why i loved a fender strat?

[6stringerguy]

i recently had the pleasure of playing a candy apple red mexican strat that my friend recently purchased through a peavey 6505 mh's clean channel and for some reason i just adored it straight away and i have no idea why?
i never really cared about fender strats until i played one
my only guitar experiences before this was a bc rich warlock revenge(which i disliked), a yamaha erg121c(which was my first guitar.), a schecter synyster gates custom (which is pretty fun.) and a ibanez rgit20fe (which i love) and a bunch of guitars at the local store
but the feeling i got from the fender strat was one i only ever got when i played my ibanez for the first time.
can anyone explain or relate to this?

 

[jeremy]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

im gonna go way out on a limb and say you liked it cause it was a good guitar that felt comfortable

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

Welcome to the world of playing guitars and liking them. Probably a good idea to play a ton more, and figure out what in particular about the Strat stood out.

There's a bit of Strat burnout in the world, and that's a shame; most guitarists have the experience of starting with something resembling a cheap copy/Squier because they're plentiful/inexpensive and they couldn't afford a better model/different guitar that they actually wanted. Some stick with them for reasons of comfort, but a lot end up acquainting Strats with lesser quality guitars and figure they "don't like Strats," or at the very least wind up with curiosity/yearning toward other guitars and tones and consider the Strat basic, satisfying as plain rice. I just bought my first in a long time about a month ago so...

Where I stand on Strats: I can't put mine down. It's not perfect (depending on what I'm after, "perfect" can be five different guitars) but unlike any of those, this does everything well. I can just play it; I can play it, while I stare at all of my other ten guitars across the room, and not feel the urge to run over and grab another one to do what I'm doing properly; at most what I want is a flick of a switch or knob away. After a decade or so avoiding Strats, I'm learning a lot from mine, much of which I couldn't have learned from the cheap copies I played when I was younger.

(...That said. I think Strats are un-ergonomic. The volume control takes discipline not to hit (kind of good as it "forces technique;" you can't be too wild.) The middle pickup; someday I'll shatter one. The bridge feels like it's right next to the strap button, waaay to the right. The tone controls: WTF. The strings are way too close to the body, to the point where you feel like you have to dig a hole to hit them; the contour also directs your hand/arm away from them, making it even more of a feat.)

Still, with the likelihood that much/most of the music we're exposed to on a day-to-day basis came out of a Strat to begin with, it's no surprise that's what a guitar "should" sound like to a lot of us. There's a reason it became a classic.

 

[HiFiRebel]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

I love strats. I own two. I also like big fat things like Gretsch's. Nothing wrong with different flavors.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

Not all Strats are great, but a great Strat can be amazing. I have 5 Gibsons but i'd probably sell them all before my old Strat.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

I know where you're coming from....

I love the versatility and personalization one can do with a Strat.

Take three similarly constructed guitars, except for the following:
1. Vintage 6-point trem w/ Antiquity Strat pickups
2. Floyd Rose double locking trem w/ hot PAF
3. Hardtail bridge with EMGs

Three guitars that feel and play similarly but sound completely different.

What can I say, I'm a fan as well.

 

[Open lane]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

Strats are my fav sounding guitars and les paul's are my fav feeling. If ever in doubt of the tonal possibilities of a strat just look at Eric Johnson, David Gilmour or Yngwie. Realizing it's the tool of choice for their sounds makes it a bit of a "no brainer" to me!

 

[6stringerguy]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

the first guitar i owned was a yamaha imitation of a super strat and i still have it but i'm used to thin satin necks and wide flat fret radius and i loved the strat and don't know why?

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

im gonna go way out on a limb and say you liked it cause it was a good guitar that felt comfortable

Sounds like a Strat!!! They didn't get to be the worlds most popular guitar just because Buddy Holly played one on the Ed Sullivan show all those years back?

 

[6stringerguy]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

i have played multiple les pauls and have never enjoyed them, i dislike the feel of them immensely but i love the feel of strats

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

i have played multiple les pauls and have never enjoyed them, i dislike the feel of them immensely but i love the feel of strats

That could be just a scale thing, or the fact that Strat's have singles, a belly contour, and are about 10 lbs lighter???

Some people love the Gibby scale & say its easier for lead work, while others absolutely hate it!!! Personally I love both guitars for different reasons but I've been playing Fenders most my life so when I do play something with a Gibson scale it takes me a little bit to get used to the shorter neck & no matter what that L.P. weight sucks!!!

So, I just try and sit down to play them, because I'm old enough to get away with it and I have absolutely no interest in looking like a rock star while I'm playing anymore...

 

[Archer250]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

Sometimes, a good S-type guitar is all you need.

I understand why many gravitate towards a good strat. The feel is great, and if the sound is nice, it's absolutely mind-blowing.

 

[6stringerguy]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

the one thing i dislike is the feeling on the tonepros/tune-o-matic bridge and the another is weight of the LP

 

[philthis]

Re: why i loved a fender strat?

remember being tardy in high school? people say....theres a weird feeling with walking in late. to me, playing a guitar and getting a distinct different feeling along with great tone is what its all about. like being on vacation and the feel of being somewhere new as you explore something different. a lot of music is written this way by new guitar or amp. jazz will even often times name the object responsible for inspiring the track like.....mint julip, chitlens can carne, new shoes, or what ever. something about the strat got to you and you felt the odd new conection. its a cool vibe........like suddenly falling in love again. theres probably a song or two in that guitar for ya. i play at music stores all the time on new equipment for that very reason.