the Singapore Strat congregation...

subversion

subversion

Moderator
Hello people 8)

2004 celebrates the strat's 50th anniversary, it's only fitting that strat players here share their hits/ misses in this forum. i know there is a sizeable strat congregation here, so go ahead say something about the strat (before the year ends, he he...).

he's my bit:
*i still think the strat has a very unsightly headstock (the TELE headstock rules!!) but over the years i've learnt to ignore it & just enjoy the tone...

*it's terribly overpriced for a simple design. but we can't blame the appreciating brand name IMO Fender deserves the accolades...

*there's another side to the strat- it's darn good for black metal!! ask Morgan (Marduk) here, & he'll tell you... 8O

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I had a crappy strat as a first electric guitar, then got an Epi SG. For a long while i didn't touch the strat until one day i felt like it. Then i realized how much i liked the sound of strats...

I'm still aiming for an LP as my next guitar though. Someday.

:D
 
i find de part abt de strat being ' terribly overpriced for a simple design '. guess its one of de original n most sought after n copied designs. feel is fantastic but sound is kinda restricted as it always seems to haf a single coil in de neck position. only until recently did fender come up with a strat with a hum in de neck but i cant remember which model it is. i guess de headstock has an aquired taste. counldnt stand it last time but im starting to really like it. but i chose prs as my no1.
 
well i guess a strat is a guitar EVERYONE should have in their arsenal... a prs is a prs... and a strat is a strat. the brand of the strat doesnt really matter. its the build quality... a strat IS a STRAT.... if you want sumthing with humbuckers... then why bother with the strat?... a "strat" sound is with single coils... btw fender japan is a great way of telling the americans " first its CARS , then its GUITARS .... more donuts and reality T.V for you guys = more yen for us!! woo hoo "

in my opinion if you wanna buy an american strat. dont.....waste your money...

buy TWO!!! japanese strats.


cheers,
min.[/u]
 
I love the Fender headstock, especially the large ones. I can't stand Tele heastocks,,,too wimply looking...though the Tele have a great body.

I'm currently modifying my Morris Strat from SSS to SSH. Can't wait to hear the result!

Love the clear bright sounds of the Strat where the song needs them. For darker tones, I have to go back to my Epi LP.
 
I feel that the strat has one of the nicest headstock designs around, but doesn't look as good reversed though. Kinda feel it's one of the most versatile instruments around, so many yummy single coils out there, for the metal heads and soft rockers alike =) I currently own 2 strats, and i definitely won't stop at collecting these beauties hehehe.

It'll be cool if Fender ever decides to make a 7 string or 24 fretter strat as a full scale production model.
 
i've dismissed the strat for its single-coil inclinations before, i am a humbucker person but the single coil gives a breather on certain occassions. i've read countless fender literature & finally understood that the single coil is the fender attribute. humbuckers in fenders are subsequent fittings which aren't obligatory to the brand name. but they do sound nice nevertheless.

check out the upcoming Gary Hoey clinic & hear his dual humbucking Fender in action...

FYI:
*Dual humbucking Fender is available off the shelf- check out the Am Series HH strat, also the very affordable Highway1 features the Showmaster with HH, Floyd Rose & 24frets... so it's not just single coils these days 8)
 
eww the showmasters look like ibanez rip offs...some how fender hasnt been able to get the cutting edge hardcore look on to their guitars... i feel their most hardcore guitar is still the malmsteen model...
 
it's the headstocks. the colors don't match at all. they should have gone with painted headstocks if they wanted something hardcore.
 
ChanMin said:
well i guess a strat is a guitar EVERYONE should have in their arsenal... a prs is a prs... and a strat is a strat. the brand of the strat doesnt really matter. its the build quality... a strat IS a STRAT.... if you want sumthing with humbuckers... then why bother with the strat?... a "strat" sound is with single coils... btw fender japan is a great way of telling the americans " first its CARS , then its GUITARS .... more donuts and reality T.V for you guys = more yen for us!! woo hoo "

in my opinion if you wanna buy an american strat. dont.....waste your money...

buy TWO!!! japanese strats.


cheers,
min.[/u]
Click to expand...

