Has the Strat become obsolete after 70 years?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2024
- My thoughts on why you'd play a Strat in 2024...
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A guitar designed so that anything on it can be replaced with either a screwdriver or soldering iron is never outdated.
Great observation!
this guitar is timeless
Absolutely!
Just the sound of your strat is absolutely eternal. I love also modern guitars, but your strat is unique. Don’t Forget it !
Thank you so much for listening!
Yesss I love my Ibanez TQM1 for this kind of jams
Excellent guitar!
Just got new Strat yesterday, kicks ass, I will play it forever. 😁
I bet it's great!
In addition to the beautiful guitar notes, There are shirts you wear that are all beautiful
Thank you so much!
I come for the shirt game as much as the whole tone riffage
That lovely sound could never be outdated!
So glad you liked it! 😀
i am definitely a modernist who has long been kind of frustrated by the guitar community's tendency towards conservatism with respect to guitar design.
Great point! i have long been frustrated by the obsession with vintage guitars
I'm both a traditionalist and modernist - depending on the situation. Scott Henderson, who's known for being a Strat player, occasionally used an Ibanez S series in the 90's. The S series can be seen as a modernized Strat.
Absolutely, you can definitely be somewhere in between both! Scott is one of my favorites
I feel like the question was answered in the first five seconds. Sounds absolutely incredible
Thanks so much for listening!
@@beneunson for comparison, I would love to hear the guitars that you prefer using instead of the classic strat. Especially the Ibanez.
Thank you, your channel and playing are top notch.
That's a great idea for a comparison! Let me see what I can do 😀
Strat will never get outdated - it's a timeless design - only things I would want on Stratocasters by default are - 12 radius fretboard - 22 frets (hate 21 frets strats) - roller nut and locking tuners - stainless steel frets. 🙂
Considering that the majority of these features are not available on most strats, the Strat is indeed outdated.
Thanks for sharing! I've mostly only ever played strats with 21 frets
This is why you buy the standard Strat and make these changes.
I play mostly Strats in Teles, only because my first real serious guitar was a Strat that I bought from a guitar teacher. That said, the only original thing left on it is the body. The neck, electronics, tuners and everything have been replaced. I like thd design and put noiseless pickups in all of my guitars. I live in Maryland and EVERYONE plays PRS. I don't want to be everyone, I want to be me. I mod the guitars to suit my tastes, noone here mods a PRS but to my ears don't have characteristic sounds.
Absolutely - you do want to be you, do it your way! Thanks for sharing this
The Thumbnail was obviously clickbait but the video was interesting anyway 😊
Thanks for watching!
I say Strats forever! - but then I am a septuagenerian myself - actually `54 baby also - so likewise 70 this year, the Strat's senior by just a few months. But seriously, I am probably more of a traditionalist, being a big Strat fan having a trio (you can't just have one!) of "just" Fender 50s and 60s, but they're great, very versatile and a hoot to play with very few nits to pick. I'm also very fond of my Ibanez "335" AS-120 semi, ca 2000, great guitar I'll stack up against "the real article" any (well most) day. Of yours, Ben, that Strat's fantastic of course, but I have particularly enjoyed your Ibanez AM which seems the best of all worlds - I think your playing has something to do with that!...and vow to have one of the very same guitar.
EDIT: Ben, I was referring to your AM153 QA,..didn't even see the AM2000H you've demo'd recently - much pricier! MIJ will do that! Both gorgeous guitars, but no nits to pick on the "lesser" 153!
Thank you so much for sharing your insight, the strats from the 50s and 60s are amazing! And thank you so much for checking out my playing on the AM2000H! Both this guitar and the AM153QA are my favorites - I'm spoiled for choice guitar-wise these days! 😀 Thanks again!
@@beneunson thank you for the great playing!
Les Paul’s and strats are great for blues but I find them limiting in fusion, due to radius intonation and neck shapes. Hence the constant search for the instrument that does it all.
