Hi John, really enjoy your playing and chats about all things music. As a 63 year old whose been playing (averagely) since my teens, I've finally settled on my favourite guitar and pickup combination after ALOT of trial and error(and money !) A strat type guitar,hss with a low output alnico 11 humbucker in the bridge. I find it covers nearly all the bases and importantly you don't loose the 2nd position "quack" as long as you match the outputs properly and pickup heights. Cheers, Stephen from Scotland
I only use two guitars anymore. A Suhr Scott Henderson 62 type Strat and a Gibson 59 type ES-335 with Fralin PAF and Glaser setup. I use a Carr Mercury V British voiced amp and a VHT D-50 Dumble type amp in Stereo with a Line 6 HXFX time EFX and BK Butler Tube Driver ( nice man,too ) and various other spices depending on situation. Good Job John !!!
My main gig guitar is a 2018 Fender American Performer with stock Yosemite pups in HSS configuration. Love it, currently running it into a Helix floor but will be moving over to FM9 soon.
Your daughter is growing up fast! She’s adorable. Cherish these days. As far as a Strat style guitar for gigs in cover bands I think Mark Lettieri’s signature PRS Fiore can’t be beat. It has an insane amount of tonal options while still getting extremely close to that classic Strat sound. It’s a bit pricey though.
Oh, she’s adorable. My youngest turned 4 back in March… simultaneously, I terribly miss, and don’t miss so much, that age… depends on the day. What I do know, unequivocally, is that it’s all going by way, way too fast. I have a weird relationship with Strats (well, Strat in my instance). Of all the gigs I’ve done in the 25+ years since I’ve owned mine, I’ve gigged the Strat a grand total of 4 times… and 2 of those weee on the same weekend. I love the thing when noodling at home, but live… I feel like I’m playing a nylon string. Can’t explain it. It’s not a single coil thing either… I’ve gigged a Tele loads of times. It’s not a tone problem… it’s a feel problem. I am an LP/SG guy at heart, so I’m sure that’s part of it. Or… maybe I just need a better Strat.
I play two 7&1/3lb FrankenStrats, one floating (John Mann) trem, the other blocked. Each has 22 ss frets. Both with low output, alnico single coils. Through an always-on Diamond compressor. A wah, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, chorus, phase, delay, and reverb. All into a 12 watt tube combo with a 12" alnico speaker. Gets every sound I want.
I agree with you that an HSS format is the ultimate gigging axe. I've loaded a Suhr Michael Landau combo in a home assembled Strat, adding a tight grain USACG neck with roasted maple/Rosewood board and luminlay side dots. Works great in most situations. Cheers
A HSS strat with a coil tap on the Humbucker is the best of all possible worlds. Highly recommend the Mark Holcomb Alpha and Omega pickup for the humbucker.
@@jaykuchera5058 Surprisingly, no, I don't find it to be too hot for clean, it's not as hot as say the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails. As far as comparing it to a P90, they're just different animals, the AO is more akin to a traditional humbucker than a P90. I will say The AO in split coil could have just a tiny bit more output in my opinion, but it really does sound like a single coil! In full humbucker it feels right at home with the neck and middle single coils, which are both DiMarzio Area 58's for the record. The thing that really surprised me about the AO bridge pickup is how well it plays with my guitars two single coils since I have the extra tone/wiring options that came standard in the 2017 Fender American Elite Strat. The 2nd position quack is totally present and sounds perfect. It's my opinion that the AO bridge pickup is the most versatile, and articulate pickup I've ever used and a perfect fit in a HSS Strat.
I gigged a Fender strat HSS with EMG SL20s for like 8 years. I would try other guitars but always went back to this guitar. The versatility I got with this guitar could not be matched by any of the others. The noiseless PUPs, great sustain and comfort.
Exactly right...strats are great but load them with better aftermarket parts and they can literally become anything you want....I use mostly the kinman woodstock plus set....a bit higher output set than most singles...the bridge is almost at P90 level super strong but also extremely clear..and noiseless....why bother with the stock fender crap when you can get everything you want with a couple of aftermarket mods...like you said you get extreme versatility without the stupid regular strat issues...60cycle hum...stratitis....not versatile or downright unusable bridge....etc etc etc a guitar that truly can do everything.
