My love/hate relationship with Stratocasters

My love/hate relationship with Stratocasters | Rundown of all my Strats

Рет қаралды 1,426

Күн бұрын

The Stratocaster is nearly synonymous with electric guitar itself. Since its introduction in 1954 it has easily become one of the most-played and best selling guitar styles of all time. As Fender celebrates 70 years of the Strat, I thought it time to explore my collection of Strats and talk about my love/hate relationship with this iconic guitar.
Drop a comment below with your thoughts on the Strat - favorite Strat players, dream Strat specs, gripes or praises of the Stratocaster - and let’s talk all things Stratocaster!
This specific video is not sponsored - but big thanks to Origin Effects for providing the Cali76 compressor and to Fender for providing the Player Stratocaster 70th Anniversary.
. . .
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro Sketch
02:41 97 Deluxe Super Strat
06:39 The Edge Signature Strat
09:55 Player Strat - 70th Anni
13:18 Yamaha Pacifica Standard Plus
. . .
GEAR LIST
Origin Effects Cali76 Compressor
Nordvang Custom Skyline
Beetronics Wannabee
Neunaber Inspire
Strymon Bigsky
Hiwatt DR20/0.5
Universal Audio OX BOX
. . .
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Пікірлер: 37

@oliversplace263 2 ай бұрын

The intro is an absolute vibe!

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

aw thank you! it was a fun one to put together :)

@michaelmccormick1016 2 ай бұрын

I have a custom licensed Strat from Warmoth with features you can’t get from Fender. I’m tall so my hands are bigger. My nut width is extra wide so 3/16 wider string spacing. Got a real bone nut. Big thick boatneck for my grip. Stainless steel frets that will never need refretting. The body is honeycomb chambered inside for resonance and lightness. But nicely balanced still. And the heel is contoured so it angles in. No blocky edge to rub against. I wired a mini switch to get Tele like sound with neck and bridge pickups together. One of my favorite tones. If you don’t like the middle pickups as much, you should experiment to pull one out and replace the pick guard. Maybe go with P90s sized for single coil for bridge and neck! All your tones sounded great to me.

@Keven_Ortiz 2 ай бұрын

The only thing I didn’t like about the intro was that I wasn’t about to join you and share solo takes. Dig the intro!

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

haha :) thanks man!

@ZachariahConnor 2 ай бұрын

So many of the guitar players I looked up (and still do) play Stratocasters. I’ve loved my Player Stratocaster, I added a push push pot to let me add the bridge pickup to positions 4&5. The neck shape isn’t my favorite, but it is great in every other way

@ZachariahConnor 2 ай бұрын

*looked up to

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

Very cool! yeah, I'm kind of the same way - lots of guitar legends have played em. That push pot really unlocks some cool sounds in the Strat.

@BrentAdams 2 ай бұрын

Favorite S-style Guitar.....G&L Legacy. A Vintage flavored S-style by George & Leo! I like the trem and feel much better on this than any "F" guitar that I've had my hands on...& that has been a LOT! My 2nd choice is my Hamer Mirage with the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge and the S.D. Cool Rails for the other two positions. Wilkinson trem that also works extremely well.

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

definitely have to revisit the G&L stuff...multiple recommendations coming in about those guitars.

@Steven-kj7xq Ай бұрын

I love strats, they just feel right and I love how they look. But they're only my second favorite, after the Jazzmaster. Favorite strat player would be Doug Martsch of Built to Spill.

@AmbientEndeavors Ай бұрын

Oo interesting, I’ll have to check out Built to Spill, I haven’t dive into their catalog in a long while.

@wheresallthezombies 2 ай бұрын

I can’t get along with strats. I love a lot of Stratocaster players but I’ve never picked one up and felt like I had to have it. Which is weird because (like most people) I started playing a Japanese squier strat from the 90s.

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

It is an interesting paradox - I think a lot of folks have that story - Strat as the gateway, but one that sort of gets abandoned. It's largely my story too. I think its comfort and versatility make it really fun to learn on, and then leave it as a jumping off point to honing in on your individual sound.

@nvteriffs Ай бұрын

I really really want to love the Stratocaster. I have bought and sold 5 now. They just… Don’t do it for me. Can’t explain why but I’ve never picked one up and gone “Man I love how this feels”.

@AmbientEndeavors Ай бұрын

Yeah, I can understand/relate to that. I think the solid slab feel of a Tele feels better to me most times. What body styles have you gravitated toward?

@im58woody 2 ай бұрын

I love the tones you were developing here. you were able I just picked up a 2014 60th Anniversary Strat with Fat 50’s pickups last week. Beautiful Sienna Sunburst finish on it in near mint condition. Sounds amazing but I think I am more of a Telecaster guy. I have it listed today on Reverb. I’m thinking about a Butterscotch Telecaster with a 4way switch maybe.

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

that Tele and config would be cool! I gotta say, of all the Strats I've played I do think the Fat 50s are some of my favorite pickups.

