I have a question for the guitarist

[ILSnwdog]

Why do so many of the greats play the Fender Strat?

Clapton

Hendrix

Gilmour

Blackmore

SRV

Buddy Guy

Knopfler

Beck

Below

Trower

 

Just wondering what sets it apart?

[1-0-0-1-0-0-1]

Because Strats RULE.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

I wouldn't say they rule but they are good guitars. Many of those guys (at least half) also played Les Pauls and/or Telecasters as well. Most solid body electric guitars are based on one of these 3 models or incorporate features of all 3. Clapton was known for playing a Les Paul in the 60's but Strats in the 70's and beyond. Beck played Tele's in the 60's Les Pauls in the 70's and Strats since the 80's.

 

So the Tele was the first commercially available mass produced electric guitar (technically it was the Broadcaster, but Gretsch drums had been known as Broadkaster so Fender changed to Tele to avoid confusion). It was cheaply made purposefully so Fender could sell a lot of them. Not the greatest thing in the world but it was cool anyway. A couple of years later Gibson contacted Les Paul about making a guitar with his name on it based on designs they had already turned down before Fender started selling loads of Tele's. Fender's response to the Les Paul was the Stratocaster. The Strat was the fist solid body electric with body contours. Anyone who's played a Tele or Les Paul knows that the edges are hard and can rub against the player's arm and can be considered uncomfortable. The Strat shape sits nicely against the player's body and is considerably lighter in weight than a Les Paul. The original Strats came with a 3 way pickup switch and somebody discovered a cool sound when the switch was in between positions which can't be done on guitars with 2 pickups further apart and eventually a 5 way switch was developed for this functionality.

 

But look at Alex's arsenal and he uses all 3 as well as guitars based on these over the years.

[Maverick]

Not to derail the thread, but I think the argument could be made that Gilmour favored the Telecaster over the Stratocaster. But he certainly used Strats.

 

Speaking for myself, Strats are extremely versatile. On a nominally setup Strat, you have a 5-way selector switch that gives you 5 distinct tones. Strats are said to quack when only a single pickup is being used, and they jangle when two pickups are used. Their tone is generally bright and cuts through the mix. They feel great and play great, and just flat out sound great.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Gilmour owns Strat #2 or #3. But yeah, much of his work is on Tele's especially in the studio. Live he is usually seen playing strats. When I listen to Animals I hear Tele's. Then there's the footage of him recording Dark Side with that Melody Maker looking guitar made by a guy named Bill Lewis.

 

I just converted a Hentor-like strat into a Gilmour style a couple months ago for a friend of mine. I didn't realize it until it was put together and I thought "where have I seen this one before?" then saw the Gilmour model.

 

Blackmore played ES-335s before playing Strats. Knopfler plays all kinds of guitars. Same with Adrian Belew. :)

Edited January 30, 2013 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[Maverick]

Joe Bonamassa was a Strat and Tele guy for a long time. Now he plays Les Pauls almost exclusively, except for the one or two Music Man's. He also has a few other Gibsons that he uses as well.

 

Honestly, I liked his playing best when he used Strats.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Dig this detailed page about the Black Strat... Other great stuff about Dave's gear on that site too.

 

Right up your alley "Dr. Cooper."

[Maverick]

It is my full intention to get a nice MexiStrat and pimp the living shit out of it.

 

That's one of the real genius things about them: they are made to be tinkered with.

[Tinwoodsman]

It is my full intention to get a nice MexiStrat and pimp the living shit out of it.

 

That's one of the real genius things about them: they are made to be tinkered with.

 

 

TRUE! ...I have a '97. I put a set of Seymour Duncans in it (Everything Axe) with push/pull pots, so it has single and humbucker capability. I always disliked where the volume knob was, so I removed one tone pot and put the volume knob lower down on the pickguard ... apologies to Jeff Beck. I like the changes so far, but yet ... I have a desire to try some further wiring restorations. Have fun!

[Tinwoodsman]

Why do so many of the greats play the Fender Strat?

Clapton

Hendrix

Gilmour

Blackmore

SRV

Buddy Guy

Knopfler

Beck

Below

Trower

 

Just wondering what sets it apart?

 

 

 

JMO ... all I know, is that it is a well sculpted guitar that is well balanced and feels good in ones hands ... it is my favorite to play and I have 5 electrics. Because of it's single coil design, it does not traditionally have the balls of a guitar with humbuckers, but combined with the proper amp, it is extremely versatile ... as others mentioned. Bang for your buck, it is great value .., and it has stood the test of time. Many have easily modified this guitar and kept it relevant to this day. In the right hands, it is immortal ... Jimmi and SRV are proof enough. I had my own doubts at first, but whenever anyone asks me to jam, I don't hesitate to take the stratocaster.

