Thin sounding strat--will bigger gauge strings help?

[plawren53202]

I'm not generally a strat guy, so for my one strat I have a 1993-ish MIJ Fender Squier Series. Pickups were upgraded to BG Pickups V60s. Array of pedals into an AC30.

 

I'm playing it more these days, for 80s-era U2-type stuff. When I compare it to most strats I hear, it just sounds a little...thin. I have tried umpteen thousand different amp/EQ/volume options, pedal options, direct to amp vs. through pedals, etc. While some things help a little (for example, playing at full volume is better than bedroom volume, of course), it still just sounds a little thin to my ears. For example, if I am playing the neck pickup straight into the amp, no amount of guitar or amp EQ-ing can get it to sound quite as thick and round as most strats I hear.

 

For now, getting a new strat is not an option. So I am wondering if bumping string gauge up will help. Currently, I play .10s on it (EB Regular Slinkys). I have a friend who put .12s on his strat and swears it made a big difference. If I am to do that, though, I will need to set it up for .12s, which means a trip to the shop ().

 

So, please educate me whether increasing string gauge will help.

[caveman]

Your pup height might not be in the sweet spot.

[Alecto]

My 2

[Bro Blue]

Almost always, the best thing to do to fatten a Strat up a little is to go to a full size steel or brass trem block. Even the larger ones used on MIM Strats are not great (better than the old ones, though).

 

Bigger strings might make a difference, might not. That would be the cheapest solution so I would try it first.

 

Also, what was said about the amp is true. Tube amps do not usually sound good until they are able to open up a bit.

[Willyguitar]

Could be the AC30? I have an AC30cc2, and you have to get your tone settings right for each guitar (and on the guitar itself), to prevent Fenders sounding a bit on the shrill side. Also agree on turning it up... if you have one of the modern AC30s, try putting the master on full permanently, and keeping the normal or TB volume fairly low, then using a good OD pedal (subtly), for the grit.

 

I find AC30s to be excellent, tight sounding amps, but they don't always make strats sound full.

[csm]

Bigger strings ALWAYS help soundwise. With everything.

 

(Though I agree they don't always facilitate extreme bendage if you're used to the lighter stuff.)

 

They sure as hell won't hurt.

[DaleH]

How close are the pickups to the dtrings. Maybe drop the pups down a hiar and raise the action just a touch.

 

Is the trem floating or down to the body. I seem to get a little fatter tone with the trem scewed down tight.

[brandass]

Thicker strings worth a shot, but learn to set up yourself, not hard and saves $ for trem blocks etc

[hecticone]

Heavier block just like stated above.

[Orange Jackson]

One of the biggest things that will effect the tone of a Strat is getting the bridge off of the body. With the bridge pulled onto the body with the springs, it is a bit like ringing a bell with your hand cupped around the bottom of the bell.

 

If you have not done so, loosen the springs at the claw, and let the back of the bridge float off the body an 1/8 of an inch +/-.

 

It's pretty much night and day.

 

With the back of the bridge up you might well find some tunning stability issues, if you use the trem. Best way to fix that is a graph tech black xl nut, they are amazing for Strats.

 

Next option is a better pickup, I'd start with the neck pup.

[BATCAT]

I agree that there are a lot of other thing that could be helpful...

 

It's been noted already- I too find that AC30s usually need to be up pretty loud before they "open up"... some other things to experiment with would be pickup height and perhaps compression.

 

But all that said, yes, I'm definitely a fan of heavier strings. In my experience, the cleaner your playing, the bigger benefit you'll see.

[richey888]

 

Your pup height might not be in the sweet spot.

 

 

Dis

[PigWings_v2.0]

SRV used 13s.

