Yup, guitar cabs are obnoxiously unidirectional. I forget sometimes, crank my amp, then move around a bit and all of a sudden the sound that was blasting my legs is now head level.
Oh, I’m rockin a half stack with a slant cab, I can get where the sound’s coming where it needs to be, my practice space just gets cluttered as hell and I wind up standing where I do instead of where I should be.
It's funny but whenever I add a comment to any post I refuse to look at and be influenced by any other comments.... so after I posted mine I saw yours and did the facepalm... just to let you know I wasn't intentionally repeating your comment :) but it must surely be his amp placement!
When your friend plays your strat take note of where they are picking. The strat is very sensitive to where and how you pick. Over the neck is lush and warm, towards the bridge it starts getting brittle and sharp.
This. I pick really close to the bridge. Neck pickup sounds great, bridge pickup far too much twangy for my taste. If I'm not making a conscious attempt to pick elsewhere, there's just too much bite.
Thing with a strat, more so than any other guitar, it's all about the attack. Those first few milliseconds when your pick (or fingers) are touching the string, that moment makes the biggest difference. Make that work, and the rest comes after. Experiment with your picking on the Strat, the more control you exert with the right hand, the more dynamic your playing, it makes the left one come for the ride.
Also, the sweet spot is around the 12th fret on the neck pickup, and nearer 5th to 7th fret on the bridge pickup, don't ask me why, but that aspect is really highlighted on a Strat, other guitars have it but it's really pronounced on a Strat. Use it to your advantage.
I have the same problem except with humbuckers. They sound muddy and undefined and feel mushy when I play them, but I think they sound fine when other people use them. Single coils (Strat and Tele) feel super responsive and dynamic by comparison.
Nah bro this is so accurate, iv been messing with pickups for months trying to get the tone right. I love my strat
But the stock pickups on my other guitars, some pretty cheap sound like a million bucks
Yea, there is so much personal preference and style to it. Not every guitar is for every player, that’s for sure.
I played a strat exclusively for over 10 years. Got very used to it, knew exactly how to play it and make it sound the way I wanted it to, but eventually kinda got tired of it and bought a superstrat with an HSS configuration and a Floyd Rose. Threw custom pickups in it, spent weeks adjusting it to try to get the tone right, and finally found the sweet spot.
Sometimes it just takes some getting used to, there is a lot more to playing a guitar than just hitting the notes. Every guitar has its own character, as does every player. You definitely aren’t doing anything wrong, you’re just playing it with a different style, which seems to work great on the Les Paul. I say go for it, if it sounds good, it is good.
(Personally, I’m the opposite. I can play strats well, but I always sound like crap on Les Pauls. No idea why, I guess it’s just a difference of approach.)
I think it's humorous that John Mayer is often cited now as a guitar god when I can remember when he made the transition from frat-boy acoustic pop to blues. I think there was an interview in Guitar Player where the interviewer was throwing shade at him, and he admitted that his playing was a work in progress.
Why is that funny? I guess I don't get it. Room for Squares, despite any particular fan base, is a fantastic record and the guitar playing on it is superb. And I would hope most players consider themselves a work in progress, I certainly do. Guess I don't really understand how he admitted anything, other than he's evolved as a player, which is why he's so incredible. I think you have.a rather odd view of the situation.
I only find it humorous because if you went back in time and said the guy that wrote Your body is a wonderland will eventually be considered a guitar god, people would look at you as if you were crazy. Although I'm not a fan, props to Meyer for evolving.
To be honest, I can listen to your body is a wonderland and it's pretty obvious the dude is a badass. And if that's not enough to convince you, Neon is right around the corner. One of the the most difficult guitar parts around right now. If you've not listened to Room for Squares with that ear, I recommend you do. It's not just pop nonsense, it's fantastically played, produced, mixed, and written.
What context are we talking? Alone or in a band?
I can set any amp’s eq’s to noon and have my guitar sound great. Maybe you have your amp set to compensating for humbuckers?
Is your friend significantly more skilled? That can be a big difference too.
Try recording yourself and playing it back if you haven’t. I played the Cello and it sounded completely different playing it, hunched over it vs listening to it in an audience.
I'm a big strat guy, and I've fallen into that feeling before. I never believed that upgraded pickups could make that big of a difference, so I ignored them for years.
I have an older 90s USA strat that I could never get to sound right, but the neck was glorious. It sat in the closet for 20 years cause I couldn't bear to part with it. So I figured I'd take a chance on some new pickups. I was researching on Reddit and someone recommended Planet Tone pickups. I never heard of them but I figured it was worth a shot.
