gorgeous strat, Erich. thank you for all the videos you do, and it's clear you have a great love of teaching and of music. It really shows through. Kudos, sir.
hey what about your giveaway? when will the winners be announced. You said 30 guitars will be given away in 20 days but its 13th day already and no winners are announced
YourGuitarSage Yay! Rock out! I love your passion for what you do. You're such a great teacher. Not just the way you teach guitar, but your philosophy and your knowledge of music theory. Clearly, you know your sh..... lol. I'm doing the full beginner's-advanced course. I'm so glad I was able to finally buy it! To those not signed up yet, it's over 30 hours of video instruction in over 300 lessons, in case anyone was curious. Definitely check out his courses if you like his UA-cam videos. It's SO worth it! And if you go to his website you can get the first 30 lessons free just by providing your email, I think 20 something of them are posted on his site too. You get to try before you buy. And if you can't buy yet, you should still go for the free lessons and keep learning with this channel on UA-cam until you can get the course. Eventually you'll feel it that you just have to get it and you'll find a way. That's what I did. Now I'm putting that same energy towards trying to get my own guitar too!
Don't forget the bridge pickup tone mod. Removes the tone knob from the middle pickup and puts it on the bridge pickup where it's most needed. I can't live without it. It's my secret weapon for being able to put high gain on a strat's bridge pickup and sound humongous instead of that harsh/shrill sound you often get with a strat's bridge pickup. Sounds as mean as a humbucker, but with better tone IMO.
I don't know why, but recently I've become fascinated by electric guitars. I don't play the guitar at all, but it's the mechanisms and the electronics that have grabbed my attention for now. I love to know how things like electric guitars work. I can't wait to get into the materials that make a guitar.
I got my first Strat a couple months ago (used MIM HSS model) and never looked back. Best guitar I've ever played and I never thought I'd be a Strat guy lol. Sold my Epiphone Les Paul Studio because it was just collecting dust. I'm convinced that you can play just about anything on a Strat!
Last week i bought a MIM Fat Strat with H-S-S pickups and i looove it! Before that, i had a Squier Strat classic vibe 60s, great guitar too, but the MIM Strat is even better. Looks, feels and plays more high grade.
I run 1 vol, 1 tone with the volume knob moved to the upper tone knob position , 5 way switch. I don't use the trem much so the claw is screwed in so the bridge is more of a hardtail. I don't suggest teflon tape as it's not designed to be used in situations with movement and over time will chew up. Use a pencil on your nut , it does the same thing. Change your string trees to rollers, helps keep the guitar in tune. If you find you don't like the highs of a strat, Change the caps to allow more lows through, this will kinda give you that low of playing half a step down. And some people like to put foam in the tension springs to stop the bleed through from the springs ringing. All player preference but I suggest you buy a cheap strat knockoff to play around a bit and leave your original as is regarding electronics and any physical changes.
Erich is really one of the best people I know. He gives us free ebooks, gives away free stuff on his live streams, and gives us free lessons that just help us to improve. But, most of all, he gives us the motivation to want to play every single day to his new videos. Now he’s giving away 30 guitars and 30 subscriptions to his courses. Sometimes I wonder why there aren’t more people like you, we could really use them in our world. Erich, I really appreciate the endless amounts of commitment you have to us. Thank you, Erich
Don't worry about it! You are a Dec. Guitar Winner! Please private message me here on UA-cam with your name, e-mail, mailing address, and phone number. To send me a message go to the "About" section on my channel page and click the small message icon. If that doesn't work out you can also reply here with your e-mail address!
I've got a buddy at work that has a 62 Telecaster, sweet guitar. Your strat. was made the year I was born, makes my feel old. Have a great night Eric. Take care.
SRV guitar tech, Rene Martinez, shoved a wad of cotton into the threaded tremolo arm hole on SRV's Strat. Reason being that if the arm broke, it would be easier to remove. Another trick for the arm, I learned from Michael Casswell (RIP), is to use heatshrink tuning around the threads instead of plumbers tape. Reason being that putting in/taking out an arm (wrapped in PT) will wear out the tape, meaning you'd have to wrap new tape on, more often than not. All my Strats, except one, have dedicated tone knobs for the bridge pickups, this allows for rolling off the high end when warranted. Doesn't work with standard Fender wiring, but Fender offers a few models with this feature, or an experienced guitar tech can do the simple reversible mod if you are wary of attempting it yourself, or not handy with a soldering iron. Lastly, while I agree with finding an overdrive that suits a Strat, a Strat can be used with distortion and fuzz pedals. Single coils can be noisy, but that is what the volume knob is for. Even Paul Gilbert will make use of the volume knob on his humbucking and single coil equipped guitars to eliminate noise and feedback. Also worth noting as a Strat tip... Use those knobs on the guitar! There are a lot of useful tones lurking in the volume and tone knobs. Not enough Strat players do this, but I'd suggest listening to say...Jeff Beck (for example). All three knobs get a workout on his Strats. A lot of videos about playing Strats never mention this, which is a shame because you can get some great sounds from the guitar itself by using the control knobs...without even using a single pedal. :)
PURPLE HAZE, ALL IN MY BRAIN - gotta love it. I used to listen to that song back in '67 on my 8 track player. Anyway, I'm still on the acoustic side of the house but still enjoy your videos and if I ever go electric a Fender Strat might be the one. As always, you pack a lot of great information in your videos and you're also able to describe what you are doing in such a way that a newbie like me is able to understand. Thank you for what you do and do so well. Oh yes, I've got to tell my wife about Big Bends Nut Sauce. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of it.
Man, i really appreciate your work, i've got a Strat and that guitar is amazing, but, i have to thank you for everything that you teached to me, i start to whatch your video 4 years ago, and today i've got the exam to join in conservatory, you prepared me to unlock this achievement in my life, really thanks for that, i will never stop to follow you, keep going, have a really nice day, salute from Italy. Sorry for bad english and i hope that your youtube channel will help a lot of guys like me that are out there!
One of the most versatile guitars I've played, i own one myself, and at first i tried the bridge all the way to the body of the guitar and i felt comfortable, but then i tried to float it up a bit, just a bit, and the tremolo system felt so freakin' good, also the strings felt a little more comfortable, more than I'm used to (i have always used .38 to .09 strings), and i think I'll try the nut sauce because i use the tremolo A LOT, also my fav. Pick up position are the second and the fourth, it's the sound that those two positions give that i really enjoy, especially when doing arpegios, excellent video here Erich, always tuned to learn new stuff!