[CE24]

Joe Bonamassa was a Strat and Tele guy for a long time. Now he plays Les Pauls almost exclusively, except for the one or two Music Man's. He also has a few other Gibsons that he uses as well.

 

Honestly, I liked his playing best when he used Strats.

 

Bonamassa plays everything on stage. He uses a 335, a V, an Explorer, and a few others along with his LPs.

[launchpad67a]

Maybe a better question is, "why do so many amateur guitarists play something other than a Fender or Gibson, knowing that all of the greatest guitarists play them"? Always been curious about this.

[invisibleairwaves]

Maybe a better question is, "why do so many amateur guitarists play something other than a Fender or Gibson, knowing that all of the greatest guitarists play them"? Always been curious about this.

I've got two Fenders and I love them, but...what about Rickenbacker? Danelectro? PRS? Ibanez? All been used by some pretty legendary names. Every guitarist is a little different, so you can't really expect everyone to have the same preferences as Clapton or Page or Gilmour. And there's that whole "money" thing as well... Edited January 30, 2013 by invisibleairwaves

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

It is my full intention to get a nice MexiStrat and pimp the living shit out of it.

 

The funny thing is my Lester is pimped pretty good and my Squire Strat is stock. In my Les Paul I swapped out the original BurstBuckers for Classic 57's then tapped and phased each pickup with push/pull pots. Totally tricked out.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Maybe a better question is, "why do so many amateur guitarists play something other than a Fender or Gibson, knowing that all of the greatest guitarists play them"? Always been curious about this.

Agreed. Like I said earlier most electric guitars are based on these companies' designs. Rickenbacker came up with one the of the first pickups and their guitars are different from Gibsons and Fenders. Their 12 string sound is unique and their 6 strings were played by John Lennon and John Fogerty to name a couple.

 

I can understand guys who like Paul Reed Smiths because he combined a Les Paul with a Strat very successfully. The scale length is longer than Gibson and Fender and the bodies are a Les Paul composition with a Stratocaster contour. Not to mention Ted McCarty who came up with a lot of the great Gibson designs worked with PRS directly. Guilds are too much like Gibsons. Gretsches are twangy Gibson-esque hollow bodies. But yeah, every guitarist should have a Les Paul, a Strat, a Tele and a semi hollow like a 335/355 because then you will have your tones covered. Throw a Ric 12 in the mix and you really don't need much else. That being said I don't own a Tele myself.

 

Ibanez was sued by Gibson and Fender because their electrics were exact replicas of Strats, Teles, P Basses, Les Pauls, SG's (and ES 1275s), Explorers and a few other select models. In fact these guitars are referred to as "Law Suit" guitars and are highly saught after. I had one and sold it though. It was a double neck and I probably should have kept it. Oh well. After the law suit the Destroyer went from being an Explorer to being an Explorer with notches and other slight alterations.

 

Danelectro/Silvertone were very cheap guitars made for companies like Sears and Penny's but they did come up wit the lipstick pickup, but that is pretty much a Tele style pickup.

Edited January 30, 2013 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[invisibleairwaves]

But yeah, every guitarist should have a Les Paul, a Strat, a Tele and a semi hollow like a 335/355 because then you will have your tones covered. Throw a Ric 12 in the mix and you really don't need much else.

Well, that would be quite a collection for someone who doesn't do it for a living, especially if we're talking about younger musicians. And it isn't all-encompassing, either. If I played extreme metal, I probably wouldn't show up on stage with any of those guitars. Or, if I wanted the vintage twang of a Dano (comparable but certainly not identical to a Tele) I'd be missing that. If I wanted the PRS's distinctive midrangey sound, I wouldn't have a guitar for that.

 

Or, heck, maybe I found some weird guitar somewhere that just happens to sound fantastic. Played a gig a little while ago with a guy who used some kind of Yamaha. Sounded just fantastic. Point is, I think it's a little silly to be bewildered by- or look down on- amateurs who happen to use other brands. Music's too big to be constrained by stuff like that.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

I never said it was all encompassing, and I didn't get into amps. But having been reading and interacting with guys who make "records" for a living, they always keep these guitars around for sessions and they get used for the majority of recordings, even extreme metal. Also watch a show like Later with Jools Holland which features a wide array of artists in many genres and what do you see? Tons of Les Pauls, Strats, Teles and ES guitars. Sure you see some Gretsch, Guilds and Ibanez thrown in but by and large these guitars are used on the majority of music made since electric guitars were developed.

 

You'll notice the guy who posed the question as to why anyone would use anything but these guitars is a recording engineer. Why does he ask such a question? Because he records every day and the results you will get with anyone of these guitars are a known quantity.

