# Tell me about Stratocasters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863 "2009-03-09T19:26:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/41 "2009-03-11T21:23:39Z")
Mexican Strats should not cost $700 unless you mean list price. $550 is the going rate for most of them. BTW, I saw in my local store that Fender just raised prices 20%. Guess they haven’t heard about this recession thing. Or maybe they just raised the list prices but actual prices are the same. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/42 "2009-03-11T21:48:19Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Here’s my basic process. If you know a chord or two, it would help. Nothing fancy. Open E or G or A will do fine. > > Sit down, guitar unplugged, and: > > 1. Strum a chord. A good electric will be loud and proud, even when unplugged, and I like the ones that are so “alive” that you can feel the body vibrations rattling your ribcage. > > 2. Make sure the width and radius of the fingerboard is comfortable. > > 3. Make sure the neck thickness is comfortable. Some folks like a big baseball bat of a neck. Some like them slim and flattish. It’s all a matter of preference. > > 4. Be sure the neck isn’t twisted, by sighting down from the bridge to the headstock. > > 5. Check the fret ends for ones that are sharp, or sticking out. > > 6. Check for finish flaws, etc. This one isn’t that big a deal for me, since if the guitar has passed #1 above, I’m already thinking pretty seriously about buying it, regardless of the finish. > > 7. Be sure you like the body shape and weight, and MAKE SURE IT’S NOT NECK HEAVY. Nothing will turn me off a guitar faster than a diving neck. > > Only after I’ve done 1-6 will I plug it in and check out the pickups, switches, knobs, etc. > > Essentially, modern electrics are so modular in design that anything else can be changed after the fact, if you’re into that. It’s just the things that you can’t change that you want to be sure about before you buy. And I’d say 70% of it is how the thing vibrates unplugged. I know that sounds odd and counterintuitive for an electric, but I’ve rarely gone wrong. > > And hellz yeah on the Telecaster. My weapon (or at least body shape) of choice. Memo to myself: Learn a guitar chord before going shopping. Thanks for the advice. The bit about neck size sounds important. I have small hands for my size (can’t quite palm a basketball, for example), so I’ll be sure to check that. I was doing some more research last night, and now I’m leaning a bit more toward a Stratocaster. It seems like plans can change when confronted with the real thing, though. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/43 "2009-03-11T21:51:19Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Mexican Strats should not cost $700 unless you mean list price. $550 is the going rate for most of them. > > BTW, I saw in my local store that Fender just raised prices 20%. Guess they haven’t heard about this recession thing. Or maybe they just raised the list prices but actual prices are the same. This was probably 12 years ago or more, but I very distinctly remember my wife hitting the roof at the $700 price. But now I’m thinking about it, I recall that I did get a hardshell case and a chorus pedal at the same time, so the guitar itself may have been closer to $600. Plus, this was down in Eugene, OR, where the options at the time were: McKenzie River Music (overpriced high-end guitar snobbery, with the occasional vintage junk find), Buy & Sell (good peeps, but mostly used stuff), and Guitar Center, where I went (yes, overpriced, yes, corporate, but the only place in town with any kind of selection). ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/44 "2009-03-12T00:58:54Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Memo to myself: Learn a guitar chord before going shopping. > > Thanks for the advice. The bit about neck size sounds important. I have small hands for my size (can’t quite palm a basketball, for example), so I’ll be sure to check that. > > I was doing some more research last night, and now I’m leaning a bit more toward a Stratocaster. It seems like plans can change when confronted with the real thing, though. One other suggestion, especially for a first guitar. The stratocaster is a fine guitar, but I’d consider a “hardtail” guitar. The strat’s tremolo puts some new players off. That said, dealing with a trem ain’t rocket science. You should be fine either way. ---
**Author:** ![ctywkr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@ctywkr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctywkr)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/45 "2009-03-12T01:03:02Z")
My advice, play a bunch of guitars. Fender, G & L, Yamaha, any other brand in the store. Pick the one that you bond with. don’t get hung up on a name. The one you sit down and play and go, **Oh, yeah** , like the kool aid guy should be the one you buy. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/46 "2009-03-12T02:12:00Z")
