Recommendations wanted: Strat for guys who don't like playing strats

[Bach5G]

If they happen to come through your shop, be sure to look at any Nash or Danocaster. Also, an Eric Johnson strat. They may not be your cup of tea but doesn't hurt to check 'em out.

The EJ rosewoods are 12” radius, bound. Might be as close to a Gibby as Leo gets.

[lammie200]

My first electric guitar was a Fender Tele back in the early ‘80s. 25.5” scale, 7.25” radius, 1.650” nut width. Since then I have put together the equivalent of about 8-10 partscasters. I have tried thin necks, fat necks, 10”-16” compound radius fretboards, 9.5” and 12” radius fretboards, wide nut widths, 25” scale lengths, 25.25” scale lengths and probably any other option you can think of.

Right now I have 4 partscasters. A Strat, a Tele, a Jazzmaster, and a 12 string Jazzmaster. The all have similar specs closer to Fender originals than anything else. All have 25.5” scale lengths and somewhat chunky profiles. Except for the 12 string they have 7.25” radius fretboards and 1.650” nut widths. Like I said I tried a bunch of variations. They didn’t feel right to me. The Fender original design specs are worth a look IMHO. Even if you find that you don’t want one with the original specs it might be worth playing one that has those specs so you can compare others to it as a control.

[Cunamara]

I have a Warmoth conversion neck on my Partscaster and like it a lot (roasted maple, unfinished). It's not chunky but you can order chunky along with your preferred nut width, frets, etc. You could make it feel a lot like a Gibson neck. Is there a European equivalent? I have absolutely no idea. If not, I would bet that Warmoth are used to shipping to Europe.

Something else- the way the strap button is situated compared to Gibson makes the guitar hang differently and I've never liked it. I noticed that Holdsworth moved the button to the back of the guitar and I tried that, reaming it out a little bit and using the one of the neck screws to hold the button. Works great and I really like how the guitar feels when standing; I have done this with my Teles too. Where Leo put the strap button is just the wrong place for me. Really makes the guitar feel better IME, YMMV.

And of course then there is the question of pickups. For me the standard glassy Strat sound is a nonstarter, particularly for jazz, although I have heard other people played absolutely bone stock Strats and sound great playing jazz. But there is a wide variety of options for Stratocaster pickups. My favorite Strat sound is actually a rock sound (Rory Gallagher); Kent Armstrong makes a set of pick ups to get that kind of sound and I would imagine his son Aaron also offers a similar pickup in the UK which is temporarily still part of Europe. They can rock out with the best of them; clean they are a little darker and fatter and maybe slightly P90-ish compared to the usual Fender pickup. His Strat was a '61 and those pickups are reputed to sound a little different than other years.

[frankhond]

If you don’t need a strat right now, you won’t find one. Once you need one, any old American Standard Strat will do. That’s the sweet spot in terms of price/performance. Put Lundgren BJFE pickups in it and you are done.

And I’m not joking. Had a bunch of them. Got a Fender custom shop strat here now and it’s a piece of art, you simply won’t find a better strat. Yet I play my Heritages and my Mjt tele instead. Don’t need the strat.

[Kirk1701]

Have you considered a PRS? Paul's original design plan was to create a hybrid between Strats and LPs.

The 513 and 408 are cool options, but there have been many hybrids over the years.

513 vs 408 - How Are They Different?

You said you've tried Suhrs, but did you know that John Suhr originally made Mark Knopfler's Pensa MK-1? John still makes that guitar in his Standard line.

Finally, the Pensa MK2 is almost exactly what you describe: shorter scale, single coils, angled headstock, and even a stop tailpiece. These are not cheap, but there are almost certainly knock-offs around. I would imagine any of the companies you name could build something to these same specs.

http://www.pensaguitars.com/mk-ii

[Jonathan0996]

In my opinion, if you put a short scale neck on a strat it won't sound like a strat anymore. The 25.5" scale neck is a big part of the sound. That's why they sound spanky and chimey.

However, you can get necks that are wider at the nut and have a flatter radius. You can order necks with, say, a 1.69" nut width, a 12" radius (sorry, I don't know metric) and jumbo frets. Something like that would feel more like a 335 and might be more to your liking. Going to a longer scale guitar is an adjustment, albeit a minor one. You'd get the hang of it pretty quickly. It's the price you pay for owning a variety of instruments. You might consider buying a cheap used strat and a ordering Warmoth neck that meets your specifications.

