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Jeff Beck on Strat vs Les Paul


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will access that soon but I think the most basic evidence is that after using Teles in the YBirds JB used LPs for a while & then for the past 3 decades has used Strats.

That's not The Rule 4 Airbody

BUT it makes a clear case for the versatility of each..

d=halfnote
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Jeff is in good company with the likes of Knopfler, Jimi, Clapton, Gilmour, Guy, SRV, Raitt, etc., so there is definitely something about a Strat that attracts as some of our biggest stars have loved the Strat! I used to be a Strat Cat, but lately I like the Les Paul set up with 2 volume and 2 tones and a 3way. I also like archtops with the LP set up. I prefer the Strat over the Tele. It's all just a matter of what fits you best. Like Jeff says, the Strat is like a part of his body and gives him inspiration. Each of us must decide what kind of guitar gives us inspiration...some (like Tommy Emmanuel) may prefer acoustics over any of the electrics LOL! :cool:
Take care, Larryz
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I'll tellya what, I absolutely loved the Les Paul & Mary Ford tributes that he and Imelda May performed onstage at the Grammys, and elsewhere, when he played a... Les Paul. His tone and vibe were OUTSANDING! :rawk::cool:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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I realize that my opinion is tantamount to sacrilege, but I have never been a fan of Strat tone. It has always sounded kinda' thin to.my ear.

 

I greatly prefer the tone of a Lea Paul. The tone is bigger, better defined and more suited to the music I play. Better still, a semi-hollow or hollow body. This is simply a personal preference and is in no way intended to influence the opinion of others.

If you play cool, you are cool.
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I am not saying I fully agree with Jeff Beck, I just thought it was an interesting thing to guitar players, and maybe liven up this forum a little.

 

I do agree that the Strat or its clones are very comfortable feeling against the body, no sharp edges to dig into the ribs etc. As for tone, I use a boost and EQ on my blues driver to fatten up my Strat clone and give the guitar more oomph.

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I use a boost and EQ on my blues driver to fatten up my Strat clone and give the guitar more oomph.

 

@DBM.

 

Out of curiosity, what gauge strings are you using on your Strat clone?

 

 

 

If you play cool, you are cool.
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I use a boost and EQ on my blues driver to fatten up my Strat clone and give the guitar more oomph.

 

@DBM.Out of curiosity, what gauge strings are you using on your Strat clone?

 

I use D'Adderio XL110's 10 through 56 on all of my guitars

 

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I use a boost and EQ on my blues driver to fatten up my Strat clone and give the guitar more oomph.

 

@DBM.Out of curiosity, what gauge strings are you using on your Strat clone?

 

I use D'Adderio XL110's 10 through 56 on all of my guitars

 

10-56? Is that a custom set? The usual "10 set" is 10-46.

If you play cool, you are cool.
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He used to say the Les Paul plays to easily. The Strat puts up more fight and makes him play harder and dig into it more. I played my Strats into the 90s, practically exclusively. I switched to Teles after the whole Hats and Strats thing caught fire with SRV and everybody started sounding like Trower, SRV and Jimi and started playing too loud. Kind of killed the local blues scenes. Power trio and 4 piece Rock bands started replacing Blues bands.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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10-56? Is that a custom set? The usual "10 set" is 10-46.

 

I stand corrected amigo you are right.

 

I know that there are players who.use sets that are light on Top and heavier on the bottom. I think that there are manufacturers who produce light/heavy sets. Hence, my question.

If you play cool, you are cool.
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@ Fred and DBM, I use 10-50's with a wound 18 3rd string that I order singles of. These are GHS "Rollerwound" pure nickel strings which are semi-flat with great sound and a little less squeak. I use these strings and gauge on all of my guitars both electric and acoustic. I really love them. I have always preferred a wound 18 3rd string on my Strats and my Les Paul. It really gets rid of the tinny 3rd plain string sound when playing open chords and makes the guitar sound very clean. The 18 wound 3rds and the 10 on the 1st string are still easy to bend while adding a little heft. I usually only bend a half step so having lighter strings does not interest me. I used to use 9's on my electrics and 11's on my acoustics. I prefer a 50 on the 6th string... :cool:

 

 

@ Surfer Girl, my latest guitar acquisition has a 15 inch radius. +1 as soon as I got my hands on it, I knew it was made just for me! :cool:

Take care, Larryz
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He used to say the Les Paul plays to easily. The Strat puts up more fight and makes him play harder and dig into it more. I played my Strats into the 90s, practically exclusively. I switched to Teles after the whole Hats and Strats thing caught fire with SRV and everybody started sounding like Trower, SRV and Jimi and started playing too loud. Kind of killed the local blues scenes. Power trio and 4 piece Rock bands started replacing Blues bands.

