Strat question

[terrapin]

MIM Strats and Teles are a great deal. I have 3. But, the reality is that the tuners slip and the gear ratio can make quick tuning an issue. The pickups are very good for what you pay, but, come on, they are NOT Fralins or Lollars or Kleins or......

[Eric_M]

Originally Posted by scienceisgolden

Agree 100%

It's amusing how some don't think the folks at Fender know what pups or tuners to put on their guitars...yup, better to listen to the kid down the block.

True, it's dangerous to rely on "the kid down the block" (or the guy/gal in an online forum, for that matter). And vendors who deal in aftermarket parts can sometimes seem like snake-oil salesmen.

But it's a mistake to think that there's no merit in aftermarket mods. A big reason why Fender today offers dozens of variations on the Strat is because they've played catch-up with features aftermarket manufacturers were offering: compound radius necks (Warmoth et al), advanced tremolos (Wilkinson, Floyd Rose, etc.), specialized pickups (note that despite making its own pickups Fender offers models with Duncans, DiMarzios, etc.), tuning machines (Sperzel et al).

Besides, here are some nonstock Strats. You might recognize their owners :


(Look at that worthless mutt.)


(What's up with that nonstock left-handed trem?)




(EJ often uses a DiMarzio in the bridge position.)

[Guitarchick]

Thanks guys, for all the advice! I did take the guitar into a music store to have it "checked out". The guy there who does repairs, etc, said everything was good...but...he didn't charge me anything. So I don't know. I wondered if he really checked everything like he should have. I figured maybe he didn't think I was a "serious" electric guitar player because he knows I play acoustic most of the time. I told him I hadn't played the strat much but was thinking about playing it out at venues sometimes. I guess I should take it somewhere else.

[Blueser100]

Originally Posted by Guitarchick

I own a Mexican strat. I have always had a problem with keeping it in tune. Seems like one string..usually the G string will sound out of tune in certain chords. Any advice on how to solve that issue?

Also, what amp would you recommend to get decent sound? I play small venues and don't have a lot of money to invest in another amp. I play acoustic guitar most of the time.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

This kinda seems like a thread hijack. But I will just say that changing string gauge may help.

[scienceisgolden]

Originally Posted by Guitarchick

Thanks guys, for all the advice! I did take the guitar into a music store to have it "checked out". The guy there who does repairs, etc, said everything was good...but...he didn't charge me anything. So I don't know. I wondered if he really checked everything like he should have. I figured maybe he didn't think I was a "serious" electric guitar player because he knows I play acoustic most of the time. I told him I hadn't played the strat much but was thinking about playing it out at venues sometimes. I guess I should take it somewhere else.

There's not really that much for him to to check out. . Being a Fender Strat, he's seen hundreds of them and can tell right away if it's all original...not messed with. Pick guard and contents never removed. Neck is straight. Knobs, switches work. That's pretty much it.

If it had been opened up in then he might have some reason to look at it more closely but otherwise nothing that needs checking.

If a high end expensive guitar he would have opened it up to check it for original parts. markings, etc. but no real opurpose in a stock Mexican Strat.


You mentioned the 'g string in a previous post. It's unlikely the tuner This string is notorious for being a pain and has haunted guitarists. Try tuning the g string ever so slightly sharp or slightly flat. it 'might' help.

[Guitarchick]

Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate all the advice. I apologize for the hijack. I should have started a new thread.

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by Guitarchick

Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate all the advice. I apologize for the hijack. I should have started a new thread.

If the tech checked everything and gave the guitar a clean bill of health (good intonation and not binding in the nut) then I would look seriously at your technique. You may be unconsciously pulling the strings out of tune? It is not hard to do. Just add ALOT of distortion or fuzz and no one will notice (just kidding!)

[skyver]

I have an American Standard Strat now, and have owned a couple of Squier Strats in the past. It's easy to change the pickups. You can get a different sound, but I wouldn't say it's any better. If you play a lot in clubs with bad electric shielding, it might be worth it to put in noiseless pickups. I put a set of EMGs in a Japanese Telecaster once for just that reason. Modern Strats have hum-cancelling in positions 2 and 4 though, so nowadays I wouldn't bother. Personally, I'd only replace parts if they were broken.