I have a thing for 80s/90s style guitars. I’m a lefty so my playground is normally eBay. I’ve pretty much had hss configurations for all my gigging career. I also like smaller fretboards although found Ibanez ( rg500 and rg655) guitars to be a bit uncomfortable to play. I have 2 washburns for gigging kc40v and kc70. Both had pickup upgrades. One with suhr ml singles and the other with zexcoils. I think hss for gigging is the perfect configuration as I’ve not come across any pickup that can replicate other pickups well.
Love your videos and playing and your daughter is so adorable. Thank you for sharing those sweet videos of her. I got a Suhr Classic S HSS Strat and put a Thornbucker and a coil split in it. I love that guitar and that is my main gigging guitar. It is a very versatile guitar. That being said, I do use my DGT as well as my 1b guitar. I feel these 2 guitars are all I need to cover any style and tone for my gigs.
Strats are my comfort zone, I have owned a few Les Pauls but have never really bonded with them. I solved that problem by building 2 Strat partscaster, one with 2 Mojotone 59 clone humbuckers and the other with 2 Fralin P90s.Both sound amazing and the familiar Strat bodies and neck put me in a good place! I too have a vintage II 57 Strat , the 2 burst and really love that guitar ( after I fixed some QC issues) and love the pickups! I recently bought some Bare Knuckles pickups and installed them in another Strat reliced partscaster and wow! The were Reabe Massad signature pickups which solved the thinness of the bridge pickup. Always a pleasure watching you Jonathan!
This stage of her life will go by so fast, make sure you soak as much of it in as possible, take time to give undivided attention to her. Don't neglect your wife either lol! Family is the most important thing there is, the second is music.
Very nice opening jam dude - maybe the best I have heard on your channel to date. I just traded a special edition telecaster for a plain ol' black strat HSS style - I Was kind of bummed it wasn't SSS and was set on changing the pickups. I have to say after playing it for a while that the HSS is very sweet, but I have a hard time dealing with the volume level differences between the bridge and other pickups
Agree with you 100% abut the strat. It was my primary gigging instrument for years. Then I recently switched to PRS S2 semi-hollow which is a great lightweight humbucker alternative.
Just put the Lindy Fralin baseplate under the bridge pickup, to make it less anemic. A subtle compressor for the push/slight more sustain and you are good to go. 💪
I'm using a Fender Mexican Deluxe Strat live, it's HSS, the SCs are noiseless and it has the easy access heel, up to the 22nd fret. I agree, it's the ultimate gigging guitar!
I haven’t gigged since 2019. Since then Strat was gifted to me. The first real electric guitar that I got at 16 in 1991 was also a Strat. It tended to be the style of guitar that most kids had then, whether it was a Fender, or a similar body type. It’s just so comfortable to me. I went from that Strat to a bottom of the line Tele, and LOVED it. Then I went to a LP Studio and loved THAT. Then to an Epiphone Sheraton II and thought I had basically found my “type.” And now, I’m back with a Strat. Feels very, “Old Flame.”
Ive only ever played humbucker super strat style guitars (schecter, esp) ive recently (past couple years) have discovered the strat and single coils. I loved the idea of doing a partscaster and i fell in love with a contemporary squire strat while kicking about in a music store randomly. It was a hss, the electronics were trash but now ive completely transformed it and i love it so much. Its hard to go back to a hh guitar from a hss, but i dont think i could ever go to sss, the bridge humbucker is essential imo
I played strays for 15 years before getting a PRS Custom 24. I play mostly clean neck, and slightly overdriven bridge on the strat, and wound up playing the 3 & 1 positions in the same way on the PRS respectively. Then I got my Crook T-Style, and I use it in the same way as the strat, neck for clean, bridge for slightly dirty; I also throw in some position 2 stuff.
I'm more of a Les Paul player than a Strat player, but I wouldn't want to be without a Strat. I have a Strat which I love and I would miss it if I didn't have it. One thing I modified on my Strat, is I wired up the neck pickup tone pot to also be the tone pot for the bridge pickup. Since the bridge and neck pickups are never on together, it means the tone of each pickup can be adjusted independently, and it makes the bridge pickup far more versatile for me. When I first did it, I worried that I might get confused about having the upper tone pot control both outer pickups while the lower tone pot controlled the middle pickup, but I actually got used to it really quickly. It's a super easy mod that I highly recommend!
