• From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Topic: Fender Strat

Hello everyone:)

I used to have a 60's road worn Fender Strat in sunburst..ended up selling it because I hated how it felt and how hard it was to play

Does anyone have any experience with both the road worn model and an American standard and opinions of them both? The aspect I hated was how resistive the strings were and also the non coated neck

I'd love to play a Strat as I love their tone but I just found that particular one difficult to play which has subsequently given me a bad opinion of all other Strats

Thanks!

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • From: New York
  • Registered: 2011-02-13
  • Posts: 444

Re: Fender Strat

Hard to go wrong with an American Standard. Fender offers Strats for practically every prospective buyer. Depends if you want nitro, poly, noiseless pickups, etc.

Gibson Custom Joe Bonamassa Ltd Signature Les Paul VOS # 31
  • From: Melbourne, Australia
  • Registered: 2012-04-04
  • Posts: 19

Re: Fender Strat

I have a 50's roadworn that I've only had for a few weeks... I think they certainly need work on the electronics and a damned good setup, but there is potential there. Pretty good for the $ (or ₤, depending on where you are).

  • Indy
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  • From: Philly
  • Registered: 2011-01-04
  • Posts: 269

Re: Fender Strat

I have a Custom Shop Clapton in mercedes blue and it's an awesome guitar.  The neck is a satin finish and the active mid boost moves the tone into new territory.  The vintage frets take some getting use to but it just takes some time.  I removed the block and use the bar.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Fender Strat

thecolonel wrote:

I have a 50's roadworn that I've only had for a few weeks... I think they certainly need work on the electronics and a damned good setup, but there is potential there. Pretty good for the $ (or ₤, depending on where you are).

So do you think they are setup badly??

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Fender Strat

Indy wrote:

I have a Custom Shop Clapton in mercedes blue and it's an awesome guitar.  The neck is a satin finish and the active mid boost moves the tone into new territory.  The vintage frets take some getting use to but it just takes some time.  I removed the block and use the bar.

How resistive is it for bending?

thanks!

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • From: New York
  • Registered: 2011-02-13
  • Posts: 444

Re: Fender Strat

Jlowther wrote:
Indy wrote:

I have a Custom Shop Clapton in mercedes blue and it's an awesome guitar.  The neck is a satin finish and the active mid boost moves the tone into new territory.  The vintage frets take some getting use to but it just takes some time.  I removed the block and use the bar.

How resistive is it for bending?

thanks!

Each Strat is different, even within the same series. The best route is to slap on a set of Super Slinkys.

Gibson Custom Joe Bonamassa Ltd Signature Les Paul VOS # 31
  • Registered: 2012-02-22
  • Posts: 26

Re: Fender Strat

They definatley have to be set up. I hated mine until I had it set up. The best 30.00 I ever spent, they decked the trem, and intonated it and a few other adjustments and it was a completely different guitar. I couldnt believe how much better it played, I loved it after that

9 Reply by Coach305 (edited by Coach305 2012-04-17 19:39:53)

  • From: New Castle, DE USA
  • Registered: 2011-01-03
  • Posts: 1,256

Re: Fender Strat

moparguy wrote:

They definatley have to be set up. I hated mine until I had it set up. The best 30.00 I ever spent, they decked the trem, and intonated it and a few other adjustments and it was a completely different guitar. I couldnt believe how much better it played, I loved it after that

I think this is a fairly common experience with Strats, from what I've read elsewhere.  The difference between my Jimmie Vaughan before and after I had it professionally set up was substantial (far, far more satisfying to play after).  As for strings, if you haven't tried them yet give the new Ernie Ball Cobalts a try...

Terrance Shuman
New Castle, DE

10 Reply by NPB_EST.1979 (edited by NPB_EST.1979 2012-04-17 23:00:15)

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Fender Strat

Coach305 wrote:

As for strings, if you haven't tried them yet give the new Ernie Ball Cobalts a try...

I saw an ad with a quote from Joe B on it saying they were good. I just don't know if he is using them exclusively.

"There's a certain degree of clarity and punch you get from Cobalt Strings that I haven't heard tonally from any other strings I've played." - Joe Bonamassa

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Fender Strat

I think your problem is the Road Worn strats are a 7.25" radius.   American models and Standard mexico have a 9.5" radius as well as the Clapton and the Jimmy Vaughan.  Lots of blues players hate 7.25 because the radius is very curved so as you bend you have to travel what feels like up hill and if your action is low it will fret out.  A good setup is key to any great guitar and I think you'd find that it plays way better with some lighter strings IMHO.  I like 7.25 radius necks (V's are awesome) and people have lived with them for almost 70 years.  I own an American Series 2001 stratocaster sunburst with maple fret board.  Its my go to guitar.  I bought it new and it was awesome then.  Modded it to death and survived an angry wife trying to bash it in a million pieces but it just has too much fight left in it.  It beat up worse then your road worn because mine really is drive way worn lol.  But its the guitar that all other are compaired to.  You can't go wrong with an American Standard today, plus with Custom shop pickups they just upgraded to I doubt if you'll even need to mod it... much.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Cambridge
  • Registered: 2011-01-15
  • Posts: 912

Re: Fender Strat

Thanks for the excellent replies...

AD3THREE...does a larger neck radius just make it easier to bend the strings and increase playability? Bending really is the only problem I have with Strats...

Jonny L

Videos of my playing: http://www.youtube.com/user/JonnyLowtherMusic
  • Registered: 2009-02-10
  • Posts: 470

Re: Fender Strat

Higher radius does mean easier bending yes, but only due to fretting out. ie high bends will die out.
What really makes bending easier is higher frets. So the combination of a 9.5" radius and higher frets will mean you can bend much easier. Vintage frets really are a nightmare if you ask me. I much prefer high frets.
Go give a few different strats a try. Look out for medium/jumbo frets as opposed to vintage...and look out of a 9.5" (which most modern strats are) or as high as 12" (which is as flat as a les paul fingerboard)

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Fender Strat

Agreed.  The necks with smaller radius are better for chords, and if your bending strings big frets with big radius will be your best friend.  Some strats offer Compound radius necks that start of 9.5" and transition down the neck to about 16" radius.  Fender went with the 9.5 back in the 80's as a good inbetween radius.  If you have a vintage 7.25 and put big fat tall frets in you can do like SRV did and have the tech make the frets flatter then the board itself. 
Ibanez has 20" radius on some guitars.  I like the vintage style and I like the modern style as well.  For me if the neck has smaller wire I'll go ligheter on my strings (I'm using a 10-46 boomers GHS on that guitar) and my main Strat has a set of David Gilmour Les paul strings on it (10.5-50) Both guitars give me about the same response but the American is still easier to play.  But that vintage style neck has so much tone from being such a fat V neck that it makes up for the difficulty of playing it.  None of my guitar fret out and I bend constantly.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Indy
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  • From: Philly
  • Registered: 2011-01-04
  • Posts: 269

Re: Fender Strat

I have a Tele 52 Reissue with a 7.25" radius with vintage frets and when I first got it I had some buzzing and fret-out.  Got it set up and had the 10th through 15th frets flattened just slightly and now it's perfect.  I also had it set up for 11 to 52 guage six packs and it screams when I push it through my Plexi.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.