I started playing guitar when I was like 4 just playing by ear I’ve always love Elvis so I just sit there for hours playin my guitar. I remember my every time my dad would go on a Business trip he would always me home a new first act brand guitar from toys r us. I just have always loved music. I tried music lessons when I was seven and they just really didn’t work out and not long after that I started to play sports and just got busy doing other things. Every once in a while try to pick it up but I would never stick with it. fast forward to about a year ago I really got serious about and I’m making great progress and your wonderful videos have help me so much along the way if I just have a question or just want to learn something new you have really help me to always be able to learn something and get better every day at guitar.
That spring is to keep you from winding the whammy bar down to the end and threads do not get stripped! Spring holds the bar and takes away floppiness. Tremolo springs attach to the "claw"
One of the very best Strat mods is wiring both neck and middle pickups to the first tone pot, and the bridge pickup to the second. Strats come like that now and have for several years, but I did that when I got my ‘66 Strat (Valentines Day, 1984) and it allows you to roll off some of that brash, bridge pickup treble. Really helps with fuzz and overdrive, too. Older Strats have no way to control the tone of the bridge pickup; the neck and middle pickups are each wired to a separate tone pot, with no tone pot for the bridge pickup.
WOW! I've had my Strat for a long time, know lots of guitar players and you're the first one to tell me ANY of this. (I wonder if they know.) Some of this I knew already, like about the springs and the switch, having learned it on my own. But the rest is news to me. And I never knew about tuning a Strat ½ step lower. That's a big deal. I've always wondered why my Strat's tone never quite matched that of the model's most famous players. DUH! Why didn't I hear it? I kept thinking there was something wrong with my guitar, amp or me. I've even had salesmen use that to try to sell me another guitar. What an awakening! Thank you, Erich.
My second guitar was a 1964 I bought in 1965 ... Had the worst 12th fret overtones on the 6th and 5th strings you ever heard. But it was beautiful until I sold it!
ALT3REDB3AST, his is a 1965? Talk about weird! I just bought a 1965 Custom Shop made in 2014 that's almost identical! Mine is a 3 Tone Sunburst with the mint guard and flamed neck, Rosewood 9.5" It's awesome - and it was played on a MF Demo on UA-cam!
That was helpful. I have 2 Strats, and gave up on using the vibrato because of tuning instability, and "decked" both of them. It's been a few years, and I think I'm gonna try again. Thanks!
I am with you. I like most brands and models but there is just something about a Strat. I am currently playing a modded 96 MIM Strat that has been loaded with Texas special pickups etc. Obviously a blues guitar. I love it! I got it just before I discovered your videos so the excitement of a new (to me) Strat and a new learning source hit at the same time. My learning has been really growing exponentially. As you said, I had left a lot on the table but I am getting it now. A lot of it due to you and your awesome videos. Tools to excel and Succeed! Thanks sooooo much and please keep it coming.
I had a 71 Strat with a 3 bolt neck. I did the same trick putting the switch half way between the positions to get that sound of the two pickups. Great tips Erich.
*****UNIQUE***** *****POSITIVE***** *****CREATIVE***** *****CRAZY***** You decide Erich!!!!! I DO NOT HAVE A GUITAR but I purchased your Complete Guitar System you had on SPECIAL anyway. I am not in a financial position to purchase a guitar but I was being Proactive so that when I am able to get (OR WIN) a guitar I will be ready to start learning right from the get-go with the best online teacher--Yes Erich you. I love watching your videos and learning from them even though I don't have a guitar yet. Please Erich you have the ability to make me a very grateful and happy person. I COULD REALLY MAKE GOOD USE OF THAT EPIPHONE GUITAR and your UNSTOPPABLE GUITAR SYSTEM!!! I am trying to recover from a surgery that went very wrong leaving me with paralysis in my left leg. I believe that MUSIC IS A GREAT HEALER so I would be extremely grateful if you choose me as one of the WINNERS. Learning to play the guitar would very much help me by taking my mind off what has happened and letting me focus on my dream of learning to play the guitar. Best Wishes and Happy Holidays to you and your family--that includes your pets as they are definitely part of the family. Hope to hear from you real soon with some great news!!!!!!! Thanks for all you do.
Griffin Lamon Hey man do you really mean that??? If so I really do appreciate it. Thanks a lot. That is very generous of you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!!
Just an added tip here, concerning the back-plate: I'm also a Strat guy, and i also always preferred to keep mine on the guitar, but it admittedly can be a PITA to change strings with them still on. Most newer Strats have a rectangular opening on the plate, rather than the 6 individual holes, and what I've done before is to take a Dremel and file the opening a bit larger, so it doesn't restrict the insertion of the new string (or removal of the old ones). Obviously, you wouldn't want to do this to a vintage part, but for a modern Strat, it's no biggie. It just takes a minute, is barely noticeable, and it fixes the problem forever, without having to ditch the plate.
I love the plumbers tape idea. I would however recommend anyone who has a strat to get locking tuners. It's made a world of difference using the whammy.
After this did a few of the things Erich recommends. Pipe tape on teh whammy bar thread works perfectly, I didn't realize how sloppy it was without it, never going back on that! Took out my back spring screws and put bees wax on the threads of the big screws to they are easier to adjust and tweak. Then re-set up my bridge gap for tremolo and am really happy with how my Strat plays now.
Fulltone OCD is a great pedal for a Strat. You can actually get a somewhat heavy distortion tone without too much fuss with the gain cranked up to ten.
WOW! I just recently acquired an Eric Clapton Strat and these are some great tips! I have learned so much watching watching your videos! I can't wait until my son is old enough to play so I can share this knowledge with him!
Axe wax? Nut sauce??? Like they couldn't try any harder to come up with more immature minded names. Walk into your local guitar store. Ask out loud if they have specials on nut sauce
How'd i know your Strat's a '65? The 'transition' logo and the small headstock; the big CBS headstock came later that year...sounds good! Oh yeah, SRV went big w/13s!
Great guitar. I should know, I have one! I changed my pickguard though to a black one. The purists would be up in arms but it looks way better. SRV style. Thanks for the tips
I've got a fake strat my dad used to play in the 80s. I immediately did your tape trick for the whammy bar. I'm also going to get that nut sauce to get it in tune. Thanks for the video as always.
