How in the word do you strum? You may need to modify your technique. I never had a problem like that. I did used to have Tele knob in place of the volume to get better volume swells.

Squirenaut: Careful, or I'll post a picture of it to REALLY give you nightmares ! Cheers!

Quick, post those pix!

- C

I am new to the strat, but by no means new to playing guitar. I have hit the toggle when it was in the neck position, but it has not made me not like the guitar. I agree it could have better placement, but its not that bad either. I do the palm muting thing often, but when I play high gain like palm muting calls for, the switch is in the bridge position, so that was not my problem. I also agree that a bit of adjusting your technique when playing the strat will avoid this.

Many guitars have placement issues that may or may not affect some but will others. Take the LP with the toggle up above the neck. Not good placement if you quickly need to go from one position to the other, because of the distance you have to move your hand and the direction you have to move your hand. While your not likely to bump it while strumming like on the strat, the strat is easier to make the change during the song imho.

The l6s had a chicken head rotary switch, which is not something you can easily and quickly switch during your performace on stage, so its very common for musicians to rip out the rotary switch for a LP style toggle, which corrects this issue entirely. Yet for a recording guitar, the rotary switch was great for the variety of sounds you could get. So for that guitar it really depends on what duty the guitar is used for, studio or live.

My ESP, which is essentially a strat style guitar, has moved the controls slightly and this never has happened to me on that guitar.

My point, no guitar is perfect for everyone, but one might be for you, or you may need to modify to get it how you like it.

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Guitars:
1. mid 70's Ventura MIJ Gibson l6-s clone (Pre-lawsuit) in Black with Rosewood FB and EMG 81 BR/ 85 Neck
2. ESP KH2 Neck Thru
3. 2008 Am Std Strat in 3 tone sunburst

Yeah, I've had a bit of trouble getting used to that toggle on a big strum. Just a matter of getting used to it, I guess. The volume is in the perfect spot for curling my little finger around.

Gridlok

I don't hate the position of the volume knobs on strats, however I feel more comfortable playing my partsocaster that has only one tone knob and one volume knob....

I think that could give me nightmares for months!!!!

i couldn't be bothered reading all the posts...
anyway i agree. i sometimes hit the pickup selector and the knobs.
poo stain!

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mad

I had the same experience years ago. I would hit the switch which was usually set to #5 (neck p/u). I don't think I made a conscious change in my playing to avoid it. Somehow it just corrected itself, I guess.

Also, I agree with Ceri. The volume control is in a great position to control it with the pinky for swells or tremelo.

My first electric was a Strat clone. Same configuration of the hardware as the Standard Stratocaster. On the headstock it said Stratocaster with Syncronized Tremelo, but no Fender decal. I hit the volume all the time. Eventually when my guitars brands changed, I missed where the volume knob was. I had to re-learn not to hit the volume knob with my present Stratocaster, but it was like riding a bike. Only hit it a few times in the beginning.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

BLASPHEMER!
FOLLOWER OF FALSE PROPHETS!

Seriously, maybe you're strumming is "out of control" my friend. Perhaps adjusting your hand or guitar position will fix the problem.

The Fender Stratocaster is the epitome of guitar design.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

A Fender Stratocaster was never a perfect guitar. Leo didn't want to build it in the first place. Billy Carson and George Fullerton convinced him to let them try this " new 3 pick up thing with contoured body design..." He relented, but his love was the Telecaster design. And then it came out, and it had this silly single ply pickguard, and plastic knobs, and this plastic tipped selector switch that seemed to be ' in the way', and strange wiring in which the bridge PU wasn't part of the tone control system. Lots of seemingly goofy stuff! But Ohhh wow!!! Was it ever a great guitar for recording, and was it ever sturdy on the road, and what a great combination of sounds! It turned into Fender's number one seller quite quickly!

A Strat is a Strat. That's what it is. How Gibson made their Les Pauls or how Rickenbacker made theirs, or how Leo had designed the Telecaster had nothing to do with this guitar. It was it's own animal, and we grew comfortable with all it's follies and glory combined!

Here's a better question: How the hell do you out right knock the white plastic control tip off? Hendrix played hard, but to my knowledge didn't complain about pieces getting knocked off. Richie Blackmore played hard...but the selector never got it his way. What kind of flailing is going on here, boys?

The most perfect part on a Stratocaster is the inset output jack. It's the best system ever put on an electric guitar.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Wow, it seems my first-ever post here has (unintentionally) stirred up some well-meaning(?) animosity....
Allow me to attempt to un-ruffle the feathers of my esteemed fellows by saying that I think the Stratocaster is indeed the most beautiful, sleek, graceful AND comfortable guitar that I've ever played or seen (minor toggle switch issues notwithstanding). My MiM Fender in Arctic White w/Maple fretboard particularly looks and plays like an angelic dream.
Attempting redemption, I'll say the volume and tone knobs are perfectly placed, IMHO. But why no tone adjustment for the bridge pickup? (There I go again--asking for it...)
However, as for adjusting my playing style: Why bother? I first started playing in 1978, which probably qualifies me as an "old dog", so to speak. So whatever I'm doing "wrong" isn't likely to change soon or ever.
Anyway, sorry if this post is overly long. (Sobbing): I was only trying to HELP Cheers, all!

I too also hated the knob, switch placement on the strats. As time went by, I ended naturally moving my hand further away from the bridge to the middle position, and hence have stopped hitting the volume knob. Although i still find it more difficult to palm mute the G-B-and E strings. As for the switch; the guitar Im playing now has a looser blade switch than my previous strat, so I am accidentally hitting the switch. I'll have it set to the neck, and then I hear the tone change, and I see that I've hit it down to the 4th or 3rd position. I'm going to be replacing the all the switches and pots sometime next week, because I'm playing a Mexican now, and I've seen how allot of those are a disaster area once you lift the pickguard (although mines' been cleaned up) and I know that putting in better pots will make a huge difference. I'm actually glad I got this axe. I swore I would never do any permanent mod's to the American Deluxe I had (because of what I $pend on it), but only spending $300 on this one, the skies the limit. Im thinking of routing out the back a little, and installing an mid-boost active pre-amp, and putting a TBX control in it.