Alternately, the Fender Ultra Stratocasters (you didn't say what your budget is) have a 10-14" compound radius neck and a 1.69 nut width that you might like. They don't feel anything like a standard Stratocaster. Some of the Ibanez strats have a flatter radius than a standard Fender. Reverend might also have something you'd like. You'll never know unless you experiment. If you can get to a city where you can try out a lot of guitars, you might find your holy grail. Time to hop a train and take a short holiday. Good luck in your quest.

[helios]

I believe the much maligned PRS (John Mayer) Silver Star has become PRS's best seller! The guitar garners accolades from reviewers for it's quality & sound!

[lammie200]

I believe the much maligned PRS (John Mayer) Silver Star has become PRS's best seller! The guitar garners accolades from reviewers for it's quality & sound!

Yeah, and I believe the neck specs are very similar to the original Fender specs.

[rob taft]

I have re-necked my two Fender Strats with Warmoth necks. Both have 1 3/4" nut width and ebony fingerboards with a 12" radius. A Strat without a floating trem is in my opinion a Tele.

I having a guitar building friend of mine making me a SSH Strat Swamp Ash body that will either use the Sofia Trem or the Vega Trem. The neck will be one of Warmoth necks I own. All ebony and either 12" straight radius of Warmoth's 12"-16" compound radius. I have the Vega Trem on a Yngwie Malmsteen Strat and I love it. I also have a early 90's 57 Reissue with the Blade Runner Trem. That is also a good trem.

I happen to like the "quack" that one get from the neck and middle position but don't care for the lead or bridge, hence the humbucker in the bridge. The Malmsteen Strat has stacked humbuckers that are very quiet but still retain the Fender Strat tone. I don't play the Strat much any more but I have collected so many parts over the years, I decided to build the one I want and return the two Fender's to stock configuration and sell them.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I have re-necked my two Fender Strats with Warmoth necks. Both have 1 3/4" nut width and ebony fingerboards with a 12" radius. A Strat without a floating trem is in my opinion a Tele.

I having a guitar building friend of mine making me a SSH Strat Swamp Ash body that will either use the Sofia Trem or the Vega Trem. The neck will be one of Warmoth necks I own. All ebony and either 12" straight radius of Warmoth's 12"-16" compound radius. I have the Vega Trem on a Yngwie Malmsteen Strat and I love it. I also have a early 90's 57 Reissue with the Blade Runner Trem. That is also a good trem.

I happen to like the "quack" that one get from the neck and middle position but don't care for the lead or bridge, hence the humbucker in the bridge. The Malmsteen Strat has stacked humbuckers that are very quiet but still retain the Fender Strat tone. I don't play the Strat much any more but I have collected so many parts over the years, I decided to build the one I want and return the two Fender's to stock configuration and sell them.

There is no neck + middle position on a Tele. A hardtail Strat has that though.

[einarcc]

This is way out of left field and may not be at all what you're interested in, but I recently bought the Parallel Universe Uptown Strat that I'd been eyeing since it was announced at NAMM at the start of the year. It divides opinion as most of the Parallel Universe guitars do.

I already have an American Standard, and a Silver Sky, so I've got the Strat sound covered. The Uptown Strat kind of looks like a Strat and LP's bastard child, with two PAF-based humbuckers. It sounds really good in that mode, but you can also coil split to get a single coil sound. It's definitely not the pristine Strat sound, but it does get you well into the ball park. Having had it for a couple of weeks now, my early takeaways are that it covers a really wide range of sounds (which I appreciate is not what you're necessarily after), and is extremely light and comfortable to play.

Just a thought. Give it a go if one passes through your store.

[rob taft]

There is no neck + middle position on a Tele. A hardtail Strat has that though.

TRM, Yes I'm aware of the difference but my point which I failed to make was that in my opinion if one wants the strat sound, it is not just the pickups and decking the Trem or the hard tail version takes away from the unique tonal and tactile characteristics of the Strat.

[ThatRhythmMan]

TRM, Yes I'm aware of the difference but my point which I failed to make was that in my opinion if one wants the strat sound, it is not just the pickups and decking the Trem or the hard tail version takes away from the unique tonal and tactile characteristics of the Strat.