3 роки тому
Thanks for the great lesson I've learned something new Thats half the fun of the amazing instrument the guitar and I get to study and practice and play Blues guitar 24/7 Retired from the US Navy so now it's eat sleep and breathe Guitar
At 5:35 - I don't have that problem with my strats backplates. I keep em on because the grounding wire in back there and if you accidentally disconnect it, you'll have a bigger problem than just a longer string change.
It's big bends nut sauce and I just ordered some. Thanks for the help Sage, I bought a new strat and just couldn't get the right tone..I'm getting a new pedal too...that's the problem!
What good timing. I just got a fender Stratocaster mim on Craigslist for 175. I love it and this video really helps me understand how to play with it more! My favorite guitar now! I used to have a schecter hellraiser from Craigslist but the strat seems way more versatile! Still want an acoustic and your lessons so I can play those funky blues
Great tip on the teflon tape. I use chap stick or Vaseline & powdered graphite mix on the nut but may get some nut sauce. I also had some noisy springs so I added some short pieces of rubber tubing inside the springs, voila no noise. Thanks again for the tips; btw I really enjoy your guitar lessons.
Good stuff. I basically knew none of this. Now I understand the tremolo springs and why they exist. Also like the plumber's tape trick. Good to know.. I have been watching many videos! So far, it seems the strat is the most used general purpose guitar.
Yay! Rock out! I love your passion for what you do. You're such a great teacher. Not just the way you teach guitar, but your philosophy and your knowledge of music theory. Clearly, you know your sh..... lol. I'm doing the full beginner's-advanced course. I'm so glad I was able to finally buy it! To those not signed up yet, it's over 30 hours of video instruction in over 300 lessons, in case anyone was curious. Definitely check out his courses if you like his UA-cam videos. It's SO worth it! And if you go to his website you can get the first 30 lessons free just by providing your email. You get to try before you buy. And if you can't buy yet, you should still go for the free lessons and keep learning on UA-cam until you can get it. Eventually you'll feel it that you just have to get it and you'll find a way. That's what I did. Now I'm putting that same energy towards trying to get my own guitar too!
If you break strings frequently, you don't know how to play. I did so for the first 2 decades I played. I started doing music full-time, because of playing a lot, my playing got better, simultaneously, I stopped breaking strings. I went through a heavy string phase.... my fingers got tough.... as I aged, my strings got finer. My main acoustic has 11's. All my electrics, 9's. I don't chase anyone's tone. I create my own. Our own sound and tone is in our touch. No two people have the same touch. Electric guitar is a drug, that makes you buy more gear, more gear, more gear.... I've a great acoustic. I'm good.... and don't need to buy any more.... but electric.... I just found a great setup guy.... he's going get all my electrics.... more gear..... We are insane.
What color is your pickguard? It looks mint green on my computer and my phone. My friend says it looks cream colored on his phone and computer.. please clarify? What is everyone else seeing? Thanks
Thanks again for the useful tips. I'm dreaming of winning one of your guitars... literally! Last night I dreamt I opened up one of your guitars that came in the mail. Dreams are the start to many things and can manifest themselves if you pursue them. So I'm gonna keep dreaming and and keep playing! Rock on! \m/
I have a squire by fender strat, bullet series. It's just my introduction into strats, but I love it. I bought it used, and it didn't come with a tremolo bar, so I just installed one, and didn't even know about springs. I was wondering why it took so much effort to make it do what it's supposed to. This video was immensely helpful, thank you!
Good job...thanks! 2:42 I part ways with you on the Teflon tape as it can fray. 3:53 A LITTLE bit of Vaseline in each slot works well too...just sayin'
One of Leo Fender’s most ingenious inventions was the hole-in-the-post, vintage tuners. Locking tuners are a pain, in my opinion. Fender Vintage Tuners are wicked easy and they automatically lock in the string. Leo knew his shit!
Nice job. I've got three strats with different pickups in each (Texas Specials, '54 Re-Issue and a Custom Shop '69 Re-Issue) and I agree that they sound best in the 4th position. I also think they sound really nice with the volume around "7" if you want a pretty clean blues sound. I have to add, however, that I recently read an old Guitar World interview with SRV and he stated that he preferred the 3rd position almost exclusively when he played. I don't personally care for it (too "brittle"-sounding?) but I could hear his sound better when I tried it out. Again, great job and nice '65.
On my Eric Johnson signature Strat (it was a very early model, actually made by the Custom Shop and a little different than his later sig editions. Sold it a while back like a DA), I found the 2nd position to be my SRV spot. This was through a 4x10 100w Marshal half-stack. I wasn’t running any pedals at the time though. Edit: Thinking back, I’m pretty sure that particular guitar was wired funky; the 3rd position used all three single coils instead of only the middle PU iirc. That may be the reason that the sound wasn’t right for Stevie.
Love these tips! Wish I had known them years ago when I thought I was going to be the next SRV. I wasn’t even close. I had a ‘98 Texas Roadhouse Strat that I had to sell to pay bills. Man, I miss her!
HEY DUDE absolutely love your videos, been playing for about 6 years but I always learn something new from you channel, obviously I'm interested in the December guitar contest aha and it'd be great for this time of year as I want to take more of the new year playing a lot more acoustic, but besides that your videos are great an have always helped me out, keep it up man!
Great video. Thanks. Santa is bringing me a Strat this year. Super. Tuning half step... great tip. You mentioned the TC Electronics Spark pedal. Do you mean the mini or the Booster? Thanks.
This type of Strat is my absolute favorite. 1964-1966 had the best sunburst in my opinion (I know I am in the minority). Opaque andbright yellow center, thick and bright red. Transitional Fender logo on a thick headstock (yes, Strat headstocks were thicker in depth starting in 1963). Mint green pickguard and pearloid dot inlays. The look just screams Hendrix. Also, 1965 Strats had grey bottom pickups wound with polysol wire, which gives them a very mid-focused sound and somewhat quacky highs, also the pickups wete wound hotter this year. 1964 and 1966 onwards Strats are equipped with enamel wire pickups which is my favorite of all Strat tones; scooped mids and very mellow (pure Hendrix tone).
Gretev1, thanks - I just bought a 1965 Custom Shop made in 2014! It's a 3 color as you said, mint guard, rosewood, 12". I love the vintage look of this "new" one compared to my Lone Star. But, the L.S has Texas Specials and they are great. I have to get used to the '65's yet. BTW, check out a MF Demo, titled 1965 Stratocaster NOS on UA-cam. It's my guitar!!