I agree with ChanMin. Strat sounds best with singlecoils. They sound great with humbuckers too just that it lacks the characteristic sound of strat.


ChanMin said:
eww the showmasters look like ibanez rip offs...some how fender hasnt been able to get the cutting edge hardcore look on to their guitars... i feel their most hardcore guitar is still the malmsteen model...
Click to expand...

It should be ibanez ripping off fender. Most of ibanez's guitars are modeled after the fender strat,
 
the moment fender strays from its convention, it puts many players off. it happened before- late '80s/ early '90s saw the brief stint of the HM strat...

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players still look up to Ibanez/ Jackson/ ESP etc if they wish for a very contemporary strat-style guitar.
 
blahblah: is it from the Classic Series? i tried the one from this series & it simply sings- that ash body is the diff...
 
My dad brought home a 70s Antigua jap reissue strat. Very nice and sweet on the clean side, but sounds a little lacking when put through overdrive. Nonetheless the finish is killer.
 
My tonequest has led me to Strat-style guitars with:

(a) blocked bridges.
(b) HSS pickup configuration.
(c) and a bridge humbucker splitter.

With the blocked bridge I can still retain some of the Tele sustain whilst having the "spring" sound that tremolo guitars have.

I favour swamp ash over alder for the clearer mid-range. Another plus being the better looking grain patterns which stand out in translucent finishes.

My pickup combination optimises the tones for me, sure the split bridge doesn't sound like a true single coil but having the humbucker there gives me access to the hotter sounds when I need it.

Last but not least, I love the weight, high fret access and countoured body features that make the Strat a very people-friendly guitar.

All-in-all, the strat is a hell of a versatile instrument.
 
i'm not a fan of the strat trem either. both my strats have 5trem springs in them- no vibrato ever 8) i prefer a floating unit for vibrato
 
I'm going to buy a fender strat soon. This is my 1st time getting a strat style guitar. From what Subversion and JMguitars said, do i need to change the strat tremolo? And what is a blocked bridge?
 
marshall_law said:
I'm going to buy a fender strat soon. This is my 1st time getting a strat style guitar. From what Subversion and JMguitars said, do i need to change the strat tremolo? And what is a blocked bridge?
Click to expand...

I had the tremolo bridge on one of my strats blocked so that I could get a better sustain. My playing style also doesn't involve any use of the trem so no loss there.

Alternatively, for people who use the trem frequently and who feel that the Strat trem doesn't stay in tune well, the Tremsetter device is a good bet.

http://www.hipshotproducts.com/tremfaq.htm

The Tremsetter installs on your tremolo guitar in the back cavity where the springs are. When you put the cover plate back on your guitar you will never even know the Tremsetter is there doing it's job. The Tremsetter automatically brings your guitar back to its "zero" or starting position. Ordinarily, your tremolo relies on the your string tension pulling against the springs in the back of your guitar. Its a delicate balance similar to the way a teeter totter works. If one side is just a little out of balance, your guitar will be out of tune. The Tremsetter overrides this precarious balancing situation and brings your tremolo back to the exact "in-tune" position.


Blocked bridge: to block the tremolo bridge to lock out all movement. The idea is to insert a small wooden block between the bridge and body in the tremolo cavity to prevent the tremolo from moving.

Here's a description from a website .....

- Insert a wooden block where pictured between the tremolo block and the bridge side of the tremolo cavity (on the opposite side of the block as the springs)

- Approximate size of the wooden block is: 0.5 in. (12.5mm) thick x 1.5 in. (40mm) width x 1.0" (25mm) height

- Make sure you keep the tremolo angle similar to the original setting. Use electrical tape to thicken the block or simply sand the block thinner.

- Remove the middle tremolo spring from the claw to let the tremolo sit on the block (see picture/example). Alternately you can loosen the tremolo claw screws one turn each to let the tremolo block rest on the wooden tremolo lockout block

- Modify the wooden lockout block's thickness to keep the tremolo angle constant.
 
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