> [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](#): > > my current guitar, a Squier Tele - the less said the better (I had sold all my guitars after having kids, but got to jonesing, and bought the cheapest hardtail guitar I could find. I quickly regretted it.) My daughter was shopping for a guitar and we first looked at a Squier Strat. Nasty. I mean, I saw potential, but wasn’t up for all the screwing around to make it playable. (Yeah, I wish I could play as well as I can improve guitars, but it’s like me with fixing anything: Once it works I lose interest.) We bought a lowend Mexican Strat and a friend who’s REAL good at improving guitars is going to fix it for $30! Can’t beat that. I guess my point is that not much is as good coming off an assembly line as it could be with some filing and tweaking. I suspect that your Squier could be a sweet guitar with a few (note that I’m talking about $30) bucks invested. ---
**Author:** ![Yeeter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/96bed5/32.png) [@Yeeter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeeter)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/47 "2009-03-12T06:58:58Z")
Here is a youtube link to a guy that does several reviews of different guitars: The roadworn strat and see the stratocaster Japanese Reissue and several others, just scroll through the “More From: Johnhguitar” on the side… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NqpSlx9sfOk/hqdefault.jpg "Fender Road Worn Stratocaster review") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqpSlx9sfOk) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/48 "2009-03-12T12:33:00Z")
> [@Yeeter](#): > > Here is a youtube link to a guy that does several reviews of different guitars: The roadworn strat and see the stratocaster Japanese Reissue and several others, just scroll through the “More From: Johnhguitar” on the side… > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqpSlx9sfOk&feature=channel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqpSlx9sfOk&feature=channel) That guy is not a particularly good reviewer. Great player, but all he basically does is give a brief tour of the Strat design and comment on how the frets are bigger vs. vintage and that it comes with Tex-Mex pickups and a 5-way selector. There are lots more places you can go with that type of review - what relic’ing / distressing does for a guitar’s playability; how those Road Worn’s compare to normal Mexican Strats; how they compare to US-Made Strats, etc. - lots of stuff. And he doesn’t even discuss or show how the guitar gains up! How many folks are going to put that through a fuzzbox or cranked tube amp for some distortion? Sorry for being down on the link, \*\*Yeeter \*\*- finding reviews on YouTube is a smart thing; I do it as part of my research, too. But you have to weed through the different attempts, you know? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/49 "2009-03-12T12:35:12Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > One other suggestion, especially for a first guitar. The stratocaster is a fine guitar, but I’d consider a “hardtail” guitar. The strat’s tremolo puts some new players off. > > That said, dealing with a trem ain’t rocket science. You should be fine either way. By the way - as I have stated in other threads, I agree with \*\*Ogre \*\*on this. \*\*tdn \*\*is no guitar n00b, so that is a non-issue for him… ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/50 "2009-03-12T17:35:05Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > My daughter was shopping for a guitar and we first looked at a Squier Strat. Nasty. I mean, I saw potential, but wasn’t up for all the screwing around to make it playable. (Yeah, I wish I could play as well as I can improve guitars, but it’s like me with fixing anything: Once it works I lose interest.) We bought a lowend Mexican Strat and a friend who’s REAL good at improving guitars is going to fix it for $30! Can’t beat that. > > I guess my point is that not much is as good coming off an assembly line as it could be with some filing and tweaking. I suspect that your Squier could be a sweet guitar with a few (note that I’m talking about $30) bucks invested. It really was a poor decision on my part - it was a mostly impulse buy. A few years ago, the wife was at a store, and there was a Guitar Center nearby, so I asked her if it was ok if I got a guitar. “If you must. . . :rolleyes:” I saw a cheap Tele, figured “I’ve always wanted one” played it for less than 2 minutes (with my 2 year old daughter hanging all over me) and bought it. The main problem is with the body - it sounds duller than anything, which is not a good sound for the Tele. This thing just doesn’t sustain well, plugged or unplugged - it sounds flat and muddy. I think there may be a void or knot in the body, or possibly it’s the super-thick layer of poly finish. It would likely sound better if I got it refinished and got a good set of pickups, but I really just plan on getting a proper guitar. I don’t want to put a huge amount of money into a guitar I’m not particularly thrilled with. Incidentally, I played a Hamer XT archtop (their foreign model) the other day, and it sounded and felt very nice. The finish and setup looked amazing, and it felt very well balanced. Plus it’s a dual humbucker with a set-neck, which I’ve always wanted to go back to. I will likely be ordering a left-handed version sometime this summer, if we have any $ left after we get the house painted. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/51 "2009-04-07T02:27:03Z")
