I've really been looking at new guitars lately (seeing as i only have a white ESP guitar) and so of course i've been coming across strats a lot. I really love the look of them, and they've been highly recommended to me by many people. I haven't been able to actually try out a good one, on account of everyone i know who has a 'strat' actually having a squier or a starcaster, and same thing with all the local stores in my town. Besides my blathering, (and besides the fact that this is a Fender website!) I need some really good opinions on how good real strats are. Most people swear by them, while some complain that they're too twangy or difficult to play. I'd rather buy a Strat than a Les Paul because those things are WAY overpriced and just too heavy, but I've also been looking into Ibanez guitars, like the RGs but with no floyd rose tremelo. Once again, besides my blathering on and on,
Strat opinions please?!?!

It's all a matter of preference really. But for me, I love strats. It's weird, when I play a stratocaster it doesn't feel like other guitars. It's almost like this supernatural feeling. So to answer your question, are they awesome? The answer is yes. But the only real way to find out is by trying one. And by trying different types of the stratocaster.

I have two strats. Standard Strat, and an American Deluxe. I love strats, because they are so easy to play........and.......they have a good sound.

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"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."-John Wayne

agree with above posters ,it so depends on what you like. my son just back from a year in japan and he had a play on my MIM strat, he's a gibson player but he loved it. the strat sound and playability is something else.

hey i love that john wayne quote, i've written it down cos it's how i live my life also.

There's Stratocasters and then there's everything else. And (see below)...

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You dig?

So many of the player I admire play strats and then there is the sound...you just can't get the sound anywhere else, unless you are playing a strat copy.

Hey brother in music...

My choice of ax used to be only Ibanez... when I picked up a Strat (mine is an HSS) I fell in love with it. All the music you will hear, if you visit my myspace page, is done with the Strat... this guitar has much more versatility in sound... and mostly, I enjoy the comfort of it in my hands... depends on the person... some guitar necks are thin, some thick... find your comfort zone my man and you'll be very happy. Like I said, I used to be an Ibanez man... now my Iby hangs on the wall, and my Strat is always in my hands.

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Limber Fingers to all you Guitar Players...

Regards,
Bratt Scovil

www.myspace.com/brattscovil

"Is a Strat really that awesome?"

Yes, Yes they are

AND you could say a Squier is awesome depending on who is playing it.

Tone is in your hands.

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Fender Highway One HSS Stratocaster '09
Modified Fender Champ600
Honer Special20 Harmonica

Hello HendrixWorshipper,

Twangy? Yes they can be if thats what you want.
Difficult to play? Quite the opposite with it's original contour body.

Cheers.

I think the latter half of that complaint stems from the fact that Stratocasters, unlike guitars made by Ibanez or other companies for metal-type music, were not designed to have a crazy-low action. Moreover, they often have a more significantly round fretboard than, say, Gibsons or the like. Not hard to play, but certainly more challenging than flat-board metal guitars. Plus they sound better with a high action. The same goes for Telecasters.

I've played for 25+ years, in all styles, on many different guitar and rigs. I can afford pretty much anything I want (within reason) and my first choice is a MIA strat. I have other electrics, but rarely play them. I can take my strat and be thrown into any musical scenario and do very well.

To me, it's the tone I hear in my ears, extremely versatile, and something that inspires me to play more and play better every day. For me, there is no other electric guitar than a strat.

Yes!

Oh yes, most certainly.

And Squiers don't suck...at least most don't. People who say that Squiers are just cheap, crappy copies of Fender have clearly never played a Classic Vibe or a Deluxe.

And as a Hendrix worshiper, you should know! And besides, the Comfort Contour body is a plus, and remember that Hendrix was left-handed and played right-handed strats strung upside down, so he didn't have the benefit of the contours. Yet, he stuck with them for four years to his death. Why? They are so easy to get the sound you want, simply because of the convenience and ability to easily mod everything on that guitar.


-The Screamin' J

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CURRENT RIG:
2008 Squier bullet stratocaster modified with Rumpelstiltskin pickups -> Dunlop GCB-95 Original Crybaby -> Fender Vibro Champ XD

"Could you take the stain from this pair of pants, and put in on this pair of pants?"

Strats are great. I like them very much. I would say i play my strat more than My gibson Les Paul, but I feel that the gibsons larger neck is more comfortable in my hands. I play the strat for its versatility and i mean the sound great, with a boost on a strat i think it only makes it more versatile. plus you can almost get a strat with a boost to sound les paulish.

I have an AmStd and an HSS and find both very easy to play, though the HSS can get a bit heavy at times. As Vulcan said, they're not super low action but I have no problem playing and I have a very light touch.

You also have a lot of tone to work with, yes including twang. But as the question sometimes comes up, you can also use a Strat for melodic jazz and most anything in between.

With my touch and short fingers, if I want pure speed I use my SG, which is set about as low as possible and strung with 9s. But other than that, I'd use the Strat for anything I'd use the SG for.