The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
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Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
G&L have done wonderful things with strats IMHO. I've had a couple, and the G&L is the only on that sounded good. Has solid pickups (magnetic field with adj polepieces), great wood and a semi floating trem that stays in tune even doing divebombs.
G&L have done wonderful things with strats IMHO. I've had a couple, and the G&L is the only on that sounded good. Has solid pickups (magnetic field with adj polepieces), great wood and a semi floating trem that stays in tune even doing divebombs.
John_L
New member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
What you have to remember is that the strat was made in 1954. Think back to the mid 50's and who was playing Fender Guitars most of them were local Californian playing country music. The Bakersfield sound is what they were creating. No bass what so ever in fact the original three position strat was designed to give you the same pallet as the Esquire just in a higher fidelity. It was later that people started to get the 'in between' sounds and use them blues. The Rock and Roll of the mid 50's was played by men like Franny Beecher and Scottie Moore using hollow bodied guitars and the pop music of the time did use some strats but the horns were the lead instrument. So when it comes to making the strat sound fat you are starting from a disadvantage.
My advice is to dump Fenders noiseless pickups and get a nice matched set of Seymour's and wire them in such a way that you can select the bridge and neck pickups together. That is where the fat sounds on a Tele come from.
What you have to remember is that the strat was made in 1954. Think back to the mid 50's and who was playing Fender Guitars most of them were local Californian playing country music. The Bakersfield sound is what they were creating. No bass what so ever in fact the original three position strat was designed to give you the same pallet as the Esquire just in a higher fidelity. It was later that people started to get the 'in between' sounds and use them blues. The Rock and Roll of the mid 50's was played by men like Franny Beecher and Scottie Moore using hollow bodied guitars and the pop music of the time did use some strats but the horns were the lead instrument. So when it comes to making the strat sound fat you are starting from a disadvantage.
My advice is to dump Fenders noiseless pickups and get a nice matched set of Seymour's and wire them in such a way that you can select the bridge and neck pickups together. That is where the fat sounds on a Tele come from.
Vasshu the humanoid typhoon
Unseen
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
^Not tried many good strats eh??
^Not tried many good strats eh??
FuseG4
Our Neighbor Totoro
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
I'm a fan of a slightly hotter bridge pickup for output balance and a lil treble rolloff (sorry, no "let it rain" tones on my strat), and rewiring the 2nd tone control to affect the bridge and middle or have it on just the bridge. if you do miss that "bridge wide open" tone, do a no-load pot.
I have a 9.5" radius neck and so I picked flat pole-piece pickups for the middle and neck. I think a certain sense of fatness comes from the output being balanced across the strings.
I'm also a fan of higher action. Fender's specs as listed in the current manual are pretty good, and maybe 1/64" higher. I don't feel like this has so much to do with pickup height as I've tried all sorts of action settings but I always adjusted the pickups to be the same distance from the strings. Higher action just sounds more resonant to me, with whatever pickup height.
+1 on the fuzz pedal thing. A touch of fuzz after an overdrive pedal makes for instant fatness from just about any single coil I can think of.
I bought a strat partly because I love the sound of the floating trem. Tokai didn't call their strat copy the "springy sound" for no reason! If I want a hardtail single coil guitar, I have a tele.
I'm a fan of a slightly hotter bridge pickup for output balance and a lil treble rolloff (sorry, no "let it rain" tones on my strat), and rewiring the 2nd tone control to affect the bridge and middle or have it on just the bridge. if you do miss that "bridge wide open" tone, do a no-load pot.
I have a 9.5" radius neck and so I picked flat pole-piece pickups for the middle and neck. I think a certain sense of fatness comes from the output being balanced across the strings.
I'm also a fan of higher action. Fender's specs as listed in the current manual are pretty good, and maybe 1/64" higher. I don't feel like this has so much to do with pickup height as I've tried all sorts of action settings but I always adjusted the pickups to be the same distance from the strings. Higher action just sounds more resonant to me, with whatever pickup height.
+1 on the fuzz pedal thing. A touch of fuzz after an overdrive pedal makes for instant fatness from just about any single coil I can think of.
I bought a strat partly because I love the sound of the floating trem. Tokai didn't call their strat copy the "springy sound" for no reason! If I want a hardtail single coil guitar, I have a tele.
John_L
New member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
Yep but all the good ones had Lace pickup's or G&L on the head.
The best one I ever played was a 70's natural which had a fixed bridge and you could get the bridge and neck sound (Fender did offer this at the time)
Yep but all the good ones had Lace pickup's or G&L on the head.
The best one I ever played was a 70's natural which had a fixed bridge and you could get the bridge and neck sound (Fender did offer this at the time)
AudioWonderland
New member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
I have always like the American standard bridge as well. I even prefer the original saddles over the the more vintage style ones they went with in recent years
All of that said, my fav strat trem is the Gotoh/Wilkinson v100 2 post. I used it on both of the Super strat builds I did and they are just unbelievable. Even better than the PRS trem that was my previous holy grail.
