The Top 10 Strat Riffs of All Time!
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2024
- Well folks, here’s a “part two” or sorts, that a lot of you were asking for! In the wake of our recent Top 10 Les Paul riffs, we felt it only right to extend the same treatment to arguably, the even MORE iconic electric guitar design…
Join us as we delve in to our take on the Top 10 Strat riffs of all time! Now, we know this is going to be a contentious one, and the term ‘riff’ itself is rather a broad heading, but we feel these are some of the best representations of the Stratocaster crafting the signature, rhythmic hook of a song ever, and we just know that you’re going to disagree with some of our choices! If that’s the case, be sure to leave us a comment down below, and express your substitutions for the best Strat riffs that you think we may have missed!
If you’d like any further information on the range of Fender instruments that we carry here at the shop, including these beautiful Custom Shop examples, then click the link below to head to our website and browse our full inventory.
Intro - 0:00
Riff #10 - 1:33
Riff #9 - 2:32
Riff #8 - 3:24
Riff #7 - 4:16
Riff #6 - 5:06
Riff #5 - 6:14
Riff #4 - 7:09
Riff #3 - 7:58
Riff #2 - 9:09
Honourable Mentions - 10:37
Riff #1 - 15:17
Thanks as always for watching, be sure to leave a like and hit subscribe if you’re new here - take care, and we’ll see you in the next one!
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Thanks for checking out our list! In case you missed them, check out the other videos in this series:
Top 10 ‘ES’ Riffs: bit.ly/3cKYYEu
Top 10 Les Paul Riffs: bit.ly/3pZmAu9
Top 10 Tele Riffs: bit.ly/3vzrvDk
That salmon pink Strat sounds like the saddles are too low.
Hey pearl jam plays on strat ???
Can we all appreciate how GREAT of a player Jack is. Completely nails the tone and playing of every riff whilst keeping his explanations of the tracks short and to the point. How many crappy top 10 guitar riff videos have you seen? Too many, yet I could sit here watching Jack for hours! Keep it up Peach Guitars!
@yes....u got THAT right!. 🤙👍 Thank you Jack peach guitars.
Knopfler.......???
Yep
Brilliant! But surely Knopfler? Sultans?
Can we appreciate how great that head of lettuce is on his head.
Sultans of swing is my only complaint…. But hell. Great list, even better playing, and thank you for taking the time! Made my morning coffee even better.
I would agree as well but in my personal opinion the hook melody is, in my view at least not what I'd consider a proper "riff." The only reason why I lean more towards it being excluded is that it is not the dominant motif in the song that constantly reoccurs (I know it reoccurs frequently throughout part of the verse as well as standing out mostly during the chorus) as most other iconic riffs do which a layman who isn't a guitarist could identify it if it were isolated and played for said person (someone who is not well informed on the name of songs they know or the respective artist who recorded the tune.) The riffs included here are more what I'd consider traditional guitar riffs where the foundation of a respective song is built upon whereas "Sultans" receives its iconic status from Knopfler's lead lines throughout the verse (the call and response licks after each vocal line during each verse) along with the actual chord progression itself standing out equally if not more than the melody that serves as the songs hook. Lastly, as a side note my other opinion being the version recorded at Brixton Academy which to me is hands down the definitive version of the song as it really lets Knopfler's lead playing really take the spotlight as it is some of the most beautifully chosen notes in a melodic sense I've heard in my twenty-five years on this planet.
Sorry for the short novel but I personally wouldn't bat an eye if it were included here, I just wanted to kind of break down the rationale of why it would be omitted from any all-time riff list.
@@Zappappappappa I absolutely agree man. Thx
Yeah - I thought it would be in for sure.
The gold Strat is beautiful.
The strumming on Misirlu was outstanding.
I'm shocked that Dire Straits didn't even get a mention.
Whole time, I was thinking, next is Sultans.... gotta be.....