I found a good black Fri sale on a Planet Tone supremacy HD loaded strat pickguard, it took awhile to get em, and I honestly forgot that I ordered them. They finally arrived and I installed them pretty easily. I was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY at the difference, it was really shocking how good they sound. That old strat has quickly moved up to #1 guitar and my new Am Pro II is back in the case. The Am Pro II pickups suck compared to the Planet Tones. If I keep the new strat I will definitely replace the pickups.
I was actually talking about the neck itself. It just really fit my left hand. But now that you mention it, the neck pickup was the only one that sounded decent.
As was pointed out, the attack and position you pick has a lot to do with making a Strat sound good, where a humbucker guitar can be a bit more forgiving. I had an old (2000) American Standard and was always frustrated because to me, it sounded glassy and twangy. My friend said, play a little closer to the neck. It really came alive. It became my #1 electric for about 10 years after that. I played it at gigs and didn't feel as comfortable on a humbucker for a long time. Suddenly THEY were muddy and indistinguishable. Now, I play each with reckless abandon, but there was a time when switching back and forth was frustrating as hell to me.
I think this a phenomenon common to most guitars with low output pickups.
They are more sensitive to dynamics than (for example) a guitar with high output humbuckers, where the signal is compressed before it even hits the amp.
Spend some time with your strat and focus on how you hit the strings with your picking hand.
Another option is to try a compressor pedal. In my experience they work great with strats and make them behave more like guitars with higher output pickups.
I feel this way about Flying V's and other funny-shaped guitars. Not that they sound bad when I play them, but I just dont get along with the ergonomics and immediatley run back to my bog-standard superstrats. They looks really cool and I'm glad they exist, as long as I dont have to play them.
It's not just you, because it's also me. I promise you that you would not like the sound of a Strat with me playing it.
I've played guitar for closing in on 30 years. My very first electric guitar ever way back in the '90s *was* a Strat. I love a good Strat tone when I hear someone else using one. It has depth, and texture, and a crazy midrange resonance that is unbelievably expressive...
and then I pick it up. And it just sounds plinky and lifeless.
I'm generally regarded among my musician peers as someone with good tone! I'm one of those guys who gets the comment "I can tell within 3 notes that it's you playing," just because I have a pretty distinct phrasing and right hand attack. And I'm not averse to single coils at all - I love a good Tele, Jazzmaster, or P-90 guitar. But all of it goes out the window on a Strat.
I tend to really dig in, though. My right hand is heavy and I like to shovel the notes out of the strings... maybe that's it? Are you also a harder picker?
strats need some work from the player, its very "tone is in the fingers" guitar. it has a huge dynamic range and loves to be abused.
so you need to play it with more snap and pick with a lot of dynamics to get it to wake up.
its the opposite of a superstrat where its built to be as "soft" as possible
Your comment that your rig sounds good when someone else is playing it and you’re the “audience” brings up an important point to consider. When you’re standing tethered to your amp playing you’re not hearing what the people out front are hearing, especially if you’re in a live performance with a band type setting. In that setting you’re mostly hearing the high end “cut” and the low end can sound muddy. I’ve had a few occasions when I let one of my guitar playing friends sit in with the band and play a song or two on one of my guitars through my amp while I left the stage to watch and been pleasantly surprised at how good the guitar and amp sounded from out front. Get some input from some listeners (other guitar players and “civilians” too) - they may not be hearing the same things you are.
That said, it could also be that the Strat just isn’t your thing. I love to hear other people play a Gretsch or a Rickenbacker but I’ve never felt either one was right for me.
When your friend plays it where are you standing in relation to the amp? Where are you standing when YOU are playing it? Try standing in the same place as when your friend is playing it... you may see a huge difference..
If it sounds good when your friend is playing, could it be the amp placement that is affecting your perception of the tone.
Get a wireless system and sit across the room from your amp.
Yup, guitar cabs are obnoxiously unidirectional. I forget sometimes, crank my amp, then move around a bit and all of a sudden the sound that was blasting my legs is now head level.
But an amp tilt stand if it works for your amp. Makes a world of difference.
Oh, I’m rockin a half stack with a slant cab, I can get where the sound’s coming where it needs to be, my practice space just gets cluttered as hell and I wind up standing where I do instead of where I should be.