Couple of updates here. So, I’m in the middle of a big fight with my girlfriend, and I figured that my mood would improve with a little shopping therapy. It was a sort of impulse buy. I bought a guitar strap, some strings, a guitar stand, and an amp (Marshall MG 10KK – hey, I live in an apartment, and I’m always telling my neighbors to keep the damn noise down, so I don’t need a huge stack). Oh, and a Mexican Standard. Blue. SaaaaWEEEEEET! So first off, **Robot Arm** , sorry I didn’t invite you to come with me, but if you want to go shopping there yourself, I’d be happy to accompany you. Just name the day and time. Secondly, what’s the deal with whammy bars? For one thing, it’s never where I want it to be. Just below my right hand would be ideal, but it just kind of swings towards gravity, sometimes hitting the cable. If I screw it in so it’s tight, it’s way off to the right. The guy that repaired my Squier Strat said that some players feed a little dental floss down the hole so that friction puts it where they want it. This raises a number of questions, such as just how minty fresh I want my axe to taste. For another, it puts the strings wildly out of tune. Is there some way to mitigate this problem? Listening to Floyd’s live version of _Sorrow_, Gilmour repeatedly whammies down a good octave, and his instrument stays more or less in tune. How come? And finally, when I use it even a little, the instrument creaks and groans like an old haunted house. Regions beyond the bridge and nut produce all sorts of eerie ghost tones, and they are transmitted directly to the amp. While cool and groovy, they are not very welcome in my current recording project. Are there any solutions to these problems? Having said all that, I love that new amp smell. If only there were a way to make new cars, old amps, and girlfriends smell that way. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/52 "2009-04-07T05:42:52Z")
Congratulations on the new guitar. I’ll be in touch. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/53 "2009-04-07T13:11:05Z")
Most tuning issues can be traced to the nut. The strings slide back and forth (a minute amount) when the strings are bent or the trem is used. If the strings bind in the nut they don’t return to pitch. Common on new guitars. You can smooth the nut slots out with something like fine sandpaper but be careful, you dont want to deepen the slots (usually). Many people also apply a tiny drop of lubricant to the slots to let the strings slide more freely. A drop on the bottom of the string tree is good too. I use graphite lube, some use petroleum jelly. Very small amounts! I don’t use the trem on my Strat but I’ve heard these methods for keeping the arm in place. 1. Plumbers teflon tape wrapped around the threads. 2. Strats usually come with a tiny little spring that goes in the trem hole before you thread the arm in. The pressure of the spring keeps the arm from swinging around. They are easy to lose! You may not have gotten one with yours but your music store should be able to fix you up. Maybe you noticed Strats in the music store with small round stickers over the trem hole where the arm screws in, they are to hold that spring in. 3. A tiny drop of the \*\*NON-PERMANENT \*\* Loc-tite thread adhesive. It comes in different formulas. I think the one I use is called _Loc-tite 270_ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/54 "2009-04-07T13:38:39Z")
Ah, the spring! There was mention of that in the user’s manual. With the thing hanging around on the display wall, I bet it fell out and got vacuumed up. I’m sure it’s gone, but how can I tell? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/55 "2009-04-07T14:08:40Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Ah, the spring! There was mention of that in the user’s manual. With the thing hanging around on the display wall, I bet it fell out and got vacuumed up. > > I’m sure it’s gone, but how can I tell? As it comes from the factory, it’s not attached at all. It just sits in the hole, held by the sticker or the trem arm. I have heard of people putting a dab of silicone caulk or some thing similar on the spring and then dropping it in the hole to keep it in place. Also, if it was still in there it would be keeping your trem arm from swinging. As for the creaking and groaning, make sure your four neck screws are tight. That may or may not be the problem. A good guitar set-up and maintenance book is well worth the cost. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/56 "2009-04-07T14:22:11Z")