 

YEP!!! Here, in one of the homes of the blues, it was literally all of the unemployed finger-tappers from the 80s who suddenly bought Stetsons (the rest of the outfits pretty much stayed the same) and traded in the Jacksons and Kramers for beat up Strats (some kept the Jacksons and Kramers, though) and... together with the "nothin' but Clapton" blues lawyers... meanwhile, guys here who actually played with Slim Harpo and those folks couldn't get a gig. It's kind of turned around here because of young people who want to dig back to the roots.

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I've mentioned that Strats were my first love affair... though I didn't have an actual one for quite a while. And one day I was just sick of them... sick of seeing and hearing them and sick of playing them. It just seemed like they were everywhere all of a sudden, and you almost knew what was going to be played on them when you saw one before you heard it.

 

But the quack lured me back!

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I've played all different makes & models, but the SG is my mainstay. While I appreciate and admire the genius of Leo's design, the Strat has never quite sounded nor felt right in my hands, for some reason. At this point in my playing life, I really know that they're not for me, there's no need for me to buy just one more, to make sure.

 

I do have to wonder if there isn't a generational factor involved? When I was a very young and impressionable Guitarist, the Strat was so deeply associated with Hendrix' sound that for some young listeners like me, he just owned it. I wasn't aspiring to that sound, so it seemed like we, the Strat and I, had nothing to offer one another. (Surf Guitar was not a driving force in NYC, when I was growing up, so Dick Dale wasn't nearly as influential as Hendrix.)

 

Sure, there were lots of other Strat players, back then, but seriously, when we think of other iconic Guitars associated with particular artists, the Guitars tend to be one-off's or custom pieces, like Prince's "Cloud" Guitar, McLaughlin's Rex Bogue double-neck, EVH's home-made (or mangled) Frankenguitars, Clapton's "Blackie" (arguably the 1st great "parts" Guitar), or Brian May's Red Special; none of those were off-the-rack Guitars. It's possible to see a Strat, and not think of Hendrix, but it's not so easy to conjure a mental image of Hendrix with another model Guitar, even though we've seen those photos. Conversely, if you're trying to emulate, or outright imitate, Hendrix, SRV or Robin Trower, you're not fronting a Les Paul . . .

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

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The first time I saw JB in concert, 83 ARMs show, was the first concert I ever went to that had a big movie screen. With video, YouTube etc. we take that for granted these days. One thing that night that made me a Beck fan for life was his manipulation of the Strats whammy bar along with the knobs. It was amazing, and still is. Yes, he can play the crap out of a LP or anything else for that matter, but hes a master of the Stratocaster.
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My 4 main electrics are an upgraded 1990 American Strat, an upgraded Godin Icon (basically my Les Paul), a stock ESP LTD KH 602 ( my metal machine) and a recently purchased Epiphone ES-335 which I'm quickly falling in love with. All 4 are excellent guitars. I have to say though, when it comes to doing a guitar solo, I go to the Strat more often than not. I just love the tone and playability. I know where Jeff is coming from.
"Let me stand next to your fire!", Jimi Hendrix
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The first time I saw JB in concert, 83 ARMs show, was the first concert I ever went to that had a big movie screen. With video, YouTube etc. we take that for granted these days. One thing that night that made me a Beck fan for life was his manipulation of the Strats whammy bar along with the knobs. It was amazing, and still is. Yes, he can play the crap out of a LP or anything else for that matter, but hes a master of the Stratocaster.

One of the most distinctive things abt Beck (the REAL Beck :D ) is his skill at pitch inflection, which he's able to do in every conceivable manner...string bends, vib bar, neck bends, above the nut & behind the bridge tweaks...

He often uses these in a mixed method within a single tune jus, I suspect, to show off a bit.

Some of those are not even possible on other gtrs.

:rawk:

d=halfnote
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Well, if it's Jeff Beck playing it, I don't think I care if he's playing a Les Paul, a Strat, or a junked-out 60's hunk of jap-crap. It's still gonna be Jeff Beck.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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Well, if it's Jeff Beck playing it, I don't think I care if he's playing a Les Paul, a Strat, or a junked-out 60's hunk of jap-crap. It's still gonna be Jeff Beck.

 

Yep. Beck is one of a kind. All by himself, no one else plays like he does.

 

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Well, if it's Jeff Beck playing it, I don't think I care if he's playing a Les Paul, a Strat, or a junked-out 60's hunk of jap-crap. It's still gonna be Jeff Beck.

 

"It ain't the wand. It's the magician".

 

 

 

If you play cool, you are cool.
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Well, if it's Jeff Beck playing it, I don't think I care if he's playing a Les Paul, a Strat, or a junked-out 60's hunk of jap-crap. It's still gonna be Jeff Beck.

 

Yep. Beck is one of a kind. All by himself, no one else plays like he does.

"It ain't the wand. It's the magician".

 

Agreed, indeed... :rawk::cool:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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I saw Jeff about a year ago in West Palm Beach Florida. There was absolutely no buzz or overly driven tones. He was immaculate from start to finish.
"Let me stand next to your fire!", Jimi Hendrix
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