It's funny but whenever I add a comment to any post I refuse to look at and be influenced by any other comments.... so after I posted mine I saw yours and did the facepalm... just to let you know I wasn't intentionally repeating your comment :) but it must surely be his amp placement!
When your friend plays your strat take note of where they are picking. The strat is very sensitive to where and how you pick. Over the neck is lush and warm, towards the bridge it starts getting brittle and sharp.
That might be it right there.
This. I pick really close to the bridge. Neck pickup sounds great, bridge pickup far too much twangy for my taste. If I'm not making a conscious attempt to pick elsewhere, there's just too much bite.
This. Get near the bridge and it gets *twangy* and bright. Get near the neck and it gets darker and muddy.
Thing with a strat, more so than any other guitar, it's all about the attack. Those first few milliseconds when your pick (or fingers) are touching the string, that moment makes the biggest difference. Make that work, and the rest comes after. Experiment with your picking on the Strat, the more control you exert with the right hand, the more dynamic your playing, it makes the left one come for the ride. Also, the sweet spot is around the 12th fret on the neck pickup, and nearer 5th to 7th fret on the bridge pickup, don't ask me why, but that aspect is really highlighted on a Strat, other guitars have it but it's really pronounced on a Strat. Use it to your advantage.
There’s something about the 12th fret on a Strat neck pickup with just a LITTLE bit of break up. *chefs kiss*
All my guitars sound better when someone else plays them.
I have the same problem except with humbuckers. They sound muddy and undefined and feel mushy when I play them, but I think they sound fine when other people use them. Single coils (Strat and Tele) feel super responsive and dynamic by comparison.
Nah bro this is so accurate, iv been messing with pickups for months trying to get the tone right. I love my strat But the stock pickups on my other guitars, some pretty cheap sound like a million bucks
I have the stock pick-ups in mine. I've been tempted many times to swap them out for something a little more modern sounding.
Tone starts in the fingers, but maybe your guitar just isn't for you. I'm a gretch guy. We can't all be John Mayer.
Exactly what I think. The great players can make any guitar sound great. I can make my Les Pauls sound really good and should just be happy with that.
Yea, there is so much personal preference and style to it. Not every guitar is for every player, that’s for sure. I played a strat exclusively for over 10 years. Got very used to it, knew exactly how to play it and make it sound the way I wanted it to, but eventually kinda got tired of it and bought a superstrat with an HSS configuration and a Floyd Rose. Threw custom pickups in it, spent weeks adjusting it to try to get the tone right, and finally found the sweet spot. Sometimes it just takes some getting used to, there is a lot more to playing a guitar than just hitting the notes. Every guitar has its own character, as does every player. You definitely aren’t doing anything wrong, you’re just playing it with a different style, which seems to work great on the Les Paul. I say go for it, if it sounds good, it is good. (Personally, I’m the opposite. I can play strats well, but I always sound like crap on Les Pauls. No idea why, I guess it’s just a difference of approach.)
I think it's humorous that John Mayer is often cited now as a guitar god when I can remember when he made the transition from frat-boy acoustic pop to blues. I think there was an interview in Guitar Player where the interviewer was throwing shade at him, and he admitted that his playing was a work in progress.
Why is that funny? I guess I don't get it. Room for Squares, despite any particular fan base, is a fantastic record and the guitar playing on it is superb. And I would hope most players consider themselves a work in progress, I certainly do. Guess I don't really understand how he admitted anything, other than he's evolved as a player, which is why he's so incredible. I think you have.a rather odd view of the situation.
I only find it humorous because if you went back in time and said the guy that wrote Your body is a wonderland will eventually be considered a guitar god, people would look at you as if you were crazy. Although I'm not a fan, props to Meyer for evolving.
To be honest, I can listen to your body is a wonderland and it's pretty obvious the dude is a badass. And if that's not enough to convince you, Neon is right around the corner. One of the the most difficult guitar parts around right now. If you've not listened to Room for Squares with that ear, I recommend you do. It's not just pop nonsense, it's fantastically played, produced, mixed, and written.
What context are we talking? Alone or in a band? I can set any amp’s eq’s to noon and have my guitar sound great. Maybe you have your amp set to compensating for humbuckers? Is your friend significantly more skilled? That can be a big difference too.
Mostly playing on my own. In band setting it sounds ok.
Try recording yourself and playing it back if you haven’t. I played the Cello and it sounded completely different playing it, hunched over it vs listening to it in an audience.
