Am I the only one....

[airjamie]

... Who just cant seem to play a strat without hitting the volume knob every five seconds??? This is really embarassing in guitar stores and has caused me to rule out most strat-style axes completely. Ive been thinking of getting my right-hand pinky removed......


Im going to throw in this smilie because its just strange and funny to me...

 

[mcdes]

ha, ive been playing a strat for the past 8 months, absolutley love it!

when i first started, i kept hitting the pickup selector switch down! really annoyed the heck out of me! but i got used to it and before you know it, my playing adapted to miss it.

 

[KillerV]

Same thing happens to me, although it's different in my case. My first electric was a strat copy and I had no problem with it. Never hit the volume-knob or switch. Then I got my LP and V and only played them for a couple of years. Now my sister has a strat and everytime I play it I hit the volume-knob and the switch.

 

[Randaddy]

Airjamie,

Ha... no it's not just you. Same thing happens to me.
That's why I went with a Tele for a while. But I hear you eventually adapt to the idiosyncrasies of each guitar, and the great sounds of a Strat are worth the learning curve.

 

[KennethC]

Hmm, interesting. It's the opposite for me. Whenever I play a LP, I flick the pickup selector switch unintentionally. No fun!!

 

[PLAYLOUD]

... Who just cant seem to play a strat without hitting the volume knob every five seconds??? This is really embarassing in guitar stores and has caused me to rule out most strat-style axes completely. Ive been thinking of getting my right-hand pinky removed......


Im going to throw in this smilie because its just strange and funny to me...

I fixed this by removing one tone knob so I could move the volume knob down one. Much better.....

 

[airjamie]

I fixed this by removing one tone knob so I could move the volume knob down one. Much better.....

Looks like gene baker had the same idea!

 

[BBQLS1]

Yep, strats stink!

 

[HeeHaw]

you folks must play guitar like your swinging a tennis racket or something.

 

[BBQLS1]

you folks must play guitar like your swinging a tennis racket or something.

I loled.

 

[John Phillips]

I must play like that (or maybe a cricket bat ) too... not only do I always hit the volume control on Strats, I hit the switch too - which usually involves knocking it from my favorite setting (middle) into my least favorite (middle+bridge). I guess Strats are just not for me. Or Teles, I'm always hitting the switch too. I think my target area must be pretty big because I even always used to catch the ones on my Jaguar, which are at the front end of the guard .

I hit the switch on Les Pauls too! But at least not quite so often, and it can be useful to be able to do it on purpose so you can change sounds right between beats.

The only switch position I don't have trouble with is the PRS/Hamer one behind the bridge - which initially looks wrong, but is actually the only one where I can hit it on purpose easily and never by accident. Both these have the volume controls sensibly far away from the strings too.

 

[Paul Conway]

I've had a long lay off from strats, mostly playing a tele and a Reverend slingshot over the last four years, but I've recently gone back to a strat and to be honest, I don't know how I coped with the ergonomics of 'block body' guitars. Helps that I've played strats for most of my playing life, but the body contours just work - the instrument almost become part of you.

More and more these days I think Leo Fender was in a state of grace of something back when he came up with these guitars.

 

[Rhomco]

Seriously, a lot of strat players have this problem. I make a die cut silicone washer that slips under the volume knob. It does not show after installation but it gives you an adjustable amount of drag on the knob that stops the unwanted movement. I used to sell them on ebay but now it is just "word of mouth".

 

[buddastrat]

I love where it's at for quick adjustments and violin swells. gives you total control, like driving your car and your foot is on the skinny pedal. When I was a little kid my first good electric was an LP and when I went to a strat I remember the knob was right there where my hand wanted to be. I didn't look at it as the knob is in the way, but more as it was my fault and I had to fix my technique. I had to adapt and now I hate that an LP's knobs are so far down. Strats are the most perfect design.

 

[mad dog]

30+ years with my strat, I still manage to turn the volume off at times. The worst was at a recent gig. Suddenly, I'm no longer there. It's been awhile since I turned myself down by accident, so check all the cables, amp before remembering. Felt like an idiot!

 

[airjamie]

you folks must play guitar like your swinging a tennis racket or something.

I seem to remember another player like that...he wrote some play about a blind guy who played space invaders or something.....

 

[jerseydrew]

... Who just cant seem to play a strat without hitting the volume knob every five seconds???

I have the exact same problem. I use Tele's now, problem solved.

 

[AlexF]

yep I'm with a lot of the guys here, never ever been able to get on with a strat, I constantly turn down the volume inadvertantly, always find myself on the bridge pup when i dont want to, when I dig in hard i get boingy warbly sounds coz the damn trem bridge starts a life of its own. give me a tele or a paul any day!
Al