Fair enough! I prefer a decked trem, so I always load up the springs. I find a floating Strat trem a tuning nightmare. Maybe that’s because when playing that kind of guitar I’m usually using a lot of palm muting. I’m not sure, but a floating trem always sounds a little off to me at least if I’m the one playing it.

[gitman]

I'd ask myself this :
- do I want the classic, wiry and often aggressive Strat sound but the feel of the guitar is not right for me ?
Then I'd try for a Tele-shaped body with the Strat electronics. The Luxury version : Sadowsky , Anderson or Suhr.

IIRC it was Mike McGuire from Valley Arts who built a Strat-Style guitar for Carlton and later Carlos Rios (Gino Vanelli) with a shorter scale and a 24-fret neck, hardtail. You can find older clips of Carlton where he plays that guitar live on stage.
It does cop a pretty good "in-between" Strat sound I'd say. So you could put a short-scale conversion neck on a body and slap a Strat setup on. Shape that body any which way you like.

- A PRS mongrel will get you many different Strat-Style sounds in an eminently playable package.

I found that for the Hendrix/Stevie Ray/David Gilmore/ early J. Mayer type sound you'll have to get a more or less classic Strat, 50's to late 60's style. I still kick myself for having sold a great Sadowsky Strat from the early 2000's with a set of Barden pickups and the Sad. preamp in it - that guitar could cover a huge array of tones EASY and was a super smooth player on top .... played all kinds of gigs with it, from solo to Bigband Jazz, Top 40 , lounge gigs, pit bands, you name it. I still have my Suhr classic Strat , also capable of covering a lot of sonic ground.

Mike Stern used a 70's Strat when he played with Miles, Wayne Krantz gets great tones, Terje Rypdal, Jeff Beck, Scott Henderson, Lorne Lofsky, Nir Felder, Oz Noy, Mark Lettieri, ....

[P.J.]

My favorite strat-like instruments are my Parker Niteflies. I have one made of swamp ash that is s/s/h and another that has a mahogany body and two humbuckers. Their necks are completely stable and I have never needed to adjust them.

[entresz]

This is strange and might not sound much like a stratocaster but I've always wanted a Les Paul but with the stratocaster pickup configuration.

[339 in june]

This is strange and might not sound much like a stratocaster but I've always wanted a Les Paul but with the stratocaster pickup configuration.

Is a Nighthawk standard close enough?
https://www.galerie-casanova.com/por...hawk-standard/

[Rocket Roll]

American Performer Jazzmaster. The best Stratocaster I've ever played. Yes, you read that right - the best Stratocaster.

Those Yosemite pickups are just Strat pickups in a Jazzmaster cover and they sound SO great. AlNiCo IV is like... Frank Sinatra's rendition of your favourite pickup.

Stratocaster scale, Stratocaster tremolo and great pickups positioned a bit differently... makes all the difference in the world.

[Gitterbug]

If the Strat didn't exist and Ikea set out to design an electric guitar for mass production, guess what the result would look like. Next, the web would be flooded with suggestions on how to pimp the Ingvarkaster, and passionate arguments on why X is so much better than Y. I've never been a Strat fan, mainly due to the fretboard radius and the music I play. A G&L Legacy deals with the first issue. Some Strat-type Godins have felt good when noodling at music stores.

[christianm77]

This is what would happen if IKEA designed a guitar:

[Little Jay]

The IKEA Stringplånk?

[raal]

If you can find one ... early 90's jeff beck sig. Alder body, rosewood fb, compensated tuners, wilkinson nut and most of all 1'' thick neck with 9" radius.

[mr quick]

Thanks for even more input. I'll try and address some of the suggestions as they pertain to me:

I play an old Tokai ST-80 Springy Sound, which I like a lot. But I saw this video recently about a couple of players with signature models from Ibanez that looked pretty interesting.

The AZ guitars are nice, but I definitely don't need another double-humbucker guitar. We do have an AZ premium from Japan which is nice, but not "it".

I've never been comfortable with a Strat neck, myself, and I do love a good Gibson neck.

Here's the rub: the only thing that sounds quite like a Strat ... is a Strat. This is not a HUGE problem for me, as I feel that the Strat sound is a "nice to have" sound, but not my 'go to' sound.