I put roller bridge saddles on mine, replaced the nut and just used pencil lead in the nut slots and it stays in tune. I really like the roller bridge. I’m thinking of putting one on my LP
Thanks!! I love all of your videos and tips. One year ago I was struggling to play every chord except E minor. I have learned many chords from your videos. Thank you so much!
Totally awesome. Video ..wow my friend this song is great ...the way you explain is just super too ...Thank you so so much..I greatly appreciate it all..
Nice vid. You can use a #2 pencil instead of the nut sauce. Not quite as good but way cheaper. Also worth mentioning the HSS Fat Strat. A humbucker in the bridge position is way more usable to me than the more common single coil setup.
I didn't know your channel until I search "Guitar Giveaway" I always wanted to learn to play guitar and watching to your videos I feel I can do it because your tips are too good and easy to get and you are giving us a chance to win a guitar. I will soon take your free guitar course and watch all the other videos
Hii! thanks for the tutorial!! I've been playing the guitar for three years now and it has become my favorite thing in the world! I started when I was still in school and I was hooked from the first day... I still have a lot of room to improve, but I'm learning every day, thanks to your videos :) I love the fact that you are making this giveaway. I'm sure it will be a great help for those who can't afford good guitars at the moment and would like to make progress as an artist... Greetings! :)
Cool tips man! Thx Sometimes i wonder if my strat would sound better with noiseless pick-ups. But i actually prefer to keep him originaly. I have the blue/green one (color flip-flop) someone once told me that was a special edition and only 500 pieces were made.
There are some other things I found, place some felt behind the springs, I did upgrade my American Pro with Locking Tuners and after three set ups I did have the bridge lowered. I am new to Strats so I have a long way to go. But I probably will start changing pickups before I'm done. Using 11 gauge but I am real heavy handed.
Instead of that nut sauce stuff, rub a pencil point in the grooves. The graphite in the pencil lead works incredibly well to minimize the string-to-nut friction.
Another great video. I love the way you present the information and having so much information here on UA-cam is amazing. I am fairly new to playing and really picking up the passion for it, so it’s great to be able to go back to these videos to watch over and over to really get it down. I’m still having to remind myself to play on my finger tips with a marker (thanks for that advice btw), so sometimes I’m watching stuff way ahead of my current skill level. I WILL get there though. Thanks for everything!
Great tips, don't own a strat as of now but definitely on my list but then there's a lot on my list of to buy items, try to watch as many of your videos a day as I can always so well done and informative thanks, Eric. Own 2 of your books great books !
Oh man! I wish I have a Fender, but well... I still love my Squier. I love the Strato sound, so smooth and powerful at the same time. Thanks for this tips Erich, there are many things to know... I tried .10 and it was a really hard. So I learned (I think lol). Greetings!!!
Dude, Ive owned strats of all kinds from $100 squiers to custom jobs costing thousands and guess what? They’re all strats at the end of the day...some might sound 10% nicer, some might play better or have more vibe but they’re all the same basic guitar. You can convincingly play another brick in the wall on ANY of them.
Hey there my friends! Thanks for stopping by and watching this Strat video! Hope you enjoyed it and let me hear your comments and feedback below. e :)
Could you do another video like this with a Telecaster?
gorgeous strat, Erich. thank you for all the videos you do, and it's clear you have a great love of teaching and of music. It really shows through. Kudos, sir.
hey what about your giveaway? when will the winners be announced. You said 30 guitars will be given away in 20 days but its 13th day already and no winners are announced
YourGuitarSage if you have a Squier or Yamaha or other kind of Strat? Would these tips be the same?
YourGuitarSage Yay! Rock out! I love your passion for what you do. You're such a great teacher. Not just the way you teach guitar, but your philosophy and your knowledge of music theory. Clearly, you know your sh..... lol. I'm doing the full beginner's-advanced course. I'm so glad I was able to finally buy it! To those not signed up yet, it's over 30 hours of video instruction in over 300 lessons, in case anyone was curious. Definitely check out his courses if you like his UA-cam videos. It's SO worth it! And if you go to his website you can get the first 30 lessons free just by providing your email, I think 20 something of them are posted on his site too. You get to try before you buy. And if you can't buy yet, you should still go for the free lessons and keep learning with this channel on UA-cam until you can get the course. Eventually you'll feel it that you just have to get it and you'll find a way. That's what I did. Now I'm putting that same energy towards trying to get my own guitar too!
My '57 strat has had a few repairs over the years including 3 new necks and 2 new bodies. It still looks and plays like new!
👍
🤔
The Strat of Thessius.
This comment made my brain decline services....
😆 ok Trigger !
Don't forget the bridge pickup tone mod. Removes the tone knob from the middle pickup and puts it on the bridge pickup where it's most needed. I can't live without it. It's my secret weapon for being able to put high gain on a strat's bridge pickup and sound humongous instead of that harsh/shrill sound you often get with a strat's bridge pickup. Sounds as mean as a humbucker, but with better tone IMO.
Never thought of that.
My strat actually came with a bridge pickup tone knob. The other one controls the neck & middle pickup
Disclaimer: Big Ben wasn't harmed during the harvest of his sauce🤨
Lol-ed thanks
lmao
Eli O Toole he’s probably happier after extraction honestly
The extraction must've have been painful though
BREAKING NEWS: Big Ben's Nut Sauce goes out of stock for the month of November.
I don't know why, but recently I've become fascinated by electric guitars. I don't play the guitar at all, but it's the mechanisms and the electronics that have grabbed my attention for now. I love to know how things like electric guitars work. I can't wait to get into the materials that make a guitar.
Yes it's truly ingenious how someone figured out frets, bridges, nuts, intonation, and magnetics.
I got my first Strat a couple months ago (used MIM HSS model) and never looked back. Best guitar I've ever played and I never thought I'd be a Strat guy lol. Sold my Epiphone Les Paul Studio because it was just collecting dust. I'm convinced that you can play just about anything on a Strat!
Last week i bought a MIM Fat Strat with H-S-S pickups and i looove it!
Before that, i had a Squier Strat classic vibe 60s, great guitar too, but the MIM Strat is even better. Looks, feels and plays more high grade.
