A few months ago, I bought a used 2004 MIA Strat with the noiseless pickups. I took it out to the gig every weekend to try and use it, but I couldn't bond with it, or the sound. I tried different amps, and different settings to no avail. One day at home I plugged it into my Peavey Delta Blues, without my pedalboard, and fell in love with the tones. I took it out on my next gig and used it again, without my pedalboard, and loved it. That's the secret-just play your Strat thru a 30 watt tube amp cranked, with no effects or pedals. It made a world of difference to me. Now it's my number one gig setup.

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Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

I've used Strats almost exclusively since I bought my 65 in 1974 and have used it through a multitude of effects but I have to agree with that there's nothing sweeter than the unmodified sound of a Strat clean through a low volume amp or put through an overdriven 30W amp as Rory Gallagher has shown time and time again through his AC 30s.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I agree. When I really want to hear all of the goodness from my guitars; going straight into the grid of the 1st tube rules.
I'm thinking these days about the Voodoo Lab Pedal Switcher. Seems great on paper for the purpose. Have to try one and see...

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E.J. Strat 2006
American special tele (2011) with custom shop nocaster pu
Mexican Jazz bass fretless
Gibson Howard Roberts
Ibanez Roadstar II
MESA Express 5:25

I agree 100%! When I was playing through a Hot Rod Deluxe I used 4-5 different pedals... a tubescreamer, compressor, distortion, boost... but since I picked up a '64 Vibroverb Custom I barely use any pedals, I find that they take away from the natural goodness of the Vibroverb. I also use the guitar knobs/pickup selector more, it's just as easy to achieve the different tones I want and it just plain sounds better.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

I also totally agree. I play through the same amp. As a result, I've come to primarily enjoy the simple (but plentiful) sound from the overdriven tubes. Using my pedalboard for clean and acoustic effects.

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Lefty
Stratocaster
Squier Strat
Peavey Delta Blues

For me the best tones I get are through my '66 BF DR.
I agree,plug straight in,push it and love the sounds.

I guess I'm going to be the odd man out here (as usual) in that personally I think it really depends on exactly what it is that you're trying to achieve. Being primarily a live cover musician, while I constantly try to strive for my own sound, I do find that I need to at least be familiar with a multitude of styles...including the use of effects. If I'm doing strictly blues...say doing an SRV cover, then yes...my Strat straight in to a good amp works quite nicely. On the other hand if we're doing something like Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb", then yes...I got some effects cranked up. I can play the Floyd stuff without the effects and it does sound good but the effects really are the icing on top of the cake. That lush, full Gilmour sound with the heavy use of delays, flange, etc....some wonderful stuff there. With this band that I'm in now, we're sort of doing a "tribute" to Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" and there too...yea...I got the fx's just cranked! Flange and delay from my Art Multiverb, Boss CS-2 compressor and an early Dunlap Crybaby...just gotta have the cry baby!

I honestly can't say there's anything wrong with effects -at all-. It's like spice in food, it's really good if it's used correctly...and sometimes just a little too much is just right! LOL!!! Also, in regards to food at least, sometimes no spice at all can be really nasty...after all, who really likes eating plain, boiled chicken....yecccssshhhh! On a guitar, let's face it...a completely dry signal doesn't always sound perfect for every kind of music, Gimme a little reverb...something...anything! LOL! Seriously...look at guys from Hendrix and Gilmour and Beck to people like Eddie Van Halen and so many others...there's no denying that effects are really a huge part of their sound...and they -know- how to use them. Yea, there's equally as many guys out there who don't use many effects who are also great...but I think it's a perspective issue in regards to personal taste. Some folks are perfectly happy with plain ol' Hamburger Helper every night...as long as you used extra lean ground beef that is. Others prefer a little bit of Taco Bell every now and then just to break up the monotony. To me it's very much like photography...some folks like to shoot in black and white and some pictures do actually look good in black and white...but using effects on a guitar is like adding color to a picture and if done properly they can add a degree of life and drama and intensity that's really just not possible without...if used the right way in the right application.

Now on the tube vs. ss amp thing, I do feel the need to say that I've used a great many good solid states in my years. My old Lab L5 is solid state and it's simply one of the very best sounding amps I've ever used. If you really want an amp that sounds like a "vintage old Twin" but you don't want to fork out the bread for a vintage old Twin (or fork out the bread for the upkeep), check out an old L5...they really are quite amazing. Of course the Roland JC-120's are legendary in their own right...talk about LUSH sounds....drool, drool! If you play jazz or even something more progressive...a Roland JC120...now -that- is how an amp is supposed to sound! On the other hand, right now I'm playing thru a new Bugera V22 and while it's hard to get a good "clean" sound out of it (at least with any degree of volume) it's got such choice sounding gain! LOL! I almost can't wait to hear how she's going to sound after I put some Groove Tubes in her. In fact I've come to the rather harsh realization that if this new band pans out, I'm likely going to end up playing through two amps on stage...the Bugera for the heavier stuff and the Lab for the clean (and possibly acoustic) stuff. Tubes vs. Solid State...there really is no right or wrong there people...it's just a matter or personal taste.

Now I will say that I do think that for some folks it's almost as much about "finding a new groove" as it is anything else. I could see where a person might have been using the exact same rig for the last 10 years or so and one day plays through something completely different...and be totally blown away by it just because it -is- something different. I know for some of us, one of the best ways out of a "rutt" is to buy a new toy (LOL!). Been feeling uninspired lately? Ok...so you don't have enough money this week to buy that new American Standard you've been drooling over but maybe you got enough money saved to buy a decent effect. Maybe a new delay pedal will be the fix you need to get you going again. After nearly 30 years of playing, I recently bought my first compression pedal...and yea...I'm certainly having a ball with it, LOL! That said, I could see where the reverse is true for some people too....you've been playing through effects so long (or a pedal board as someone mentioned) that perhaps having a completely clean sound would be a most appealing change. So yea...I think perspective really does have something to do with it.

Anyways, effects...no effects...tube...solid state...single coils...humbuckers...Strat...Tele...Les Paul...Fender...Gibson...Gretsch...Jackson...it's all good and there's room in this world for all of it. It just really depends on what kind of sound you're looking to achieve.

These are, as always, just my own personal opinions...please take them as such.

Jim

Toward the end of my days playing out I too eschewed all effects pedals and became a guitar-amp guy.

I had finally found the perfect tone that sounded great in any song.

I think once everyone finds their signature sound they realize they don't need to constantly experiment.

It takes years to find it, though.