@@ckmoore101 That would've been my choice for the strat 2nd position riff.
agree
money for nothing is an epic riff
Rory Gallagher!!! Great to here him included!
Hear
No jeff beck? ??
"Wind Cries Mary"- one of the most mournful, subtle, beautiful riffs of all time:)
I love the vibe that song gives out
Mark Knopfler will be demanding a "Part 3" to get the Peach team into the "Sultans of Swing" mood!
Sultans is one of the best strat riffs of all time. Period.
@@I_like_turtles_67 I’m struggling to identify the riff in “Sultans of Swing”.
@@simonbarton9677 Oh it goes: "Da Da Da, Da-Da Da-Da, Da Da"
@@eliotkrueger7811 we are the sultans, duh duh, duh duh duh duh, the sultans of swing
John Frusciante is one of the best Strat players, David Gilmour as well. Jimi Hendrix has a tone performance which is more than marvellous. It shines like the sun over everything to me ....
Hard to describe, simply glorious ....
No-one else made the Strat so shiny, maybe he was the Mozart of electric guitar....
Hank Marvin, glad you mentioned him ... :)
Even though this Snow song doesn't show how Frusciante uses the strat so efficient and taatefully. Give it away, scar tissue intro, under tbe bridge intro and verse... Hendrix's classic super clean and articulated stuff are also really missing, like ectric ladyland, the wjnd cries mary.
@@limoncr5205 you are my brother ... :-)
Great to see Rory Gallagher remembered. Great playing. So hard to choose ... well done.
David Gilmour, for sure. My absolute favorite Strat tone that I’ve come across is the into for Pearl Jam’s “Yellow Ledbetter”
Oh yeah. That’s one that grabbed my ear when I was younger.
That intro is the reason I play the guitar!
I remember hearing that riff and telling myself I need vintage style pups and a tube amp.
❤️Mike McCready 🎸🎸🎸
funny thing is, that intro is what inspired riff #10 on the list
I’m missing Gilmour and Knopler. Two iconic Strat Players.
Maybe because Knopfler was playing a Schecter.
What????!!!! Then I do Not endorse this list😡
@@robb4340 His first definitely was a Fender though 🙂
@@robb4340 You're kidding right? He did play a Schecter loaded with SH-1's in the 80s. His most notable performance with it was Alchemy Live. But that was only because he found the Schecter more comfortable to use for a long periods of time. He always preferred the Fender sound and went back to the Fenders right after it and still uses Fenders today.
The original Sultans of Swing recording was with a Fender loaded with FS-1's.
Hell, not sure how he would not be a Fender player if he even got a Fender signature guitar.
@@AlexandreLima-wp4mb Indeed Just Kidding.I also remember back in the 80s he played a Fender Elite with a beautiful Dark Metallic Red Finish.
I really enjoyed this - what a great job. Wonderful selection and just how you nail such a range of iconic sounds is amazing and Ive been 'at it' for over 30 years!
Great List and great playing, Thank You.
I'm now off to watch/listen to the Les Paul riffs!
Love this young man's respect for my guitar hero...Ritchie Blackmore. The most vicious and ferocious Strat/Marshall sound that was ever created was on Made in Japan album. Nobody can touch that, not even Ritchie himself since the late '70's when his sound changed and became a bit more generic. I'd like to add that the grate late Bernie Torme had similarly exiting Strat sound that could move mountains. Love your work Jack. Cheers from Belgrade.
"The most vicious and ferocious Strat/Marshall sound that was ever created was on Made in Japan album. Nobody can touch that, not even Ritchie himself since the late '70's when his sound changed and became a bit more generic."
Agreed!
And yes, after he started to mess around with different pickups... that didn't go well. Those Seymor Duncan Quarter Pounders he ended up using in the eighties sounded terrible. And also, that octavider he kept switched on for EVERY damn' solo in the eighties... What the Dickens was up with that...?! He got a little lost in his later career, did Mr. Blackmore.