[Here’s one](http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Stratocaster-Handbook-Maintain-Troubleshoot/dp/0760329834/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236718648&sr=1-1) [This](http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Handbook-Ralph-Denyer/dp/0679742751/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239113962&sr=1-1) is my go-to book for set up and maintenance on guitars. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/57 "2009-04-07T14:57:07Z")
I just remembered reading somewhere that some of the import Strats have trem blocks that are made from cast metal and are drilled too deep to use the spring. Upgrading the trem block to a steel one is a common mod for improving tone. Yours may or may not have a steel block now. The ones that are drilled too deep for the spring can be modded to use a spring by cutting new threads from the other side and installing a set screw. A [Google Image Search for Stratocaster Tremolo](http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Stratocaster+tremolo+assembly&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=20) turns up several pictures of the trem assembly alone. The trem block is the big gray thing with holes for the strings. It is removed by taking out the three phillips screws under the bridge saddles. It’s a fairly involved job requiring resetting the intonation after re-assembly. You would want a book to do it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/58 "2009-04-07T15:35:43Z")
Is [this](http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Tremolo_Arm_Spring_P303.cfm) the kind of spring we’re talking about? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/59 "2009-04-07T16:18:28Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Is [this](http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Tremolo_Arm_Spring_P303.cfm) the kind of spring we’re talking about? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863/60 "2009-04-07T17:34:22Z")
\*\*River Hippie \*\*is doing a great job on the mechanics of the Strat whammy spring, so I won’t interject. This issue is exactly what \*\*Ogre \*\*and I were referring to when we were saying that a “hardtail” (i.e., no whammy) guitar is a better starter guitar. But **tdn** , you are no n00b, so I am not too worried - but there is a basic truth you need to embrace: you have to learn how to Master the Whammy™. By that, I do NOT refer to enhancing your playing technique to include everything from dive-bombs to waggling vibrato (although that will be cool for you when you do). I mean that one has to learn the “care and feeding” of maintaining a Strat with a whammy. Clearly you get this - you posted in this thread asking for tips! 😉 But the bottom line is that there is a learning curve for how you like your whammy set up, how you approach tuning the guitar with a whammy and how you modify your playing technique to ensure that you maximize the likelihood that you maintain the in-tune-ness (or intonation, if you prefer!) of the guitar while you are playing it. A few thoughts: - Stretch the crap out of your strings before you tune them up. When you first install a new set, I bet you stretch strings to get the slack out of the metal - well, do a lot more of that 😉 - Get the guitar out of the way of the strings - basically ensure your Strat doesn’t have any issues that could lead to a string getting “hung up.” This is all the good stuff \*\*RH \*\*states, and also includes little things like ensuring your string trees (the retainers on the front of the headstock that the higher strings pass under) don’t have any burrs on them that a string could catch on, etc. Rather that go into detail here, I strongly recommend you Google and search YouTube for “Strat Whammy Setup” or “Stratocaster Tremolo” or whatever - I bet there are _dozens_ of videos where folks walk you through the basics. - Think about your playing technique - when you do a dive bomb, standard operating procedure is to leave the whammy bar lightly in your fingers and when you release it to bring the strings back up to tension, give it the slightest upward tug to ensure the strings haven’t caught on the nut or anything. There are many ways like that where you can add “a little something” to your technique to account for the whammy - trust me, real diehard whammy-er’s do 'em all… – OR – - Consider blocking the trem - heck, Clapton does it. I did it, too - you basically go in through the back plate and use a wedge of wood to force the tremolo block (the metal thingie the strings are passing through) against the body of the guitar, rendering the whammy inoperative - so you are “hardtailing” your Strat. This can be a temporary thing while you get to know the guitar or a permanent one if you don’t want / need a whammy in your vocabulary. There’s no right or wrong answer… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-stratocasters/488863.md?page=4)