it, and sold it. To me, the artist guitars are a way to get sort of 'custom shop' feathres in a production guitar. I just bought a Robert Cray Hardtail Strat. I think that's the only production hardtail you can buy now. My go to Strat is a David Gilmour one I built. A guy in Ca. built me an exact detailed replica of Gilmour's Black Strat loaded pick guard.. I bought a 1990 very well worn black Strat with a broken truss rod for $300. Added a Warmoth neck, built to my spec, and the Gilmour loaded pick guard, thick bakelite like his, with the small switch for adding the middle pup, and small wiggle stick. It has all the correct pups also, including Fender, and Duncan custom shop ones. He did an awesome job! (link on request) LOL I love it! --gary
I love the channel and love your videos, but one thing I hate is when you do exactly what you did here: you take a $1000 (initially) Fender and compare it to a $3500+ dollar boutique guitar. There isn't really a comparison. It's like comparing those weird fruit drinks in the little plastic barrels with the foil top to a $50 Moscato. Sure, this wasn't a shoot out video comparing the two, except that it kind of was.
It’s a pretty pointless video overall. He never really explained why he doesn’t click with the Mayer Strat other than he just likes the other one better
Wohoo, calm down friend! In the end, are these both strats - or not?
Therefore, the comparison is 100% legit.
Your reasoning reminds me of guys who bought a dreadfully expensive 'boutiqe' (as you call it) instrument, blinded by the price...
and at the first rehearsal, they deon't get the "wow"-comments - because the dreadfully expensive guitar is just.... a dud!
Been there, seen that. More than once!
@@lt_johnmcclane See? You just GOT the point! And that's all that really counts: the "click"!
Once you find a great sounding, playing, and above all great feeling guitar (that you would normally dismiss bcs of parts, price, brand etc.) - you will understand! Ofc, maybe you'll never experience this, and thus go on chasing Callahm's cold-rolled steel blocks (by moonlight) forever...?
Good luck!
You have taken the words out of my mouth...
As soon as you played it, I actually heard Jimi Hendrix sound, straight away!
❤🎸😎
Instructions Unclear, I still sound nothing like John Mayer after purchase.
Gotta get o one o of those 100k dollar dumble amps friend
you gotta curl your lip a bit and jut your head out awkwardly. that’s how you tap into this guitar’s soul
DAMN! ADVICE: SUE SELLER (& JM too, just to be on the safe side)!
I got a Shabbat Thin lion deluxe in a trade from the 2022 namm collection. Best guitar I’ve ever played or heard, almost unbelievable. Beats every custom shop/ custom made guitar I’ve owned or played.
Sir, I would like to suggest that you try this first, on your John Mayer Stratocaster raise the bridge pickup buy a quarter turn to a half turn. It should sound closer to what you're looking for and then turn it a little bit more. You will be surprised or maybe not are the difference in the sound of that bridge pickup when raised
Spot on, Rhett! Someone showed me a really expensive strat the other day and said to me: Wanna play it? I said YESS, and after a moment playing thought: this is one is not made for me, I do not connect with it. Nice guitar, I said (it really is) and gave it back to him!
4:56-5:20 Proves why Rhett is easily one of my favorite guitarist EVER, I love the funk, and that last lick, sound is unreal to me
I was about twelve minutes into the video when I realized that I know exactly what you're talking about. Although I love my guitars, there are a couple that I seem to lock into more quickly and more deeply than the others. Most of my guitars are one level or another of Strat, ranging from Peavey Raptor Plus EXP (super vintage except for the traditional Peavey body shape and a bridge humbucker) at Level Zero to a Bullfighter branded neck-through with a Floyd Rose vibrato at Level Two (Super Strat). My two favorites are the Bullfighter and a Schecter C-1 Elite -- both two-humbucker Super Strats with non-traditional neck-to-body joints and 14-inch fretboard radii. It takes me less time to lose myself in playing with those two axes than any others. If I REALLY wanna rock, those are my go to axes, and that doesn't mean I love the others less, but -- well, I like what I like!
I played a reissue '57 strat for 36 years. I bought it in September of 83 and it went through some changes over the years. I finally unloaded it in the summer of 2018 and I got my money back, all of $650.00 w/tweed case. And the sad part is I don't miss it.
I still haven’t found a Tele or a Strat that I’ve fallen in love with.
I’m a Les Paul guy through and through. Well, technically I play an Eastman SB59/V which in my experience is just as good if not better in many cases than any Gibson I’ve previously owned or played. I plug it straight into the newest iteration of the BadCat Cub and man it’s just the sound I like. I can dial in some tones that come dangerously close to how Jimmy Page sounded on the song “Since I’ve Been Loving You” live at Madison Square Garden, 1973 and it’s the tone that lives inside my head. Low output humbuckers and EL34 power tubes pushed just beyond the point of breakup is a match made in tone heaven for me.
