gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 08 2006 01:56 PM
I just got a Fender Stratacoustic -- which I acquired strictly for screwing around, not for playing gigs -- and am wondering about the strings.
It came with a set of Fender 60L Phosphor Bronze, Gauges .012 to .052, which seem too bulky/heavy for me. (I'm getting muted notes in my "F" and "D" first-position chords.) I've never owned an acoustic before, so I wonder if the heavy strings are "necessary" for producing audible tones without amplification, and if switching to thinner ones will be a mistake.
Anybody here got one of these guitars? 
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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Richard
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 1683
Georgia
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Posted on May 09 2006 09:24 AM
Hey Greg, I don't have a Stratocoustic but I do use the Fender phospher bronze strings on my Vantage acoustic - 11's. I think you should be able to just go buy some lighter strings and loosen the truss rod a bit.
— The Mystery Men?
El Capitan and The Reluctant Sadists
SSS Agent #31
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gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 09 2006 01:33 PM
Thanks, Richard! 
I also saw a couple of online "product reviews" of the Fender Stratacoustic where players recommended switching to .11's, so that's definitely what I'm gonna try.
Thanks again.
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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WoodyJ
Joined: Apr 05, 2006
Posts: 1544
Bethlehem, GA
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Posted on May 10 2006 08:19 AM
Greetings, Gregorious!
I have a Teleacoustic, which is almost the same thing as your S/A. Mine has DR Phosphopr Bronze RPM-11's now, which are a lot more user friendly, and I haven't noticed any degradation in tone or volume. These are great little guitars for working out new material or just goofing around on.
Our friend Eddie Katcher did a nice setup job, as the stock action was way high on mine. I generally like 'em a bit on the high side, but it felt like an old Teisco when I got it. Eddie generally shims the neck a bit in addition to cranking the truss rod a quarter to a half turn. I'm sure he'd be happy to dial yours in.
Best Reverbs!
— Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)
The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)
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gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 10 2006 10:33 AM
Thanks for the confirmation, Woody! 
I actually wanted to get the Teleacoustic model myself, but I couldn't find one hanging on the walls at any of the local shops. I've heard that it has a slightly better acoustic sound than the Stratacoustic.
Also, in an interview years ago Dick Dale explained to me that the Tele was originally designed to be played while sitting down (which is why its body doesn't have the nice friendly contours of the Strat, a guitar designed to be played while standing up), and I specifically wanted something to play while couch-bound, so the Tele was what I was hankering for.
I have no regrets about getting the Stratacoustic, though. It feels great, aside from the minor issue with the strings that inspired this Topic. And I should note that I shelled out the extra coin for the FENDER version instead of the considerably cheaper SQUIRE model.
The action is indeed a bit high, so I'll either get Eddie K. or Bryan Lilje to tweak it for me.
Hey, on your Teleacosutic, where is the input jack located? I thought my Stratacoustic didn't have one (some sort of manufacturing error, perhaps?) at first. Then I nearly flipped out when I discovered that the input plugs in through the STRAP BUTTON, of all places. Sheeesh....
(The Squire model of this guitar has its input jack in the conventional spot.)
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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dp
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
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Posted on May 10 2006 10:48 AM
gregorynicoll
...in an interview years ago Dick Dale explained to me that the Tele was originally designed to be played while sitting down (which is why its body doesn't have the nice friendly contours of the Strat, a guitar designed to be played while standing up)...
Dick Dale invented the Telecaster, too? wow, way cool!
I always thought the reasoning behind the non-contoured Telecaster slab-like body was basically a function of manufacturing simplicity on Leo Fender's part...but, the "sitting-down" guitar posture vs. "standing up" guitar posture also sounds plausible...back in the days before the Telecaster, most guitarists were most likely "sit-down" players (big band, country, jazz, blues etc.)....after rock and roll was invented, and Elvis and Chuck Berry and Dick Dale and all those other cool cats hit the scene...well...the "stand-up" posture became much more prevalent in popular music...
I do know that my '51 style Telecaster works beautifully in the sitting posture...and, interestingly enough...so does my '51 style P-Bass (aka Tele Bass)...
hmmm...maybe Dick Dale is right...maybe they WERE designed as sit-down guitars!?!?!
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dp
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
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Posted on May 10 2006 10:51 AM
back to strings...have you tried flatwounds on that Stratacoustic?...might sound sweet...
another idea...have you ever tried ball-end nylon strings on one of those things? do they have magnetic or piezeo pickups on 'em? would the tension on those nylon strings be way too low?
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gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 10 2006 11:03 AM
Well, to clarify a bit, Dick Dale was telling me about his involvement in the development of the Strat, and in doing so he explained how it was DIFFERENT from the Tele.
He credited a Hawaiian lap steel player (whose name escapes me) as Leo Fender's primary consultant on the design of the Tele.