I also have to clarify that clean tone is what separates the real Strats from the wannabes. The Marshall stack cranked to 11 is going to sound about the same with a "real" Strat or a non-Fender "superstrat".

So my inability to play a Strat comfortably, coupled with not really finding "that" clean sound in any other guitar, amounts for me to a bit of inconvenience, and a tradeoff, but not a catastrophe.

I have a Charvel Model 6 "superstrat" that approximates a Strat tone pretty well *for my purposes* but would probably not satisfy a diehard Strat lover. Its neck is almost the width of a classical guitar, and the action feels more "Gibsony" than "Fendery" which is great for me, since I don't dig the Fendery feel. It has humbucker in the tail and single coil neck/middle pickups, individual microswitches to control each, and (this is cool) active electronics with continuously variable mid boost/cut. Neck through sustain for days, comfy to play, and I upgraded the trem to a Kahler that I love (in tune after dive bombs? you bet!) All in all, a super-nice guitar, great for those pop gigs that require a single-coil sound, but not.... REALLY .... the Strat sound. Close. But not quite.

You might also check out a Parker Fly. Again, lots of options for sculpting tone and combining PUPs (including the cool ability to blend piezo with mag), great neck that intones better than any I've ever played, and a feel that is somewhere between Gibson and Fender. Which makes it playable but not super comfortable *for me.* I do like the neck on that guitar, but it takes a bit of getting used to. Bottom line: another super cool guitar that can come close to the classic Strat tone, but ... not... a... Strat.

I'm willing to come down on the "comfortable neck" side of the comfortable-for-me-neck vs. nailing-the-classic-Strat-tone side of the tradeoff, but not everyone would make that trade.

Haven't played one but maybe a Sadowsky would be your cup of tea? And +1 on the idea of a Valley Arts strat. You can hear those on the late-80s Larry Carlton discs before he went acoustic.

My own experiment with upgrading a Squier was disastrous. The one thing I didn't do (and probably should have) was to swap the neck. I played a zillion Squier strats, picked the best one, then put EMG active electronics and a top of the line trem into it, had it professionally set up... and it still just didn't feel that good. So I ditched it, kept shopping, and wound up with the Charvel.

Thank you for your suggestions. While I have tried many contemporary Charvels, I haven't actually tried a Sadowsky or Valley Arts, as they both are hard to come by in this country. Ditto for the Fly. I will have these three on my radar.

If they happen to come through your shop, be sure to look at any Nash or Danocaster. Also, an Eric Johnson strat. They may not be your cup of tea but doesn't hurt to check 'em out.

Noted! Thank you.

My first electric guitar was a Fender Tele back in the early ‘80s. 25.5” scale, 7.25” radius, 1.650” nut width. Since then I have put together the equivalent of about 8-10 partscasters. I have tried thin necks, fat necks, 10”-16” compound radius fretboards, 9.5” and 12” radius fretboards, wide nut widths, 25” scale lengths, 25.25” scale lengths and probably any other option you can think of.

Right now I have 4 partscasters. A Strat, a Tele, a Jazzmaster, and a 12 string Jazzmaster. The all have similar specs closer to Fender originals than anything else. All have 25.5” scale lengths and somewhat chunky profiles. Except for the 12 string they have 7.25” radius fretboards and 1.650” nut widths. Like I said I tried a bunch of variations. They didn’t feel right to me. The Fender original design specs are worth a look IMHO. Even if you find that you don’t want one with the original specs it might be worth playing one that has those specs so you can compare others to it as a control.

I don't remember the exact specs, but I have tried Fenders made in every decade from (and including) the sixties. Unfortunately, I've never found one that spoke to me.

I have a Warmoth conversion neck on my Partscaster and like it a lot (roasted maple, unfinished). It's not chunky but you can order chunky along with your preferred nut width, frets, etc. You could make it feel a lot like a Gibson neck. Is there a European equivalent? I have absolutely no idea. If not, I would bet that Warmoth are used to shipping to Europe.

Something else- the way the strap button is situated compared to Gibson makes the guitar hang differently and I've never liked it. I noticed that Holdsworth moved the button to the back of the guitar and I tried that, reaming it out a little bit and using the one of the neck screws to hold the button. Works great and I really like how the guitar feels when standing; I have done this with my Teles too. Where Leo put the strap button is just the wrong place for me. Really makes the guitar feel better IME, YMMV.