Playing PRS Standard in cover band. There's a small drop when splitting coil but I habe set up a boost pedal to match volume of humbugers. Chose PRS to cover most genres with one axe. I have strat(sss), LP and 335 (copy) at home but those all work best in certain covers so an easy choise for gigs.
Personally the strat is the ultimate gigging guitar for me but… I don’t really do any function work and it’s all original stuff, I play with flatwounds on mine (American vintage II 61 and the Daybreak strat). The flatwounds are because of the music I tend to play and instruments I typically work with which are typically: Double bass Tenor sax Harp Drums Keys The strat is “thin” enough to stand out but the flats give it that extra bit of warmth! Always the neck pickup for me too. Or always loved how humbuckers sound when other people play them though!
John i beg you to make a video about the most dynamic and touchsensitive amps in the HX Stomp and how to optimize the settings so to speak . This would be huge ! I think dynamics make everyones playing much more enjoyful. Maybe a Clean/Crunch/Rhythm/Lead Patch. I think you have the toolbox to make this and it would be a nice and interesting topic and not only useful for me , but also for everyone who wants to bring their playing dynamics to the next level. Please go for it !
Yeah HSS is my favorite setup period. My main guitar is setup that way. I have others with HH & SSS - there are certainly advantages to that, but man HSS really is the best for the type of gigs I have.
Only a strat for me. It’s mostly because it’s actually very ergonomic and I know all the controls without looking. Then it’s the tone of the neck pickup. I like the other pickups too. Most of my favorite guitar players (not all) are Les Paul players but I never felt comfortable on one.
I've always thought HSS is the way to go for a gigging guitar. You can do almost everything with a flick of the switch and a twist of the knobs. I just installed a loaded pickguard from Fender with a Shawbucker and two Ger4 noiseless singles. I was worried I'd lose the classic Strat tones but it sounds as good as it ever has.
My ‘54 Custom Shop strat is my go to guitar. But at gigs, I tend to use my PRS HollowBody 2 SE because we cover a number of acoustic songs. While I want to stick to the strat, I end up having to switch back to the PRS and after a while it’s just easier to play the one guitar. I put a piezo bridge in my Suhr S4 but it doesn’t sound like much of an acoustic. Also, strats don’t stay in tune as well as a fixed bridge guitar.
I think the problem with a Stratocaster is that they are just so addictive! If you don't want to play a Stratocaster don't start with one - at least that is what I tell people who are just starting out on guitar. I tried to go to a Les Paul one time - the shorter scaled through me and the clean tone (having everything dialed in for a strat) was not there. I love the HSS configuration on a strat! Love your videos as well John. Thank you
Yeah once you’re used to single coils, humbuckers sound like someone threw a blanket on the amp. P90s are my next thing to try out. Single coils but maybe warmer.
I love Strats, but I hate the Strat pickup switch. And because I'm singing and playing, sometimes the shallow body carve also makes it harder for me to see what I'm doing on certain tricky parts. So I'm currently breaking my back with my Les Paul.
I always bump the volume knob on my strat and it drives me mad. I switched to a Tele and never went back to a strat live. How do you not have this problem?
Just some friendly constructive criticism from one creator to another: your vocal mic sure could use some compression. I've noticed in other videos that when you turn around and face the amp, your voice goes up like 15dB. Yet when you speak normally with dynamics I have to crank the volume and then turn it back down when you play. I know, I'm nitpicking, but it's not so much a complaint, more like unsolicited advice LOL
@@ajohnhayes thanks, been really struggling to find one I like. Guthrie Trapp and Uncle Larry use ‘Fender medium’ which is 0.7mm I think so giving that a go now. I know it’s a personal thing but interested to know what others use
@@stratocumulusnimbostratus328I’ve used Fender Medium picks for like my whole life, but for some time now I’ve noticed that their edges often wear unevenly, developing little bumps and gaps that can easily cause a string to break. I’m not sure what picks to use that don’t have this problem. So I have to toss the Fender picks “before their time” and use a new one to have smooth edges.
@@ksharpe10 thanks, I’ll try that! (Still, it seems like years ago they were better quality and eroded evenly without developing the little embayments.)
Dude. G&L Legacies are awesome. especially the tribute series because of where it sits price wise. Its below a Fender player/MIM price wise, but significantly higher quality. Love the tone pot wiring system too.
