It's been a grueling winter with lots of gigs and rehearsals and learning new songs. Had to play on a Thursday night and between the numerous nights on my feet playing lately and the after-effects of a particularly large and feisty fish (fishing has just been SPECTACULAR this spring) on my shoulder I was feeling my age. No way was I looking forward to hanging a Les Paul off it for 3 hours. Hurt just thinking about it.
I decided that I would bring my old reliable Strat that's been sitting in it's case gathering dust for a few years.
Fun! I'd forgotten how sexy and comfortable a Strat feels. It was also fun playing the same setlists with a different guitar.
No, a Stratocaster will never be as "cock and balls" as a Les Paul. It's never going to have that bone-shaking fullness or creamy sustain. It's longer scale makes you work like a bastard sometimes.
That said, it cuts a mix like a cleaver, the long scale makes going upstairs easier. Hammer-ons and tapping work better than on a Lester. Dial in the right compression and add some delay and the sustain will be there. It's light and it's comfortable. You don't need to worry about breaking it. It's a workhorse, not a thoroughbred. Plus, I didn't need to switch to the Tele for the Pretenders/Motels stuff.
I'm going to start mixing it up between the Les Paul and Stratocaster some nights. Easier on the shoulder and it's fun to adjust your playing to the guitar.
Chuck
