Don't like Strats, but like the sound. Ideas?

I want a straty sound but don't want a Strat! Seriously! Sounds daft, I know. So don't say "then buy a Strat!"

So, I need ideas. I'm talking 3 single coil geetars here, the classic strat config.

I like the looks of Vantage Avengers, USA made Peavey Falcons, Charvels, Westone Concord, etc.


Above all, I want that strat sound and a good feel. And I'm picky about that sound. So whatever guitars you know will get that sound, I want to hear about it!

Great sounds out of my concord, admittedly not strat config, HSS, but easily one of the most playable necks I've ever wrapped my clumsy left hand round.

You'll get some seriously good single coils sounds out of Concord and Avenger. To my old ears they sound Strat-y enough although purists may beg to differ.

I've never been a Strat fan either, but I respect its place in rock and roll.

What is it about the strat that you don't like? Scale length, neck radius, body style? Please tell us.

If you don't like Fender's 7.5" or 9.25" radius, get a Warmoth neck with their standard 10-16" compound radius. It gives you easy chording in the standard position and you can bend for days up high on the neck without fretting out.

If you don't like the Fender 25.5" scale length, then get a Warmoth short scale conversion neck and bolt it on your strat. It'll give you Gibson 24.75" scale and less string tension. But strats sound better with .011 gauge strings than .010, and when you shorten that scale, you may need to bump up to .012 gauge strings - maybe. And the Warmoth neck will come with their 10-16" radius, so you get best of both worlds - short scale and compound radius.

Is there something else you don't like about strats?

PRS makes some guitars with 3 single coils.

Get one of those westones, cut bits off, glue bits on, fill bits in, rout bits out, take bits off, put bits on............and voila a westone strat type thing!





Genius




Ian

Sorry.....been a funny day at work. I must say that I didn't knw you could get short scale conversion necks for strats... time to go lookin' at the Warmoth website methinks.

of course you know, i like me some Concords...
but here is another nice single coil guitar, Aria Pro II RS Classic (matsumoku '83), good strong pickups in this one

What I don't like about Strats is the body style and the neck radius (fretting out).

And great ideas guys!

Ian, you made me laugh but that's a great idea.

i think adrian belew makes a good observation, when he described Leo Fender like Henry Ford, not that he made the best guitars in the world, but that he revolutionized the way they were made. he made electric guitars in a way they could be mass produced and easily modified. adrian belew vid

i get bored with the typical stratocaster body shape, there are sooooo many.

that is one of the reasons that the Matsumoku instruments appeal to me. very artistic ethos to their body styles.

Me too Mike, I'm feel the same way.

I just got the wood for my first guitar build from scratch. It's going to look like a strat, but will have be 25 inch scale with a compund radius so should feel quite different than the standard strats.

If I were to buy a non strat 3 single coil, I would go for the PRS 305.



Or why not take the HB's out of the pointy's you have and drop in some Vintage Fender Noiseless PUPS?

That strat sound, though... Isn't that because the middle pup is reverse phase to the bridge/neck so that you get that "quack" sound in positions 2 & 4??

The shape, whilst the proliferation of copies has diluted it's impact, is a design classic and I think is still a pretty shape, though I have to say I don't really play mine much....

I don't care for Strats because:

• I've never owned one
  
• I've never been a lead player
  
• I find them somewhat uncomfortable and heavy-ish
  
• I beat the hell out of the centre pup with my pick
  

That said, we usually carry the Olympic White Strat at the shop. I say "usually" 'cuz it doesn't hang around too long! With rosewood fretboard and Custom Shop Fat ’50s pickups, Delta tome circuit, it looks great and sounds great. And if I was ever tempted to go Strat, I think this would be the one to do it.

How about a Fernandes, good quality guitars and a lot cheaper than a PRS, ok not the same league but..?

corsair wrote:That strat sound, though... Isn't that because the middle pup is reverse phase to the bridge/neck so that you get that "quack" sound in positions 2 & 4??

The shape, whilst the proliferation of copies has diluted it's impact, is a design classic and I think is still a pretty shape, though I have to say I don't really play mine much....

for the middle pickup, it is both the magnets and the windings that are opposite of the others. this design has been used since the mid 70's.

and i agree, the design is classic, art deco meets space-age. born at an extremely dynamic and creative time in America. and it is hard to see now, how radical it was when it was first introduced, because nowadays it is hard to imagine a time when electric guitars were not common as clover, especially a "strat" . and it seems that even all these years later, there haven't been any radical improvements to the single coil pickup sound created by the strat. it's sound is fundamental to so much of the original rock and roll music, that it is doubtful that anything will overtake it's popularity.

You need to find one of these Chad, IF you can...

http://forum.westoneguitars.net/t2955-one-of-leo-fender-s-lesser-brand-models

The variety of tones is far superior to my Strat and overall feel and playability is even better, with the added bonus of being able to channel the "chimeyness" of a Telecaster whenever you want to.

If you are just looking for Strat sound primarily and can put up with the styling I have heard lots of good reports on the current Legacy line that G&L builds today.

+1 on G&L - but the old ones eh

a peavey falcon will knock your socks off

The Chad wrote:What I don't like about Strats is the body style and the neck radius (fretting out).

And great ideas guys!

Ian, you made me laugh but that's a great idea.

It sounds like you need a Nashville Tele with a compound radius neck. That would solve both of your problems.

probably, i have a dean custom shop nash vegas, i never play my strats now! it has an extra volume control for the middle pickup, so it can be blended with the neck and bridge ones, or in mid position all 3 at once, i have to say it sounds like overkill on a tele, just let your ears decide!

gittarasaurus wrote:i think adrian belew makes a good observation, when he described Leo Fender like Henry Ford, not that he made the best guitars in the world, but that he revolutionized the way they were made. he made electric guitars in a way they could be mass produced and easily modified. adrian belew vid

i get bored with the typical stratocaster body shape, there are sooooo many.

that is one of the reasons that the Matsumoku instruments appeal to me. very artistic ethos to their body styles.

Wow, thanks for great large video link to Adrian Belew! When teamed up with Eno and the Talking heads his guitar noises were something I really digged over those African rhythm influenced patterns late seventies early eighties stuff like > Crosseyed and painless <

Thanks to all, great insight like I expected!

I know what more to look for now. You'll know when I pull the trigger!