I've read that Ritchie preferred the sound of a Vox AC30. He actually had AC30 preamps installed into Marshalls. Marshall heads with an AC 30 preamp and a Marshall poweramp. With this setup he had the AC 30 tone with more headroom.
@@x00p3 He might have used VOX AC 30 in the studio....even on the Machine head album but not sure about the. "hybrid" amps. I know that his marshall Major heads were modded to be 200W and loudest ever amp on stage
. It was the Status Quo who would have VOX guts in Marshall heads, or have them hidden behind Marshalls or run them both simultaneously when playing live. Cheers.
Did Richie ever use a Telecaster? Or did he just manipulate his Strat to the point where he was able to get different tone? I loved his earlier playing, some of the late 70’s earlier 80’s Rainbow had a little bit too much of, dare I say, ‘poppy’ sound, however the opening riff to Jealous Lover is one of my absolute Favorite Guitar Riffs EVER!
Too bad he was so egomaniacal that he chased away a lot of band mates. Dio, Graham Bonnett, Joe Lynn Turner… and countless drummers.
@@Willie_McBride
His Strat was modified to where the middle pickup was disconnected and just there for show, so that may explain why it has a Tele-like sound.
I’m so glad you included Hank Marvin of The Shadows in your musical roundup. His strat into a Vox AC15 initially then AC30, with tape echo is masterful. Any guitarist who knows strats would only need to listen to a few bars of The Shadows playing Apache, Kon Tiki, The Savage, Wonderful Land and Man Of Mystery to hear those distinctive strat tones from the man himself.
I thought the Shadows used Burns guitars, no ?
I love how used the Fiesta Strat for Hank The beautiful gold Strat for Jimi and Richie and the powder blue one for The Beatles and btw Im in love With gold snd red Strats please send them to me lol.
Fantastic list, and the TONEs were dialed in to perfection. Thanks Jack!
Excellent chops, and a lot of fun to watch - thanks for making these vids (Strat, Tele, LP, SG riffs, etc.) Fine work sir!
lol, I never thought I could see Jack play smoke on the water one day😂 great job!
George Harrison played his Strat "Rocky" on many Beatles' songs especially his guitar work on Nowhere Man. Great to you included Bad Penny by Rory! Excellent playing yourself and your knowledge and vast repertoire of so many songs. Great job.
Amazing job! Great riff selections, and outstanding tones!
great playing and list- well done! knopfler'southbound again' is my favourite
I really hate most of these “Best Of” lists and am usually mad at myself for getting sucked in one more time, so I didn’t expect much from yours. Imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying the choices you’ve made and agreeing with your list. I think, though, that my greatest pleasure was hearing the chosen riffs played so well. You have the chops and the ear to pull it all off. I’m also impressed with your attention to the original tempo of each of the examples. Often overlooked and eschewed for a much faster go than originally intended. Nice work.
Thanks Ron, that's great to hear! We're really glad you enjoyed it, take a look at our Les Paul Top 10 too and see if you agree!
Nailing the Jimi Hendrix songs! It is not easy to play Hendrix, and to play it so perfectly with the exact tone. Very impressed! Perfect tones and playing. Excellent playing on all of the songs!
Ok. Your playing, the guitars, and the riffs. All fantastic! Made me search out the Les Paul video. Great vid!
could watch these vids all day! great guitar work Jack!! fun to hear someone's opinions on these and get me thinking of riffs i might have forgot.
Great tones - lovely! You are the only guy who got away playing Smoke in a guitar shop 😁
I was born hearing impaired and now 61 years old having always had a hard time hearing electric guitars in songs. After seeing this video I have a deeper appreciation, thank you.
Well done sir, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. And that gold colored strat looks fantastic!
Awesome playing, and spot-on with these tones - great video!