I run 1 vol, 1 tone with the volume knob moved to the upper tone knob position , 5 way switch. I don't use the trem much so the claw is screwed in so the bridge is more of a hardtail. I don't suggest teflon tape as it's not designed to be used in situations with movement and over time will chew up. Use a pencil on your nut , it does the same thing. Change your string trees to rollers, helps keep the guitar in tune. If you find you don't like the highs of a strat, Change the caps to allow more lows through, this will kinda give you that low of playing half a step down. And some people like to put foam in the tension springs to stop the bleed through from the springs ringing. All player preference but I suggest you buy a cheap strat knockoff to play around a bit and leave your original as is regarding electronics and any physical changes.
Foam in spring cavity...where exactly?
Erich is really one of the best people I know. He gives us free ebooks, gives away free stuff on his live streams, and gives us free lessons that just help us to improve. But, most of all, he gives us the motivation to want to play every single day to his new videos. Now he’s giving away 30 guitars and 30 subscriptions to his courses. Sometimes I wonder why there aren’t more people like you, we could really use them in our world. Erich, I really appreciate the endless amounts of commitment you have to us. Thank you, Erich
Thank you for those kind words, Isaac!
YourGuitarSage sorry I spelled your name wrong the first time :(((
Don't worry about it! You are a Dec. Guitar Winner! Please private message me here on UA-cam with your name, e-mail, mailing address, and phone number. To send me a message go to the "About" section on my channel page and click the small message icon. If that doesn't work out you can also reply here with your e-mail address!
Thank you Erich!! My email is isaacangth@gmail.com
Isaac, we received your info! We'll be in touch asap, Thank You!
I've got a buddy at work that has a 62 Telecaster, sweet guitar. Your strat. was made the year I was born, makes my feel old. Have a great night Eric. Take care.
SRV guitar tech, Rene Martinez, shoved a wad of cotton into the threaded tremolo arm hole on SRV's Strat. Reason being that if the arm broke, it would be easier to remove.
Another trick for the arm, I learned from Michael Casswell (RIP), is to use heatshrink tuning around the threads instead of plumbers tape. Reason being that putting in/taking out an arm (wrapped in PT) will wear out the tape, meaning you'd have to wrap new tape on, more often than not.
All my Strats, except one, have dedicated tone knobs for the bridge pickups, this allows for rolling off the high end when warranted. Doesn't work with standard Fender wiring, but Fender offers a few models with this feature, or an experienced guitar tech can do the simple reversible mod if you are wary of attempting it yourself, or not handy with a soldering iron.
Lastly, while I agree with finding an overdrive that suits a Strat, a Strat can be used with distortion and fuzz pedals. Single coils can be noisy, but that is what the volume knob is for. Even Paul Gilbert will make use of the volume knob on his humbucking and single coil equipped guitars to eliminate noise and feedback.
Also worth noting as a Strat tip...
Use those knobs on the guitar! There are a lot of useful tones lurking in the volume and tone knobs. Not enough Strat players do this, but I'd suggest listening to say...Jeff Beck (for example). All three knobs get a workout on his Strats. A lot of videos about playing Strats never mention this, which is a shame because you can get some great sounds from the guitar itself by using the control knobs...without even using a single pedal. :)
PURPLE HAZE, ALL IN MY BRAIN - gotta love it. I used to listen to that song back in '67 on my 8 track player. Anyway, I'm still on the acoustic side of the house but still enjoy your videos and if I ever go electric a Fender Strat might be the one. As always, you pack a lot of great information in your videos and you're also able to describe what you are doing in such a way that a newbie like me is able to understand. Thank you for what you do and do so well. Oh yes, I've got to tell my wife about Big Bends Nut Sauce. I'm sure she'll get a kick out of it.
Man, i really appreciate your work, i've got a Strat and that guitar is amazing, but, i have to thank you for everything that you teached to me, i start to whatch your video 4 years ago, and today i've got the exam to join in conservatory, you prepared me to unlock this achievement in my life, really thanks for that, i will never stop to follow you, keep going, have a really nice day, salute from Italy.
Sorry for bad english and i hope that your youtube channel will help a lot of guys like me that are out there!
Thanks for joining me, Luca!
One of the most versatile guitars I've played, i own one myself, and at first i tried the bridge all the way to the body of the guitar and i felt comfortable, but then i tried to float it up a bit, just a bit, and the tremolo system felt so freakin' good, also the strings felt a little more comfortable, more than I'm used to (i have always used .38 to .09 strings), and i think I'll try the nut sauce because i use the tremolo A LOT, also my fav. Pick up position are the second and the fourth, it's the sound that those two positions give that i really enjoy, especially when doing arpegios, excellent video here Erich, always tuned to learn new stuff!
I started playing guitar when I was like 4 just playing by ear I’ve always love Elvis so I just sit there for hours playin my guitar. I remember my every time my dad would go on a Business trip he would always me home a new first act brand guitar from toys r us. I just have always loved music. I tried music lessons when I was seven and they just really didn’t work out and not long after that I started to play sports and just got busy doing other things. Every once in a while try to pick it up but I would never stick with it. fast forward to about a year ago I really got serious about and I’m making great progress and your wonderful videos have help me so much along the way if I just have a question or just want to learn something new you have really help me to always be able to learn something and get better every day at guitar.
That spring is to keep you from winding the whammy bar down to the end and threads do not get stripped! Spring holds the bar and takes away floppiness.
Tremolo springs attach to the "claw"
One of the very best Strat mods is wiring both neck and middle pickups to the first tone pot, and the bridge pickup to the second. Strats come like that now and have for several years, but I did that when I got my ‘66 Strat (Valentines Day, 1984) and it allows you to roll off some of that brash, bridge pickup treble. Really helps with fuzz and overdrive, too. Older Strats have no way to control the tone of the bridge pickup; the neck and middle pickups are each wired to a separate tone pot, with no tone pot for the bridge pickup.
Nice, Larry! Thank you for sharing this.
WOW! I've had my Strat for a long time, know lots of guitar players and you're the first one to tell me ANY of this. (I wonder if they know.) Some of this I knew already, like about the springs and the switch, having learned it on my own. But the rest is news to me. And I never knew about tuning a Strat ½ step lower. That's a big deal. I've always wondered why my Strat's tone never quite matched that of the model's most famous players. DUH! Why didn't I hear it? I kept thinking there was something wrong with my guitar, amp or me. I've even had salesmen use that to try to sell me another guitar.
What an awakening! Thank you, Erich.
