The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

JeffB

JeffB

Let it B
Here's a little discussion for you all.

After playing my WG and new PRS for the most part lately, I pulled out the Strat and noticed a huge difference in "character". This is hard to explain, but simply the strat seems to have more "soul". It's tone, they way it responds to your touch. It projects. Very dynamic.

Now I'm sure many have read articles where people say the single coils def transfer more of the player unique sound/touch/picking than a humbucking pickup does. Lord Malmsteen has stated several times he plays strats for that very reason as did all his heroes (hendrix, blackmore, UJ Roth). I'm starting to understand that reasoning.

What do you think? BS or not?

OK Class, discuss :D
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

I think it has more to do with how you artisically connect with the instrument. That guitar speaks to you more than the others, that part resides in you. I would guess others might connect differently. That is the beauty of it all.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

kevlar3000 said:
I think it has more to do with how you artisically connect with the instrument. That guitar speaks to you more than the others, that part resides in you. I would guess others might connect differently. That is the beauty of it all.
Click to expand...

Perhpas you are correct. I've heard this stated/voiced quite often tho. The Strats I've owned before had the bridge and neck pups pulled right away and HB's installed so now I'm experienceing something different.

Just curious as to what others think :)
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

I made my Strat stock again some time ago.
It just feels right for some reason to have one in stock form, three singles and a standart vintage trem.
Vintage radius and a non comfy action, not that it bothers me....I love having it.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

I think Strats and especially Teles are much harder to get a warm resonant and pleasing tone out of than a PRS or nice Les Paul type guitar.

So you HAVE to put more of yourself into it when you play a Strat or Tele and be more concious of the tone you are actually creating.

For that reason, I hear more of my own soul or self come through when I play my Fenders...I hear more of my own personality. Because a Fender will not do most of the work of creating a good tone for you the way a nice Gibson or PRS might.

The results are worth it!

Lew
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

IMO, it is hard to get a good sound out of a Fender, and it is much harder t play them that a Gibson, PRS, etc...it's like a fight, and if you win you have a great sound! I will say this (sound and playabilty aside), there is nothing in the world that feels like a good Strat...they just fit like a broken in pair of shoes, or your favorite blue jeans.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

More and more I play, I dig strat sound. After all, strat sound is not all about thin piercing high tone, espectially with APS's in the neck and middle and higher output pickups (hot, custom, twanbanger) in the bridge. SSL1's have the bell-like chime and clarity, associated with old fender amps, which is far fro ice-picky and trebly IMHO.

Cheers
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

I think Lew is onto something....

It's really strange. I pick up the WG or the PRS, and they sound really good, and for the style of music I play they certai are more appropriate (and they play much easier) but the strat just sounds better. Perhaps cos I'm working harder as Lew alluded to :shrug:

BTW, Lew...what would be your recommendation for Single coil replacements that still sound "stratty" but have a touch more output..something a bit fatter and warmer, not quite as twangy (don't like the APS' i've tried)..but still def sound like single coil. I was gonna go with Cool rails, but they sound more like a HB from the clips.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

Actually is more a question about using the volumeknob on a strat, and having a good amp.
You can get pretty fat sounds out of a good strat with nothing but singlecoils.
Just check out some older Bryan Adams stuff, Keith Scott has some of the best strat sounds ever.
But he works for that sound, but you can get very good sounds from pretty standart singlecoils.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

JeffB said:
I think Lew is onto something....

It's really strange. I pick up the WG or the PRS, and they sound really good, and for the style of music I play they certai are more appropriate (and they play much easier) but the strat just sounds better. Perhaps cos I'm working harder as Lew alluded to :shrug:

BTW, Lew...what would be your recommendation for Single coil replacements that still sound "stratty" but have a touch more output..something a bit fatter and warmer, not quite as twangy (don't like the APS' i've tried)..but still def sound like single coil. I was gonna go with Cool rails, but they sound more like a HB from the clips.
Click to expand...

Check out the SSL-3 hot for strat. thats what i use in the bridge of mine. Its a bit darker and hotter than your average strat pickup, i love it.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

Lewguitar said:
I think Strats and especially Teles are much harder to get a warm resonant and pleasing tone out of than a PRS or nice Les Paul type guitar.

So you HAVE to put more of yourself into it when you play a Strat or Tele and be more concious of the tone you are actually creating.

For that reason, I hear more of my own soul or self come through when I play my Fenders...I hear more of my own personality. Because a Fender will not do most of the work of creating a good tone for you the way a nice Gibson or PRS might.

