Should every electric guitarist own a Stratocaster?

[PetesaHut]

Originally Posted by RP

I consider myself first and foremost an acoustic player who has accepted that I like to own an electric for that occasional living room rock session. I recently auditioned an amazing Eastman T386 Blonde semi-hollowbody. I thought it would be an easy guitar to transition to with its acoustic size body and 1 3/4" nut. Well, I was kind of right and kind of wrong. Exit the Eastman which is replaced (actually the UPS driver picked up the Eastman and left my new Fender Robert Cray Strat on the same stop).

Admittedly, my relationship with electrics has been shall we say intermittent, but when it occurs it usually involves either a Strat or a Telecaster. I see these as two iconic electric guitars and wonder if others see the Strat as a de facto element in any electric player's arsenal. I'm zeroing in on the Strat because I see it as a more widely used guitar than the Tele although I know that there are many Telecaster lovers out there...

For me the Strat is capable of delivering a range of tones, I recently purchased an American Pro with V-Mod pickups and have married it to a Fender Tonemaster Deluxe, I love it. (I have another thread about all this)

I have been playing the guitar on and off since I was around 12, I owned an Ibanez strat copy along with a Roland Cube amp back in the eighties. I never warmed up to that guitar, it never really sounded like a strat.

The American Pro and Tonemaster combination I just purchased sounds like a strat, I love the vintage clean tones that this strat delivers, for me this is the Strat sound I have always wanted.

I love it, each night I sit up alone and play it until late, as its gets later I say to my self I need to go to bed, ok, I will play another half an hour and I will.

I will never willingly part with this instrument.

Do you need a Strat maybe, if you are like me and seek that classic Strat sound, then yes you need a Strat!

[Gordon Currie]

If you define electric guitarist as collector, then sure. (As Steve De Rosa said, you had better own a few more as well.)

If you define electric guitarist as player, not so much.

Sure, Hendrix played a Strat, but that is largely because there was little choice in the late Sixties!

If he was an up and coming musician today, I highly doubt he would play a Strat. I'm not seeing many of the newest (last two years or less) hot players show up with a Strat.

For those who like the sound and feel, go for it. If you don't, know that it is acceptable to use something else and still call yourself an electric guitarist.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

If you define electric guitarist as collector, then sure. (As Steve DeRosa said, you had better own a few more as well.)

If you define electric guitarist as player, not so much...

Beg to differ...

Several years ago I was in an ad-hoc band with a couple of studio guys, both of whom could play rings around most well-known electric guitarists you could name, regardless of genre (I played bass - for certain obvious reasons) - typical of the breed IME...

One had exactly the configuration I listed (as do I), the other had a 3-PU Tele and ES-330 instead of a Strat and Gretsch respectively (he preferred the P-90's hotter midrange - wound up buying a Godin CW II as a dual-purpose jazz/twang box after hearing mine)...

It's not unusual for A-list players to have 20 or more working instruments - for the same reason a top mechanic has a chestful of specific-purpose tools...

I've been playing electric since 1964, and while a rare one or two guitars can come close (in my case a Yamaha SSC-500 and Gretsch G5622T-CB - both with 3 PU's BTW) IME no single guitar can truly do it all - including the Strat I've owned for the last 35 years...

When you're an in-the-trenches weekend warrior, having a dedicated second guitar on stage for certain styles adds a touch of professionalism - one which IME can sometimes make the difference in getting that return engagement...

When you're a consummate pro, doing this for a living on the road/on the clock, you'd better have "that" sound in your arsenal when your employer calls for it - period...

[Chipotle]

Should you have a dreadnought, along with that GA, 00, nylon string and 12-string? Of course! Do you want different tones for different situations? As Steve says, it's a toolbox.

At one point I watched a video on "5 guitars everyone should have", and even mostly agreed with it: first four were Strat, Tele, Les Paul and ES335. (The 5th was "Ibanez" which didn't even make sense but I think meant "metal shredder". On this forum you might replace that with a full hollowbody. Or make it 6 guitars.)

There's a reason I have most of the above, electric and acoustic.

[s2y]

Originally Posted by Chickee

Please let me start by saying Telecasters are wonderful guitars. They are competent in any genre they are used in, and completely paramount in others.

That being said, I have always found that Stratocasters were a more “comfortable” guitar to play. And although I prefer maple fretboard Strats, I have an easier time still on a rosewood or ebony fretboard model.

As everything else in this world, you will find what is right for you.

Much agreed. I love the sound of the Tele, but a Strat or Super Strat body is superior in comfort, especially since I'm really short. Short horned guitars and basses make the first position reach feel much longer, which seems counter intuitive.

[Steel and wood]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

Should you have a dreadnought, along with that GA, 00, nylon string and 12-string? Of course! Do you want different tones for different situations? As Steve says, it's a toolbox.

At one point I watched a video on "5 guitars everyone should have", and even mostly agreed with it: first four were Strat, Tele, Les Paul and ES335. (The 5th was "Ibanez" which didn't even make sense but I think meant "metal shredder". On this forum you might replace that with a full hollowbody. Or make it 6 guitars.)

There's a reason I have most of the above, electric and acoustic.