The greatest riff of all time! Smoke on the Water!. It's simplicity is its effectiveness. Ritchie Blackmore's simplest riff and song....but absolutely killer! Ritchie Blackmore was a God among guitarists. Anybody who doubts that seriously needs to go dig into Deep Purple's and Rainbow's back catalogue. Not many had / have his level of technique, ability to improvise, and such melodic phrasing. An under-rated giant who doesn't get enough credit for all the other great riffs, songs, and solos he has created in 60+ years of playing and recording. Thank you for recognizing the man's genius!!
My favorite from Blackmore is black sheep of the family, should have been no. 1
He is a Mount Rushmore guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie is also my favourite strat player. Phenomenal guitarist, his riff work and guitar solos with Deep Purple and Rainbow is simply staggering.
I saw Deep Purple my senior year in high school. 1985.. Me and my girlfriend took a frisbee into the old Civic Arena and I tossed it out into the crowd, while the floor lights were still on, just hanging. Two hours later, when we were walking out, a danged frisbee almost hit me in the face, but I snatched it up. Wouldn't you know it, it was mine! We couldn't believe it. It was like the frisbee thought ok time to go home, and found me.. ya had to be there. On the other hand, we may have caught a tremendous contact high. lol.. Soo smokey!
That was an awesome selection. You covered the gamut of tones really well. If someone asks me what a Strat sounds like, from now on I'm just going to point them to this video. Great job.
love these top 10 vids! you really nail the tone and feeling of the riffs
Great sound and awesome playing. Great video again by Jack and the Peach team. Brilliant. But... No Gilmour! No Knopfler!
Jack is the freakin man. Every single time, insane playing.
I really enjoyed this and your awesome playing and all those beautiful Fender's thanks for putting this all together
Awesome as always! Also, that 70's custom shop strat is GORGEOUS!
I was 16 when Machine Head was released. Blew me away. Imagine hearing Smoke of the Water when it was brand new and hearing it for the first time!
Im about the same age as you,i had to sing Smoke On The Water when i auditioned for sime band in about 1975, i did'nt pass the audition.
Hey, I was also 16 when it came out! I had the 8 track! It was one of the sound tracks of my youth.
@@robertbrown8362 Along with Smoke On The Water, I can sing several Deep Purple songs pretty good. But no way can I do Child In Time! That's way out of my league.
@@x00p3 I also had the 8 track! Loved every song on it.
9:00 that vibrato and bend is incredible props to you my guy
You went and did it and put it at #1, resisted the urge to deny it...THANK YOU!
Instantly forgot the riffs on the list... that playing is utterly divine. Every nuance and tone replicated to bejaysus! Most excellent!🎸🎸
Nice post, this is got to be the most difficult “pick a top ten” riffs. Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck! All these players have great riffs. Gilmour, Robert Cray, Mark Knofler. This is an impossible list to achieve. One size does not and never will fit all! This shouldn’t deter brave souls however. Bravo 👏
Looking forward to the tele riffs 👍😁
awesome playing and tone..I really enjoy all your videos..nice job!!!
Dude got chills on that first intro from john mayer. The nuances are so clean! Love it
Nile Rodgers is one of the best and most underrated rhythm guitarists of all time
Underrated? I think everybody knows hes amazing.
Incredible producer, too. His list of credits is pretty amazing!
All these riffs are awesome! For once I would love to see Robin Trower’s work be acknowledged. When he transitioned to the strat there is no better. Unmatched tone, phrasing and technique. My favorite strat guys are RT, JMH and SRV. We are lucky RT is still with us making music on a strat. JMH and SRV live on in their music they left us and the inspiration they give us.
So delighted you acknowledged Rory!
Great job as a player. That stuff don't come easy! I received a 1972 Strat that sat in the case for 40 years! A whole new world!
I'm amazed that Burn by Deep Purple isn't anywhere! Still a great list 🤙🏼
Me too Amen brother
It should have at least been included in the honorable mentions. this said, I agree that this is a great list
add Kill the king as well
Thank you Peach, wonderful video and playing!!!
