Robert Cray Strat?

This doesn't have much to do with your original question but it occurred to me that if someone is having a GAS attack, I don't see why going to Musician's Friend would be the cure. Wouldn't you want to go to a "real" guitar store for your medicine?

It's funny you should mention Robert Cray, because I just saw him on TV couple of days back, and here's a
link to the website for the program (Legends of Jazz) which has a clip of him playing on the show. He played a tele for his song and a strat in the duet ..

The Cray strat is a fixed bridge, no tremolo.

He plays a Bluesy Jazz style, but I'm sure most of that tone comes from his hands and technique.

Wow... fixing up a Samick... to a Robert Cray strat... not exactly in the same neighborhood...

The Cray strait is a fixed bridge, no tremolo.

He plays a Bluesy Jazz style, but I'm sure most of that tone comes from his hands and technique.

Wow... fixing up a Samick... to a Robert Cray strat... not exactly in the same neighborhood...

I have a Samick custom pro shop strat I picked up in 1997, Its really got a unique sound and I really love that guitar. :D I have been considering replacing the pups and bridge on it. its the sea foam green guitar 8)

After hearing some of his stuff, I'm going to go out on a limb and say its not the sound I'm looking for. I play a hard electric blues, overdrive included. I wan't to get a strat, I have a H-H guitar now but the sound isn'twhat I'm looking for, and the neck doesn't play that great for the blues compared to a few strats that I have played. Can anyone recommend a strat for me? Any brand will work, as long as its a strat.-

how bout the Jimmie Vaughan strat? it's got overwound tex mex pickups. same for the SRV sig too.

John Mayer has a sig strat with "big dipper" pups that have scooped mids or something.

maybe you just want a normal ole Fender Strat. can't go wrong with a classic, and the Standards run ya under $400 new

There are some that believe that Signature Series are not worth the very high prices, especially when compared with the deluxe strats, which are about half the price ($800 vs. $1600 or more).

I've been reading about American-Made Strats, which are supposed to be very good, especially after 1986, when the factory opened in the U.S.
A friend of mine has one that plays like a dream. He doesn't like it because the pickups are too hot for him. It's set up for metal and hard rock. I love the feel of it ... kind of slutty - you can do anything with her and she loves it! :D

I think that there's something to be said about the deluxe strat, which has better quality throughout.
Certain guitars, however, stand out - and you can only tell by playing them.
The setup has a lot to do with it, but there's much more to it than that.

i second the choice of a deluxe. they are incredible guitars throughout.

A friend of mine has an American DL HS Tele with S-1 switching, which is just one of the finest guitars I've played, bar none. The build quality is out of this world, far better than my own '78 Strat.

Assuming the Strats are equally good, they're actually really good value, considering you get not only the S-1 switching but Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickups as well, which allow you to use much higher gain before the noise issue kicks in. Nice finishes, choice of maple or rosewood fingerboard. Around $1200 at MF. Quite a lot of money, but one heck of a lot of guitar 8)

American Strats are fantastic, but if you want to save some money why not buy a Mexican Strat and fit a set of these pups in http://www.kinman.com/html/mediaCentre/sounds.htm .
I think the blues pups here have a lovely edgier sound, which you won't get from any off the shelf Strat. OK they might be a little expensive but are they going to cost you the same as a Robert Cray or Buddy guy Strat and unless you hear the thing before you buy it how are you going to know that, thats the guitar for you.
Remember that when you hear your favorite artist playing, he's probably got an array of pedals in front of him, almost certainly a compressor of some sort plus an equalizer and who knows what else. So its not just the guitar thats giving you that tone
I would steer clear of Seymour Duncan's as I think they are way to hot for blues. The Kinman pickups seem to be more refined.
I had a Japanese Strat with Texas specials but found these too bright and seemed to always play it on the neck pup with the tone way down to 2. Now with the American I have now I get a good tone on the neck and middle together with the tone pot about half way, say on 4 or 5, kind of like a Claptonesque sound. The Stratocaster is a very versatile tool !!!

Good luck in your quest for tone.

Rod :wink: