Can Strats do metal?

[DrewJD82]

While having some cocktails Friday night I wanted to see if I could get through Mastodon’s “Blood And Thunder” on the Strat. I used a BE-100 model with no boost (real cabs) the same clean sound in the beginning is the same scene/preset, I just had the volume down halfway. I f*ck up a whole bunch, I’m half in the bag and it’s just a silly video. In the video the TV sounds fairly loud, but I could barely hear it over the amp in the room. Also using the Virtual Capo to go down a step.



It‘s definitely interesting seeing how there are some comforts I definitely rely on to do certain things, that harmony section is a bitch without the sustain from humbuckers, those hammer-on/pull-offs just don’t pop out the same way.

 

[JiveTurkey]

YESSSSSSSSS


Teles are killer for metal too

 

[TSJMajesty]

without the sustain from humbuckers, those hammer-on/pull-offs just don’t pop out the same way.

So gear does make you a better player...?

One of the riffs I've been practicing is the hammer-on/pull-off section in Muse's The Handler. With some gain, it sounds pretty good. But I also practice it with a cleaner tone, and damn, it really helps point out that I need to build up more strength in my pinky, and get the pull-offs to have the same dynamics as the hammer-ons. It also shows that my timing isn't exactly consistent through the whole thing.

I think it's good to play shit without the help of the gear.

 

[la szum]

Gina and John from Baroness only use single-coil equipped Strats, Teles, and Jazmmasters. Said they
like the articulation (ergo, brightness and bite) you can get with that lineup of Fenders into Fender amps.

My ears kind of hurt thinking about it, ( :lol ) but they do sound great. I wonder what it is like in the room live,
though.

Always great to hear you play, Drew.

(Edit: Sometimes I think some of us gravitate towards brightness later in life due to the high frequency
hearing loss we have probably suffered from. Only way to make up for it? Turn up the treble and/or use
a brighter rig/guitar.)

 

[Fireproof]

YESSSSSSSSS


Teles are killer for metal too

John 5 has entered the chat.

 

[DrewJD82]

So gear does make you a better player...?

One of the riffs I've been practicing is the hammer-on/pull-off section in Muse's The Handler. With some gain, it sounds pretty good. But I also practice it with a cleaner tone, and damn, it really helps point out that I need to build up more strength in my pinky, and get the pull-offs to have the same dynamics as the hammer-ons. It also shows that my timing isn't exactly consistent through the whole thing.

I think it's good to play s**t without the help of the gear.

That’s the hardest part for me, getting pull-offs to have the same dynamics, especially on a baseball neck with low output single coils. Legato stuff has been a big part of my playing since before alternate picking was because I could just slap a ton of distortion on and pretend I was a tone-deaf Satch, but it’s a whole different thing with minimal distortion.

I jumped off the Muse train a while back but keep popping in occasionally to see if they’re just doing the proggy-Coldplay thing or if they’re a rock band again yet.

 

[DrewJD82]

Gina and John from Baroness only use single-coil equipped Strats, Teles, and Jazmmasters. Said they
like the articulation (ergo, brightness and bite) you can get with that lineup of Fenders into Fender amps.

My ears kind of hurt thinking about it, ( :lol ) but they do sound great. I wonder what it is like in the room live,
though.

Always great to hear you play, Drew.

(Edit: Sometimes I think some of us gravitate towards brightness later in life due to the high frequency
hearing loss we have probably suffered from. Only way to make up for it? Turn up the treble and/or use
a brighter rig/guitar.)

I definitely KNOW some people end up going for brighter tones later in life and I’m curious to see if that’ll change much as volumes are coming down. It’s all been guys who have been playing for years. Aside from the hearing damage, I have to think some of it is just figuring out how to sit in a mix better.

I definitely get what Baroness is saying and it’s probably not comfortable having your ears within a couple feet of their amps live, it’s not just the brightness and bite but man, you can get some crazy low end going on with tones like that through a cranked amp. Just this fullness with chords where you’re really hearing a wide frequency range and clarity you just can’t get with a compressed, distorted tone.

Thanks, brudda!

 

[Whizzinby]

Nice dude. Strat or no strat when that chorus riff kicks in for Blood and Thunder its nasty af

 

[FAKA!]

Awesome!

 

[Fireproof]

I would say…

YES!!

 

[metropolis_4]

I’ve played Dream Theater and Metallica covers live with both Strats and Telecasters.

I actually love Strats more than anything else for the classic 80s metal and hard rock stuff.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

I learned how to play everything on a Strat because that's all I had as a kid.

 

[Piing]

Ask Ola. Always ask Ola