Good list, killer playing. I just got back into the strat game after fifteen years away, and this is very motivational.
Glad you included Sweet Home Alabama but while not a 'riff' maybe Ed King's whammy bar distorted harmonic thing at the end of his solo/turn around is perhaps the tastiest strat sound ever........
Missed "Sultans of Swing' (Mark Knofler) and "Money" (David Gilmor) are legends and also Guitarrists like Richie Sambora, Jeff Beck, Yngwie Malmsteen, Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson and others
Loved it! Not the typical riff list, but quite refreshing. Thanks
Great choices, tone and playing. Thanks 😊
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs should be at least honourable mention.
Totally.SawRobin a few times in Vegas
Should have 100 mentions
Indee
Monster riff.
whatever happened to Robin Trower? too rollin stoned , me too.
You just can’t go wrong with Jack and a great strat!
Really Diggin this Video and All of your videos.. You make these Riffs Look Easy.. Cheers From Colorado!
highly impressive how you sorted this out in a way, that I just have to admit: well done!
Even Flow was a really nice touch to end on :)
Probably in the three/four best grunge riffs imho
Great list. One I would also consider is Ritchie's Highway Star solo
I always loved his solo from Burn
Not a riff. Great though.
Not much of a riff in Highway Star
Well done! I stopped myself typing 3 times guys I thought you were going to skip, but didn't. Great list, great playing.
Fantastic work, fantastic attitude. Thankyou
The Trooper by Iron Maiden. I agree Pink Floyd are not riff based but the 4 note arpeggio on Shine on You Crazy Diamond is one of the most recognizable strat tones. I would also include the Superstition riff by Jeff Beck (and SRV). But all top 10 and honourable mentions were very relevant iconic riffs, played superbly and with amazing tones. Chapeau!
Lenny by SRV is a tone that really only a strat delivers, some of the others can be achieved closely with other guitars, but to me anyway Lenny is "the strat sound".
Well said my friend. This, and Sultan's of Swing are my "strat" sounds!
Perfect loved this! Thank You!
Great stuff. I am always pleased when Rory gets a mention, any mention.
To me Robert Plant's Big Log (especially the lead play) is the typical, most iconic Strat sound
I was expecting Sultans of Swing somewhere in the list. But I'm more annoyed by the lack of Guilmore even though he's not known for his riffs.
Riffs is the key word.
Annoyed? Why expect Gilmour?
Guys, you should that young lust and run like hell exist right?
@@garryleerob shine on you crazy diamond, for instance.
Absolutely epic vid thx - all those riffs spot on - i got a lot of work to do😊🎸
The SRV and Edge choices were excellent. Great execution. You killed it. In a nice way 😁🎸🌟👌
Inspiração para os amantes de guitarras ao redor do mundo Mike McCready 🎸 ❤️ Brasil ❤️ Love Pearl Jam 🎸 Love Mike McCready 🎸
"That Will Be The Day", "Words of Love", by Buddy Holly. Simple as those intros were, they were very melodic. Holly literally put the Strat on the map! Just ask the early British Rockers that saw him on their TVs during his tour in England back in the 1950s . If I remember correctly, George Harris regarded trying to reproduce the intro to "That Will Be The Day" as difficult.
Anything to Wee Willie Harris?
Yes!!!
Yeah, something by Buddy Holly needs to be on this list.
Go ask Clapton about Buddy Holly's influence on him, for starters....
I just like to say I’m a fan. I like the way you present your topic. I like the examples. I enjoy your skill level. Gives you a cool vibe. :)
Absolutely spot on playing and tone and I over every minute.
Fantastic job of completing an impossible task Jack. I can’t believe how difficult it is to make a top ten Strat list and not leave out at least 3? I desperately want the amp tones you continually achieve in all of your videos.🔥
Great Strat sounds, great playing!