The results are worth it!

Lew
Click to expand...

Exactly. One of my bandmates who plays amazingly could not squeeze good tone out of my strat with his fingers. This guy knows every trick in the book, but he couldn't get the soul to come out. When i pick it up and play some simple blues licks it shines amazing tone. The strat is like a continuation of the musician, not a tool that covers him up to make everything sound pretty and effortless.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

i think it really has something to do with the character of both the musician and the pickups. single coils in general do not hide a player behind a wall of thick sound. you can make a strat of tele sound thick, but you have to do it, it doesn't come natually with the guitar like it does with a les paul. it is also about playing single coils a lot, you have to be used to them to get good tones out of them.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

I've got a 76 Washburn strat body with a 91 Fender Stratocaster neck and stock Fender tremelo bridge, pots etc... with an EMG tortoise shell pickguard and active pickups. This guitar smokes but because of the hot pickups it just doesn't give off that strat vibe as far as the sound. sounds more like a metal guitar. I was thinking of getting a Grimlin custom harness with the Lindy Fralin Woodstock pickups. Any thoughts? The Fralins are designed with the Hendrix sound in mind. Although it's painfully obvious, I never thought about how the pickups in his guitar are "backwards" because he strung it up lefty, therefore helping to get his sound. :saeek: :wall: :notworthy :drive: :stooges: :flush: :smoker:
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

Rid said:
Actually is more a question about using the volumeknob on a strat, and having a good amp.
You can get pretty fat sounds out of a good strat with nothing but singlecoils.
Just check out some older Bryan Adams stuff, Keith Scott has some of the best strat sounds ever.
But he works for that sound, but you can get very good sounds from pretty standart singlecoils.
Click to expand...

Just so you know, a lot of the early Bryan Adams stuff was done with a strat with a humbucker loaded in the rear. I think he nicknamed it 'the beast'.

I think I'll always be a strat guy. I love nice humbucker tones, but nothing beats the neck single coil tone of a good stratocaster to me.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

hmm, i don't know. i stopped using strats a long time ago because I couldn't get enough of 'me' into that guitar. Yet, I see players all around town using strats, and they are great players, yet they try to wrangle the soul of Jimi, SRV, & Clapton out of it- certainly not their own soul.
An arguement can be made the other way too- people who play strats are more likely to go after sounds that other people have done before. Rarely does a truly unique voice come out.
Honestly, I will go with 'if you can connect with your instrument, and greate something that has never been done before, then it is the right one', no matter what brand.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

I like single-coils most. They are more dynamic to the touch, and I guess some people are turned off by that because they can't get as much overdrive from them.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

Mincer said:
hmm, i don't know. i stopped using strats a long time ago because I couldn't get enough of 'me' into that guitar. Yet, I see players all around town using strats, and they are great players, yet they try to wrangle the soul of Jimi, SRV, & Clapton out of it- certainly not their own soul.
An arguement can be made the other way too- people who play strats are more likely to go after sounds that other people have done before. Rarely does a truly unique voice come out.
Honestly, I will go with 'if you can connect with your instrument, and greate something that has never been done before, then it is the right one', no matter what brand.
Click to expand...

It's all down to the player. Some are imaginative, some aren't. Adrian Belew is a strat player, but I don't hear that many Belew clones out there.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

Use whatever you prefer, it doesnt matter what your heroes play. At the end of the day all that matters is how the guitar feels to you and if it works or not, if not try another guitar until your find your perfect match.
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

I don't buy the idea that somehow Strats are better for you because you have to put your soul into them to get something out. I don't buy the idea that they're more versatile either. There's a basic sound a Strat has that a good player can work to get their tone. Exactly the same thing applies to Les Pauls. There's a basic character to the guitar, but depending on your choice of amp, pickups, pots and caps, and your playing style and how hard you persevere, there is also a vast range of tones to be coaxed from the instrument. Playing in a covers band, I have yet to find a song I can't play on a Les Paul. :)

Correction, there are plenty of songs I can't play. Nothing to do with the guitar though. :D
 
Re: The Soul of the Stratocaster...?

Hot _Grits said:
It's all down to the player. Some are imaginative, some aren't. Adrian Belew is a strat player, but I don't hear that many Belew clones out there.
Click to expand...

This is very true- but Belew can get sounds that most guitar players couldnt even imagine out of his Strat!
BTW, he is a Parker endorsee now.
 
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