Stratocaster Blues

[blue]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

if I were stranded on a desert island for my remaining days I could get along nicely with the Gretsch/Bugera rig (and enough sets of D'Addario flatwound 11's to allow for wear/breakage/sea-air corrosion) - and since the OP is coming over from a strictly-acoustic background, IMO he probably doesn't need the added complication/learning curve of peripherals at this point...

And I could get by quite nicely with My G&L Semi-Hollow Blues Boy with MFD "Tele-sized" pickup in the bridge, and Seth Lover in the neck, and my Roland Blues Cube Hot Boss Drive Special (supposedly based on the JTM45). Though I'd rather use my boogie. But if I had to pick one of the two to last "forever" I'm betting on the Blues Cube solid state amp.

But, and it's a big but, I don't wanna...

I want John Lennon's nasty "direct to console" tone from Revolution and a lot of his solo work. So I have the JHS Crayon. I want the super Lo-Fi "Garage/Indie" silvertone tone like you might hear from early White Stripes. So I have the JHS twin twelve.

I could go on about Link Wray/Southern Culture on the Skids needing tremolo (not on my amp), or my bizzare infatuation with Octave fuzz.

And I haven't even broached the subject of making my guitar sound like other guitars. The MFD pickup is super "flat". A perfect platform to scoop, boost mids, drop bass, etc.

I'm glad you love your rig. I love mine too. But I am inspired by different tones. I play differently. I "create" different riffs and melodies. And I can do it with 1 guitar, 1 amp, and 4 or 5 pedals. And those 4 or 5 pedals don't just color my tone. They transform it.

No hostility here. We just like different things. I've got 9's on my Bluesboy. On the guitar I use for Elmore James style dirty slide stuff I use 12 flats. It's all good, and I will never limit my choices despite my belief in the vital ideal of having "one great tone direct from the amp" on tap.

I remember reading a Paul Simon interview where he was asked if learning all the music theory later in life "hurt" his folk roots. Best answer ever: Simple is always an option...

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by OregonJim

I recently bought a MIM Tele (not a deluxe) and LOVE the neck. As you said, satin & fat. I reversed the control plate after taking the picture below and couldn't be happier. If I were looking for a Tele with humbuckers, I'd get a Schecter PT Pro. My wife has one and it's even better than a Fender MIM, fit and finish wise. You gotta be cool with thinner necks, though.

Thank you, that's very cool about customizing the layout!

I think the neck and overall playability are a bigger deal for me than any specific tone right now, I don't want a slim neck. I LOVED that MIM tele deluxe neck.

[ghostnote]

I love my Strats and I've never had the OP's issue with playing them. Oddly enough, the only guitar that's given me problems like that is a Les Paul Junior Special - I am constantly hitting the pickup selector up to the neck pickup position in the middle of a song. Embarrassing. Next time I use it I'm going to lengthen the strap a bit and see if that helps.

[blue]

Originally Posted by ghostnote

I love my Strats and I've never had the OP's issue with playing them. Oddly enough, the only guitar that's given me problems like that is a Les Paul Junior Special - I am constantly hitting the pickup selector up to the neck pickup position in the middle of a song. Embarrassing. Next time I use it I'm going to lengthen the strap a bit and see if that helps.

You and Eddie Van Halen seem to have the same problem! Rotate the switch so up is bridge. That's how the Fender produced EVH Wolfgangs ship from the factory. Don't know about the Peaveys.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by blue

You and Eddie Van Halen seem to have the same problem! Rotate the switch so up is bridge. That's how the Fender produced EVH Wolfgangs ship from the factory. Don't know about the Peaveys.

That's a great idea! Still don't have my head around the level of tinkering that goes on with electrics. Some guy coming by to buy my Strat at 4:00 today (hopefully) and new guitar coming on Thursday. Hope I don't regret it.

[Ray175]

I agree that quality pedals can totally change your tone and help one guitar sound like another. With a good compressor (including attack and release controls) an excellent parametric eq and a noise gate, I can get most of my guitars, strat included, to sound like my tele (even on the bridge pickup), my "thunky" 1961 PAF-equiped ES-175D, or even my 1980 Ibanez AS200. For those wondering about the noise gate I use it to accelerate note decay to mimic the PAF jazz sound - very useful if I don't want to play my 175 in a less than 100% safe venue.

[s2y]

I typically use Super Strats, many of which have a master volume and tone that are out of the way.

[maxtheaxe]

OTOH you have a player like Jeff Beck, who is using his right hand to pluck strings, operate the trem and operate the pickup selector AND volume AND tone controls...all at the same time. He would probably tell you that they're positioned perfectly. Of course, he is an alien...

Watch 'Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scott's' if you haven't already...a great primer on R-hand technique on a Strat.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

OTOH you have a player like Jeff Beck, who is using his right hand to pluck strings, operate the trem and operate the pickup selector AND volume AND tone controls...all at the same time. He would probably tell you that they're positioned perfectly. Of course, he is an alien...

Watch 'Jeff Beck live at Ronnie Scott's' if you haven't already...a great primer on R-hand technique on a Strat.

Yes, blue posted a video above! https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...40&postcount=4

It is amazing. That said, I'm no Jeff Beck.

[Dru Edwards]

Wow! What is it? Beautiful flamed maple.

Originally Posted by s2y

I typically use Super Strats, many of which have a master volume and tone that are out of the way.

[s2y]

Ibanez AZ 2204f. At the moment, the flame top and trans blue model like mine has been discontinued. They still offer 2-3 solid colors as well as a rosewood fretboard model with a 9.5-12" compound radius with vintage voiced pickups and a decked trem. They also just released a 7 string with this pickup config, which might be the first HSS 7 string on the market.

[A Wolf]

I put together a Warmoth Strat last year, my first Strat after playing for over 50 years. Right way, the volume knob placement pretty much bummed me out. I decided to buy another pickguard, without the control holes in it, and move everything slightly further away. Still haven’t done it, (and have gotten more used to minding the volume location), but still plan on it. Without changing the routing any, I think you could get at least 3/8 inch more space between the bridge and the volume control, which would be quite an improvement. By going with smaller pots (say Bournes conductive polymer style) you could gain about an inch and have better pots too.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by s2y

Ibanez AZ 2204f. At the moment, the flame top and trans blue model like mine has been discontinued. They still offer 2-3 solid colors as well as a rosewood fretboard model with a 9.5-12" compound radius with vintage voiced pickups and a decked trem. They also just released a 7 string with this pickup config, which might be the first HSS 7 string on the market.

Ibanez AZ. I've read great things about that series. It's a great guitar.

[s2y]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Ibanez AZ. I've read great things about that series. It's a great guitar.

They're pretty nice. My opinions of the humbuckers are mixed. Good all rounders, but a tad harsh with heavy distortion. The singles are a bit modern, but in a great way. The wiring schematic is awesome and versatile. The neck and frets are nice, although not quite as fast as the RG or J Custom super flat+thin necks. Bridge is probably the best non-locking trem I have ever played.

[Dirk Hofman]

Well, at last an update to the story. The Strat has been sold for a good price to a good guy. The replacement I found locally at Guitar Showcase. Getting to know one another, but the ergonomics are great!