Strats - anyone else not like them?

[Twinfan]

All this recent Telecaster hatred has been quite amusing  :lol:

I like Teles.  I think they're cool, workman-like, everyday sling-it-round-your-neck-and-play simple.  Classic tones, great for rhythm work and they sit really well in a mix.  A bit of relic'ing, and they're even better  ;)

Now Strats.....

I always find they're the more feminine of Leo Fender's designs - all those curves and contours etc.  You just can't look 'manly' with one.  I just don't see what all the fuss is about with them.  I've never GAS'ed for one in my life, surely they're just for poseurs?  Stupid cr@ppy (wrongly named) tremolo, annoying middle pickup that gets in the way etc.  They're like a bright pink Cadillac - highly embarassing to own and use.  I mean, who wants to look like Hank Marvin?

Truly awful.

[Roobubba]

I do agree about the pointless middle pickup (but would also add the neck pickup to this, personally).

However, my beef is nothign to do with whether a guitar looks masculine or feminine - I don't see this argument at all. The curves on strats are, in a similar way to teles, a bit cr@p, just far, far less so than the ugly telecaster.

I am so, so glad that the tele in your avatar is essentially invisible with the case lining :)

Heh, you all love it, really :)

Roo

[_tom_]

I used to really like them but totally gone off them now. They're just so bloody boring to look at. And they sound a bit limp :o

[Transcend]

I used to really like them but totally gone off them now. They're just so bloody boring to look at. And they sound a bit limp :o

Yep strats have to be the most boring guitar to look at ever.

[Philly Q]

Now Strats.....

I always find they're the more feminine of Leo Fender's designs - all those curves and contours etc.  You just can't look 'manly' with one.  I just don't see what all the fuss is about with them.  I've never GAS'ed for one in my life, surely they're just for poseurs?  Stupid cr@ppy (wrongly named) tremolo, annoying middle pickup that gets in the way etc.  They're like a bright pink Cadillac - highly embarassing to own and use.  I mean, who wants to look like Hank Marvin?

Truly awful.

Aw Dave, please don't turn into Roo!  :( 

This whole thread is a wind-up I hope, since every comment so far is total bollocks.

[Jonny]

I don't like Strats for their curves (unlike women) I prefer a flat quilt top, with a nice dye. Natural binding, solid colour on the back. Not the usual red, blue, light blue, yellow, green, etc. etc. It's sort of their trademark but I wasn't alive in those days to go WOW a RED GUITAR or anything, no offense to those who were alive. :lol:

[_tom_]

This whole thread is a wind-up I hope, since every comment so far is total bollocks.

I'm deadly serious. They look ok theres just nothing amazing or exciting about them. I've never been able to get the sound to work for me either, its just so weak compared to humbuckers or p90s.

[Twinfan]

It's slightly tongue in cheek, but I honestly do not like Strats.

[JDC]

I haven't played many strats, but when I have I didn't get on with them either, but that's probably more to do with being used to flying Vs, last time I tried one it felt big and I wasn't muting the strings very well so there was lots of noise

and roo there is nothing wrong with the neck pickup!!! it's great for nice smooth leads and cleans, although I ain't got a clue what middle pickups are good for, but then I don't have one so I've never played around with one

[Brow]

I used to really like them but totally gone off them now. They're just so bloody boring to look at. And they sound a bit limp :o

Your former Ash Strat with a Cold Sweat in the bridge isn't 'limp' in the slightest  8)

I'm deadly serious. They look ok theres just nothing amazing or exciting about them. I've never been able to get the sound to work for me either, its just so weak compared to humbuckers or p90s.

To be honest, I felt this way about them too up until about 6 or 7 years ago. Strats are 1 of those guitars that I can't seem to play 'naturally' if you know what I mean? I've really had to work hard to get on with them, but I'm now very glad I have :)

Teles are the new guitar that I like but am not really gelling with atm. Which is a shame, as my homemade 52 style clone with 55 staggered pups spends most of it's time sat in it's case when I should be playing it more  :( :shock:

[Matt77]

I know they are good enough guitars and can sound and play great.
However....... I hate strats.
I hated them before I even played guitar.
I have no justification for this and can't explain why.

[badgermark]

I don't like them either, which is a shame. I WANT to like them, and have tried in the past. Much prefer a solid tele or les paul if i'm honest.

It's a shame it's so popular though, means Fender churn out loads of the buggers with slight variations, whereas the cooler models like the mustang, jaguar and jazzmaster are often neglected.

And that middle pickup pisses me off no end. It's a middle ground, where the strat neck and bridge do a much better job. I'd much rather use one of them than the middle. Don't get me started on 'tremolos', i hate the things! the strat's has to be the worst i've tried.

[jibidy]

All you want for a strat "style" is a ibanez rg!

[kellar]

Not much of a Strat fan either, though they're hard to criticize because I have never really given them a fair try as far as playing.
I do like what they offer tone-wise though. Anyway, it is hard to imagine Jimmy, SRV, or David Gilmour jamming out on anything other than a Strat. (When they did it just didn't look quite right!) :D

[Philly Q]

OK, the Strat may not be the perfect guitar for everybody (it isn't for me either, although I like them very much), but do we really need a thread slagging it off?

OK, a standard Strat is no good for playing "teh br00talz", but you've got to put it in some kind of historical context - there was no br00talz in 1954.  You can't play metal on a Gretsch or Rickenbacker either.

The Strat was of its time but also incredibly futuristic - it's an AWESOME design.  The Jag, Mustang and Jazzmaster were just wonky Strats with design faults the strat never had - and they're only "cool" because they weren't actually good enough to be popular. 

None of your superstrats (hmm, where did that term come from?) would exist without the Strat, the Jem/RG that everybody loves so much is nothing more than a Strat copy (but with all the proportions out of whack).

Without the "pointless" middle pickup you wouldn't have those great sounds in positions 2 and 4.  The tremolo may not stay in tune as well as a Floyd, but it doesn't suck out all the tone like that tinny-sounding, fiddly, over-engineered sledgehammer-to-crack-a-walnut.

Dave's other comments may have been tongue in cheek, but where are the embarrassing-looking, un-manly poseurs in this list? :

Jimi Hendrix
Rory Gallagher
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Ritchie Blackmore
Robin Trower
Eric Clapton
Tommy Bolin
Buddy Guy
Otis Rush
John Frusciante
Eric Johnson
David Gilmour
Jeff Beck

etc
etc

Have you got all day?

******

Come on, somebody help me out here!