I have always like the American standard bridge as well. I even prefer the original saddles over the the more vintage style ones they went with in recent years
All of that said, my fav strat trem is the Gotoh/Wilkinson v100 2 post. I used it on both of the Super strat builds I did and they are just unbelievable. Even better than the PRS trem that was my previous holy grail.
guitfiddle
firstlessonologist
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
Here's one simple thing...pick near the neck.
Also, the higher the pickups are, the more treble they roll off. Just be careful to lower the bass side until the false tones go away.
Stand right in front of your amp and adjust the treble until it sounds a bit too dark to you. It will sound perfect in the crowd fifteen feet away.
Here's one simple thing...pick near the neck.
Also, the higher the pickups are, the more treble they roll off. Just be careful to lower the bass side until the false tones go away.
Stand right in front of your amp and adjust the treble until it sounds a bit too dark to you. It will sound perfect in the crowd fifteen feet away.
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uOpt
Something Cool
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
You need just the right treble booster. Don't be confused, it won't make it more shrill. It fattens up the sound. A treble booster that sounds good with humbuckers probably won't for Strats.
You need a delay, better two. One for a very short almost unnoticeable one and a second one for an audible one.
Don't use too thin strings.
A GE-7 (graphical EQ) or similar comes in very handy to make good for lack of bass when playing a combo amp or open-back cabinet at low volumes.
You need just the right treble booster. Don't be confused, it won't make it more shrill. It fattens up the sound. A treble booster that sounds good with humbuckers probably won't for Strats.
You need a delay, better two. One for a very short almost unnoticeable one and a second one for an audible one.
Don't use too thin strings.
A GE-7 (graphical EQ) or similar comes in very handy to make good for lack of bass when playing a combo amp or open-back cabinet at low volumes.
ImmortalSix
John Mayer's Mankini
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
All you need to know:
All you need to know:
IanBallard
New member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
1. Factory Second body/neck... check!
2. Schweeeet neo-punker paint job... check!
3. Gibson PAF... check!
4. Bridge meticulously set up so the high E is nearly falling off the fretboard... check!
5. Hardware store strap-locks... check!
6. Boiled strings... check!
7. EXTREMELY TIGHT pants....check!
That's all you need for a fat-sounding Strat.
1. Factory Second body/neck... check!
2. Schweeeet neo-punker paint job... check!
3. Gibson PAF... check!
4. Bridge meticulously set up so the high E is nearly falling off the fretboard... check!
5. Hardware store strap-locks... check!
6. Boiled strings... check!
7. EXTREMELY TIGHT pants....check!
That's all you need for a fat-sounding Strat.
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marcello252
Well-known member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
lol!
(You forgot the fundamental thing: a volume pot with a 'Tone' label on)
lol!
(You forgot the fundamental thing: a volume pot with a 'Tone' label on)
dmandude123455
New member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
Put a 59 in the bridge......: popworm:
Put a 59 in the bridge......: popworm:
MojoMonster
Active member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
Easiest way to fatten up a Strat.
MM
Easiest way to fatten up a Strat.
MM
JohnnyGuitar
New member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
As if a Les Paul in the wrong hands can't be painful. Not every Les Paul player is Paul Kossof - some just make the chords sound boring and the leads sound offensive...
Back on topic:
1. Higher output bridge pickup (you can still keep it Straty though).
2. Bring the mids on your amp way up.
3. 10-46 is the minimum as far as string go (on any guitar actually).
That's all you need...
Stop messing with the action because a guitar needs to fill comfortable... if you don't want to use the Trem - and your name isn't Buddy Guy - then it probably means you're boring.
As if a Les Paul in the wrong hands can't be painful. Not every Les Paul player is Paul Kossof - some just make the chords sound boring and the leads sound offensive...
Back on topic:
1. Higher output bridge pickup (you can still keep it Straty though).
2. Bring the mids on your amp way up.
3. 10-46 is the minimum as far as string go (on any guitar actually).
That's all you need...
Stop messing with the action because a guitar needs to fill comfortable... if you don't want to use the Trem - and your name isn't Buddy Guy - then it probably means you're boring.
marcello252
Well-known member
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
I don't completely agree with this: Jimi Hendrix used Fender 150 string (.010-.038), Jeff Beck plays strats with .009 straight to the amp and I think his tone IS fat, VH .009-.038 often a little detuned, and so on.
I think it's not a rule to obtain a fatter sound
(anyway I use a .010-046 because I have a better control, lighter strings sometimes tend to slip under my fingertips)
I don't completely agree with this: Jimi Hendrix used Fender 150 string (.010-.038), Jeff Beck plays strats with .009 straight to the amp and I think his tone IS fat, VH .009-.038 often a little detuned, and so on.
I think it's not a rule to obtain a fatter sound
(anyway I use a .010-046 because I have a better control, lighter strings sometimes tend to slip under my fingertips)
Vasshu the humanoid typhoon
Unseen
Re: The official "How to make Strats sound fat" SDUGF guide/thread.
And then Beck switches to 11's.....now and then...
Jimi sometimes used 12-54...
But as said....it does not really matter!
It is all in the wrist and fingers..
And then Beck switches to 11's.....now and then...
Jimi sometimes used 12-54...
But as said....it does not really matter!
It is all in the wrist and fingers..
