What Strats Do Best
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2024
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Since it's release in 1954, the Fender Stratocaster has become the most popular guitar used by all kinds of guitarists.
In this video I share my thoughts on why I think that is as well as some of my favourite lesser known Strat players.
What do you think of the Fender Stratocaster?
Who is YOUR favourite Strat player?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Being a long-time blues guy, I can say its a perfect blues and rock guitar.
I have an HSS strat copy and the only positions I use are 1, 2 and 4 - so neck, neck/middle and middle/bridge - and I get some good sounds for blues and jazz. Apart from that - the neck on my Aria just feels right - thinner and a better shape than my old mid 70s strat copy that I bought back in Liverpool in 1978. (The old strat is still nice - but it's heavy and only has a 3-way switch.) PS - I don't mind the clinical sound too much from humbuckers - but it's very hard to beat that lovely warm sound from a single-coil neck pickup!
I own strats and teles and love both. My favorite strats are my vintage 62, American Special, Vintage 57 and my Roadhouse. I keep them all stock but use my neck pickups most of the time. Strats make me play differently than my Teles. I used to listen to Buddy Merrill play on Lawrence Welks show with my parents as a kid. He is one of my inspirational people that drove me to play guitar. Neil LeVange used to play with him on occasion and they did some great guitar duos.
Eric Johnson gets a pretty unique and recognizable smooth dark tone from his Strat neck pick up and a moderately overdriven tube amp. That type of tone wouldn't work that well for straight ahead jazz, but definitely can work for blues and fusion.
Two types of guitar I know I have to add to my small yet sincere and loved wee guitar collection: a Strat-style guitar and a 335-style. Hey…I think I just wrote my New Year’s goals! :)
Hi Jamie. Old bloke here...played for hundreds of years, and owned many many guitars.
I've recently had a bit of a revelation with regards finding that "just right" jazz tone.
Of all things...believe it or not...
I bought a Firebird! 🥴
Put it on the neck pick up and roll the tone back to "5", and it sounds SO sweet for jazz.
If you ever get a chance to try one, don't be put off by the spikey tone of the bridge pup....just try it on the neck at half way, and I think you might be surprised, as I was! ☺️👍🎸
Hopefully I’ll get to try one someday!
Thanks Jamie. I think one of the most interesting users of the strat at the moment to produce very rich tones (including jazz) is Jeff Beck. His use of sustain, the whammy bar and volume swell is very distinctive.
Agreed!
On the Strat Plus version there is a tone control for the bridge pickup - it's a dual pot special design which gives a treble boost but is still passive. I love it and wouldn't give up my Strat Plus.
Cool video and timely for me. I just recently pulled my 90s era MIM strat out of the closet. In the last 25 years or so, I've played it and my sons have played it...everything from blues and classic covers to fusion and even metal. Its been gigged, dropped, scratched, filled in with wood filler, touched up, modded with sixties style pickups, texas pickups, and who knows what else and set up every which way. I've owned other strats that have long since gone to other players but this one has remained with me. No matter what, it has retained its unique voice. For me, some cool things can be said on this old beat up guitar that can't be said with any of my other instruments. Your video presented the essence of strataliciousness eloquently.
Thank you. Sounds like you have a keeper!
Great video! Bill Carson was a Western Swing Player.
Thank you!
Excellent video Jamie. I love my strat, it's so versatile. If you need a thicker sound then turn up the gain or add a pedal. Maple vs Rosewood, another dilemmma though!
Thanks Steve. Does both count as an answer to the maple vs rosewood question?
I thought you’d mention Jeff Beck- the most important creative Strat player ever (after Jimi) I think the quacks are only at positions 2 & 4. I just bought a 60’s CS Strat and looking forward to seeing how it works for jazz. Also have a Tele, Jazzmaster & es335 - all 3 of these work great and much better for jazz than the Strat
Great suggestion but I tend to prefer him on other guitars!
I prefer the tone from the individual pickups like Leo did, the second tone knob on my Strat also controls the bridge pickup.
I go back and forth; but, for me, the Stratocaster beats the Tele in penalty kicks because of the tremolo bridge/arm. I've spent way too many hours considering these two. Telecaster wins on neck and bridge, Stratocaster wins everywhere else, and the bridge pickup is kind of a tie depending on what one's looking for. Still, having that trem arm just puts the Strat over the top. The true Swiss army knife guitar. Les Pauls are great, but that toggle switch is in the worst place! Also, it's no contest in terms of versatility. I'll vome back in three years when i finally get converted to a Jazzmaster.
Give a listen to Neil LeVang he played with Buddy Merrill on the Lawrence Welk Show. They were my inspirations to learn guitar along with Les Paul . I play tele snow more than my strats but still love my strats especially my 57 and 62. I also played my jazzmasters and jaguars a lot. I guess it depends on what I feel like playing more recently Ilve been using my Gibsons and Gretsches more.
