Will a Fat Strat Sound Differently Than A LP?

There are so many things that go into changing the sound of a guitar, body style being one of them. All of the things that make up the body style like the type of wood, type of bridge, type of tail piece, type of nut, type of neck, type of etc. make the strings vibrate a little differently and because of this you will surely hear a difference. Even different types of humbuckers will sound different.

I think you even made that point in a thread the other day when you said "you were glad you had the Agile since it didn't have that muddy sound of an LP". So see, even different styles of LP's can sound different.

A fat strat does sound different than a strat and an LP but still more like a strat.

YES MIKE!! They do sound differently.

I have an Epiphone LP Custom Special. Its a true LP. Set Neck, very strong P/U's. Sounds, feels, plays and acts like a LP.

Compared against my new Fat Strat --- two completely different pallettes of tone. The strat well sounds like a strat no matter where the selecter switch is. I'm not to good at describing the difference between the two, but even to my 'fairly untrained' ear, they're like night in day when it comes to the tonal qualities of either guitar. (Not Quality as in good or bad, quality as in Different). Its like comparing two different breed of dog, they're both dogs, but each have they're own 'qualities' about them.

But using the Hum on the Strat with full HUM effect, I think the S-1 switch will make it parrallel then opposed in polarity, (or something to that effect), so in essence the Bucker is like a big single coil. I'm getting side tracked, anyhoo the Bucker does sound.....mmmmmm.... more strong? more Punchier? maybe is the word I'm looking for, (I can use my overdrive pedal and the Buckers will break up sooner than the singles). Yett nothing still, like my LP (instant break up-distortion) when using my OD pedal.

One could wonder why? I think its in the design of the guitar, my strat is much lighter, perhaps less dense in construction materials, definately different wood and its a bolt on neck vs a set neck. The bridge is completely different design. In essense two different animals so, (back to the dog analogy), two different barks if you will.

Some will even go onto say that the fat strat sounds way different from a regular Strat. S-S-S vs H-S-S. but mine has the S-1 switch and if I'm not mistaken that switch will essentially make it go from SS-S-S to a H-S-S in tonal quality. I'm finding that I rather like the S-1 switched Fatty for its extremely diverse in the tones I'm pulling out of it.

Oh but you asked about a Fat H-H Strat not the H-S-S strat. Sorry I just read that part of your post.

Yes I am talking about a Fat HH strat...This one im particlular. I figured the sounds had to be similar to an LP with the same HH setup...however like Nils said there are other factors as well.

Thanks guys

I've not had a ton of experience playing various guitars yet, but I do know that my Epi LP sounds different than my Fender Blackout HH Tele. The bodies, pups, bridge and other things I'm sure all contribute to the difference. I guess that's one reason why guitarists rationalize having an arsenal of guitars. :)

Jason

You could 'probably' make a Strat type guitar sound more like a Paul, if you shortened the scale length from 25.5" to 24.75", made sure the humbucker pole pieces were right under the same harmonics of the strings and maybe had it with a set-neck or neck-through type construction instead of a bolt-on.

But then again I've heard the SG type guitars (Gibson copies or the real things) sound different than the LP type guitars, so yes, you have to take into account the body shape, density of wood, even the shape and thickness and material of the neck (which also contributes to tone, along with the fretboard material), and all the other things mentioned above - bridge, tailpiece, ect. You'd think an SG and an LP would be exactly the same, but the LP has that carved/arched top as opposed to the flat shape of the SG. They have pretty much the same neck (the SG was originally supposed to be a double-cut version of the LP - the first ones were actually called Les Pauls - with the same pickups and hardware pretty much, same or similar headstock angle, tuners, etc - so you'd think they would sound identical. Same with the Explorers and V's; same pups and hardware, but different shapes and no archtop.

But I think you could get close with a 'Super-Strat' with set neck, Gibson scale length and humbuckers - maybe even with the archtops like some PRS's and whatnot.

That said, like said above, that's why some guys get one (or more) of each, just to cover both types of sounds.

Best regards.

Yes I am talking about a Fat HH strat...This one im particlular. I figured the sounds had to be similar to an LP with the same HH setup...however like Nils said there are other factors as well.

Thanks guys

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