Your are correct sir. The Strat I just got. But mine is a 2018. American Pro Strat. And yes I Love it.
Damn. I thought my 54 reisssue was nice..... Your 65 is TO DIE FOR! That mint guard has me drooling.
My second guitar was a 1964 I bought in 1965 ... Had the worst 12th fret overtones on the 6th and 5th strings you ever heard. But it was beautiful until I sold it!
ALT3REDB3AST, his is a 1965? Talk about weird! I just bought a 1965 Custom Shop made in 2014 that's almost identical! Mine is a 3 Tone Sunburst with the mint guard and flamed neck, Rosewood 9.5" It's awesome - and it was played on a MF Demo on UA-cam!
My 57 is nicer 😊
That was helpful. I have 2 Strats, and gave up on using the vibrato because of tuning instability, and "decked" both of them. It's been a few years, and I think I'm gonna try again. Thanks!
Glad it helped!🙏
I am with you. I like most brands and models but there is just something about a Strat. I am currently playing a modded 96 MIM Strat that has been loaded with Texas special pickups etc. Obviously a blues guitar. I love it! I got it just before I discovered your videos so the excitement of a new (to me) Strat and a new learning source hit at the same time. My learning has been really growing exponentially. As you said, I had left a lot on the table but I am getting it now. A lot of it due to you and your awesome videos. Tools to excel and Succeed! Thanks sooooo much and please keep it coming.
3
Excellent video! I keep my stock them slightly below floating so that if I bend on the b for instance, and I hit a note on the e, it won’t be flat.
Nice!
I had a 71 Strat with a 3 bolt neck. I did the same trick putting the switch half way between the positions to get that sound of the two pickups. Great tips Erich.
*****UNIQUE*****
*****POSITIVE*****
*****CREATIVE*****
*****CRAZY*****
You decide Erich!!!!!
I DO NOT HAVE A GUITAR but I purchased your Complete Guitar System you had on SPECIAL anyway. I am not in a financial position to purchase a guitar but I was being Proactive so that when I am able to get (OR WIN) a guitar I will be ready to start learning right from the get-go with the best online teacher--Yes Erich you. I love watching your videos and learning from them even though I don't have a guitar yet. Please Erich you have the ability to make me a very grateful and happy person. I COULD REALLY MAKE GOOD USE OF THAT EPIPHONE GUITAR and your UNSTOPPABLE GUITAR SYSTEM!!! I am trying to recover from a surgery that went very wrong leaving me with paralysis in my left leg. I believe that MUSIC IS A GREAT HEALER so I would be extremely grateful if you choose me as one of the WINNERS. Learning to play the guitar would very much help me by taking my mind off what has happened and letting me focus on my dream of learning to play the guitar. Best Wishes and Happy Holidays to you and your family--that includes your pets as they are definitely part of the family.
Hope to hear from you real soon with some great news!!!!!!! Thanks for all you do.
C Burgess GIVE IT TO THIS MAN
Griffin Lamon Hey man do you really mean that??? If so I really do appreciate it. Thanks a lot. That is very generous of you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!!
Just an added tip here, concerning the back-plate: I'm also a Strat guy, and i also always preferred to keep mine on the guitar, but it admittedly can be a PITA to change strings with them still on. Most newer Strats have a rectangular opening on the plate, rather than the 6 individual holes, and what I've done before is to take a Dremel and file the opening a bit larger, so it doesn't restrict the insertion of the new string (or removal of the old ones). Obviously, you wouldn't want to do this to a vintage part, but for a modern Strat, it's no biggie. It just takes a minute, is barely noticeable, and it fixes the problem forever, without having to ditch the plate.
hell ya man you just saved me fifteen bucks with the plumbers tape trick. works like a charm.
I love the plumbers tape idea. I would however recommend anyone who has a strat to get locking tuners. It's made a world of difference using the whammy.
I recommend new guitar friends to watch your playlist of "Lessons for beginners"
Keep it up man
I don’t have a Strat but it’s always fun to learn new things. Great video. Enjoy the holidays
After this did a few of the things Erich recommends. Pipe tape on teh whammy bar thread works perfectly, I didn't realize how sloppy it was without it, never going back on that! Took out my back spring screws and put bees wax on the threads of the big screws to they are easier to adjust and tweak. Then re-set up my bridge gap for tremolo and am really happy with how my Strat plays now.
Fulltone OCD is a great pedal for a Strat. You can actually get a somewhat heavy distortion tone without too much fuss with the gain cranked up to ten.
WOW! I just recently acquired an Eric Clapton Strat and these are some great tips! I have learned so much watching watching your videos! I can't wait until my son is old enough to play so I can share this knowledge with him!
Pass it on!
I'd love to have a membership to your site! If your free content is this amazing, your premium lessons must be out of this world!
It should be mentioned that the Teflon tape should be wound clockwise to the bar thread so it seals to the body thread correctly.
Yeah righty tity lefty loosey
I use Dr. Duck's Axe Wax for the nut, string tree, and bridge saddles for lubrication. Stuff cleans a guitar up super nice as well.
Thanks for this my friend!
Axe wax? Nut sauce??? Like they couldn't try any harder to come up with more immature minded names. Walk into your local guitar store. Ask out loud if they have specials on nut sauce
How'd i know your Strat's a '65? The 'transition' logo and the small headstock; the big CBS headstock came later that year...sounds good! Oh yeah, SRV went big w/13s!
I have a couple Strats and you're so right. The TC Spark is great with the Strat! Great video as always.
Great guitar. I should know, I have one! I changed my pickguard though to a black one. The purists would be up in arms but it looks way better. SRV style. Thanks for the tips
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I've got a fake strat my dad used to play in the 80s. I immediately did your tape trick for the whammy bar. I'm also going to get that nut sauce to get it in tune. Thanks for the video as always.
Thanks for the great lesson I've learned something new Thats half the fun of the amazing instrument the guitar and I get to study and practice and play Blues guitar 24/7 Retired from the US Navy so now it's eat sleep and breathe Guitar
Love that DJ. Veteran, you say? Playing guitar 24/7, you say? I have something I think you might could use. Yourguitarsage.com/veterans
This was REALLY. Helpful. Thx a bunch.
Excellent.
Answered a bunch of Qs I didn't have to ask.
Thanks
At 5:35 - I don't have that problem with my strats backplates. I keep em on because the grounding wire in back there and if you accidentally disconnect it, you'll have a bigger problem than just a longer string change.
