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More Versatile: Strat or Humbucking Guitar?

MichaelMcKevinMichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
edited December 2006 in Musicians and Gearheads
I've been saving up for an American strat which i plan to buy in a few weeks, but lately I'm having second thoughts. I play such a wide variety of music from stuff like Phish to Pearl Jam to classic rock to funk/jazz to The Disco Biscuits (trance-fusion/technorock kind of stuff). Being a 20 year old college student with VERY limited funds, this guitar will be the only one I buy for the next 2 years or so probably, so it's gotta be THE guitar. I don't wanna find myself in a rut when I can't play everything I like and have it sound fitting. In addition to the strat, I've been looking at some of the Hamer semi-hollows such as this. http://cgi.ebay.com/USA-Hamer-Artist-Korina-w-P90-pickups_W0QQitemZ270069755849QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33042QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
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Comments

  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    I know its inexpensive, but I like my Godin Freeway Classic a lot. http://www.godinguitars.com
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • seanw1010seanw1010 Posts: 1,205
    strat...
    they call them fingers, but i never see them fing. oh, there they go
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    an american deluxe strat with all the switching options might be a great option.

    http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0101200700
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    OTOH, even though I have my Godin, I'm picking up a Strat when I get the cash because I want 'that' sound.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • MichaelMcKevinMichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
    exhausted wrote:
    an american deluxe strat with all the switching options might be a great option.

    http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0101200700

    I played one about a week ago. I absolutey loved it, but it's out of my price range. I won't be paying anymore than $700 for the American. Actually, it might be worth it to save the extra cash for one
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • lucylespianlucylespian Posts: 2,403
    Personally I like humbuckers a lot. Never could get along with single coils.
    There are guitars with a humbuckers bridge and single coil neck. Godin do some very nice gear with hollow bodies, piezo for acoustic sounds etc.
    HUmbuckers can be pretty chimey when on the bridge and you set the eq for treble and add a little gain to a pushed chanel. They can also get pretty fat and full on the neck, and TBH unless you are doing a direct A/B, no-one is gonna give a stuff if you play SRV or Knopfler through a humbucker. Your playing and dynamics will tell a whole lot more. McCready only has a few songs he religiously uses the same guitar for, and changes the tone and guitar he uses all the time. I saw PJ three times recently, and Ed used a different guitar for Betterman each time, so don't worry too much about getting exact tones.
    That really is a rut !!!!!
    Your amp etc will have at least as much effect on your tone as your guitar, usually a lot more.
    I really think it's always best to buy the guitar YOU like, not the one I or anyone else likes.
    People on this board are obsessed with strats and teles, but there are a whole heap of other manufacturers out there, so open the envelope and try em all. I recently bought a Gretsch Hot Rod, and I can play everything below the 19th fret on it, even metal, though they say you can't. She's fat and the feedback can be amazing but shows anything is possible.
    Single coils hum like a bitch, but there are the stacked "noiseless" ones, and noise gates. but they both add to your budget, so it's your call.
    Strats are cheap enough, but companies like ESP do great SG style guitars with dual humbuckers for easy money. I have a Viper, and I'm gonna chuck a P-90 in the neck for added variety. Schecter do nice stuff as well in your budget too as do Art and Lutherie.
    Other things to watch, make sure you get separate volume and tones on a guitar with humbuckers.
    Also lots of strats have only 21 frets, if you want 2 octaves for metal or fusion, you need at least 22, preferably 24. Les Pauls style single cuts can be quite thick at the neck join and limit upper fret access, which is not impossible to deal with but something to be aware of.
    Happy Hunting !!
    Music is not a competetion.
  • stargoddess81stargoddess81 Posts: 23
    I would strongly suggest looking into getting a Telecaster...from my experience, if you're just going to get one, it is the most versatile. I have an American Ash Telecaster, and I love it. They also make a model that was made in Mexico, but the sound quality isn't as good as the American, unless you do an upgrade to the pickups. I also have a deluxe strat, Gibson Les Paul, SG, Fender Jaguar, Ibanez Artcore, Ibanez SZ520QM. Of those, I think my second choice as far as flexibility in sound tone would be the Ibanez SZ520QM...but that's just my opinion.
    "I don't need drugs; life is tragic enough."
    "If you love someone, let them go...if someone loves you, don't fuck up."

    ~Julie
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Check out a strat in the SSH config. Lone Star, Fat Strat etc.

    That hamer is awesome in general just go through and play a ton to find out what you think will work.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • MichaelMcKevinMichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    Check out a strat in the SSH config. Lone Star, Fat Strat etc.

    That hamer is awesome in general just go through and play a ton to find out what you think will work.

    Can i still get that "Yellow Ledbetter/Little Wing" sound w/o the single coil on the bridge?
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    should be able to because i think that tone is position 4 (neck/middle).
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    GivenToCarve wrote:
    Can i still get that "Yellow Ledbetter/Little Wing" sound w/o the single coil on the bridge?


    sure as noted above. also many newer versions have coil tapping or some kind of switch to use half of the humbucker, it's not a perfect solution, but it works well. Generally position 2 on the new bucker equipped Strats is the split coil so you still get the 2 and 4 sounds so many people love.

    Look for a used American Deluxe too, that S-1 system is freaking awesome.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • MichaelMcKevinMichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    sure as noted above. also many newer versions have coil tapping or some kind of switch to use half of the humbucker, it's not a perfect solution, but it works well. Generally position 2 on the new bucker equipped Strats is the split coil so you still get the 2 and 4 sounds so many people love.

    Look for a used American Deluxe to, that S-1 system is freaking awesome.

    Yeah i went into one of those private rooms at the store with one and i think i spent about an hour and a half with it. The options seem endless.
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • YeahThatRocks.comYeahThatRocks.com Posts: 117
    If you spent a half hour with it and are happy with the sounds you cna get out of it and the way it plays, get it. It'll be with you for a while. When you get out of school and get a job you can pick up some other guitars to round out your sound.
    Leave your lady on the cement floor.

    "You boo us, you call us pussies, and still we come back." EV NJ1 2006

    2008 MSG 2
    2006 NJ 1, NJ 2
    2003 MSG 1
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    My vote is for the other white meat

    A 72 Telecaster custom.
    new music: http://www.myspace.com/blackbirdsymphonique

    old music: http://www.myspace.com/slowloader
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