Absolutely, this is what I've found as well.
I played Strats for 40 years because I wanted to sound like Jimi, got my Les Paul 10 years ago because I started to hate single coil pickups, got my first PRS 2 years ago and now have 2 that I play every day. They are just so much more pleasurable to play than my Legacy guitars.
I understand what you're describing 100% 😀
Nice one Ben! I’m definitely somewhere in the middle - I like old school tones but I want modern appointments too.
Thanks Nick! I'm more or less the same. Thanks so much for watching! 😀
Similar sentiment here. I don't insist on the 3-way switches vs 5, and I'm not averse to upgrading tuners and better (but same looking!) pickups, etc, but love the traditional "old school" look, feel/playability and generally sound. On the Fenders, I'm not as bothered as some - if at all - by the original's or various tribute's small 7.25 radius, but buying new I would probably opt for the 9.5 "just because."
I’d most nearly align myself with being somewhere in the middle out of your options, but I believe a more accurate description would be that I reach out nearly to both extremes.
‘Vintage’ or Old instruments were built a certain way, and may carry a certain mojo that is indescribable and which is present precisely because the instruments were imperfect. I believe that the character some of these instruments have may be unique to the time in which they were built. The genuine flaws of these instruments are arguably essential to the sound of music of this time.
Obviously new instruments are not exactly perfect but I can say with certainty that they are very near, and they can blow almost old instruments out of the water in playability and intonation and tuning stability. They’re strong and their shapes are interesting and there are so many options for whatever your preferences may be.
Man, sometimes I love looking at an old car and thinking about its history. An item so unique to its time and so influential. But…a 2020s Prius can get nearly 60 mpg and has a screen + Bluetooth.
I can and will appreciate both extremes and things that lie somewhere in the middle at appropriate times. Butt rock just doesn’t sound right on a Strandberg with squiggly frets, and a ‘54 Strat just can’t hold up to fusion shredding. I’m lucky enough to own a 1971 SG Deluxe that is very strange, and a Carvin HH2 that is intrinsically reliable (no mammoth headstock to dive down to my knees).
Absolutely, great insight! Thanks so much for sharing
Somewhere in between all day long. Great playing, Ben.
Thank you so much!
I think I'm both 😂 Looking to pick up an Ibanez AZ AND a 50's style Telecaster this year. The former for the ultra-modern versatility/playability and the latter because I'm a sucker for the aesthetics (along with going down a Ted Greene rabbit hole this year).
Both are great choices! And a Ted Greene rabbit hole is always a great thing as well! 😀
I've got my eye on the AZ Prestige when the money comes to me. I love the pickup positions of the Strat configuration as well as the scale length; just need something with those modern conveniences to play more demanding music. I think people often forget that we didn't have quite so many blistering shredders in 1954!
Absolutely! Couldn't have put it better. I love my AZ for this exact reason - when you get one, I'm sure you'll love it!
I like the fender designs over Ibanez ect. It’s purely an aesthetic preference, the Strat two-point trem or a hardtail for tuning stability.
I do t really understand how you can improve on intonation when each string can be intonated separately - does Ibanez offer better saddles? Do they come in chrome and don’t depart too much from the hardware of a fender? Fine I’ll drop that in, I also don’t care about electronics being “authentic” I just like the fender body shape, pre-65 headstock design and spaghetti logo.
Almost all my guitars have been upgraded in electronics and pickups. - treble bleed, 9-way switching with a push-pull or S1 pot, I use both noiseless and standard single coils.
If you can use a soldering iron and have enough dexterity to write a Christmas card and the intelligence to read a wiring diagram, you can change up the electronics of a F-style solid body instrument to your needs.
I do prefer the truss rod adjustment being at the headstock though.
You need access to the truss rod. I hate the type at the heel of the neck.that you can’t access very easily.
