Hi all,

I have a major problem with my brand new American Standard Strat. I order a brand new Standard Strat from Musicians friend for $1000. At the same time I also bought a box of the Hot Noiseless N3 pups for $150 bucks for a total of $1150.

Well the guitar gets here and is absolutely drop dead beautiful. But here's the problem and I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem and if they have what have they done about it?

I have learned to play and hold my right hand a certain way on the guitars I've owned over the years like a Les Paul, Ibanez, Yamaha etc. So now with the Fender Strat the volume POT is in my way and is in line with where I rest my hand. I thought I coudl re-learn how to hold my hand but after trying for a month it's just impossible for me to re-learn how to play after playing this way for over 25 years.

When I do try to play and move my hand I end up hitting the Vol pot and end up turning down the colume by mistake so about every 45 seconds i have to reach down and turn the vol pot back up. It's so agravating and I can't play lead licks that I usually play easily because of this.[/size[size=150]]Not only the Vol pot but the pup switch. When it's in the neck position I end up hitting that and knockingit out of posotion or two.
there's not way I can play this strat the way it is. It's just not going to happen. has anyone else had this problem with the damn vol pot getting in the way of their palm/hand??

Do you think if I somehow moved the vol pot it would be OK?

And if so how HARD would it be to get a luthier to do that for me and how much would it cost?

Or should I just suck it up and get rid of it and go back to the guitars that i feel comfortable on and know I can play on?

It's a brand new guitar, still has the plastic on the pickguard and all the case candy and even all the boxes that it came in but is over 45 days old so I can't return it for a refund. I guess I thought I would be able to re-learn my hand placement but it's just not going to work out. It's MINT and not even a print on the guitar. I just wish I could turn it back in but I can't now.

PLEASE any suggestions anyone before I end up trying to sell this beautiful guitar on EBAY and lose my arse on it.

thanks guys.

I switch from Strat's to Les Paul's and 335's and whatever rather easily.......they all feel different. I play Strat's more than anything though and I really like the fact that they volume knob and switch is where it is. It's very convenient. I dunno what to tell you. Maybe it's just not the guitar for you.

Order a "Delonge"-style pickguard from Warmoth.

Or sell the guitar. The "problem" is with your technique, not the guitar. Perhaps the Strat just isn't your guitar.

+1

(and it pains me to say that)



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I understand what you're saying, that thethe guitar isn't the problem but from MY perspective it is see. Sure the guitar is made the way it's made but I just can't play it the way it is.

ThI was asking what could I do to it in order to play it and not have the problem with the vol pot right there where my little ginger would be bracing against the pick-guard (IF) the vol pot wasn't there.

The suggestion about ordering a "Delonge"-style pickguard from Warmoth is EXACTLY what i was looking for.

Thank you.

Any other suggestions like this one?
How hard would it be to replace the Fender strat pickguard with the delonge style one from Warmoth? would I have to do any routing or anything to change the way the guitar is made or would it be a simple swap in and swap out?

If so then that's brilliant and I can keep all the original material and just replace it if I ever decided to sell it.

I hope this works because the guitar sounds awesome. i just can't play it because I'm so used to laying my hand towards the back of the bridge and my knuckles and fingers end up hitting th eCol pot and my hand usually rests right where the POT is now.

Just did a search and it seems there are TONS of people in my same position where the VOLume pot is in their way so I'm FAR from the only one. I couldn't believe that I didn't know about this issue before I bought my STRAT.


But it looks like a lot of people are having this same problem. Glad that there are answers out there and help for people like me. Everyone's Technique is going to be a little different but my TECHNIQUE isn't OFF. I have excellent technique and have been p;aying for way over 25 years. It just that something as simple as a little Vol pot can through you off. That's pretty wild to think that someting as little as that can have an effect but just imagine how it would be if you could place your palm where you usually place it and have to move the entire angle of your guitar string attack up 2 inches or have to do something that throughs off your whole form.

Can mess up everything about your playing. Thanks for the replys though. Because I checked on the warmoth pickguard i saw about other's in the same boat and searched "Strat vol in way" and came up with a ton of hits.

I've heard thus complaint before from people, as well as the annoyance of the bridge when they rest their hand on it. Personally I've never understood it. I find it uncomfortable to play that far down. I usually play over the neck or middle pickup, I just find it easier.

Too bad for you , but you have to change your playing technique. Take the time to live with the Strat and you'll see. It is a fantastic guit but maybe not for you ?

I 'm surprise that is like you NEVER hold a Strat in your hand before ordering it ?

+100

Sadly, we have a case here where yet another guitarist buys a guitar without playing it first. That is always a gamble. But, the solution is simple: either find somewhere else to rest your hand while you're playing, or just give up and go back to what you're used to. If you are unable to change your playing technique at all, then you're either going to have to shell out more money having it modified, or just come to the conclusion that a Stratocaster just doesn't fit your personal style.

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"It's about sound and sound alone. Looks are irrelevant. You can have the best-looking guitar on earth, but if the sound isn't there it is nothing more than a beautiful piece of trash. The sound it makes is the soul of any guitar."

Hi Dutch,
I have the opposite problem. I can´t find my way around a Les Paul type.
The whole thing seems arbitrary, inadequate and ilogic to me.
I have also been playing for some 25 years, and never got around to adjusting to these guitars.
So I figure it´s too late for me. I sound terrible on anything but a Fender type neck and body.

I can relate to the awkwardness you feel, my thought is, -what is this piece of crap?
In my opinion it´s not worth the frustration to try and force yourself around it or modify the instrument.

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FIGHT!

Don't you move your picking hand around at all? That's how you switch "pickups" on an acoustic. I like the tone from the neck pickup the best on strats, so my hand usually falls between it and the middle pickup. If I want to get twangy, I'll put my hand nearer the bridge. I do hit the switch every once in a while when I get excited, and it is a HUGE difference between pure single coil and the in-between settings. I've thought about turning the switch upside down since I'm usually playing with the neck pickup. That's the thing about the strat though...it sounds good soft, it sounds good loud, and it's got a lot of different sounds right there at your fingers. I wouldn't give up on it.

maybe you could have a pickguard custom made moving the location of the volume knob and five way switch if that's the problem.
there are many after market companies that will custom make pickguards.
perhaps if you don't have a need for both tones just have all your pick ups wired to that one remaining tone pot and have what would be your middle pot be your volume.
just an idea.

i know a friend had a pickguard special made and they provided him a template which he used to make his changes. the template was a piece of paper with a strat pg drawn on it.
he placed it over this and everything lined up and he made his changes.
new pick guard came in exactly who he wanted.
Probably cost him $40 or $50 but if you want to keep the strat go with it.

I owned a Melancon and the knobs were not the same as my MIA or MIM strats
which is another thing there are many great Fender style luithers out there
Tom Anderson, Suhr, Melancon, Grosh, etc.

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1985 Fender Squier Bullet
1987 Kramer Striker
1983 Fender Strat Elite
1995 Fender Strat Plus
2001 Carvin DC127
1999 G&L Legacy
2002 Melancon Classic Artist
2009 Paul Reed Smith SE Singlecut
2010 Fender Deluxe American Strat
2006 Fender MIM Fat Strat

Relax. Don't order anything. Don't cut off the volume knob and glue it to the headstock (j/K ). Just play the guitar. You will become familiar with the layout and be just fine. I was a Gibson player; I know.

Hello dutchmanart .....what about that ? We don't hear you.

Chill out mate..... You'll get used to it if you like the sound........there ain't nothin that can do a strat that aint a strat.... ......

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