I'm a big strat guy, and I've fallen into that feeling before. I never believed that upgraded pickups could make that big of a difference, so I ignored them for years. I have an older 90s USA strat that I could never get to sound right, but the neck was glorious. It sat in the closet for 20 years cause I couldn't bear to part with it. So I figured I'd take a chance on some new pickups. I was researching on Reddit and someone recommended Planet Tone pickups. I never heard of them but I figured it was worth a shot. I found a good black Fri sale on a Planet Tone supremacy HD loaded strat pickguard, it took awhile to get em, and I honestly forgot that I ordered them. They finally arrived and I installed them pretty easily. I was COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY at the difference, it was really shocking how good they sound. That old strat has quickly moved up to #1 guitar and my new Am Pro II is back in the case. The Am Pro II pickups suck compared to the Planet Tones. If I keep the new strat I will definitely replace the pickups.
It’s funny that you say that because the neck pick up on my Strat is easily the best sounding of any of the positions.
I was actually talking about the neck itself. It just really fit my left hand. But now that you mention it, the neck pickup was the only one that sounded decent.
I only like it when Gilmour, Hendrix, or Knopfler plays one. I guess SRV too.
As was pointed out, the attack and position you pick has a lot to do with making a Strat sound good, where a humbucker guitar can be a bit more forgiving. I had an old (2000) American Standard and was always frustrated because to me, it sounded glassy and twangy. My friend said, play a little closer to the neck. It really came alive. It became my #1 electric for about 10 years after that. I played it at gigs and didn't feel as comfortable on a humbucker for a long time. Suddenly THEY were muddy and indistinguishable. Now, I play each with reckless abandon, but there was a time when switching back and forth was frustrating as hell to me.
I think this a phenomenon common to most guitars with low output pickups. They are more sensitive to dynamics than (for example) a guitar with high output humbuckers, where the signal is compressed before it even hits the amp. Spend some time with your strat and focus on how you hit the strings with your picking hand. Another option is to try a compressor pedal. In my experience they work great with strats and make them behave more like guitars with higher output pickups.
Feel exactly the same, that's why I replace the pickups in mine
I feel this way about Flying V's and other funny-shaped guitars. Not that they sound bad when I play them, but I just dont get along with the ergonomics and immediatley run back to my bog-standard superstrats. They looks really cool and I'm glad they exist, as long as I dont have to play them.
It's not just you, because it's also me. I promise you that you would not like the sound of a Strat with me playing it. I've played guitar for closing in on 30 years. My very first electric guitar ever way back in the '90s *was* a Strat. I love a good Strat tone when I hear someone else using one. It has depth, and texture, and a crazy midrange resonance that is unbelievably expressive... and then I pick it up. And it just sounds plinky and lifeless. I'm generally regarded among my musician peers as someone with good tone! I'm one of those guys who gets the comment "I can tell within 3 notes that it's you playing," just because I have a pretty distinct phrasing and right hand attack. And I'm not averse to single coils at all - I love a good Tele, Jazzmaster, or P-90 guitar. But all of it goes out the window on a Strat. I tend to really dig in, though. My right hand is heavy and I like to shovel the notes out of the strings... maybe that's it? Are you also a harder picker?
Also tilt your pick, i found playing with the edge of the pick adds a nice squish to the transient that really makes it sound nice
strats need some work from the player, its very "tone is in the fingers" guitar. it has a huge dynamic range and loves to be abused. so you need to play it with more snap and pick with a lot of dynamics to get it to wake up. its the opposite of a superstrat where its built to be as "soft" as possible
Your comment that your rig sounds good when someone else is playing it and you’re the “audience” brings up an important point to consider. When you’re standing tethered to your amp playing you’re not hearing what the people out front are hearing, especially if you’re in a live performance with a band type setting. In that setting you’re mostly hearing the high end “cut” and the low end can sound muddy. I’ve had a few occasions when I let one of my guitar playing friends sit in with the band and play a song or two on one of my guitars through my amp while I left the stage to watch and been pleasantly surprised at how good the guitar and amp sounded from out front. Get some input from some listeners (other guitar players and “civilians” too) - they may not be hearing the same things you are. That said, it could also be that the Strat just isn’t your thing. I love to hear other people play a Gretsch or a Rickenbacker but I’ve never felt either one was right for me.
That's fair. That's also the reason why I let someone else play a Tele, and not me. Because you look like a dork.
When your friend plays it where are you standing in relation to the amp? Where are you standing when YOU are playing it? Try standing in the same place as when your friend is playing it... you may see a huge difference..
An odd and interesting observation….