I also like Neil LeVang and of course Roy Lanham!
Robert Cray and Robin Trower have very different styles but each get fantastic blues tone from strats.
For me the great thing about the Strat is that it has its own distinctive sound but at the same time it is so versatile. You can play rock or blues one minute and then funk the next. Yes it doesn't have that thick Les Paul sound but if you want that then you need to buy a Les Paul!
Very true!
Have two Stratocasters, as far as the humbucking sound there are plenty of options without having to fork out for a Les Paul, I have a Charvel with Seymour Duncan pickups, an Ibanez with Seymour Duncan P-Rails and an Ibanez with Fishman Fluence active pickups, would never pay the money Les Pauls go for, in fact I do not even like the shape, for that sort of cash I would rather get a George Benson signature Jazz box.
Having only played guitars with two pickups (at front and back), what irritated me when I tried a Strat was my pick kept hitting the middle pickup, and if hybrid picking or pick and finger playing my finger would hit the pickup and of course by the time I corrected I'd missed the beat. I suppose one would eventually get used to it and adapt, but for the weekend I borrowed one it was endless frustration.
Thank you for the video!)
No problem!
Thanks Jamie 👍👍👍👍👍
No problem!
Nice video with great examples. I play strat but never knew about the tome knob mod, so I'll be looking into that. In the clip of you playing blues (nice playing especially that high note at 6:10 ish) are you using just fingers or pick too? Thanks.
Thank you very much! I just used fingers on that clip
Hey Jamie, good video. I enjoy your postings as they are always well thought out and measured. I try to play jazz and own a strat, a tele and a couple of archtops (I primarily play the archtops). I think any decent guitar with a good neck pickup is a good instrument for jazz so long as you don't over-fight against the natural characteristics of the guitar and the pickup. I own a strat because I love Mark Knopfler and I also love the way Larry Carlton uses one such as on his old album Sleepwalk (he uses the quack position(s) on that album). Regarding MK, maybe you can answer a question. I read somewhere that he played Sultans of Swing on the studio album using the middle pickup (not a quack position). That's what it sounds like to my ear anyways. But live I've always seen him in the bridge/middle quack position. I also love his use of a volume pedal (same for Carlton). If you have any recommendation for a good volume pedal that would be welcome.
Thanks for the comment. Interesting point! He changes pickups throughout the song and I don’t think 5 way selector switches came stock on a 61 strat. I’ve not owned a volume pedal so I can’t really say!
I agree wholeheartedly on all points!
You know your music history.
Speaking of Strats and never mentioning Blackmore, Beck, SRV, Malmsteen, is like speaking of space exploration without mentioning moon landing.
I hear ya. I just figured that everyone already knew about those players so I wanted to expose some lesser known players.
Split my playing between the Strat and Tele, only the odd occasion a LP. My only drawback to the strat is when I get a little excited or carried away is accidentally selecting pickup positions I had no intention of selecting. No biggy, just pretend I meant to do that.
I love strats. I'm more a metal, rock, & recently, blues guy....rather than jazz. (Which I've just started learning about) but here are some of my faves: Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, John Mayer, Yngwie Malmsteen, Chris Impellitteri, Ritchie Blackmore. I'm very curious about jazz on a strat. Who would you recommend I listen to?
Players in this video
th-cam.com/video/_dDIdj5BnbE/w-d-xo.html
@Jamie Holroyd Guitar ill check it out.
You want THE strat sound??
Edgar Winter...
Free Ride.
🖖
What about the " father" Hank Marvin's tone?
Of course! I just wanted to focus on lesser known players!
As much as I do understand people loving the Strat, I belong to the "rebels" who think that the Volume Knob is is really too close to the bridge pickup, and also why? oh why there is no tone for the bridge pick-up? so yes great guitar but definitely not a perfect guitar the way it was "designed" . P.S. delighted you mentioned the great Kid Ramos!!
Thanks! He deserves more recognition
Volume know is not, it's a good idea but it is in the way.
Why did you not talk about EC
Tried to focus on lesser known players
How about a Gibson SG?
My first good electric was an SG. I could just never get on with how it balanced with a strap!
I think the strat is the most difficult guitar to play. Because of that "thin" sound, your hands always fall victim to playing compulsively nonsense pentatonic liks. That being said, making good music with a strat should be the stamp of a good musician. I love my American Standard strat, but I guess I do not quite like Strat legends that much because I find a lot of that 'compulsive' playing in them, except of course, certain masters.
Great Jamie, BTW it is Strat not Schtrat ;) A great funk monster this guitar !! Thanks.
Did you mean Strat or a 3 single coil guitar? Alvin Lee's guitar isn't a Strat.