Hi John, really enjoy your playing and chats about all things music. As a 63 year old whose been playing (averagely) since my teens, I've finally settled on my favourite guitar and pickup combination after ALOT of trial and error(and money !) A strat type guitar,hss with a low output alnico 11 humbucker in the bridge. I find it covers nearly all the bases and importantly you don't loose the 2nd position "quack" as long as you match the outputs properly and pickup heights.
Cheers, Stephen from Scotland
RE "match the outputs properly" - please elaborate how you did this - resistors, pots, etc . Thanks from Florida US :)
The Dream Theater - Lines in the sand section sounded amazing
I’m using my AZ for the theatre show (Kinky Boots) I’m playing atm. It’s a pop rock show so the HSS setup works perfectly and nice to have the trem
Lines in the Sand is always so wonderful to hear!
That little nod to Lines In The Sand was awesome. Great work, man.
I only use two guitars anymore. A Suhr Scott Henderson 62 type Strat and a Gibson 59 type ES-335 with Fralin PAF and Glaser setup. I use a Carr Mercury V British voiced amp and a VHT D-50 Dumble type amp in Stereo with a Line 6 HXFX time EFX and BK Butler Tube Driver ( nice man,too ) and various other spices depending on situation. Good Job John !!!
My main gig guitar is a 2018 Fender American Performer with stock Yosemite pups in HSS configuration. Love it, currently running it into a Helix floor but will be moving over to FM9 soon.
Your daughter is growing up fast! She’s adorable. Cherish these days.
As far as a Strat style guitar for gigs in cover bands I think Mark Lettieri’s signature PRS Fiore can’t be beat. It has an insane amount of tonal options while still getting extremely close to that classic Strat sound. It’s a bit pricey though.
Oh, she’s adorable. My youngest turned 4 back in March… simultaneously, I terribly miss, and don’t miss so much, that age… depends on the day. What I do know, unequivocally, is that it’s all going by way, way too fast.
I have a weird relationship with Strats (well, Strat in my instance). Of all the gigs I’ve done in the 25+ years since I’ve owned mine, I’ve gigged the Strat a grand total of 4 times… and 2 of those weee on the same weekend. I love the thing when noodling at home, but live… I feel like I’m playing a nylon string. Can’t explain it. It’s not a single coil thing either… I’ve gigged a Tele loads of times. It’s not a tone problem… it’s a feel problem. I am an LP/SG guy at heart, so I’m sure that’s part of it.
Or… maybe I just need a better Strat.
I play two 7&1/3lb FrankenStrats, one floating (John Mann) trem, the other blocked. Each has 22 ss frets. Both with low output, alnico single coils. Through an always-on Diamond compressor. A wah, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, chorus, phase, delay, and reverb. All into a 12 watt tube combo with a 12" alnico speaker. Gets every sound I want.
Loved this improv. Really feeling the vibe!
I agree with you that an HSS format is the ultimate gigging axe. I've loaded a Suhr Michael Landau combo in a home assembled Strat, adding a tight grain USACG neck with roasted maple/Rosewood board and luminlay side dots. Works great in most situations. Cheers
A HSS strat with a coil tap on the Humbucker is the best of all possible worlds. Highly recommend the Mark Holcomb Alpha and Omega pickup for the humbucker.
@@JediCrackSmoke Is the Holcomb AO too hot for clean? How does it compare with a P90?
@@jaykuchera5058 Surprisingly, no, I don't find it to be too hot for clean, it's not as hot as say the Seymour Duncan Hot Rails.
As far as comparing it to a P90, they're just different animals, the AO is more akin to a traditional humbucker than a P90.
I will say The AO in split coil could have just a tiny bit more output in my opinion, but it really does sound like a single coil! In full humbucker it feels right at home with the neck and middle single coils, which are both DiMarzio Area 58's for the record.
The thing that really surprised me about the AO bridge pickup is how well it plays with my guitars two single coils since I have the extra tone/wiring options that came standard in the 2017 Fender American Elite Strat. The 2nd position quack is totally present and sounds perfect.
It's my opinion that the AO bridge pickup is the most versatile, and articulate pickup I've ever used and a perfect fit in a HSS Strat.
I've been a Strat player for most of my life, but now I believe that Teles are the best guitars for gigging
I gigged a Fender strat HSS with EMG SL20s for like 8 years. I would try other guitars but always went back to this guitar. The versatility I got with this guitar could not be matched by any of the others. The noiseless PUPs, great sustain and comfort.