And of course then there is the question of pickups. For me the standard glassy Strat sound is a nonstarter, particularly for jazz, although I have heard other people played absolutely bone stock Strats and sound great playing jazz. But there is a wide variety of options for Stratocaster pickups. My favorite Strat sound is actually a rock sound (Rory Gallagher); Kent Armstrong makes a set of pick ups to get that kind of sound and I would imagine his son Aaron also offers a similar pickup in the UK which is temporarily still part of Europe. They can rock out with the best of them; clean they are a little darker and fatter and maybe slightly P90-ish compared to the usual Fender pickup. His Strat was a '61 and those pickups are reputed to sound a little different than other years.

Thanks for the suggestion. I still want the classic Strat sound, although Warmoth is indeed an option. It might be the best solution after all.

If you don’t need a strat right now, you won’t find one. Once you need one, any old American Standard Strat will do. That’s the sweet spot in terms of price/performance. Put Lundgren BJFE pickups in it and you are done.

And I’m not joking. Had a bunch of them. Got a Fender custom shop strat here now and it’s a piece of art, you simply won’t find a better strat. Yet I play my Heritages and my Mjt tele instead. Don’t need the strat.

I see the point you're making, but I wish I could find one I actually liked. Playing out of necessity means I'm distracted by having to fight the instrument - that's why I want to find the right strat, something that is a joy for me to play.

Have you considered a PRS? Paul's original design plan was to create a hybrid between Strats and LPs.

The 513 and 408 are cool options, but there have been many hybrids over the years.

513 vs 408 - How Are They Different?

You said you've tried Suhrs, but did you know that John Suhr originally made Mark Knopfler's Pensa MK-1? John still makes that guitar in his Standard line.

Finally, the Pensa MK2 is almost exactly what you describe: shorter scale, single coils, angled headstock, and even a stop tailpiece. These are not cheap, but there are almost certainly knock-offs around. I would imagine any of the companies you name could build something to these same specs.

http://www.pensaguitars.com/mk-ii

I've tried numerous PRS guitars which don't work for me, although the Pensa is completely new to me. Noted. As far as I know, only one store in the country stocks Suhr, but if I ever visit that city, I will have a look.

In my opinion, if you put a short scale neck on a strat it won't sound like a strat anymore. The 25.5" scale neck is a big part of the sound. That's why they sound spanky and chimey.

However, you can get necks that are wider at the nut and have a flatter radius. You can order necks with, say, a 1.69" nut width, a 12" radius (sorry, I don't know metric) and jumbo frets. Something like that would feel more like a 335 and might be more to your liking. Going to a longer scale guitar is an adjustment, albeit a minor one. You'd get the hang of it pretty quickly. It's the price you pay for owning a variety of instruments. You might consider buying a cheap used strat and a ordering Warmoth neck that meets your specifications.

Alternately, the Fender Ultra Stratocasters (you didn't say what your budget is) have a 10-14" compound radius neck and a 1.69 nut width that you might like. They don't feel anything like a standard Stratocaster. Some of the Ibanez strats have a flatter radius than a standard Fender. Reverend might also have something you'd like. You'll never know unless you experiment. If you can get to a city where you can try out a lot of guitars, you might find your holy grail. Time to hop a train and take a short holiday. Good luck in your quest.

Thanks for your advice. We had an Ultra in stock, which was nice, but not enough to make me buy it myself. Our store probably has the largest selection of guitars in the country, but somehow I haven't tried them all. Maybe I should do that before anything..?

I believe the much maligned PRS (John Mayer) Silver Star has become PRS's best seller! The guitar garners accolades from reviewers for it's quality & sound!

We actually have two in stock. Solid guitars, but don't work for me. Felt like any other strat, though perhaps my impressions were tainted by my animosity towards John Mayer..?

If you can find one ... early 90's jeff beck sig. Alder body, rosewood fb, compensated tuners, wilkinson nut and most of all 1'' thick neck with 9" radius.

Noted!

Thanks for all the good suggestions in the thread. First of all, I want to try every single guitar in stock, and see if anything sticks. After that, I'll see where I stand.