I just picked up a chinese squier "strat" on a whim, to play with new tones. I don't really know much about stratocasters, and wanted to try one out. Can anyone offer a quick overview on how the various settings should sound, and how they are appropriate for different playing styles? I realize the 2 and 4 positions are "humbucking", but I really only like the tone of the bottom pickup alone (despite the noise). The others sound a little muddy. Same is true if the tone knobs are turned down. I realize it might be the low quality of the squier pickups, and I am open to replacing them, but I am curious how the other picksups -should- sound. The neck pickup is for "rythm" work in general, correct? It does sound good for lead work on the higher frets but not as much on the lower ones. Anyway, if anyone has a simple guide to strat operation... I'd love to see it. Google doesnt provide much other than setup info, not much on playing.
Try this. Grab your aucostic and play where a neck pickup would be on your strat. It's sort of a deep, bluesy tone. I like to call it sorta chocolatey sound.
Then play at around the place of a middle pickup. It's sort of inbetween the bridge and neck; plenty of clarity, but not alot of twang or bite.
Than the bridge is a very twangy sound, just like playing your aucostic near it's bridge.
Hope that helps.
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Indeed, that's a good way to understand how pickups in any position sound, but particular to this guitar there are also some other interesting specifics about the pickup settings.
As you've noted, the "between" positions are the humbucking positions, though that doesn't necessarily mean they sound anything like humbuckers. The in between positions are more characteristically described as "squawking".
The rear position can be a biting rock sound or can be used to get a telecaster sort of sound: pretty twangy.
The neck position on a strat can be one of two things, smooth but boring or smooth and "chimey", shimmering. Think Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter". That's become one of my major deciding factors when evaluating a strat: Lifeless or chimey? Box like or bell like? It's a fine line, but worth discovering.
Just my $0.02
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I love strats.They are cool.But i think nothing beats a gibson LP.For your information on strats search on about.com in the topic of guitar.Its there buddy. :)
The neck position on a strat can be one of two things, smooth but boring or smooth and "chimey", shimmering. Think Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter". That's become one of my major deciding factors when evaluating a strat: Lifeless or chimey? Box like or bell like? It's a fine line, but worth discovering.
Is that sound a function of the guitar, the amp, or the player? (or all of them..) With limited experience on my strat, I've noticed that my picking "touch" seems to have a lot of influence on the tone I get. Seems like an electric is much more sensitive to that than an accoustic..
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Neck + Middle : Think Little Wing, SRV's Lenny, Castles Made of Sand
Middle + Bridge: Sultans of Swing
If you want the bridge to have less treble, you can wire your strat to have the tone control go to the bridge. You can turn the tone way down and get a good clapton cream tone that way.
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