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Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

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  • Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

    i hear a lot of guys saying that strats aren't good for shred, but i would obviously disagree. i could site numerous well known examples (yngwie, joe stump, impelliteri, blackmoore, EJ, tec...), but i just don't see any reason why it's better to shred on say an ibanez. i've owned several ibanez, jackson, and bc rich guitars and none of them were particularly any better for shred than my strats.

    in fact, a strat with a vintage bridge seems a little easier for the right hand than the stock US strat bridges. what do you guys think? do you really think strats aren't good for shred?

  • #2
    Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

    I agree. (don't forget Uli). BUT...

    One of the important parts of shred style playing is a flat fretboard radius. A Fender these days comes with a 9.5" radius, although the EJ is 12". Ibanez and even Jackson offer 16" radius which is much flatter which allows even lower action. The back contour has a different feel. Some like flat D shape so rest their thumb on the back of the neck, classical style positioning.

    Most earlier shredders who played Strats would have the necks shaved anyway.
    Last edited by ErikH; 10-03-2007, 11:55 AM.

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    • #3
      Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

      yngwie uses a real high action and ej's isn't low either.

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      • #4
        Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

        Well I have a Malmsteen Strat with the scalloped board, an EB/MM Axis, an Ibanez RG570, and a Jackson USA Soloist (aside from a few other non-shredder guitars like a Les Paul).

        The Jackson seems the easiest out of them all, my fingers just fly on that guitar, second would be the Axis. The action is just sooo low and buzz free on these two guitars, always has been.

        The Ibanez neck is too thin for me. Sure it's buzz free and action is low, but it gives my fretting hand fatigue. The Malmsteen strat is amazing for string bends and vibrato, but I don't get the same responsive attack on tapping like I do with the Jackson or Axis.

        The key to shredding is a comfortable neck (one that's comfortable to YOU, not someone else), jumbo frets, a good fret leveling and dressing, and that the bridge matches the radius of the fretboard. With that, any strat can shred. I should take my Malmsteen for a professional fret dressing, I assumed for $1400 Fender did a fret dress on it, but the action could be lower.

        Also, humbucking pickups are more conducive to shredding due to their higher output, it makes tapping easier.

        Any guitar with the right setup can be made to shred. It has more to do with the player. Check out some jazz players like Robert Conti or Les Paul

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        • #5
          Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

          Yngwie also uses scalloped fretboards and extremely light strings. EJ is just not of this earth....LOL, but I bet it's still lower than ya think.

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          • #6
            Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

            I kinda think a scalloped board with low actions wouldn't work. The action on my Malmsteen is the action set at the factory, which is medium high. The tension from the higher action prevents the strings from going sharp when you fret them, I would imagine lower action would make it easier to accidentally make the note go sharp since there's less string tension.

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            • #7
              Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

              Well Strat's are great for shred, and LP's are very good also (good radius), for other than the not-so-good access to higher frets. Though that's not a problem for me. Neither it is or was a problem for YJM, RR, Zakk, and others.
              Guitars:
              http://my.opera.com/KK91/albums/slideshow/?album=969652

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              • #8
                Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                Well, you need a flat fretboard (9.5" or more, not the 50ties type) and you need fatter than default pickups. Blackmore in particular doesn't really play through anything close to stock Stratocaster electrics, although his still does use single coils. Not that Blackmore is a shredder in the narrow sense

                Both Blackmore and Malmsteen use scalloped fretboards. Blackmore's neck is glued on in at least some of his strats (with epoxy no less). Both have dozens of Strats and like only a few selected few. I think we all know what Blackmore does to the ones that don't perform well on stage.

                So I'd say it's a little too far a cry to implicate you can just pick up a standard Stratocaster and shred away.

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                • #9
                  Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                  this is a great thread!

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                  • #10
                    Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                    I thought Jacksons and Ibanez guitars had a 14" radius? 16" radius would be like a classical guitar or Martin acoustic, and some early Gibsons but not all...

                    Would it be a mistake to use a bridge with a 12" radius on a guitar with a neck that has a 16" radius? (i.e. a warmoth project)

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                    • #11
                      Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                      Originally posted by theboatcandream View Post
                      I thought Jacksons and Ibanez guitars had a 14" radius? 16" radius would be like a classical guitar or Martin acoustic, and some early Gibsons but not all...

                      Would it be a mistake to use a bridge with a 12" radius on a guitar with a neck that has a 16" radius? (i.e. a warmoth project)
                      no, it wouldn't be a mistake, though to get the best action you should adjust the saddles to match the radius of the neck

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                      • #12
                        Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                        Originally posted by theboatcandream View Post
                        I thought Jacksons and Ibanez guitars had a 14" radius? 16" radius would be like a classical guitar or Martin acoustic, and some early Gibsons but not all...

                        Would it be a mistake to use a bridge with a 12" radius on a guitar with a neck that has a 16" radius? (i.e. a warmoth project)
                        A classical is entirely flat. I think Charvel/Jackson has 16".

                        You would either use a bridge with individually height-adjustable saddles or just file down the middle saddles on a tune-o-matic.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                          I own a Nissan Maxima and I've driven it through plenty of gravel country roads, snow and sleet etc. Does that means its just fine for offroading ? No it doesn't. Its not a 4x4 and wasn't meant to be one but at the same time it doesn't mean the wheels will fall off if you leave the pavement.

                          Can you shred on a strat ? Of course. Does that mean that therefor a strat would be a smart choice for shred guitar ? Not hardly, unless of course you make a variety of tweaks.

                          It would be a pretty foolish purcahse to go and buy a 50's strat with a 7.5" fretboard and some Fender 54 pickups if you wanted to play some shred style guitar.

                          Maybe you could manage but it would sure be like trying to ice skate uphill wouldnt it ? In other words doable but not without tons of effort.

                          And why in this world of so many great guitars customized for any given need would you want to do that to yourself ?

                          Why not get a nice Jackson with ultra low action, flat board, huge frets, ultra hot pickups, double locking floyd and make life easy ?



                          I could probably cut down a tree with a pocketknife too but wouldn't it be more fun to use a chainsaw ?
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                          • #14
                            Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                            i have really low action on my ernie ball/music man silo special with a scalloped board and it works just fine..i don't think stock strats are the best choice for shred though- higher output pickups help (YJM, and Blackmore use higher output PUs). Steve Morse used to use a Tele, but that was modified too.
                            Administrator of the SDUGF

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                            • #15
                              Re: Strats Are Just Fine For Shred

                              I think strats are just fine for shred. I just feel more comfy and myself with a superstrat.

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