My ash strat...

[FuseG4]

In looks and playability vs tone in your guitars, has tone ever taken a back seat?
Have you ever kept a guitar you loved to look at, it even plays great, has top quality pickups, but you just know the guitar is not gonna make the sounds you want?
I love my ash strat but when I bought it I didn't hear the difference between it being ash bodied and other alder stats. Now I hear them as night and day. When I play an alder strat I want it. Totally different mid range

This is a clear cut case of "buy a second strat" right?

 

[trevorus]

Re: My ash strat...

I get them for sound. My wife really misses a Conklin bass I used to have that was admittedly one of the prettiest instruments I've ever owned, but it's sound was not up to snuff.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: My ash strat...

This instrument in question was partly a gift from my deceased grandmother's estate. I also just plain love looking at it.
I have contemplated trading it.
Still contemplating it. I've played some classic series and classic player strats that knocked my socks off.

I been playing my strat tonight and it makes a killer rhythm guitar cuz it leaves a hole for vocals and such. But it doesn't have a very Clapton or Hendrix like vibe. Several off the shelf stats of the alder type have done those sounds much better.
I want a strat-y sounding strat.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: My ash strat...

What kind of pickups do you have in it?

Bill

 

[FuseG4]

Re: My ash strat...

Klein S-7 Pickups.
Hand scatter-wound and reverse engineered from Fender Eric Johnson pickups.

I've thought pickups could be the problem cuz I haven't swapped pickups much in this guitar but... It's hard to explain. The difference between the sound of this strat and many many alder ones is staggering. It sounds like more than pickups. I really think it's the unplugged sound.

I played a Classic Player strat with the Fender CS69 pickups last week. The second I plugged i could hear a major difference in timbre, color, flavor, whatever. Plugged in a Squier Classic Vibe 60s strat. Same deal. Plugged in a freaking Squier Bullet. Crappy pickups but that must have been a good example of a bullet cuz that balanced sound that I think I'm associating with Alder was still there, but y'know, with really crappy pickups.

edit: the bullet is apparently basswood. But basswood AFAIK has more in common tonally with Alder than with Ash. I think it goes right to the point that Ash lacks some mids which has more to do with the strat sound than I thought back when I said "hey an ash strat why don't I try this?"

The sound of my strat has a sharp attack and nice bass and warmth, and then you get a glassy top end that's not harsh. it's just missing that stuff in between that. Even with pickups that have good mids for strat pickups.

It's a good sounding guitar but it's not that stereotypical middle of the road strat sound.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: My ash strat...

Get an Alder Strat...

I've got 3, an ash and two alders. (And I'm contemplating a 4th!)

 

[Chocklit_Thunda]

Re: My ash strat...

Mine is my first guitar. A satin red Cort X1....... Sexy AF but right now those slightly hot pickups just don't do it for me.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: My ash strat...

I'm gonna shoot for a Classic Series 50s strat.
It's gonna take a few months but I know it's gonna be worth it. Gonna avoid trading my current strat.

The tipping point when when I noticed my indonesian Jazzmaster does Lay Down Sally better than my strat.

First through... I gotta buy a bass. Trying to tackle multiple things on the GAS list!
Thankfully this is the start of the busy season at work!

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: My ash strat...

If you sell or trade that strat I'll come to Utah and beat your ass. It's one of my favorite guitars on the forum.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: My ash strat...

it doesn't have a very Clapton or Hendrix like vibe.

Why should it?

Clapton still sounds recognisably like Clapton on a Les Paul, SG, Firebird or a 335. Hendrix still sounds like himself on a Flying Vee.

Several off the shelf stats of the alder type have done those sounds much better. I want a strat-y sounding strat.

Easy. Fender American Vintage Re-Issue, SD Antiquity pickups and a set of 10s.

 

[LReese]

Re: My ash strat...

Yeah - there's a difference (In general terms, YMMV of course). I'd describe it as Alder/Rosewood is a little more of an "in your face" sound. Its more aggressive, while still sounding pretty at the same time.

I think of Ash/Maple as being a little polite, refined.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: My ash strat...

Why should it?

Clapton still sounds recognisably like Clapton on a Les Paul, SG, Firebird or a 335. Hendrix still sounds like himself on a Flying Vee.




Easy. Fender American Vintage Re-Issue, SD Antiquity pickups and a set of 10s.

Like I get what you're saying but, the TONE of his Blackie is like... a stereotypical late 50s strat. Yeah clapton sounds like clapton on other guitars but I'm not chasing his playing style I want more of that tone he gets. I've got several clapton CDs and I know how he sounds with different axes... I like how his strat tones come out.
My strat sounds quite different when I've plugged into other strats and got that "that's what's missing!" moment.

same with hendrix. His strats had a tone that you can hear through different amps and effects. I want that tone when I play MY music.

I'd like an AVRI but I couldn't swing that right now without selling the strat I have.
I'm thinking of the Classic Series 50s or Classic PLayer 60s. I've played both of them before and each time I was like "awwwww yeahhhhh".

 

[FuseG4]

Re: My ash strat...

If you sell or trade that strat I'll come to Utah and beat your ass. It's one of my favorite guitars on the forum.

Thanks! I may try some more traditionally flavored pickups for now.
I love the strat too but it's just a unique sounding strat. So I'll keep it and work on something like a second strat.

Part of all this may be the pickups. EJ pickups are vintage inspired but they are geared towards a warm sound. They have bigger diameter A3 magnets in the neck and middle and the bridge is overwound.

I'm pretty sure after playing a few more strats in the stores, combined with a few strats I've owned in the past, I think I'm looking for low output A5 pickups.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: My ash strat...

Yeah - there's a difference (In general terms, YMMV of course). I'd describe it as Alder/Rosewood is a little more of an "in your face" sound. Its more aggressive, while still sounding pretty at the same time.

I think of Ash/Maple as being a little polite, refined.

Mine's Ash/Rosewood, the least common of the combinations

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: My ash strat...

I have a pair of maple neck and ash body G&L Legacys. I do notice a difference between the ash and alder bodies I have. The alder has a softer attack, while the ash a more focused, less dynamic tone with just a touch more sustain. For the most part, I do use the guitars interchangeably, except for one song, where I prefer alder.

One of the guitars has been fitted with the Antiquity Texas Hots, with the Custom Bridge and a RW/RP middle. I think you should try a set. To my ear, they fill in that middle with a smoky, complex mid-range--like a fine red wine that hangs on your tongue. I think if you try to go with a vintage "stratty" pickup with this combination of woods, it's too much of the same thing. I'm really happy with this swap. It still doesn't sound like an alder Legacy, but it has a warmth that is sweet and seductive.

For me, I will often use the approach of saying, "This is different...maybe not exactly what I want; now, how can I use this and make it work for me." I have several guitars to choose from, so I look for the best tool for the job. But if it is your only guitar, you may have to choose to let it go and find something that will fit your need better.

Good luck.

Bill