Fill in the blank with what YOU feel is best.

I'll say the flexibility.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

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the comfort while playing. The guitar body just fits right with my body. They are also very versatile guitars...for different sounds.

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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

I would say the versatility, comfort, sound, and looks

To quote the great Eric Clapton, "You can almost get a Strat to sound like a Les Paul, but you can NEVER get a Les Paul to sound like a Strat". I think this is probably the single biggest thing but to me there's also the feel of the instrument as well. I find Strats (or the Strat style such as my Kramer) much more comfortable to play than anything with an "arch top", such as an LP let alone an ES-335, Gretch or even a Rick. For me having something "comfortable" to play means a lot and when you combine that with the awesome sound/tonal potential of a Strat, the choice is pretty clear.

I would also add (albeit rather subjectively) that I feel there is also something rather iconic about playing a Strat. The greater majority of my "guitar heros" growing up were mostly Strat players....Hendrix, David Gilmore, Eric Clapton, SRV, Jeff Beck, Mark Knoffler...the list goes on and on. I'm a blues and classic rock musician and to me that means "Stratocaster". I have many guitars in my collection (19 at the moment to be exact) and while I do tend to play all of them at one point or another, the guitars that get the most use are my Strats...particularly my '96 MIM and my new Squire Standard.

Ultimately it's a personal thing for anyone really. Some folks think they need an LP and a Marshall stack to rock out, other's are happy with whatever they can get their hands on. In my mind, the right guitar...the "perfect" guitar is the one that's sitting there in the corner that you just have to play every time you walked past it. For me, that's one of my Strats .

Peace,
Jim

The "twang" in every tone and note that most other guitar cant replicate.......

The best thing about it is that it's a strat.
Nothing like playing the best guitar created by mankind.

pickup positions.... 5 beautiful sounding pickup positions

Everything.

+1 I have played many guitars but I keep going back to the Stratocaster. It is just right.

For me it's the versatility of the instrument, and i like the C-shaped neck. Also the fact that the strat is the most copied guitar style, Why play an imitation when you can play the real thing.

Everything about it.

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Versatility and playability. That's 2 things, sorry

The inset output jack.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

comfort and the versatility of tones you can get out of it. It's actually amazing how many sounds you can pull off with just a mim

It's impossible to say it in one word! Playability? Versatility? Compatability? Iconic?