Strat Players

favance said:
I love my Strat w/Clapton Mod preamp and vintage noiseless pickups. I can use ANY Patch in the Axe-FX and it sounds great w/the treble boost and mid boost built into the guitar!
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Cool. Do you have the Clapton model or did you upgrade your Strat with that mod? (Got me wondering if I might try that sometime.)
 
I’d say check out Sultans and Bayou Country for clean and/or edge of break up. The New Country setting is awesome as well - sounds killer using my strat with BKP Irish Tours.
 
chkayleebear said:
per this absolutely magnificent suggestion and 15 minutes of tweaking 💜✨ 4th position on my mim strat, tremolux with a couple tweaks, cc boost set low, tape delay and nimbostratus reverb
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Awww yeeeaaaah. That's the good stuff right there!
 
Sworn and true Les Paul user 3 years ago. My last album was all Les Paul. But then I let an Ultra Strat into my hands and the rest is history. Had to upgrade to the Ultra Luxe a couple of weeks ago.

1. Clean/ Rhythm. - Any of the modeled Fender amps. Would suggest starting with the EJ Clean preset, and then change out the amps till you find the ones you love.
2.Early edge of break up. - After you get EJ Clean working with your favorite Fender amps, add TS808 tube screamer in front of the amp and dial in to taste.
3.Crunch/Overdrive and then a Lead sound. - the Petrucci Rig Preset, Scene 1 for Crunch and then Scene 4 for Lead. The single coils sing like heaven thru these Mesa amps and cabs. Or take the EJ Lead preset, change the amp to Cameron CCV 2a or 2b etc, turn up the Delay mix just a little and enjoy. Add one of the Ts808 tube screamers and you've got Santana. I have one preset with stereo 2 cabinets 4x12 Greenbacks, and another stereo 2 cabs with 4x12 T75s instead.

I still love my Les Paul, but the Strat is just spanky, spunky and screamin'
 
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I have a 93 Strat Ultra I put a set of Kris Kinman Woodstock's in, a decade or 2 ago. She needs a little fretwork done now but nothing I haven't done before, and I wouldn't trade her for the world! Love Strats! :)
 
Got the new Ultraburst Strat with RW FB and still have my 2006 USA Dlx maple FB with fralin pups. Never, ever will let go of those.
 
neale dunham said:
Having been a PRS player for many years, I finally had a strange urge to buy a Strat??? (Must be a Midlife Crisis thing).
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Must be going around. Of the dozens of vintage guitars that have passed thru my hands in the last 50yrs. I have yet to call a Strat my own. If any of you Stratters are srsly thinning your herd yours could be my first one. PM me if so.
 
secondwindow said:
Cool. Do you have the Clapton model or did you upgrade your Strat with that mod? (Got me wondering if I might try that sometime.)
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I upgraded my 2007 Deluxe Strat by adding a Clapton Mod Kit...The one I got, came with the Pick guard, 3 Vintage Noiseless Pickups, and the Circuit Board. I installed it myself, including some routing I had to do with the guitar under the pick guard. Later, I had my luthier install the battery in the tremolo cavity. The kit I got, a few years back, had a potentiometer with center detent for the treble control and the second tone control is a 25db mid-boast.
 
neale dunham said:
Mainly looking for:

1. Clean/ Rhythm.
2.Early edge of break up.
3.Crunch/Overdrive and then a Lead sound.

So four really good sounds in total.

The Strat I have is an American Standard with all 3 pickups circa 7 ohms (so not very powerful).

Some amps to try or even Presets to begin to tweak would be great.

Give me your best shot! :)

Thanks.
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I play Strats with vintage single coils.
I find a Marshall type amp (I use Dirty Shirley) set to achieve "early edge of break up" with the guitar volume on 10 allows you to get "clean/rhythm" when you turn down guitar volume knob. That takes care of your #1 and # 2 requirements.
Then you just choose the drive/boost of your choice for #3 and #4.
All of your requirements met with one amp in one preset.
 
skategeezer said:
The Silver Sky is a better vintage Strat. It actually feels and sounds like a real vintage Strat. I have played several real 50's and 60's era Strats.
Don't get too focused on brand names. Also I was a Start players for years and still own at least one Fender. And would highly recommend the PRS quality over other makers any day.
Also a guitars appearance should always be secondary consideration.
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The best strats I've ever played more often than not said something other than "Fender" on the headstock. My favorites were from Nash, Tom Anderson, and G&L for what it's worth. I'm eager to try out a Silver Sky
 
neale dunham said:
Wow!

Those are some beautiful guitars Skate right there but I guess I shoulda mentioned I'm kinda looking more for Axe 3 tones to suit a Strat rather than a PRS version of a Strat but you've certainly got me thinking now. Ha! if only I could afford another one...
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The Silver Sky is a PRS in brand only. It's pedigree is vintage Strat through and through. Other than the 3x3 headstock, it's built to be as Strat-like as any Fender out there.

I traded a Suhr for mine and have not for a second regretted it. It was the Strat tone I'd been chasing in my head for decades.

It's a vintage Strat though. It's not attempting to be a modern instrument coping vintage tones. The neck radius is low (though it's setup so well I don't think most people notice at first and I certainly haven't found it to be an impediment to playing). There's nothing there to combat picking up hum on the single coil settings. The pickguard can pick up static and you'll hear a little crackle from it in the signal as you brush a digit or your hand across it (there are ways to combat this...namely rubbing it occasionally with a dryer sheet).

But damn if it doesn't sing beautifully.
 
I love my Eric Johnson Strat with the Axe - especially the AC-20. I would buy an AF3 just for that model alone!

Amazing clean and rhythm sounds - and for a lead just drop in a parametric EQ with 6-8dB of wideband boost at 800-1200Hz depending on your pickups. Instant Gilmour. I love it!
 
A Strat with pretty much any low-mid gain or edge-of-breakup amp is going to be money but don't overlook getting into mid gain JCM territory. The tone I generally play the most when just messing around is a Strat through a driven Marshall or variant (Brit 800 #34, Friedman HBE, or Spawn Q-Rod OD2-1).
 
A Silver Sky into the 5F8 Tweed will keep you busy for days. I’ve got a Fender Strat, and it’s a good one, but the Silver Sky gets all the Strat-playing time these days. It’s just a better guitar for me. With a good amp model, you’re golden. I’ll also +1 the AC20Deluxe model mentioned above… it’s good with any guitar!
 
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