A good Strat?

Kevinchew · 11-18-2011, 01:50 AM

Hey guys, how do you choose a good Fender Stratocaster?

Stratopastor · 11-18-2011, 03:53 AM

you're going to get a lot of opinions in answer to that question, because there are so many options due to the bolted-together nature of the Strat...

Most important for me is, plug it into an ordinary, inexpensive amp, turn off any effects and centre the tone controls. Now, if you can't get a sound you like just by adjusting the controls on the guitar, you're never going to be satisfied. A bit extreme perhaps, but you get the idea.

Apart from the supreme question of 'do you like the sound it makes?'... spend some time looking at distant reflections on the back of the guitar. Tilt it around a little and you might be able to see how many pieces of wood were glued together to make the body. Sometimes, not always, the fewer the better. Again, the better ones always seem to make more acoustic sound unplugged. You're never going to play in front of people like that but it does seem to hold true that if it makes a more acoustic sound than the Strat next door, it will probably play better when plugged in.

Over to everyone else...

***BillSPrestonEsq*** · 11-18-2011, 05:35 AM

I have two slight differences in opinion with stratopastor. And what he said would work well, pending your amp.

1) I put bigger stock in how the neck feels in my hand then how it sounds. I can generally retune a guitar's sound with pickups and such, but how it feels is very critical IMO. What he said was good, but for me, it is much easier for me to find the one tonally than feel-wise.

2) I might not use a cheap amp or put everything straight up. I generally play a Mesa or a Soldano, or a voxish boutique amp. Those all have very different tone stacks. At 2, not 5, the SLO is roughly flat. If you put it straight in the middle of the controls, you will boost everything. The mesa... well, everybody knows they have finnicky eqs, the voxy amp... that would work ideally on. I say, try it on as close an amp as possible to one you own, and use more or less your standard settings. Generally I cut the bass a little, boost the highs a touch and boost the mids a little less than my highs. Try it on as close to what you are going to be playing because that is the combo you are going for. Use your own amp if you can even. Use no effects though. Check to see how it responds with overdrive. The pairing of your guitar and your amp is the sound that matters to you.

3) Don't get hung up on models. The best Tele I have played was a Peavey I bought cheap. I have pitted it against custom shop instruments and it just keeps on winning. I have swapped out the pickups, played it live hundreds of times and it is my keeper. The best fender Tele I ever played was a close match for it. It was a low end highway one. Now keep in mind I have gotten to play artist custom shop models, rare 1950's examples, and a relatively cheap highway one smoked all other fenders I have ever played, and my winner wasn't even a fender. I am not a big strat guy. I like teles. I would have bought said highway one, but a good friend of mine who ran the shop did, and mothballed his vintage tele he had been playing for 20 years. The one he bought when he was a machinist at Fender, that was his pick of something special.

All that to say, sometimes more money is not better.

I prefer certain features of American fenders. I like the modern saddles. I like rolled fretboards. A lot of times the higher end models are nicer, but not always. Personally, though I have seen some really good and some not as good examples, I would start my search with highway one models. I have just seen a few really special ones in that series. The guitars that just had that little something extra.

1/2-Fast Player · 11-18-2011, 11:02 AM

Remember that setup is critical. If you pick up a Strat that hasn't had the truss rod adjusted, the height of the action set, the intonation set, the pup height adjusted, etc., it's going to feel and sound like crap. Pay attention to the feel of the neck and the frets and try to judge what a good setup would do for the guitar.

One nice thing about Strats (and some other electrics) is that they are very easy to adjust for your own playing preferences. If the neck and fretboard feel good to you, chances are you can correct anything else that you don't like.

Dark Helmet · 11-18-2011, 11:41 AM

^^^ that.

pfirst · 11-18-2011, 07:05 PM

Dito with the neck, if it doesn't feel right you will never be happy. I have had several Strats over the years and each had it's own sound and feel. I always try my guitars out with the type of amp that I will be using or the amp you are going to get. Strats are a great guitar Good luck in the hunt..

