Members papaschtroumpf Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 I have only been playing for a couple of years have only played humbucker guitars. I just finished putting together a telecaster from junk parts (mostly a squier affinity).Now that I'm done, I don't really know to tell if it sounds like strat. I have a cheap set of DragonFire pickups in it which they claim "sounds like an MiM strat". The original Squier pickups sound kinda different, a lot " sweeter" to my ear.So which ones are closer to a "classic strat"? Are there recordings that can give me an idea of what makes a strat a strat ? I'm not sure what it means, I know how Gilmour or Clapton sound with a strat, but they have effects and stuff behind it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordite Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 I take it you meant "putting together a stratocaster" not telecaster. Or am I confused? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 Confused also, but the best example of a strat is Sultans of Swing by Dire Straights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted September 6, 2015 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 Tries to edit earlier but not working from cell phone. Yes I meant stratocaster.What switch position is used for Sultans of Swing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 Can't help but congratulations on your new partscaster. Pics when you can, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordite Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 Confused also' date=' but the best example of a strat is Sultans of Swing by Dire Straights.[/quote'] True, but remember Knopfler plays fingerstyle not with a pick and that has an effect on the tone he gets [video=youtube_share;h0ffIJ7ZO4U] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pk1fan Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 More classic Stratocaster sound is Eric Clapton on Derek and the Dominoes " Layla and other Assorted love songs ". Sources say he used a strat straight into a Silverface Fender Champ amplifier . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 2 And 4 positions I personally think are the only reasons to own a strat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted September 6, 2015 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 2 And 4 positions I personally think are the only reasons to own a strat I've never played a strat before, but that's what I'm finding out with my new toy. Especially position 4(?) Neck+middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 The 1950's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted September 6, 2015 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 The 1950's. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted September 6, 2015 Members Share Posted September 6, 2015 I've never played a strat before' date=' but that's what I'm finding out with my new toy. Especially position 4(?) Neck+middle.[/quote'] That was my preference as well, when I had a Strat. A friend uses the middle pickup exclusively on his Ibanez Strat-style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 you know papa, I re-read your post, and I personally think someone should smack you upside the head. you have been playing for a while, and had no clue as to what a strat sounded like? Never listened to Hendrix? or Stevie Ray Vaughn? Jimmy Vaughn? Dire Straights? Eric Clapton, (after he lost his balls)? Modern Pete Townsand, or any other thousand and half guitarist out there? REALLY? I find it impossible to believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 What does a strat sound like? Pretty much anything you want it to... [video=youtube;sjzZh6-h9fM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ow_ZJwu9z8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 [video=youtube;0Zou2V-e0zo] [video=youtube;fojxCy5xeDw] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 [video=youtube;oPBqk-0gWfQ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted September 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 @badpenguin: the problem is that a strat can sound like so many things, so I was more along what makes a start sound like a strat. I expected my pickups to have a lot of high end, but that's not the case. I expected them to sound thin on single PU, they do, but as much as I thought.I guess the Sultan of Swings example was a great answer to my question, I think that's the "quack" people sometime refer to? I think the original Squier pickups did sound thinner than the DragonFire ones. But they also had a more pure? Bell-like? Less rich? tone on the single pickups, especially the neck or middle.maybe the DragonFire are wound more? They don't sound like P90s, but they have more of that richness that I associate with P90s (with humbucker taking it a step further)So I was trying to figure out which is the most strat-like, if that workd even means anything. I'm the end I will try and swap them again to see which I like best. I tried to go to guitar center to try a MIA Fender strat, but between the unfamiliar amp and background noise, that was an exercise in futility. Especially because I didn't have my guitar with me to A/B on the spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted September 7, 2015 Author Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 My cell phone keep insisting on correcting "strat" to "start" sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members humbuckerstrat Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 Adjust the pickup height before switching them out. improper adjustments can make them sound dull, or overly bright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 The strat was designed to be a country guitar but it had the potential for a lot more than that. Jimi showed us a whole different side to it and spawned a new generation a strat players. Jeff Beck took it to yet another level and maybe the OP will do the same. As I said in a previous post, it can sound like whatever you want it to. [video=youtube;Zjjmuz_wEzU] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wankdeplank Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 To me, the crux of the true Strat sound is to be found in the springs. I know that a lot of folks block the trem and take a lot of that sound out of the equation. I once owned a Washburn WM-3 which was a set-neck Strat with a TOM bridge and tailpiece. Even though it had three Strat pickups with a five way switch, it didn't sound much like a Strat even in the quack positions. Nice sounding guitar but it sounded more like a Les Paul with singles. My 89 American Strat was blocked when I picked it up, and I had to do a lot of work to restore it to it's former glory including backing out trem claw screws which scared the crap out of me. But when I was done with it the difference was night and day. I love Strats and the sound they make, so much so that I have four of them with different pickup configurations and body woods - each is unique sounding, but they all have that characteristic natural reverb coming from the springs. I was listening to a CD by The Modern Lovers on the way home from work today and thinking how great Richman's Strat sounded for the Rhythm work he was doing. He plays clean rhythm and you can really hear that Strat spank: [video=youtube;Kc2iLAubras] I'm probably biased, but I don't think there's a better guitar for rhythm work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 [YOUTUBE]CWpND8GhBuU[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 [video=youtube;p_2B4FhhZLY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_2B4FhhZLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordite Posted September 7, 2015 Members Share Posted September 7, 2015 My favorite ever demonstration of what a strat is capable of. At some points here it is like violin. [video=youtube_share;smwQafhNU6E] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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