A stock Strat is going to sound good through a good amp. Try out a bunch of Strats though, there's a lot of variation.

[Righty-Lefty]

strat pup conversations remind me a lot of the 'wood combination' threads about acoustics
one doesnt necessarily sound better than any other.....just different
when you go looking for a certain sound in an acoustic wood types can give you a general idea of where to look.... when looking for a certain sound in an electric than certain types/brands etc give you a place to look
just like a good luthier can build you the acoustic with 'THE' sound you are after so too a good pup winder can build the pup with 'THE' sound you are after

i've always loved the fact that with an electric especially strats/tele's and all their cheap copies can be easily and usually fairly cheaply adjusted to chase almost any sound you are after while with an acoustic other than string and saddle/nut changes you are limited to either changing the way you play or buying another guitar
good pups tuners etc and a lil setup and a cheap strat copy from walmart can outshine its 10x more expensive MIA strat
try doin that with a walmart acoustc

[scienceisgolden]

Righty-lefty

100% agree. Electric guitars aren't magic. They are basically as cutting board and a stick with strings on them. The sound is in the electronics with a thousand possible tweaks. In contrast, an acoustic is all about the actual guitar itself. (a lefty who plays righty.)

[mikealpine]

My recommendation is to avoid the Power Deluxe model (the one with the Piezo - active pre-amp, in HSS) if you want to do mods, unless you know a truly skilled and experienced Fender mod person. I bought some custom pickups and asked for some mods to be done (specifying "only if they can be done"), and I got back a bit of a train wreck. The pickups all go through the active pre-amp, so if the pickups are hot, they get hotter and noisier, unless the two single-coils are being used together. I won't go into details, but now we're shielding the pickup cavities and so on. I have no idea how this will sound and really just should have left everything alone. Got such a good deal on it that I figured spending a few dollars on upgrading pickups was a good idea. Big mistake.

Originally Posted by scienceisgolden

Agree 100%

I'ver played Strats for 42 years.

It's amusing how some don't think the folks at Fender know what pups or tuners to put on their guitars...yup, better to listen to the kid down the block.

Re Mexican Strats...the best value of any electric guitar on the market.

Re Squires....I have two and they can play more or less as well as my dozen American Strats. Electric guitars are not rocket science. A hundred dollar pickup bought custom is NOT better than as $25 one that comes installed. it may be 'different' but not better.

Give me a stock American or Mexican Strat, or stock Squire strat any day over 'the upgrade' someone has modded.

With you on this big time. And frequently after a sucession of mods to a Mex folks spend money for "better" that can almost equal the price of the American...

[james84]

Playing devil's advocate here, but I will say that I had a '99 MIM strat and swapped the pickups out for a set of pickups called 'Fender 57/62' or something similar. To me the guitar sounded far more pleasing after the change.

That said, on my US teles I have never felt the need to swap the pickups.

[zabdart]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Strat pickups are strat pickups, you'll be able to upgrade at any time.

Not exactly. The more turns of wire you have on the bobbin, the greater the output of your pickup will be, and the mids will be stronger. The fewer turns of wire on the bobbin will cause your pickup to have less output, but it will also sound brighter, and the high-end will have more sparkle to it. So, "upgrading" pickups is a matter of what kind of sound you're getting vs. what kind of sound you want. If you're happy with the arrangement you have, my advice is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Having said that, be sure to give yourself a year or two of playing the instrument as it is before you make any decisions about what type of sound you want.

[J Patrick]

...i've been a fender guy for forty years and have owned more models than i can remember....there are good reasons for modding guitars if you know what you're after... i personally find it very gratifying to dial in a guitar to my tastes and preferences...inexpensive strats and teles with pickup and hardware upgrades can be better guitars and if you buy them used on the gear page they can represent outstanding value....its also easy to buy used parts on the gear page and experiment for less money than buying and installing new components...learning how to solder and do setup work is important if guitar tinkering is your objective as there is a learning curve...