"I'm just not a strat guy".

[Lucius Paisley]

I'm sure you've seen this, you've probably said it yourself - what the hell does it mean? What could a person be looking for that a strat doesn't provide, or what aspect is missing that has a person giving up on them completely?

[Securb]

I was never a Strat or Tele guy until I started putting Humbuckers in them

[Blille]

Depends on what you mean by a strat. If you can make them hardtail with dual humbuckers and mahogany what is left that is hard to tweak is the fact that it’s bolt on and 25.5.

When I’ve heard that it’s been generally due to the single coils.

[JB_From_Hell]

Two of my favorite guitars are a PRS CE24 and an EBMM John Petrucci, both of which are extremely Strat derivative.

[Demanic]

There is a time and place for the thinner brighter sound of a Strat single coil. Or even stacked or rail humbuckers. I like using my Squire set up with vintage singles for doing styles like funk or jazz fusion or country. Even older hard rock like old Areosmith or Joe Walsh.
And this is coming from someone who has mainly dual humbucker super strats and one V.

[Aceman]

I am a Les Paul guy

I am more of a Strat guy than I used to be

I am sometimes a V guy

[Bogner]

I'm sure you've seen this, you've probably said it yourself - what the hell does it mean? What could a person be looking for that a strat doesn't provide, or what aspect is missing that has a person giving up on them completely?

A strat doesn't provide a lot of things I desire. As ergonomically crafted as they are they are foreign to me. The pickup placement is always in the way, especially the middle pickup. I have never been able to get the sound out of them that is my main core sound no matter what I tried. It just doesn't work for me. I have bought several and tried numerous times and the result is the same. Out of all the guitars I own I only have one strat type guitar and it has a humbucker in the bridge and I never play it and when I do it is for clean type tones or vintage type stuff. It sounds great but I fight to play it and really have to get used to playing it. It's a wonderful guitar, I will never part with this particular one based on what it is but it is safe to say that strats just aren't for me. My friend has an amazing strat in both looks and playability/sound and it is a traditional pickup config. If I could find one like his (playability, etc) then I may consider buying another one but it is doubtful at this point.

I honestly think a lot of what people gravitate to is what they learned on in some way or the guitar type they spent the most time with early on. In either of those scenarios, it wasn't a strat for me.

[Masta' C]

To me, it's not "what a Strat doesn't provide"...Strats have a LOT going for them from a features standpoint.

"I'm not a Strat guy" because I can't seem to gel with the ergos of a Strat and in "traditional" form, just about everything annoys me about them...middle pickup, knob placement, bridge saddles, you name it.

I have a Chapman ML-1 that I adore, but I don't play it much because it totally adopts the classic "Strat" shape and ergos, despite having a Floyd Rose, dual humbuckers, and more modern neck and fingerboard profiles. I also have an '80-inspired transparent hot pink Warmoth Strat build that I rarely strap on for the very same reason. And, like an idiot, I built that after owning 3 high end Charvel super strats that I never connected with (great guitars, just not for me), a '90s MIJ Strat, and a MIM Strat.

I want to like a "Strat", but I'm much happier with just about everything else, including my PRS, custom "Meteora" build, and various V-style guitars. Heck, that "Meteora" I just finished recently is delivering the goods with its DiMarzio "True Velvet" single coils! Can't see needing a Strat for any "single coil" tones after spending some time with that beauty!

The only "Strat" style I intend to keep at this point is my Washburn George Lynch "Outlaw" prototype, because it's an absolute monster of a player!

[Mincer]

I'm not a Tele guy, so I can understand people who don't like Strats. It doesn't have features they like. If you are trying to come up with new sounds that haven't been heard before, then a Strat sort of locks you in a certain sound (and time period).

[Demanic]

I don't get the problem with the middle pickup. How hard are you digging in that it causes a problem?

[UnderTheFlame83]

The Stratocaster was my first guitar and my only guitar for many years. I learned to play and adapt to any genre with it because I had nothing else, or wanted anything else. Fast forward 10 years later and here arrives the Super Strat in my life - Ibanez RGs. My favorite guitar shape of all time. Everything I like about the Stratocaster, only better. The control lay out. 5 way switching, 1 volume and 1 tone. The neck. It is just perfect for me. It feels the best to play.

But that regular old standard 3 single coil Strat will always be a special guitar to me, too. I still have it and always will. I still play it. And it still has that magic.

Yet, I am more than just a strat player these days. I've found I do like Les Pauls, SGs, and Telecasters. It just took me 30 years to find that out.

[Lucius Paisley]

I don't get the problem with the middle pickup. How hard are you digging in that it causes a problem?

Along with this I've read people who have a problem with the volume position being too close to the bridge pickup, and their hitting it, up, down, whatever. I don't think my hand position changes with whatever guitar I'm playing, but I would think the guitar itself would "inform" where my hand needs to be to avoid contact with anything that didn't need contacting, regardless of what's on the board.

[Benjy_26]

I'm not a strat guy. I'm more of a tele or hollowbody guy. I get most of my stuff done with a MIJ '69 Thinline RI.

With that said, I own a Washburn Mercury (HSS), a mid 90's MIM (HSS), a Squier Standard Strat (HS), a MIJ '62 RI (SSS), and a '76 loaded with a DG20 pickguard, as well as an Epi Nighthawk, which is sort of a SG-meets Strat-o-Tele type thing.

I may not be a strat guy, but there's certain things only a strat can do.

[Benjy_26]

I don't get the problem with the middle pickup. How hard are you digging in that it causes a problem?

I don't hit it, but besides notch tones, I find no use for it.

[GuitarStv]

I'm sure you've seen this, you've probably said it yourself - what the hell does it mean? What could a person be looking for that a strat doesn't provide, or what aspect is missing that has a person giving up on them completely?

The traditional strat sound is scooped, bright, and low output. And they buzz. If you're used to humbuckers (especially high output humbuckers), plugging into a strat sucks . . . you've got to pay attention to your dynamics a lot more, and nuances of playing really stick out because it's harder to hide behind lots of distortion. Couple that with a longer scale length (which means a little more reach for chords and notes) and a middle pickup that's placed right under where many people pick and they can be very unwelcoming instruments to pick up.