It's big bends nut sauce and I just ordered some. Thanks for the help Sage, I bought a new strat and just couldn't get the right tone..I'm getting a new pedal too...that's the problem!
You are so welcome my friend! Thank U!🙏
What good timing. I just got a fender Stratocaster mim on Craigslist for 175. I love it and this video really helps me understand how to play with it more! My favorite guitar now! I used to have a schecter hellraiser from Craigslist but the strat seems way more versatile! Still want an acoustic and your lessons so I can play those funky blues
Great tip on the teflon tape. I use chap stick or Vaseline & powdered graphite mix on the nut but may get some nut sauce. I also had some noisy springs so I added some short pieces of rubber tubing inside the springs, voila no noise. Thanks again for the tips; btw I really enjoy your guitar lessons.
Thank you Dawg! Great additions. I appreciate it.
The half step down thing, started doing this about one month ago. I love it!
It's great!
Your amazing my guy
🤗🙏
Good stuff. I basically knew none of this. Now I understand the tremolo springs and why they exist. Also like the plumber's tape trick. Good to know.. I have been watching many videos! So far, it seems the strat is the most used general purpose guitar.
Yay! Rock out! I love your passion for what you do. You're such a great teacher. Not just the way you teach guitar, but your philosophy and your knowledge of music theory. Clearly, you know your sh..... lol. I'm doing the full beginner's-advanced course. I'm so glad I was able to finally buy it! To those not signed up yet, it's over 30 hours of video instruction in over 300 lessons, in case anyone was curious. Definitely check out his courses if you like his UA-cam videos. It's SO worth it! And if you go to his website you can get the first 30 lessons free just by providing your email. You get to try before you buy. And if you can't buy yet, you should still go for the free lessons and keep learning on UA-cam until you can get it. Eventually you'll feel it that you just have to get it and you'll find a way. That's what I did. Now I'm putting that same energy towards trying to get my own guitar too!
Thanks, Spite! Glad to have you
If you break strings frequently, you don't know how to play. I did so for the first 2 decades I played.
I started doing music full-time, because of playing a lot, my playing got better, simultaneously, I stopped breaking strings.
I went through a heavy string phase.... my fingers got tough.... as I aged, my strings got finer. My main acoustic has 11's. All my electrics, 9's.
I don't chase anyone's tone. I create my own. Our own sound and tone is in our touch. No two people have the same touch.
Electric guitar is a drug, that makes you buy more gear, more gear, more gear....
I've a great acoustic. I'm good.... and don't need to buy any more.... but electric.... I just found a great setup guy.... he's going get all my electrics.... more gear.....
We are insane.
What color is your pickguard? It looks mint green on my computer and my phone. My friend says it looks cream colored on his phone and computer.. please clarify? What is everyone else seeing? Thanks
Christopher, I believe it's a 1965 Reissue so it would be mint green, but cream would look good, too.
Thanks again for the useful tips. I'm dreaming of winning one of your guitars... literally! Last night I dreamt I opened up one of your guitars that came in the mail. Dreams are the start to many things and can manifest themselves if you pursue them. So I'm gonna keep dreaming and and keep playing! Rock on! \m/
I have a squire by fender strat, bullet series. It's just my introduction into strats, but I love it. I bought it used, and it didn't come with a tremolo bar, so I just installed one, and didn't even know about springs. I was wondering why it took so much effort to make it do what it's supposed to. This video was immensely helpful, thank you!
YOURGUITARSAGE, try to make a video on which guitarist use the strat tone knobs set half down or full down. Hendrix, etc
Good job...thanks! 2:42 I part ways with you on the Teflon tape as it can fray. 3:53 A LITTLE bit of Vaseline in each slot works well too...just sayin'
🙌
What year and model is that sunburst strat please?
One of Leo Fender’s most ingenious inventions was the hole-in-the-post, vintage tuners. Locking tuners are a pain, in my opinion. Fender Vintage Tuners are wicked easy and they automatically lock in the string. Leo knew his shit!
Absolutely! 💪
Cool Mods & Tips. Nice guitar. What colour is your pick guard ? A friend thinks it's mint green. Looks cream over here.
My friend: why you take the backplate off
Me: It looks better
@Nintariz Damn! You get to play all day? Could try wearing a shirt to keep that solder off you. 😂
Nice job. I've got three strats with different pickups in each (Texas Specials, '54 Re-Issue and a Custom Shop '69 Re-Issue) and I agree that they sound best in the 4th position. I also think they sound really nice with the volume around "7" if you want a pretty clean blues sound. I have to add, however, that I recently read an old Guitar World interview with SRV and he stated that he preferred the 3rd position almost exclusively when he played. I don't personally care for it (too "brittle"-sounding?) but I could hear his sound better when I tried it out. Again, great job and nice '65.
Nice my friend! Thank you so much for the Stevie trick.
On my Eric Johnson signature Strat (it was a very early model, actually made by the Custom Shop and a little different than his later sig editions. Sold it a while back like a DA), I found the 2nd position to be my SRV spot. This was through a 4x10 100w Marshal half-stack. I wasn’t running any pedals at the time though.
Edit: Thinking back, I’m pretty sure that particular guitar was wired funky; the 3rd position used all three single coils instead of only the middle PU iirc. That may be the reason that the sound wasn’t right for Stevie.
One of the best videos in that genre, thanks from LES
🙏
Love these tips! Wish I had known them years ago when I thought I was going to be the next SRV. I wasn’t even close. I had a ‘98 Texas Roadhouse Strat that I had to sell to pay bills. Man, I miss her!
I have a 99 that is a hardtail. Cyan burst. My favorite axe.
So so many videos, not sure I will live long enough to view all of them.
Haha, don't worry about it 🤘
Awesome video man! What an eye opener
🙏
HEY DUDE absolutely love your videos, been playing for about 6 years but I always learn something new from you channel, obviously I'm interested in the December guitar contest aha and it'd be great for this time of year as I want to take more of the new year playing a lot more acoustic, but besides that your videos are great an have always helped me out, keep it up man!
Thanks for watching, Lee!
Thank you for this Video. Love Stratocasters!
Great video. Thanks. Santa is bringing me a Strat this year. Super. Tuning half step... great tip. You mentioned the TC Electronics Spark pedal. Do you mean the mini or the Booster? Thanks.
