Are Strat players more respected?


TheElectricSnep
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TheElectricSnep
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07/19/2002 9:23 am
Lately I've picked up this hypothesis that strats are more difficult to play and get the tone out of and it kinda gives me the impression that people who think that regard Les Paul players as slightly inferior because they're using an easier guitar. This sounds like a load of crap to me when I think of all the great players who use the LP, and personally I've never found a strat harder to play, just different. When I put my LP down and pick up the strat, different things tend to happen to my playing. Maybe this is because for the first 3 1/2 years of my guitar playing life I had an almost total devotion to the strat.

Comments?
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# 1
Josh Redstone
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Josh Redstone
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07/19/2002 3:31 pm
The two guitars I've played the most in my life are a Fender Strat and an Epiphone SG. One isnt harder to play than the other or anything, there just different. Anyone who says a Les Paul is easyer to play probably cant outplay a Les Paul player on a Strat and is just jelouse, he he he.
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# 2
Incidents Happen
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Incidents Happen
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07/20/2002 2:05 am
no, actually i think he has some truth in that. LP necks are slightly smaller, i think .75 of an inch smaller, and since not too many people have large hands, it is easier for them to play them. plus i think the action on an LP is naturally lower, at least on the ones i've played, even with the same gauge strings.

My Strat, armed with fatty 12-52 strings (heavies!) sits pretty high up there, actionwise, even after i re-adjusted the bridge.
# 3
nasum_human
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nasum_human
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07/20/2002 2:15 am
I find a strat less comfortable to play, and I learned on one, I still use my strat copy's neck on my home made custom job, although I attacked it with a belt sander. The scale length of a fender 25.5 inches, is longer than a LP's which is usually 24.5 inches, this makes string bending on the strat harder, also worth bearing in mind is the distance between the nut and capstan on a strat, so the higher strings are even LONGER (this is why I prefer reversed headstocks) and a les paul has 3 on each side. I'm not a huge fan of the twangy sound of a strat, I prefer richer tones myself, but I wouldnt say a strat is any harder to play.
It depends on the music really, if you wanna play some twangy funk like red hot chilli peppers, a strat is the better tool for the job, but some sweet pentatonic solos like slash just NEED a les paul to sound right

(I play a BC rich, what do I know?)
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# 4
Bardsley
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Bardsley
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07/20/2002 6:15 am
I have never heard that before. I think the guitar most "respected", if any, is the tele. Often people who play are tele are regarded as "real guitarists". No glitter, no nonsense, just two pickups on a slab of wood. Of course, much as I would like a tele, it's all nonsense.
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# 5
Josh Redstone
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Josh Redstone
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07/21/2002 1:28 am
I agree. I think this is all rubbish, but in the end, it all comes down to what you personally dig in a guitar.
And God said, 'Let there be rock!'
-And it was good
# 6
taylormarkow
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taylormarkow
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07/21/2002 2:56 am
yeah, i think all guitars are mostly the same.
maybe strats are more respected because non guitar players see them the most and they think anything else is weird.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess was why several of us died of tuberculosis.
# 7
TheElectricSnep
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TheElectricSnep
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07/21/2002 9:58 am
Yeah, Before i started playing the strat was the only guitar i recognised and when I imagined people playing when I heard records it was that shape of guitar i saw them with. How things change.
'There's no such thing as bad weather, there's only the wrong clothes...'
# 8
pstring
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pstring
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07/21/2002 2:02 pm
Strat players are more respected, well at least by the local Fender dealer.......
# 9
Lordathestrings
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Lordathestrings
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07/21/2002 8:00 pm
Originally posted by PonyOne
...The most commonly revered guitars I've heard other experienced guitarists talk about are old Teles and Gretsch guitars... Gretsch's are relatively unsung, but are excellent instruments. You can't beat them for stock pickups, and they can be used for quite a bit; they sound like a halfway point between a Tele and an LP...
'Back in '75 I had to choose between buying a '65 Gretsch Rock Jet and a new pair of giant slalom racing skis. The shop wanted $250 for the guitar, so I bought the the skis for $220. Two days later, the shop owner stopped me in the street and offered the Gretsch to me for $200. Dayumn! I haven't skied in twenty years, but if I'd bought that guitar, I'd still love playing it!
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# 10
nasum_human
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nasum_human
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07/22/2002 1:32 am
my first guitar was a strat copy, but after having a guitar with humbuckers... I couldnt go back
still dont think they're any harder to play, they just dont sound as good to my ears.....
guns dont kill people, people kill people, and monkeys do too (if they've got a gun)
# 11
sinar
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sinar
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07/22/2002 4:26 am
this MY first post and everyone of guitartricks.com, and my friends thinks really good i hope you all nice,Peace email me at blamelles@yahoo.com tell me what you think...




# 12
taylormarkow
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taylormarkow
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07/22/2002 5:01 am
right...

that was kinda out of the blue.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess was why several of us died of tuberculosis.
# 13
TheElectricSnep
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TheElectricSnep
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07/22/2002 4:22 pm
Yeah we're nice but we can get really horrible and mean....especially if you go off topic :rolleyes:
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# 14
Incidents Happen
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Incidents Happen
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07/23/2002 12:08 am
Originally posted by sinar
this MY first post and everyone of guitartricks.com, and my friends thinks really good i hope you all nice,Peace email me at blamelles@yahoo.com tell me what you think...


i dont understand what the hell your talking about, tell us what we think of what?
# 15
metalisbest
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metalisbest
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08/01/2002 11:53 pm
My opinion, I really don't like strats or fender at that matter. I've played one before and it is really no different then any other guitar.
# 16
Josh Redstone
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Josh Redstone
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08/02/2002 12:48 am
Ya know what, Eddie Van Halen plays a tinny little guitar called a Peavey Wolfgang, with less than 16th of a inch action on it. Its not strat style, but its probably one of the easyest guitars to play out there. Is he any less respected for playing it? I really dont think so.
And God said, 'Let there be rock!'
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# 17
kimbob
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kimbob
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08/02/2002 6:43 am
Originally posted by Josh Redstone
Ya know what, Eddie Van Halen plays a tinny little guitar called a Peavey Wolfgang, with less than 16th of a inch action on it. Its not strat style, but its probably one of the easyest guitars to play out there. Is he any less respected for playing it? I really dont think so.

It doesn't matter what brand of guitar you play. It's how you play it. One of Eddie's first guitars, The "Frankenstien", was hand painted with rattle cans and tape and had only one pickup that worked and was made from parts from several other guitars. The body was a Lynn Elsworth ($50) and neck ($80). :cool:
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# 18
Josh Redstone
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Josh Redstone
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08/02/2002 5:03 pm
Thats not my point, Im saying he uses a guitar thats easy to play, on this thread was started because people thought strat players are more respected than LP players because an LP is supposedly easyer to play.
I was just saying hes a very respected guitarist that plays a very easy to play guitar.
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-And it was good
# 19
fendermonkey77
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fendermonkey77
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08/02/2002 5:17 pm
I've never heard this theory. I agree with what's been said as far as it's all personal preference. Personally, I think the Les Paul weighs as much as a tank, it's a work out to play it. But that's my opinion. The guitar doesn't make the player famous, the player makes the guitar famous.
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# 20

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