 

I am not a professional guitarist myself but I have one of each, except for a Tele. It's not about looking down on another. But that Yamaha, while it might be nice, is based upon either a Strat, a Les Paul, or some combination of the two. Same goes for PRS, Ibanez, ESP, Fernandes, et al. It's not a debate on what's better but why the Strat was used by certain well known players.Why would you play a Yamaha strat type guitar when you can get a Strat for the same price? PRS are not any better or worse than a Les Paul, just different. If anything PRS has helped to raise the price of Les Pauls and other Gibsons. Don't kid yourself. A PRS is a Les-o-caster. They are nice guitars but they come from Gibson and Fender designs.

Edited January 30, 2013 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[SLICKMONO]

The greats can't afford anything else! :guitar:

[Ancient Ways]

Clapton used to play an SG but to answer the OP:

The strat has single coil pickups which give the guitar a sharper edged, thinner and some may say twangy sound while les Paul's have humbuckers which tend to give guitars a thicker ans some may say heavier sound. So I would say thAt the first reason is sound/tone is the first thing that separates these two. There are hybrids like the fat strat which have both kinds of pickups discussed. There are other issues as well such as types of wood, etc...

[default236]

Ibanez was sued by Gibson and Fender because their electrics were exact replicas of Strats, Teles, P Basses, Les Pauls, SG's (and ES 1275s), Explorers and a few other select models. In fact these guitars are referred to as "Law Suit" guitars and are highly saught after.

There were more companies than Ibanez making lawsuit guitars, correct? I ask because I have an old lawsuit Les Paul and I think it might be either an Ibanez or an Aria, but I've been told they were made in the same Japanese factory.

[ILSnwdog]

Some very interesting stuff here! Keep it coming. :)

[launchpad67a]

The reason I made the comment I did is because I hear so many guitarists say "I want to get that sound", but they aren't using the right guitar or amp to get "that sound". So instead of buying the right gear, they buy a bunch of other stuff (pedals, processors, plug-ins, ect...) to try and get the sound they're after. In the long run all this does is dirty up your signal, cost you more money, and never really gets the sound right.

Never try to replicate a sound by using processors. Why not just get the original gear? There isn't Anything you can buy to get the sound of a Strat thru a Marshall, except use a strat + marshall. Same goes for any combination of guitar + amp.

Can't afford the right gear? Then Save until you can.

 

To my ears there are only a few choices for guitars and amps, and most working pro's will tell you the same thing. Fender guitars, Gibson guitars, Marshall amps and Fender amps. That's it! Sure, there are a few other good brands out there, but none of them are original, and they only try to duplicate the originals. So why buy anything else?

[hunter]

For me it's all about comfort and balance. Something about a strat just feels right to me. My Epiphone, granted not a Gibson, is ungainly to me. Seriously thinking about selling it. Good stuff here.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Well for high gain stuff you will see Boogies a lot, maybe a Soldano or some boutique overpriced tube thing. But I am with you launch. There is nothing like the sound of a Les Paul, Strat, Tele or ES running straight through a Fender or a Marshall or both. After years of what recording engineers refer to as the "clown f***ery" of amp sims and models I am back to pushing air from a cab. The sound you get from guitar into amp cannot be so easily replicated digitally.

 

I will give this caveat about Marshalls (especially older ones): they sound best when powered at the British standard voltage (220v?) instead of American 110v.

Edited January 31, 2013 by CygnusX-1Bk2

[invisibleairwaves]

The reason I made the comment I did is because I hear so many guitarists say "I want to get that sound", but they aren't using the right guitar or amp to get "that sound". So instead of buying the right gear, they buy a bunch of other stuff (pedals, processors, plug-ins, ect...) to try and get the sound they're after. In the long run all this does is dirty up your signal, cost you more money, and never really gets the sound right.

Never try to replicate a sound by using processors. Why not just get the original gear? There isn't Anything you can buy to get the sound of a Strat thru a Marshall, except use a strat + marshall. Same goes for any combination of guitar + amp.

Can't afford the right gear? Then Save until you can.

 

Well, sure. If you're trying to get the sound of a particular piece of gear, you use that piece of gear. And that's exactly why limiting yourself to two guitar brands is folly. Trying to get the sound of a PRS through a Mesa Boogie with a Strat and a Marshall is as hopeless as trying to achieve the latter with amp sims.

 

To my ears there are only a few choices for guitars and amps, and most working pro's will tell you the same thing. Fender guitars, Gibson guitars, Marshall amps and Fender amps. That's it! Sure, there are a few other good brands out there, but none of them are original, and they only try to duplicate the originals. So why buy anything else?

You must be joking.