I started playing in 1982 so we have the same frame of reference as far as music goes. Some the guitar players I listened to were playing Strats with humbuckers too.

I completely understand your point of view and why you feel that way. Based upon what you have stated, that makes sense to me.

I agree completely. In my case, I have "super Strats" (Ibanezes and Charvels) that only share some elements with the Fender Strat (similar shaped body and a bolt-on neck).

To me what makes a Strat a Strat is (3) single coil pickups, a bolt-on neck, and the body style. If I were to change any of those things, it would no longer be a "real Strat" to me.

I've been using humbuckers for as long as I've been playing and I could have easily bought a Fender Strat with a humbucker in the bridge but I didn't want a Strat like that because I've already got (5) other Strat style guitars with humbuckers in the bridge. I wanted a "real Strat" that sounded like a classic Strat, or at least what I consider a classic Strat.

Two of my "super Strats" are wired up so the bridge humbuckers splits when it's combined with the middle single coil. They sound sort of like a "real Strat" but to my ears, not exactly like a "real Strat".

Cool...My Fender Stratocaster is wired so the Humbucker is split so in one position it is a humbucker and in the next position it is a...half a humbucker single coil-ish sound. My other Stratocaster is a SSS.


RK

Yeah, that's the way to wire those up.

Years ago, I tried a crazy experiment with single coils. I had the guitar wired up with (3) single coilslike a traditional Strat.

Then I added (2) Duncan Hot Rails. One was right next to the bridge single coil, between the bridge and middle single coil, and the other was right near the next to the neck single coil between the middle and neck. It sort of looked like (2) humbuckers with a single coil in the middle.

The wiring was straight forward and very flexible:
- a standard 5 way for the single coils
- a 3 way mini toggle for the 2 Hot Rails
- a 2 way mini toggle to switch between the single coils and the hot rails.

With the right pickups, I think that set-up could be very cool.

I am being civil. I am also being truthful. It is uncivil and untruthful to tell someone they have a fake or imposter Stratocaster when it says both Fender and Stratocaster on the headstock. Think about it. If it's not real, what is it?

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

From another angle, there are folks who would say a G&L Legacy SSS isn't a "Strat." It isn't and doesn't completely sound like one.

From another: the Tele. James Burton's and D. Gatton's Teles: how close do they sound to the original. Not very.

BTW, one of the crazies who loves the single coil bridge pickup on a Strat. With that said, everyone can do what they want to, esp. with Strat on the headstock.

Have you ever noticed that a late sixties Strat is less Straty than the ash bodied original 50's? Just joking to lighten things up.

Consider also this: there are folks who build careers playing only the neck pup.

Lindy Fralin has shown us the way. It's called a P-92.

The first guy to have a great strat sound for rock music IMO was David Gilmour, and he used Seymour Duncan single coils back before it was a brand name.

I'm afraid I have to disagree. When you refer to someone's opinion and anyone who agrees with that opinion as "stupid", that's not being civil - that's being rude and disrespectful. If that's the best argument you can muster to counter my opinion than I'm afraid you have no argument at all.

Please take a moment to read my later posts to understand what I, and some others, consider to be a real "Strat".

Simply put, what makes a Strat a "real" Strat means different things to different people. To some it's the name on the headstock and to other its a specific set of features. The word "Strat" can be used a generic term to define that guitars features in some way and it can also be used to specifically refer to a guitar that Fender has decided to call a "Strat".

None of these definitions is wrong or "rubbish". They are just interpretations of a word based upon one's background and experiences. Instead of dismissing of opinion as "rubbish" why didn't you just ask why I felt that way (what is a "real" Strat)?

I know someone that owns a Paisley Jim Burton and while it's a great guitar it's not what I consider a "real" Tele because it sure doesn't sound like one.

For position 2, Fender taps the humbucker. So you get the sound of half of the humbucker combined with the middle. I originally purchased my Stratocaster with such a configuration - a Hot Rodded American Fat Strat Texas Special. The humbucker was a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates, which is fairly strong. The single coils were Texas Specials. In position 2 it sounded pretty darn authentic.

But when I was able to buy more guitars, I went SSS with it.

People are always arguing about putting a humbucker in a Stratocaster. It is a fact that the original Stratocaster was SSS. But a lot of people, especially fans of metal, thought the bridge pickup was weak. So they turned towards humbuckers for a stronger sound. But if you're looking for a clear and clean sound, single coils do that better.

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James Burton Upgrade Telecaster
Hot Rodded Am Fat Strat Texas Special (now featuring Kinman Traditional II pickups)
Fender Blues Jr.
SWR California Blonde
Pedals Pedals Pedals

Here's what it's "tending" to in sound: a Strat.

It never ceases to amuse me lately when people point to the more ballsy sound of a Tele and the "wimpy" sound of a Strat and then proceed to go on talk-binges about chicken pickin' on a Tele...

also easily forgetting that the original Strat was intended for Country players...

Both are great guitars...

When you tell people that their Genuine Fender Stratocaster is not real, that is a stupid action. Period. End of discussion, No room for argument to the contrary. Case closed. You are wrong. It's as simple as that. It's not anger. It's not rude. It's just the truth. If you want to say a Strat is not "traditional" because it doesn't have 3 single coils that's one thing but to say it's not real is moronic. Your criteria for what is real is irrelevant because it is wrong. There is a reason we have something called the English language and another cool invention called the dictionary ... it is so we can all agree on the meaning of words so we understand each other. You say the word "real" but you mean something else. That is wrong. If you don't mean something else and you really mean "real" then I am truly sorry bit that indicates you are either stupid or you're not firing on all cylinders.

To sit there and spend a bunch of time thinking and typing, trying to prove black is actually white like you have been doing is the kind of activity that usually gets people banned from forums like this. I have calmly and purposefully proven you wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt and I will no longer respond to your futile attempts to rile me. What you have done here is getting very close to what is known as "flaming". For your own sake I am asking you to stop.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

HSS strat + S1 switching = Any Strat sound you want. End of story. Oh sure, there's a sonic variation, but that's more due to the manufacturing (windings) of the pup, not that it's a humbucker or a single coil. Ask Yngwie which single coil he.... oh, nevermind!

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

HSS strat + S1 switching = Any Strat sound you want. End of story. Oh sure, there's a sonic variation, but that's more due to the manufacturing (windings) of the pup, not that it's a humbucker or a single coil. Ask Yngwie which single coil he.... oh, nevermind!

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!