Most of us will only own one, two, a few more electric guitars at a time and of the five guitars mentioned on the list (which is subjective anyway) the Stratocaster is clearly the most versatile.

As a home player these days, my inspiration is to sound and play like me using my favourite guitar, amp, effects and settings. (Even if my playing and preferences are heavily influenced by other guitarists). Granted it might be different if I was a session player but I'm not so I've no interest in owning multiple guitars to cover multiple bases. That subjective list also gets shorter for me because I've no appreciation or love for Gibson Les Pauls (nor any other Gibson solid body guitar for that matter), 335's (especially compared to other more appealing semi makes and models) and even P90 pickups. (Don't get the appeal). If I want something with humbuckers, there are plenty of great semis around that inspire me.

Yes, I love Fender Stratocasters (along with other guitars) but mainly because the guitar inspires me to want to pick it up and play. (At the end of the day, we all choose to do what we do because it inspires us).

[RP]

WOW! Believe it or not this thread was not intended to uncork the old Strat vs Tele or the Fender vs Les Paul vs many other electrics discussion. I get it - there are many electric guitars and everybody has their own personal preference. So if it's even possible to have a second chance to ask the same question, here goes.

If one plays the electric guitar, is it reasonable to assume that said player will own a Strat. Note: That player may also own and play other brands and models, and it doesn't really matter what anyone's personal preference is as to which electric guitar is preferable. This was not intended to start an electric guitar whizzing contest. Simply put (I think) do you think that a Strat will be among the arrows in an electric player's guitar quiver???

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by RP

WOW! Believe it or not this thread was not intended to uncork the old Strat vs Tele or the Fender vs Les Paul vs many other electrics discussion. I get it - there are many electric guitars and everybody has their own personal preference. So if it's even possible to have a second chance to ask the same question, here goes.

If one plays the electric guitar, is it reasonable to assume that said player will own a Strat. Note: That player may also own and play other brands and models, and it doesn't really matter what anyone's personal preference is as to which electric guitar is preferable. This was not intended to start an electric guitar whizzing contest. Simply put (I think) do you think that a Strat will be among the arrows in an electric player's guitar quiver???

Hey RP, Yes, the Strat along with a Les Paul. Those two are in my quiver as are other guitars which may or may not be in others'.

[RP]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Hey RP, Yes, the Strat along with a Les Paul. Those two are in my quiver as are other guitars which may or may not be in others'.

Thanks for a straight forward answer, Dru....

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by RP

Thanks for a straight forward answer, Dru....

Guessing that most people who have 'collections' have a both the Les Paul and the Strat. Not everyone would have a Tele though (I don't and based on this forum I may be the exception). One day I may have a Tele but it's not in my thinking at the moment because I don't think I'd play it. I rarely play my Strats but play my Les Pauls (and SGs) daily.

[paulp1960]

One of my Teles has low output pickups and sounds like I would expect a Tele to sound. My other Tele has an overwound high output bridge pickup matched to a vintage Stratocaster neck pickup. On the Strat neck pickup that Tele can get quite close to the classic Strat neck pickup sound.
My latest guitar is a Gretsch with blacktop Filtertron humbuckers and that sounds and plays quite different to the other 2 guitars. It's nice to have some variety for sure. If I had the space I might be looking at a Strat or a Les Paul. Oh and something with P90 pickups.

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by RP

I get it - there are many electric guitars and everybody has their own personal preference.

If one plays the electric guitar, is it reasonable to assume that said player will own a Strat.

I think you just answered your own question, and the answer is "no". If you don't have a desire to have different tones/purposes in guitars, and a Strat isn't your thing, you won't own one. Some folks will be just fine being in a Tele universe, or sticking to hollow/semihollow jazz axes, or playing those "Ibanez shredders" exclusively.

[BoneDigger]

I personally think that the strat is no better or worse than any other electric in terms of it's potential tonal pallet. A good player (I am not) can make any guitar sound good. People like Knopfler and Clapton, etc. also have or do play other guitars. Knopfler often plays a Les Paul and Clapton has played one, and often plays a 335 style guitar.

I really don't think a strat is a "must have" guitar any more than any other type. Is a tele a "must have" guitar for country players? Of course not, and many country players use other guitars.

Is the strat a guitar that I think any new or aspiring player should try out? I absolutely think so! Is it a "must have"? I don't think so.

[ch willie]

I write and record songs across most genres, and some guitars work better for some songs than others. I have a typical collection of guitars. One Strat, 1 Tele, 1 Les Paul, 1 Ric 330, 1 Martin HD-28, and a Martin 12-string. Each of them does something different. When I play electric live, I usually grab my Tele, depends on what I'm playing that night.

You don't have to have a Strat. I love Strats, partly because when I was growing up, my fave guitarists made my fave records with the kind of guitars I've collected. If I'd been born 10 years later, I might have been more interested in pointy guitars.

It's what you love and what kind of sounds you want to make. Don't let anyone's pre-conceived notion of what guitar you have to have. Let the music you want to play determine that.

[robj144]

For a long time, I didn't really like a Strat because they were sort of thin sounding. I like humbuckers and LP type guitars.

But, I got a Strat knockoff that was cheap recently and am starting to appreciate the Strat sound more as I experiment.

Definitely good to own a single coil and humbucker guitar if you can afford it though.