I have a MIM Strat that I picked up dirt cheap second hand. It has been a blast to mod and tinker with, not to mention playing it!
A. Garcia I recently installed 57/62 pickups in my mim strat and I’m loving it!
Practice, practice, practice.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
This type of Strat is my absolute favorite. 1964-1966 had the best sunburst in my opinion (I know I am in the minority). Opaque andbright yellow center, thick and bright red. Transitional Fender logo on a thick headstock (yes, Strat headstocks were thicker in depth starting in 1963). Mint green pickguard and pearloid dot inlays. The look just screams Hendrix. Also, 1965 Strats had grey bottom pickups wound with polysol wire, which gives them a very mid-focused sound and somewhat quacky highs, also the pickups wete wound hotter this year. 1964 and 1966 onwards Strats are equipped with enamel wire pickups which is my favorite of all Strat tones; scooped mids and very mellow (pure Hendrix tone).
Gretev1, thanks - I just bought a 1965 Custom Shop made in 2014! It's a 3 color as you said, mint guard, rosewood, 12". I love the vintage look of this "new" one compared to my Lone Star. But, the L.S has Texas Specials and they are great. I have to get used to the '65's yet. BTW, check out a MF Demo, titled 1965 Stratocaster NOS on UA-cam. It's my guitar!!
@@captainamerica9353 is your guitar the one with a flame neck, 12 inch radius fretboard and medium jumbo frets?
@@Gretev1 , yes, I wrote 9.5" forgetting that the spec sheet confirms it's a 12". So it's quite unique.
Awesome! Do you have records out?
I do, my friend! Here on, UA-cam, search, “Gabriel, the Bull“. We are also every place they stream music.
I put roller bridge saddles on mine, replaced the nut and just used pencil lead in the nut slots and it stays in tune. I really like the roller bridge. I’m thinking of putting one on my LP
Thanx for the great video on Stratocasters! I subscribed!
🙌
Thanks!! I love all of your videos and tips. One year ago I was struggling to play every chord except E minor. I have learned many chords from your videos. Thank you so much!
Totally awesome. Video ..wow my friend this song is great ...the way you explain is just super too ...Thank you so so much..I greatly appreciate it all..
I love your beautiful 65 strat just purchased a fender strat in same colour but would love that original. I’ve used the nut sauce on my bass
thanks so much Eric you are a living legend
Nice vid. You can use a #2 pencil instead of the nut sauce. Not quite as good but way cheaper. Also worth mentioning the HSS Fat Strat. A humbucker in the bridge position is way more usable to me than the more common single coil setup.
I have been doing this for years.
Excellent explanations. You learn something new everyday. We never know it all.
Thanks for the tips. Much appreciate it.
I didn't know your channel until I search "Guitar Giveaway"
I always wanted to learn to play guitar and watching to your videos I feel I can do it because your tips are too good and easy to get and you are giving us a chance to win a guitar. I will soon take your free guitar course and watch all the other videos
That's great! Thanks for watching
That's a lot of good information, thanks Erich,, keep doing what you do....
Hii! thanks for the tutorial!! I've been playing the guitar for three years now and it has become my favorite thing in the world! I started when I was still in school and I was hooked from the first day... I still have a lot of room to improve, but I'm learning every day, thanks to your videos :) I love the fact that you are making this giveaway. I'm sure it will be a great help for those who can't afford good guitars at the moment and would like to make progress as an artist... Greetings! :)
Cool tips man! Thx
Sometimes i wonder if my strat would sound better with noiseless pick-ups.
But i actually prefer to keep him originaly. I have the blue/green one (color flip-flop) someone once told me that was a special edition and only 500 pieces were made.
Very cool. Thank you 🙏
Thanks for your time, effort and information! Great Video!
There are some other things I found, place some felt behind the springs, I did upgrade my American Pro with Locking Tuners and after three set ups I did have the bridge lowered. I am new to Strats so I have a long way to go. But I probably will start changing pickups before I'm done. Using 11 gauge but I am real heavy handed.
Your sound is a great blues lesson in its self
Thank you, Malcolm. 🙏
Cheers for the PTF tip, seems obvious now that you have said it, but I never came up to it, much appreciated,
🙏
What kind of pickups are in that strat. That thing kills man! That is what a strat should sound like.
Thank you my friend 🙌
Your the most ligit guitar teacher on the web, I seen it all
That is super kind! Thank you so much David.
Thank you for the vid. 7 things I did not know about my MIM strat.
Happy to help! Thanks for watching
Instead of that nut sauce stuff, rub a pencil point in the grooves. The graphite in the pencil lead works incredibly well to minimize the string-to-nut friction.
Another great video. I love the way you present the information and having so much information here on UA-cam is amazing. I am fairly new to playing and really picking up the passion for it, so it’s great to be able to go back to these videos to watch over and over to really get it down. I’m still having to remind myself to play on my finger tips with a marker (thanks for that advice btw), so sometimes I’m watching stuff way ahead of my current skill level. I WILL get there though. Thanks for everything!
Just got a new guitar but i still play my strat more 😅
Dnt watch How its Made: Big Ben's nut sauce... 😫
Gotta love the Strat
I know its been a year BUT what is your new guitar?
@@tomasotreasaigh111 it's been 2 years i don't think we'll ever know what his new guitar is.
@@christonabike3689
Yeah, the guy sure knows how to keep a f**king secret!
@Nintariz lps are just gay, get a jag and get rid of the strat
Great tips, don't own a strat as of now but definitely on my list but then there's a lot on my list of to buy items, try to watch as many of your videos a day as I can always so well done and informative thanks, Eric. Own 2 of your books great books !
Excellent video! Thanks.
Great tips, sweet playing, and the best Jimi tone I've heard so far!
great info man, I'm headed to the studio right now with my tools....yeah
Oh man! I wish I have a Fender, but well... I still love my Squier.
I love the Strato sound, so smooth and powerful at the same time.
Thanks for this tips Erich, there are many things to know... I tried .10 and it was a really hard. So I learned (I think lol). Greetings!!!
Squier,s are awesom!!
Dude, Ive owned strats of all kinds from $100 squiers to custom jobs costing thousands and guess what? They’re all strats at the end of the day...some might sound 10% nicer, some might play better or have more vibe but they’re all the same basic guitar. You can convincingly play another brick in the wall on ANY of them.
Dude, you can just mod your squier to sound like a custom shop! It's just about the parts and you will save so much more money! Tinker away!