Exactly right...strats are great but load them with better aftermarket parts and they can literally become anything you want....I use mostly the kinman woodstock plus set....a bit higher output set than most singles...the bridge is almost at P90 level super strong but also extremely clear..and noiseless....why bother with the stock fender crap when you can get everything you want with a couple of aftermarket mods...like you said you get extreme versatility without the stupid regular strat issues...60cycle hum...stratitis....not versatile or downright unusable bridge....etc etc etc a guitar that truly can do everything.
Awww she is precious! 👶
I have a thing for 80s/90s style guitars. I’m a lefty so my playground is normally eBay. I’ve pretty much had hss configurations for all my gigging career. I also like smaller fretboards although found Ibanez ( rg500 and rg655) guitars to be a bit uncomfortable to play. I have 2 washburns for gigging kc40v and kc70. Both had pickup upgrades. One with suhr ml singles and the other with zexcoils. I think hss for gigging is the perfect configuration as I’ve not come across any pickup that can replicate other pickups well.
Love your videos and playing and your daughter is so adorable. Thank you for sharing those sweet videos of her. I got a Suhr Classic S HSS Strat and put a Thornbucker and a coil split in it. I love that guitar and that is my main gigging guitar. It is a very versatile guitar. That being said, I do use my DGT as well as my 1b guitar. I feel these 2 guitars are all I need to cover any style and tone for my gigs.
Strats are my comfort zone, I have owned a few Les Pauls but have never really bonded with them. I solved that problem by building 2 Strat partscaster, one with 2 Mojotone 59 clone humbuckers and the other with 2 Fralin P90s.Both sound amazing and the familiar Strat bodies and neck put me in a good place! I too have a vintage II 57 Strat , the 2 burst and really love that guitar ( after I fixed some QC issues) and love the pickups! I recently bought some Bare Knuckles pickups and installed them in another Strat reliced partscaster and wow! The were Reabe Massad signature pickups which solved the thinness of the bridge pickup. Always a pleasure watching you Jonathan!
Dude, your tone and licks are insane!
I like a Duncan SSL-3 in the bridge. It’s got all the power of a Humbucker and gives a nice thick tone . Also means you keep the original sss look
Effortless and beautiful at the same time JNC, a true master of your instrument(s)
This stage of her life will go by so fast, make sure you soak as much of it in as possible, take time to give undivided attention to her. Don't neglect your wife either lol! Family is the most important thing there is, the second is music.
Truer words were never spoken
Very nice opening jam dude - maybe the best I have heard on your channel to date.
I just traded a special edition telecaster for a plain ol' black strat HSS style - I Was kind of bummed it wasn't SSS and was set on changing the pickups.
I have to say after playing it for a while that the HSS is very sweet, but I have a hard time dealing with the volume level differences between the bridge and other pickups
Agree with you 100% abut the strat. It was my primary gigging instrument for years. Then I recently switched to PRS S2 semi-hollow which is a great lightweight humbucker alternative.
Took me a second but loved that Lines in the Sand section. One of my favorite DT solos.
Just put the Lindy Fralin baseplate under the bridge pickup, to make it less anemic. A subtle compressor for the push/slight more sustain and you are good to go. 💪
Loving the lines in the sandy yellow strat ;)
I'm using a Fender Mexican Deluxe Strat live, it's HSS, the SCs are noiseless and it has the easy access heel, up to the 22nd fret. I agree, it's the ultimate gigging guitar!
I haven’t gigged since 2019. Since then Strat was gifted to me. The first real electric guitar that I got at 16 in 1991 was also a Strat. It tended to be the style of guitar that most kids had then, whether it was a Fender, or a similar body type. It’s just so comfortable to me.
I went from that Strat to a bottom of the line Tele, and LOVED it. Then I went to a LP Studio and loved THAT. Then to an Epiphone Sheraton II and thought I had basically found my “type.” And now, I’m back with a Strat. Feels very, “Old Flame.”