Missing out on Knopfler and Gilmour is indeed discussable - they may not be the typical intro signature riff players, but "Sultans Of Swing" ans "Another Brick In The Wall" wouldn´t be the same without these, hm, one might rather call it licks instead of riffs, but so what?
Wow! I was enjoying the list...
Wow! You played Purple Haze BRILLIANTLY!
Great to hear SRV & Jimi played so beautifully!!! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻🎸🎸🎸🎸
Jack sounds awesome through this Boogie!! He nailed the tones!!! Great job man 👏👏👏👏👌👌👌👌
Sultans of swing maybe.
Free Ride by Edgar Winter. Probably the most “Strat-like” Strat riff of all time.
Honorable mention: Let It Rain by Eric Clapton
An amazing list of riffs, songs and knowledge sharing! Nile Rodgers ftw!
great video ... superbly played and real cool guy presenting and performing .....im in !
When he said Frusciante my mind immediately went to Can't Stop. Rhythmically might be one of the most demanding Strat sounds to nail
Can’t Stop is played on a telecaster ;)
@@sandercliquet1007 fair play! The more you know
Frusciante is an incredible player and narrowing down his output to just one track was hard. Although maybe not as well known as some of the real big hitting RHCP tracks, Snow is a great riff. Let's hope he brings the magic back on the new Chili's album!
@@PeachGuitars couldn't have said it better! Thank you for these videos, quality and content wise it's great. Appreciate the effort put into them!
Agreed. Can't stop is quite a demanding one! Not easy to play
Was waiting for sultans of swing the whole time, what a shame
Where’s the riff?
Great video! Would love to see a Part 2
Fantastic job, I felt like I shouldn't watching these videos for free. Perfect playing by Jack!
I can't believe the edit bailed on 'Little wing'. Not even a mention for Knopfler? 🤔 Fair enough, subjectivity.
I always like hearing the guitar tone you get. It would be great if you could do an episode on how you recorded your guitars.
Also, what amp are you using?
Interesting ! Some of them made me get goosebumps. Some of the riffs are like old friends that you meet again after so many years.
Fantastic my man! I completely agree with your choices. Good one!
I’m outraged that [insert song title that wasn’t mentioned] wasn’t on this list!
Can’t talk about Strats without talking about Gilmore.
True but this is about Strat riffs.
What a good video! A thoroughly nice guy who can really play. Great job!
NOW we talking!! Awesome video Peach and Jack! I wish I was as rusty as Jack...
Nice list and well played but some glaring omissions ... Gilmour - Buddy Holly and one of my favourites Mark Knopfler...How you could possibly leave Knopfler off the list is beyond me.
Because his later years has been spent on a Gibson LP.
Agreed! Mark Knopfler riffs not being on the list is definitely a miss! Deep Purple makes it, but not Dire Straits? No. Just...No.
I like the list, but it is nearly criminal to not have the riff that put the Strat on the map for the first time and that is "That'll be the Day" by Buddy Holly. Also, to not have a single riff from Mark Knopfler, especially for an Englishman, is a huge omission. Come on, how about "Sultans of Swing?" No "Bridge of Sighs?" Lord have mercy, there may be no cooler riff ever on a Strat and it uses the middle position, which you did not really feature and the best Univibe tone ever recorded. And again, even you mentioned Gilmour..."Money" could have easily been included. As a Strat player, I could go on forever. I know it is hard to pick these and I think you did a great job playing them. Great tones, nailed them all.
*As a Brit. Knopfler is Scottish.
@@InGrindWeCrust2010 born in Scotland, raised in England. It is all the United Kingdom, is it not?
@@mbreinin He considers himself Scottish- "as a Brit" as Jack mentioned before the Status Quo riff, rather than "as an Englishman" 😉
What a video guys.. The playing, the talking in between, the tones. So well done
Great playing and great sounds!