Thanks so much for your response! In my experience, the saddles, frets and tuners are superior on an Ibanez AZ, which makes for far more accurate intonation. Truss rod access at the headstock is far more logical in my opinion. Thanks again for watching!
I’m a combination of traditional and modern. Only thing I’d disagree with here is that older designs do not actually have any disadvantages when it comes to tuning stability and intonation. Vintage guitars can certainly have issues, but I almost never see Mexican Fenders or Epiphones that aren’t rock solid with a good setup, and the American made Fenders and Gibsons are really good too. All that said, I most often play my American Pro 2 Strat, my PRS McCarty 594, and my Warmoth custom built Soloist; all of which could be considered modern to an extent. Your Strat rocks, and so does your Ibanez AZ!
Thanks so much for sharing your insight!
I would say I am somewhere in between traditionalist and modernist. I love the simplicity of the older instruments, but I also appreciate the options available with the more modern guitars. Thanks for another awesome video! 🎸😎
Thanks so much for watching, Michael! I really appreciate it.
Strat made in Japan, Telecaster made by Höfner, Gibson made by Ibanez and the Jazz guitar is a plywood Hopf
Every instrument has it's own signature sound/songs, melodies and riffs hidden somewhere in the sounds ...
I play the music I 'hear' in the instrument ... and it differs from my (and their, due to weather conditions) day to day feelings.
Of course, you can force an instrument to produce music not innate to it, with very interesting results sometimes.
I am not a traditionalist, nor a modernist, and I am not a guitarist, I am a musician.
Very well put - thanks for sharing!
I hope they’re not outdated yet because I just got my Custom Shop 😂
So many options nowadays that are all great. Do your research and play what you like :) traditional or modern, both have their pros and cons. I think it makes sense to have at least one traditional and one modern.
Absolutely! Great advice. And I'm sure your custom shop strat is excellent! 😀
I like them both, really! A more modern approach to the strat and the more traditional approach. I play strats mostly, and I think that tends to be because I grew up playing them. My first electric guitar was a strat, and I have always had one. So it's like going back home when I pick one up. Either with humbuckers, which I have one set up like that, or with single coils. Great video though!
Completely understand your perspective, thanks so much for watching!
Guitars keep getting better over time.
You're right!
Personally, I never had any issues with tuning or intonation on my strats. I am not a huge fan of the stock tremelo, but it tends to be used more subtly than the modern floating systems. Jeff Beck certainly did wonders with it. The stock single coils can be very noisy with high gain amp settings. But, that clean sound is wonderful.
Love the clean sound
Strats and Teles are awesome but my small hands seem to prefer the shorter 24.75" scale guitars. If I had bigger hands I would definitely have a strat as my main guitar
Great point, I know a lot of guitarists who feel this exact same way.
I admit I am somewhat at odds with that aspect (big guy but with proportionally small hands (...no jokes! 🙂) - but seem to find a way to muscle through when that's an issue as I really like my Strats anyway.
That Strat must've seen a lot of things in its lifetime.
After trying a Premium AZ in the store, I prefer modern guitars more. Not too long after trying the AZ, the Quest series came out and I've been trying to get one since. Also tried one of those out at a store, want it even more after. I prefer having small amount of guitars that are versatile, has very stable neck and stainless frets, so I could spend more time playing and practicing, instead of fighting the instrument, like what I've been going through with my RG for 4 years now.
I completely understand, the AZ guitars changed my perspective a lot as well.
I am in both schools vintage and modern, but I view them as tools like a skilsaw or jig saw etc.. That said I also change my older guitars with pick-ups etc to improve them sort of sacriligous but I am not selling them and they are heavily played. Your strat is cool as are your shirts and playing!
Haha thanks so much!