Stratopastor · 11-19-2011, 01:57 AM

Bill, I agree with everything you're saying, but I don't think your point 1 would suit the original poster's situation. From his previous thread I get the impression that he's pretty new to all this, without much in the way of local experience or advice, and won't be in a position to modify his guitar for some time to come. Therefore I don't think the the "I can generally retune a guitar's sound with pickups and such" point is helpful for him right now, though true and appropriate for anyone with a little more experience.

Kevin, if I've got this wrong, then I apologise for looking patronising or whatever.

***BillSPrestonEsq*** · 11-19-2011, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratopastor

Bill, I agree with everything you're saying, but I don't think your point 1 would suit the original poster's situation. From his previous thread I get the impression that he's pretty new to all this, without much in the way of local experience or advice, and won't be in a position to modify his guitar for some time to come. Therefore I don't think the the "I can generally retune a guitar's sound with pickups and such" point is helpful for him right now, though true and appropriate for anyone with a little more experience.

Kevin, if I've got this wrong, then I apologise for looking patronising or whatever.

That might be true, but I also will 9 times out of 10 grab the guitar that plays better over the one that sounds better. I have sold a couple absolute tone monsters because they didn't play as nice as some others. And usually if people are new to electric, most things will sound fine for now and I know it took me a long time for my ears to refine enough to know what I actually was looking for. And that is always evolving. And yeah, I know some folks are exactly the opposite of me. To me, I can make my playing sound better on a guitar I am not fighting in the least. The tone difference is negated by the fact that I play the other slightly better.

My point 1 was more for the future. And I would advise using the acoustic test and such on instruments, but if it comes down to say 4 instruments and 1 feels much better but is not quite as resonant... ...I would go for that one. That is just my thought. Later other things can be swapped around in a few years. However, occasionally there is a real dud. If it sounds dead acoustically and plugged in, it might be the rare complete dud. Those are out there. Even if a dud plays nicely, avoid.

Kevinchew · 11-19-2011, 07:30 AM

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback! I'm really new at the whole electric guitar thing. SO much to learn besides choosing one. Thanks again!

funkStrat_97 · 11-20-2011, 03:28 PM

Get an American Standard and you're all set (just my $0.02)!

Forgiven Son · 11-20-2011, 03:31 PM

A Strat is a Strat. 'Worship' from the heart will make any guitar blossom.

***BillSPrestonEsq*** · 11-20-2011, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forgiven Son

A Strat is a Strat. 'Worship' from the heart will make any guitar blossom.

Strats are not always equal. I have also encountered some guitars that no matter how from the heart they were played sounded rank.

andrecl · 11-21-2011, 01:39 PM

I have one of these:

American Deluxe Strat. It plays like a dream and sounds better than any other type of strat I've ever played. The N3 pickups are incomparable with any other sets of pickups and the S-1 switch gives you a lot of sound options and makes it really versatile. The only downside is the high price.

Of course this is just my opinion. If you want to be sure, go to a few guitar shops and try all the strats out

funkStrat_97 · 11-23-2011, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrecl

I have one of these:

American Deluxe Strat. It plays like a dream and sounds better than any other type of strat I've ever played. The N3 pickups are incomparable with any other sets of pickups and the S-1 switch gives you a lot of sound options and makes it really versatile. The only downside is the high price.

Of course this is just my opinion. If you want to be sure, go to a few guitar shops and try all the strats out

Nuff said. But to expand a bit, you want a guitar that is put together well. The neck should fit snugly into the body with little to no gaps. Play the guitar unplugged - chances are that if it sounds good acoustically, it should have a good amplified tone*. You can also listen for any hardware rattle and/or fret buzz (which may or may not be easily fixable depending on the nature of the issue). Bear in mind too that while the set up can be changed to your liking, (as others have stated) pay attention to how the neck feels. I once played a friend's SRV Strat and while it was a very nice guitar, I just couldn't get with the neck.

* Pickup height can have a dramatic impact on tone. As an example; I used to hate Texas Special pickups, but once I adjusted their height I was amazed. There was a real, discernible difference in the sound.