[Bro Blue]

 

One of the biggest things that will effect the tone of a Strat is getting the bridge off of the body. With the bridge pulled onto the body with the springs, it is a bit like ringing a bell with your hand cupped around the bottom of the bell. If you have not done so, loosen the springs at the claw, and let the back of the bridge float off the body an 1/8 of an inch +/-. It's pretty much night and day. With the back of the bridge up you might well find some tunning stability issues, if you use the trem. Best way to fix that is a graph tech black xl nut, they are amazing for Strats. Next option is a better pickup, I'd start with the neck pup.

 

 

I respectfully disagree, with a caveat. I have found that tone and sustain is improved by having the bridge flush with the body. The caveat: I have not played all Strats, and guitars are as different as women, so what OJ says may well be true in the guitars he has owned and plays.

[Alecto]

 

SRV used 13s.

 

 

For a while; by 1990 he was using .12's or .11's to reduce the strain on his hands. He also tuned to Eb to reduce tension and make it easier for him to sing.

[mister natural]

for me - .11s and a good pro set-up with "dive-only" trem made my Strat sing

[jamdogg]

 

Bigger strings ALWAYS help soundwise. With everything. (Though I agree they don't always facilitate extreme bendage if you're used to the lighter stuff.) They sure as hell won't hurt.

 

 

yes, size matters.

[danbomb]

Move the wire on the switch from the middle pickup to the bridge. Roll off some highs with the tone control- on my EJ strat between 4 and 5 sounds magical.

[Bro Blue]

^^^

 

Or just solder a jumper wire.

[Mackin]

Another vote here for heavier strings. I put a set of Dean Markley 11-52's on my buddy's MIM Strat last weekend and dang, it sounded lovely. Chords always sound in tune no matter how hard you dig into the strings - I love that !

[docjeffrey]

 

Could be the AC30? I find AC30s to be excellent, tight sounding amps, but they don't always make strats sound full.

 

 

I have a 2003 Brit made AC30TBX with Celestion Blues and it sounds sweet at just about any volume level. When I want to keep things turned down a bit, it helps to use a jumper to mix the Normal Channel with the Top Boost Channel. Also, I really like the way it sounds with a compressor and a THD Hot Plate set to -12db. Those AC15's and 30's built at the Marshall plant in the 90's and early 00's are wonderful amps with tons of sweet cleans and crunch.

 

By the way, I'm not sure which AC30 you own, but everything on mine is interactive. You gotta experiment and not be afraid to turn knobs to extreme settings--that includes all three of the volume knobs, the two tone knobs and the cut knob. And don't forget to play around with the hi/low inputs.

[DaveGrima]

I had the same problem with my Partso-Castor. I changed the Capacitor from a .022 to .047 and it made a huge difference. It still sounds like a Strat tho. . If i want a FAT sound Ill use HBs or throw a Big Muff in front of it. As far as strings go I always use .10 on all my guitars. I dont like to go higher because I like to bend a lot. Ive tried using heavier strings to get a "fatter" sound and all I noticed was it was a lot stiffer and harder to play. I think that string guauge = tone is really overrated. You could try using heavier strings but the difference in tone would be negligible.

[StillRock]

Wait... isn't the point of a Strat that thin, clean, Stratty tone, that comes alive when you run it through a driven amp? I love my Strat. but I know it's not my Les Paul. I've thought about replacing the bridge p'up to punch it out a bit, but I worry about giving up that traditional tone that only a Strat can make.

[joseflovesyou]

Thin sound is the strat sound...

[plawren53202]

Thanks to everyone for your responses...

 

There were a couple of comments about the signal chain--the thin issue exists even if I am plugged straight into my amp.

 

I played around with pickup height last night. Raising them helped a little. More so on the neck pickup than the others. Got at least that one a lot closer to the rounder, thicker tone I hear from a lot of strats. Even on the others, raising the pickups definitely boosted the output, which in turn pushed the amp a little harder.

 

I am probably going to try different strings and go up to at least .11s. Also, I think I am going to try a different trem block. I looked at the ones at GFS and will probably get one of the brass ones. However, knowing nothing about any of this, they offer blocks with three different measurements--can someone tell me what I need to measure on the one in the guitar to make sure I order the right one?