It's not just the single-coil pups that make a Strat a Strat. I understand newer, younger players liking Ibanez AZ more but I think you're missing a few points. Being younger means you have lived in a different musical environment having developed a different esthetic about music and tone. Despite obviously being familiar with older music, this certainly cannot be exactly 100% 'your own thing'. Therefore the music you probably like to play is better played on a modern instrument, rather than a traditional one that you feel has its shortcomings from your point of view, for your technique, your manner of composing music etc. This doesn't mean that a modern instrument is 100% improved in comparison to a traditional one. For someone with a different (older) esthetic than yours a modern instrument might not be exactly the right one for the music they'd like to play. It'll have its shortcomings in comparison to a traditional one (I don't want to get into technical stuff because I'm sure you know much about the subject). The argument that a good guitarist can play any instrument - while being to some extent correct - ignores the fine details that make the instrument worthy of attention to a true musician. If these didn't exist we would not keep looking for new guitars all the time or for the 'right' one. But we do and it's not just a hobby.
Fair observations! Thanks for sharing
The goldelocke zone of guitars is vintage inspired design with modern specs... what I dont like about the hardcore modernist guitars is that most of them have blacked out hardware (similar to cars where black plastic or Carbonfiber has replaced chrome accents) look like metal guitars and also these bright neon colors that some of them sport with a flame maple top just looks very cheap imo 😅
Great points, I know what you mean! Thanks so much for watching
Stratocaster 💥never outdated ☮️❤️✨
Thanks for watching, Peter!
I agree with the 5 way switch should not exist
Haha fair enough!
I’d say I’m somewhere in between. I mainly play jazz and progressive metal/rock. I use a strat for both. Though I also have an EVH Wolfgang standard which works better in progressive metal in general. It can handle jazz but I think strats might be able to handle it a bit better or at least different. I think it’s good to have both a more traditional guitar and a modern guitar. Or somewhere in between. I mean I’m thinking of getting a Jazzmaster because i love the rhythm circuit and the neck pickup in general for jazzy stuff and the middle selection helps me in a prog rock context. I would consider a Jazzmaster a traditional guitar. So really it just depends on what you are into and what works for you. Have variety with your instruments. It helps!
The EVH Wolfgang guitar is really cool. Thanks so much for sharing your insight!
@@beneunson yes sir! Have you played an EVH Wolfgang? Such amazing playability
My biggest issue with a lot of the strats is the 7.25 radius. I almost never play my 77
I can completely understand!
In my view, modern instruments are better, in fact they may better than ever before given the immense development made by both major and specialized manufacturers.
I agree!
Tone vs Playability and Intonation. There are no solutions, only tradeoffs.
Interesting point! Thanks for sharing!
Sonically I'm drawn to '50's designs. A great Strat, Tele, LP or 335 can't be beaten soundwise by modern equivalents in my opinion.
Modern takes on the Strat somehow always sound a little Hi-Fi to me. When streamlining an old design, you'll end up with a better playing, more ergonomical, versatile and better intonated instrument. Unfortunately you'll also lose some of the characteristics that are key to the instrument.
Personally, I hear that stainless steel frets do something to the high end that makes it near impossible to sound dark and big. There seems to be some shrillness that can't be EQ'd out...
Having said that: this is not scientific research, it's the way I perceive sound after decades of playing both modern and vintage style guitars.
Great insights, thank you for sharing!
electric guitar is the result of modern perspective and futuristic thoughts, of course modern is better and all of these guitars with so many design flaws should go retire
I agree!
Traditional look modern specs but keeping it a strat.
Absolutely, great point
@@beneunson tbh, i think the new harley benton modern plus is probably the best strat ove seen in years. Blows fenders away in terms of specs and costs way less.
The strat and tele are near perfect instruments. ANY style can be played on a stock strat or tele in the right hands.
I think you're right!
Lovely noodles. Nothing sounds like a strat.
Thanks for listening!
Has the violin after 500+ years? nah
Fair point! Some might say yes, some might say no! Thanks for watching 😀
Sull ibanez sei mostruoso preciso r veloce
Ma le note fatte sulla strato hanno un peso diverso che ti scavano dentro e non vanno più via
W la strato ✌
Grazie! 😀