Yes sir; minute 9 is it. LOVE that sound. It's the overtones; they ring. I'm a saxophonist (primarily); it's a magic. You can get just SO close to it with math... the rest is like a sort of magic. Sometimes that ONE instrument has it. That's it.
I grew up and learned to play on a Gibson SG when I got older and acquired a number of guitars they were always in and out of favour till it finally twigged I'd gotten used to the radius everything else felt odd
My Strat is an Eric Johnson custom with a 12" radius, I just absolutely love it, it is so playable and easy on my fingers
to each their own
Great essay about guitars, I had a fender mustang in teal..still miss it.
Happened to me with an Eastman orchestra model acoustic guitar. I knew I wanted a new acoustic, but I had Martin, Gibson and Larivee in mind beforehand. Never even heard of Eastman.
I walked in the shop and walked out with one 30 minutes later. Still the finest and most inspiring guitar I have ever owned
The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. I casually picked up a Silver Sky SE and we just clicked. I’ve played core models and other SE’s-and of course other strats, but this was one of those rate moments where you connect with an instrument.
Another JM Strat owner here. I have one bought new from GC with the deluxe gig bag and it has chrome plated hardware and Tortoise pickguard. I've never seen one with Gold plated hardware and a white pickguard. The distinguishing feature for me is a beefy neck and generally overall heavy feel.
I can completely relate to your experierence. Strats didn't do it for me for years. I've owned several strats that I sold and a custom shop G&L that is objectively a very good guitar. But I just could't connect with any of these guitars. It changed when I first tried my Macmull S-Classic. It just had the sound and feeling that inspired me (on all 5 positions). I had a great experience with Shabat guitars too : I own a Korina Lion deluxe, not exactly the typical T-Style guitar but an incredible instrument on its own.
Thanks for the great work with your channel and music !
I'm a retired touring sound engineer after 45 years out on the road. I am alsio a guitar player. There was two different Fender strat owners I mixed that had sound that was exceptional. One of them was in the middle 80s. The other player I worked with was from 2012 to 2016. Both guitars had one thing in common. Both of those strats had EMG pickups installed. I play a Sire S3 strat. I love it.
I get it, my first guitar was a Vai Jem, so not me these days. I fell in love with a MIJ Tele in Tokyo a few years back and bought it for $600 new old stock. Worth $2k back in Oz. It’s the only guitar I play. I found another MIJ Tele that just ups it slightly and may purchase that. My 20 year old self def was not a Tele guy. It is amazing how much we change.
Great video and really well said about the whole philosophy of musically evolving as you evolve as a person in general too, very true! Love it 😎
My first electric guitar was a 93 USA ultra deluxe I bought from a friend. Second was a tele, after getting a tele I never played the Strat. I traded it for a jazz American pro 2 bass.
Your Strat sounds magical ... Really has that hand wound old time sound. Have to get my old Strat out now.
I was never a strat guy. Chose washburn brand (because of Nuno) and HSS for the options and the lack of twang. Years later I got an Ibanez HSS because it had a bit of twang without the full on strat sound. Then a couple of years ago I picked up a strat copy for £30 that needed a bunch of work and I wanted to learn how. I put a £20 set of single coil pickups in it and they transformed it and it is now one of my favourites. My tastes have changed over the last 30 years and I guess I found the right guitar at the right time.
In terms of having a guitar that I don’t connect with, it’s hands down my Gibson Les Paul Special, purchased around 2018. I bought it at the time because I wanted something different than my strat styled guitars and have always wanted a non strat with p90 pickups. While I love the sound of the Gibson, I wasn’t prepared for the neck profile of the guitar nor the weight of it. I’ll still hang on to it if a situation arises where I need that particular sound, but I won’t play regularly.
Every strat of mine has been modified in some way. The least modified has just the standard bridge pickup replaced with a hotter, single-coil size dual-rail humbucker. But my favorite is a non-Fender clone of a JazzMaster with three P90 pickups. Its the best sounding "strat" I own. Unfortunately it weighs about 11 pounds, but it sounds great.
That thing sounds amazing! That’s one of the best sounding strat style guitars I’ve ever heard in the half century that I’ve been playing guitar.
Rhett you’re spot on in the premise of growing into different sounds, different needs. Strats are at the top of this equation. They are challenging to play, not the boldest pickups, yet Strats ARE a major fixture in contemporary guitar. You just reach a point, and eventually find A Strat that speaks to you. Or not, everyone is different. But Strats ARE different, and an acquired taste, and, they ARE highly customizable! Also significant. Once Allan Holdsworth got his PAF’s in a very playable Super Strat, it was game on. The red and white Super Strats made for Allan by Grover Jackson were AMAZING! EVH had to make his own FrankenStrat to find his voice. Very individualized instruments. Cheers. (Great pup, btw)