@brycegoff529 2 ай бұрын

Love that with the layout you can volume adjust in real time with your pinky while playing. I only ever ever use the neck position. I mean it’s like the best sound but anything quacky or clucky annoys me so much. Not that I can’t get with that Thriller album clucky palm mute sound but I would just never play that sound. Bridge position works for me with a huge fuzz but that’s it. Even though I love the strat, I can’t get with the hum either and got Dimarzio Cruisers after watching the Khruangbin rig rundown and that has made the strat a dream for me. 70s headstocks all the way. The G and L one is sweet too as someone mentioned.

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

dig it! And that 70s headstock is so polarizing, but I've firmly come around to loving it. Neck pickup feels like the quintessential Strat blues / rock sound.

@ryanlineaweaver8220 2 ай бұрын

I have a Music Man Cutlass that I love. Roasted maple neck, beautiful color (not made anymore), and EBMM just makes super high quality guitars. That being said, I don't vibe with HSS the way I thought I would so I ordered a replacement pickguard configured to SSS and a set of those Lambertones where the bridge is a Tele pickup instead. Seems like the best of both worlds!

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

man , that sounds cool! I don't think I've ever noticed that config option. I've been digging the Pacifica for the HSS personally, as I end up doing a lot on a bridge humbucker and like the clarity of the neck SC. I do love that the Strat is so customizable and mod-able. Also the EBMM stuff is on my list...they have some BEAUTIFUL guitars.

@ryanlineaweaver8220 2 ай бұрын

Yeah, I think the Lambertones with the Tele bridge is a limited thing they're doing with Bradford from Worship Tutorials. I'm pumped to try it out!

@eternalforce116 2 ай бұрын

First guitar I fell in love with was a Strat. I've always had at least one, but this year I sold my last one. Just didn't reach for it as much as my tele or Jazzmaster-style offset. Always considering bringing one back into the collection, but always hesitant. John Mayer is pretty much the main reason I love the Strat.

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

Totally feel that. And admittedly a huge Mayer fan too. I'm feeling a pull to them again as I've kind of veered into some chorus'd/verby 80s tones and those in between settings sound so cool paired with that ( see: intro sketch :D ) but I largely find myself in your same boat.

@compucorder64 2 ай бұрын

My first proper guitar was a Fender MIJ 1969 reissue Stratocaster, from the mid 90s. My mom got it for a good price in the January sales when I was a teenager. Think it was maybe around £300 at the time. Wish I had kept that guitar. Someday, I think I'll track down a similar one, and just pretend it's the same one. The things I don't gel with on the strat are the body shape, I find them a bit cumbersome compared to a Mustang or Telecaster say. Similar with the tone, apart from the Stratocaster neck pickup, I prefer the Telecaster, Jazzmaster or Mustang tone. Though sometimes middle positions can be nice for certain uses (soul, funk, disco, r&b). Not a fan of the bridge sound, compared to the Telecaster. But still, love having a Strat around, even just for that neck pickup tone.

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

agreed. The neck pickup grabs me in a strat unlike most other neck pickups. I think the playability and feel of a tele style is more my jam too, the Start body is comfortable ergonomically, but something about the substance of a block Tele body that just *feels* right...and without that pesky middle pickup ha.

@compucorder64 2 ай бұрын

@@AmbientEndeavors Another thing I do love about the Strat is how they gel so well with a cooking Marshall JTM. Really conjures up those Hendrix tones that first hooked my on electric guitar when I first got intrigued. But these days I'm really enjoying my Fender Vintera Modified 50's Telecaster. But otherwise, I'm very much on the same page with the P90s. Three of the guitars I play the most are P90s, or P90-ish, Baum Wingman, modded Epiphone Casino (Lollar P90s) and a Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster. I do love humbuckers too, but I like them most in more vocal/throaty, naturally midrange focused guitars, like my ES-335 and SG type guitars. Less of a Les Paul humbucker fan. I feel like standard Les Paul's are my Love/Hate guitar. I prefer SGs or Les Paul Specials or Juniors with P90 pickups.

@rappel28 2 ай бұрын

Edge strat was my favorite

@AmbientEndeavors 2 ай бұрын

It's far and away the best Strat I've owned. Feels SO good and the pickups are near-perfect for my tastes. Bonus points for the 70s headstock :D

@rappel28 2 ай бұрын

@AmbientEndeavors my only gripe is that they didn't put the bullet truss rod cover on it. Other than that it's amazing. That tuxedo strat with the maple neck is everything I always dreamed about until I saw a local rock show, and the guitar player had a early 2000s gold custom shop jazzmaster. That blew me away. Now I've got several jazzmasters and teles but I'm still waiting to find the perfect strat. I'll end up with one at some point I'm sure. Edge is my favorite delay guitar player. I grew up watching rattle and hum, and dreaming of that 70s strat.

@poesybeat 2 ай бұрын

I hate Strats. Have owned so many over the years and sold every one. Just bought another last week - a beat up ‘94 Standard for $395 with a perfect 30-year relic job, lol.