Blues guitar and the Fender Stratocaster...

[Chad Michael]

Was just watching tee vee Buddy Guy was giving a speech. He then played and sang with the band. It got me thinking about the significance of the Fender Strat in blues music. Some notable Strat players:

- Stevie Ray Vaughn
- Robert Cray
- Buddy Guy

etc. etc., am sure the list goes on. Then we have B.B. King playing 'Lucille' (Gibson ES-355). A couple other noteworthy players: Joe Bonamassa (huge collection of Fender and Gibson), locals Tim Langford (Too Slim and the Taildraggers) as well as Bobby Patterson, formerly with the Fat Tones. Tim and Bobby have played various guitars from what I can tell.

Is there something about the Strat sound, that is significant to blues music?

 

[buldog5151bass]

The Stratocaster is like what would happen if the P bass and Jazz bass had a baby. Dependable construction and guaranteed good tone of a P, multiple pickup/tone options of a J. Add in the fact that some of the biggest blues and rock guitar gods were identified with it. Also cheaper than a Less Paul.

 

[Michedelic]

The Stratocaster is like what would happen if the P bass and Jazz bass had a baby. Dependable construction and guaranteed good tone of a P, multiple pickup/tone options of a J. Add in the fact that some of the biggest blues and rock guitar gods were identified with it. Also cheaper than a Less Paul.

I think you have the cart before the horse; the original P bass(the so-called ‘51)was an outgrowth of the Telecaster guitar, but with the crucial change of an extended upper horn/double cutaway. That partially influenced the design of the Strat(1954), which in turn led to the redesign of the P into what we’ve known for decades. The Jazz Bass(1960)came in after the Jazzmaster guitar, incorporating the off-set variation. So, I guess you’re a less Paul, more Strat kind of person, huh.

 

[Michedelic]

The bright, stinging sound could cut through and be heard in a rowdy juke joint, plus it looked sharp and sleek like a car with tail fins...

I’d count Ike Turner in...

Howlin’ Wolf...

...and his right hand man, Hubert Sumlin...

Magic Sam...

 

[Spectrum]

Jimi Hendrix, of course, obviously.

I think the Strat's single coils, especially the neck pickup, give it a thin tone that is very easy to work with in blues. It wants to be clean rather than dirty, and even when you drive the signal hard in, say, a Fender tube combo, you still get something that sounds clear. Blues uses drive and some distortion, but very measured, not over the top like hard rock or metal, so the Strat does well there. Plus it's easy to play, has a wammy bridge, and they are cheap and abundant.

I saw an old guy busking on the street in DC once and he had an old Squier Strat in Sherwood Green, wailing away through a solid state amp on the corner. I should also mention that Strats just plain look cool. Awesome.

 

[Flamingo21]

The Stratocaster is like what would happen if the P bass and Jazz bass had a baby.

Where does the Tele fit in?

 

[crankypants]

I don't play guitar, but it's possible the scale length of the Strat, being slightly longer than the popular Gibsons of the day, made it easier to bend the notes. Gots to bend them strings. I dunno, just my $0.02.

 

[Michedelic]

Where does the Tele fit in?

It was ground zero for the Fender ‘spanish’ electric guitar, and as the platform for the original P bass(see post #3)

 

[Tom Bomb]

The strat: Versatile. Distinctive. Deft. Divine. Blues' muse

​

 

[buldog5151bass]

Where does the Tele fit in?

It's more the equivalent of the '51 P plank. Certainly fewer tone options than the Strat, and without body contouring (and was/is not nearly as popular as the Strat).

 

[buldog5151bass]

I think you have the cart before the horse; the original P bass(the so-called ‘51)was an outgrowth of the Telecaster guitar, but with the crucial change of an extended upper horn/double cutaway. That partially influenced the design of the Strat(1954), which in turn led to the redesign of the P into what we’ve known for decades. The Jazz Bass(1960)came in after the Jazzmaster guitar, incorporating the off-set variation. So, I guess you’re a less Paul, more Strat kind of person, huh.

I'm aware what preced d what. I was going by features, not a chronological breakdown.

The Les Paul was is a great guitar, but it was never as popular as the Strat, especially with blues players (subject of OP).

 

[fhm555]

I think back in the day it was a default situation. You went to the music store to buy a guitar and you couldn’t afford a Gibson so you bought the best, most versatile instrument you could afford. Much like the P bass is the standard on so many early recordings, when you are the only viable option you get popular pretty quick.
I used to work with an old blues slinger who would book jobs then round up a drummer, harp man and Fender (bass) man.

 

[two fingers]

Jimi Hendrix, of course, obviously.

I think the Strat's single coils, especially the neck pickup, give it a thin tone that is very easy to work with in blues. It wants to be clean rather than dirty, and even when you drive the signal hard in, say, a Fender tube combo, you still get something that sounds clear. Blues uses drive and some distortion, but very measured, not over the top like hard rock or metal, so the Strat does well there. Plus it's easy to play, has a wammy bridge, and they are cheap and abundant.

I saw an old guy busking on the street in DC once and he had an old Squier Strat in Sherwood Green, wailing away through a solid state amp on the corner. I should also mention that Strats just plain look cool. Awesome.

Perception is a funny thing. My nest friend is a Strat guy. He's also great at blues. When he throws his Strat all the way to the neck pickup, it sounds fat, round, and HUGE. I would never dream of describing it as "thin". It's like he's playing lead on the upper frets of a four octave fretboard bass.

 

[MonetBass]

And obviously Clapton:

 

[primusfan1989]

Is there something about the Strat sound, that is significant to blues music?

No, in a good players hands, a Strat will do anything you want it to do anything (Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Eldon Shamblin, Uli John Roth, Curtis Mayfield)

Blues has more to do with feel than any specific piece of gear IMO.

 

[JRA]

No ....Blues has more to do with feel than any specific piece of gear

good blues players can deliver good blues on any instrument...in spite of their 'apparent' preferences!

 

[el jeffe bass]

I think that it’s a personal preference thing. Pretty much any pickup/guitar can be used for blues. My favorite is a fairy cheep Gibson Les Paul with P-90’s.

 

[Slater]

And obviously Clapton:

Ironically (for this thread), Clapton played Les Pauls when he was with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.

 

[Slater]

I believe early Blues players weren’t too picky about electric guitars. They were just looking for something they could afford. Then, once they found something they liked, they stuck with it.

 

[Picton]

Strats do it all. And not in a rah-rah propagandistic way: they really, truly do.

From a blues context, independent of tone, they’re also relatively cheap, reliable, durable, and good-looking, all compared to their more expensive (Gibbo LP), less consistent (Gretsch), fragile (name an archtop) contemporaries.