Ive only ever played humbucker super strat style guitars (schecter, esp) ive recently (past couple years) have discovered the strat and single coils. I loved the idea of doing a partscaster and i fell in love with a contemporary squire strat while kicking about in a music store randomly. It was a hss, the electronics were trash but now ive completely transformed it and i love it so much. Its hard to go back to a hh guitar from a hss, but i dont think i could ever go to sss, the bridge humbucker is essential imo
I played strays for 15 years before getting a PRS Custom 24. I play mostly clean neck, and slightly overdriven bridge on the strat, and wound up playing the 3 & 1 positions in the same way on the PRS respectively. Then I got my Crook T-Style, and I use it in the same way as the strat, neck for clean, bridge for slightly dirty; I also throw in some position 2 stuff.
I'm more of a Les Paul player than a Strat player, but I wouldn't want to be without a Strat. I have a Strat which I love and I would miss it if I didn't have it. One thing I modified on my Strat, is I wired up the neck pickup tone pot to also be the tone pot for the bridge pickup. Since the bridge and neck pickups are never on together, it means the tone of each pickup can be adjusted independently, and it makes the bridge pickup far more versatile for me. When I first did it, I worried that I might get confused about having the upper tone pot control both outer pickups while the lower tone pot controlled the middle pickup, but I actually got used to it really quickly. It's a super easy mod that I highly recommend!
Playing PRS Standard in cover band. There's a small drop when splitting coil but I habe set up a boost pedal to match volume of humbugers. Chose PRS to cover most genres with one axe. I have strat(sss), LP and 335 (copy) at home but those all work best in certain covers so an easy choise for gigs.
Personally the strat is the ultimate gigging guitar for me but… I don’t really do any function work and it’s all original stuff, I play with flatwounds on mine (American vintage II 61 and the Daybreak strat).
The flatwounds are because of the music I tend to play and instruments I typically work with which are typically:
Double bass
Tenor sax
Harp
Drums
Keys
The strat is “thin” enough to stand out but the flats give it that extra bit of warmth! Always the neck pickup for me too. Or always loved how humbuckers sound when other people play them though!
I saw Marc Brussard Friday night and he was playing a Revstar. Nice looking guitar. I hadn't seen or heard one before.
Im using my Ibanez AZ for most of my live shows at church and in a country band lol. IMHO its the most versatile guitar I've ever owned.
I totally agree
Ever record any of the live gigs? Would love to see some uploaded
Yayyy, the BABY looks GREAT!!!! How about a song workup for the Glory of LOVE from Chicago???
John i beg you to make a video about the most dynamic and touchsensitive amps in the HX Stomp and how to optimize the settings so to speak . This would be huge ! I think dynamics make everyones playing much more enjoyful. Maybe a Clean/Crunch/Rhythm/Lead Patch. I think you have the toolbox to make this and it would be a nice and interesting topic and not only useful for me , but also for everyone who wants to bring their playing dynamics to the next level. Please go for it !
Agreed! This is a really important topic for me. I’m a QC user and feel like this would really help for use of any modeler!!
Is that color “Vintage White” from the K-Line catalog? It’s wonderful.
I have an AzEs40 and freaking love it. Best Strat for me.
Yeah HSS is my favorite setup period. My main guitar is setup that way. I have others with HH & SSS - there are certainly advantages to that, but man HSS really is the best for the type of gigs I have.
Only a strat for me. It’s mostly because it’s actually very ergonomic and I know all the controls without looking. Then it’s the tone of the neck pickup. I like the other pickups too. Most of my favorite guitar players (not all) are Les Paul players but I never felt comfortable on one.
I've always thought HSS is the way to go for a gigging guitar. You can do almost everything with a flick of the switch and a twist of the knobs. I just installed a loaded pickguard from Fender with a Shawbucker and two Ger4 noiseless singles. I was worried I'd lose the classic Strat tones but it sounds as good as it ever has.
She's beautiful, JNC. The strat is, too.
The question is. What is the best workhorse gigging guitar? 😏😎By the way, for me it is a sort of Super Strat (HSS) . Cheers
My ‘54 Custom Shop strat is my go to guitar. But at gigs, I tend to use my PRS HollowBody 2 SE because we cover a number of acoustic songs. While I want to stick to the strat, I end up having to switch back to the PRS and after a while it’s just easier to play the one guitar. I put a piezo bridge in my Suhr S4 but it doesn’t sound like much of an acoustic. Also, strats don’t stay in tune as well as a fixed bridge guitar.
Angus was a "bit of a knob". LOL!
I think the problem with a Stratocaster is that they are just so addictive! If you don't want to play a Stratocaster don't start with one - at least that is what I tell people who are just starting out on guitar. I tried to go to a Les Paul one time - the shorter scaled through me and the clean tone (having everything dialed in for a strat) was not there. I love the HSS configuration on a strat! Love your videos as well John. Thank you
Yeah once you’re used to single coils, humbuckers sound like someone threw a blanket on the amp. P90s are my next thing to try out. Single coils but maybe warmer.
Thumbs up for baby!
Beautiful
Hah! A part of John Petrucci's solo from "Lines in the Sand" :)
Japanese Hss strat for me! Does a lot of things..however, for whatever reason, the Telecaster can do more..imo
I love Strats, but I hate the Strat pickup switch. And because I'm singing and playing, sometimes the shallow body carve also makes it harder for me to see what I'm doing on certain tricky parts. So I'm currently breaking my back with my Les Paul.
The reason I don't gig my strat live is because of the location of the volume knob. I constantly bump it it and turn the volume down.
Edge of breakup is the chorus of our day.
I always bump the volume knob on my strat and it drives me mad. I switched to a Tele and never went back to a strat live.
How do you not have this problem?
It is something you get used to, it never bothered me with a Strat. of course by the time I owned one, I was an real experienced player.
I've been thinking of dropping a humbucker in my banana k-line, maybe an imperial low wind to match the blondes. I'll send you some clips if I do!
Tone is so thick and creamy! Is the David Beebee preset for Helix? Where can I find it?
John's regular gumroad file most likely.
I love the strat but with 1T and 1V Hss and Sss
Being a Helix guy, I’m surprised you’re not using a Variax for covers gigs
Adorable baby! Also, why not throw a humbucker in the bridge of one of your k line strats? Seems like the next natural thing for you to try out.
Also this intro was one of my favorites of yours. I like all your intros but this one was exceptionally great. 🤩
I prefer 22 frets
I was a Strat guy until I picked up my PRS Custom 24.
Ooh! Is that a new K-Line?? 👀
Excellent video...
Question on S styles....Sire S7 Vintage, Sire S7, Sire S3, which would be your choice?
Is that dream theater? Well played
Strat is the Swiss Army knife of guitars.
You can get them to sound like anything, but good luck getting an LP to sound Stratty/quacky.
Adorable! (not you John)
His playing is Adorable and REMARKABLE.
😉😉
Just some friendly constructive criticism from one creator to another: your vocal mic sure could use some compression. I've noticed in other videos that when you turn around and face the amp, your voice goes up like 15dB. Yet when you speak normally with dynamics I have to crank the volume and then turn it back down when you play. I know, I'm nitpicking, but it's not so much a complaint, more like unsolicited advice LOL
Old Yeller! Saweet
Hi John curious what pick gauge you use in mm? Ta
1.5mm D'addario Black Ice. Not sure which video he mentioned it in, but I was delighted since it's the same one as me 😂
@@ajohnhayes thanks, been really struggling to find one I like. Guthrie Trapp and Uncle Larry use ‘Fender medium’ which is 0.7mm I think so giving that a go now. I know it’s a personal thing but interested to know what others use
@@stratocumulusnimbostratus328I’ve used Fender Medium picks for like my whole life, but for some time now I’ve noticed that their edges often wear unevenly, developing little bumps and gaps that can easily cause a string to break. I’m not sure what picks to use that don’t have this problem. So I have to toss the Fender picks “before their time” and use a new one to have smooth edges.
@@jakollee Just give em a light sanding
@@ksharpe10 thanks, I’ll try that! (Still, it seems like years ago they were better quality and eroded evenly without developing the little embayments.)
Like given for the little cutie
What about the fact that it's harder to cut through a full band with a Strat, unless u got a brilliant sound engineer
Dude. G&L Legacies are awesome. especially the tribute series because of where it sits price wise. Its below a Fender player/MIM price wise, but significantly higher quality. Love the tone pot wiring system too.
HSS all day
♥♥♥ 03:50"
I feel like you are sketching some lines in the sand there. And who better to emulate that John Petrucci. One of their greatest songs!!
Man, come to the point!
Nothing burger
I really dont knowwhat you're talking about 😂 what a babbling about nothing 😂
Don't want to see babies. Wanted to hear about guitars.
Nobody asked for your opinion 😊