I got my first Stratocaster almost 20 years ago, and it has been my favorite guitar ever since. Here are 5 reasons why I love the Stratocaster:
1) The second time’s a charm – Many people claim Leo got it right the first time with the Telecaster, but I think the Strat is his most significant achievement. He tweaked his Telecaster design after receiving feedback from players and the result was the Stratocaster, a guitar that added to, rather than took away, from the Telecaster.
2) Versatility – Three pickups and a five-way switch lead to almost infinite tonal options. The Strat can give you a sparkling clean sound, a raunchy funk sound, a bluesy sound, a rock and roll sound, and much more. If you want a metal sound, slap a humbucker in the bridge and you’re ready to go. It can do just about anything.
3) Comfort – With both front and back contours, the Stratocaster is an extremely comfortable guitar to play. The guitar seems to sit perfectly when sitting down, and the contours make it very comfortable to play standing up, too.
4) Innovation – If you compare guitars before the Stratocaster and guitars after the Stratocaster, it’s clear that Leo’s design was not only innovative but highly influential. The design of the electric guitar was forever changed when Leo introduced his Stratocaster design to the world.
5) Inspiration – The comfort and playability of the Stratocaster inspires me to play more, and that’s the most important thing about any guitar, in my opinion. If a guitar inspires you to play, then it’s a good guitar.
The Stratocaster isn’t the perfect guitar for everyone, but it’s the guitar that seems to fit me the best. I own and play other types of guitars as well (I’m especially enjoying my ES-339 right now), but the Strat will always be a mainstay in my collection.