My favorite genre is Blues, the 12/8 stuff over the 4/4 r&r style blues, and question is I see most guys playing strats and although I love my LP (les paul) and lots of players play LPs, for you guys who play strats is it more comfortable? Do you like the single pups over the hums? And what gauge strings do you like. I play 10s but thinking about swithcing to 9s but afraid of defeating the interaction between the humbuckers. Thoughts on any of this?
New Guy, Old Player
Old in years that is. Love the site so far. Also a member of another very popular site with great content, like this one, but in my way of thinking, one never gets to the end of learning anything, and especially music, so why not as much access to as much info is possible?
My favorite genre is Blues, the 12/8 stuff over the 4/4 r&r style blues, and question is I see most guys playing strats and although I love my LP (les paul) and lots of players play LPs, for you guys who play strats is it more comfortable? Do you like the single pups over the hums? And what gauge strings do you like. I play 10s but thinking about swithcing to 9s but afraid of defeating the interaction between the humbuckers. Thoughts on any of this?
My favorite genre is Blues, the 12/8 stuff over the 4/4 r&r style blues, and question is I see most guys playing strats and although I love my LP (les paul) and lots of players play LPs, for you guys who play strats is it more comfortable? Do you like the single pups over the hums? And what gauge strings do you like. I play 10s but thinking about swithcing to 9s but afraid of defeating the interaction between the humbuckers. Thoughts on any of this?
# 1
As another old guy that loves the blues I'm hoping we get some responses to this. I've got both as LP Studio and a Strat and I sure don't find the Strat any more comfortable.
Guitars: 2014 PRS Santana, 2013 PRS Paul's, 2009 PRS Hollowbody I, 1972 Gibson ES-325, 2012 Fender American Standard Stratocaster, 2020 Fender Telecaster, 2001 PRS Santana SE, 2021 Martin M-36, 2021 Martin 000-15M, Seagull S6 Classic, 2012 Yamaha Pacifica Amps: Fender Blues Junior III, Boss Eband JS-10, Line 6 POD HD500X, Quilter Microblock 45 w/homemade 12" cab.
# 2
Hi Diamon G -
Welcome! I responded already to your other post about string guages, so I won't comment on that here.
Regarding strats vs. lp for blues - an lp should suit you just fine. I got my strat first and always thought of that as a blues guitar. I was quite surprised when I tried out some lps in the store that they could give you a very bluesy sound too! Some great blues players use lps - Joe Bonamassa for instance. Use the treble (bridge pickup), boost the treble and mid on your amp, and you'll have all of the bite you need!
I've found my lp to be more versatile than my strat. I can make my lp sound smooth as butter or harsh with biting attack. It can wail, believe me! My strat can sound smooth, but not as smooth as my lp. The single coils in the strat also pick up a lot of extraneous noise which can be annoying.
I also found the floating bridge on the strat to be a pain in the butt. If you change string guages, you have to open up the back of the guitar and adjust the tension springs. If you play two notes at once, bending one of them, the unbent note will detune because the bridge will move. I got fed up and just adjusted the floating bridge hard against the guitar body.
A lot of this is a matter of personal perference, so others can argue that they find their strat to be more versatile. Based on my personal experience and taste, I'm finding my lp more versatile.
Oh, and regarding comfort...it depends. Depending on what lp you have, it may be heavy! I have a faded studio lp, which is comprable in weight to the strat. A standard or custom lp will weigh a ton in comparison and will hurt your shoulder after a while. The neck on the strat is significantly longer than an lp. So if you are of smaller stature, you may find the lp more comfortable. My strat feels like a bass compared to my lp. The strat has a contoured cutout on the back of the body that will make it more comfortable against your stomach if it happens to stick out.
Ultimately, the best thing for you to do is go to a guitar store and try out a strat for size and see what you think. At least now you are armed with what the differences are.
Good luck and have fun!!
Welcome! I responded already to your other post about string guages, so I won't comment on that here.
Regarding strats vs. lp for blues - an lp should suit you just fine. I got my strat first and always thought of that as a blues guitar. I was quite surprised when I tried out some lps in the store that they could give you a very bluesy sound too! Some great blues players use lps - Joe Bonamassa for instance. Use the treble (bridge pickup), boost the treble and mid on your amp, and you'll have all of the bite you need!
I've found my lp to be more versatile than my strat. I can make my lp sound smooth as butter or harsh with biting attack. It can wail, believe me! My strat can sound smooth, but not as smooth as my lp. The single coils in the strat also pick up a lot of extraneous noise which can be annoying.
I also found the floating bridge on the strat to be a pain in the butt. If you change string guages, you have to open up the back of the guitar and adjust the tension springs. If you play two notes at once, bending one of them, the unbent note will detune because the bridge will move. I got fed up and just adjusted the floating bridge hard against the guitar body.
A lot of this is a matter of personal perference, so others can argue that they find their strat to be more versatile. Based on my personal experience and taste, I'm finding my lp more versatile.
Oh, and regarding comfort...it depends. Depending on what lp you have, it may be heavy! I have a faded studio lp, which is comprable in weight to the strat. A standard or custom lp will weigh a ton in comparison and will hurt your shoulder after a while. The neck on the strat is significantly longer than an lp. So if you are of smaller stature, you may find the lp more comfortable. My strat feels like a bass compared to my lp. The strat has a contoured cutout on the back of the body that will make it more comfortable against your stomach if it happens to stick out.
Ultimately, the best thing for you to do is go to a guitar store and try out a strat for size and see what you think. At least now you are armed with what the differences are.
Good luck and have fun!!
# 3
Welcome, Diamon!
So good to have you with us.
Have lots of fun with this!
Best, Lisa
So good to have you with us.
Have lots of fun with this!
Best, Lisa
Lisa McCormick, GT Instructor
Acoustic, Folk, Pop, Blues
Full Catalog of Lisa's Guitar Tricks Tutorials
Find Lisa on Facebook!
Acoustic, Folk, Pop, Blues
Full Catalog of Lisa's Guitar Tricks Tutorials
Find Lisa on Facebook!
# 4
Welcome!
You're gonna have a blast here. :)
You're gonna have a blast here. :)
# 5
LP vs strat : As both have been played about equally around the world for the last 50 years, I guess there is no point in discussing which is "best" or whatever. Many of the big names out there play both by the way.
So do I.
When it comes to the "floating bridge" issue on the strat, I have solved this quite easily : springs adjusted so the bridge will only go one way (down), the bridge is as glued to the body when I am not pushing the vibrato arm ( and I push it a lot...).
And the hum from the single coils ? There are many solutions out there like noiseless pickups etc...
So do I.
When it comes to the "floating bridge" issue on the strat, I have solved this quite easily : springs adjusted so the bridge will only go one way (down), the bridge is as glued to the body when I am not pushing the vibrato arm ( and I push it a lot...).
And the hum from the single coils ? There are many solutions out there like noiseless pickups etc...
# 6