I've never tried any other strings on the Stratacoustic because I've not yet had the chance. I've only owned it less than a week now. I'll certainly be happy to post the results of all future experiments, though. 
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on May 10 2006 11:11 AM
gregorynicoll
Well, to clarify a bit, Dick Dale was telling me about his involvement in the development of the Strat, and in doing so he explained how it was DIFFERENT from the Tele.
What exactly did Dick claim was his role in the development of the Strat, a guitar first released in '54, while DD didn't even move to California from Massachusetts until something like '57 or even later? The rosewood fretboard? The left-handed model? Do you remember? Pray tell, I'm dying to know!
Ivan
— Ivan
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unlunf
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 106
The Vatican
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Posted on May 10 2006 11:37 AM
Well, to clarify a bit, Dick Dale was telling me about his involvement in the development of the Strat, and in doing so he explained how it was DIFFERENT from the Tele.
He credited a Hawaiian lap steel player (whose name escapes me) as Leo Fender's primary consultant on the design of the Tele.
......
That would almost be Freddy Tavares, Leo's right-hand man for designing the Strat. Freddy didn't come on board at Fender until early '53. You'll recall that the Tele, and it's predecessor the Broadcaster, were designed and built in '49 and '50. No historical research of which I am aware points out any other "names" as helping Leo with the Telecaster.
It seems funny that anyone would think that the Telecaster is usable, let alone friendly, in the sitting position. Both the Tele and the Strat tend to slide to the right when sitting, it has to do with the placement of the waist being located too far to the left. When the guitar shifted thusly, it was no longer "in the proper sitting position", according to instruction books of that day and age. In point of fact, it is this very reason that the Jazzmaster, Jaguar and Jazz Bass were developed with offset bodies - the lower waist was located several inches to the right, so that the player, when sitting, found the instrument centered on his body as he wished - there was no tendency for the instrument to "migrate" to an unwanted position. Proof of that concept is easily obtained - when you sit, does your torso center itself over your right leg? Thought not. Took Leo awhile to figure it out, too. 
unlunf
— MY RIGHT HAND IS FASTER THAN YOURS!
(copyright 2003, Bruce Welch)
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WoodyJ
Joined: Apr 05, 2006
Posts: 1544
Bethlehem, GA
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Posted on May 10 2006 01:27 PM
Gregorious,
Yep, the input jack on my Teleacoustic is also in the rear strap button.
— Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)
The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)
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gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 10 2006 03:26 PM
WoodyJ
Gregorious,
Yep, the input jack on my Teleacoustic is also in the rear strap button.
Hah! 
Yeah, apparently they changed that on the new Squire models because it was baffling folks. I admit being flummoxed at not being able to find the input at first, and thinking they'd "skipped" mine at the factory or something.
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 10 2006 03:39 PM
IvanP
gregorynicoll
Well, to clarify a bit, Dick Dale was telling me about his involvement in the development of the Strat, and in doing so he explained how it was DIFFERENT from the Tele.
What exactly did Dick claim was his role in the development of the Strat, a guitar first released in '54, while DD didn't even move to California from Massachusetts until something like '57 or even later? The rosewood fretboard? The left-handed model? Do you remember? Pray tell, I'm dying to know!
Ivan
I sure wish I remembered better. The raw transcript of my Dick Dale interview exists only on the hard drive of an old dead GRiD laptop, which I've turned over to a guy at the office in the hopes that he can revive it with parts from another "parts" GRiD (that I bought for $20). I had a backup copy of the interview on a floppy, but it only delivers a disk error message when I load it in a newer machine.
I had to take a lot of what Dick told me with a grain of salt, especially after I finally got a look at the cover art for the then-forthcoming album CALLING UP SPIRITS, which Dick kept raving about during the interview. He said the art was being done by a professional Disney painter and implied it would be the greatest cover art of all time. I nearly blew chunks when at last I got to see it. <shudder> 
Anyway, his observation about the Tele being a sit-down guitar and the Strat being a stand-up guitar seemed logical, irrespective who did or didn't assist Leo in designing them.
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 10 2006 03:42 PM
Proof of that concept is easily obtained - when you sit, does your torso center itself over your right leg?
unlunf
Well, the great thing is that, even given my advanced years, my right leg can still be moved to the left and the right, as needed, to adjust the position of whatever's being balanced on it.
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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gregorynicoll
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 89
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Posted on May 20 2006 01:07 PM
Just to follow up on the original topic thread about the Stratacoustic....
I got mine back from master luthier Bryan Lilje last night. He adjusted the truss rod and intonation, lowered the nut slots, tightened the tuning keys, vacuumed the interior, cleaned and oiled the fretboard, lowered the string action at the saddle, and installed a new set of 11-through-52 strings on it.
The difference: Night and Day.
It feels perfect now and sounds terrific. I'm getting a lot less flat notes in my first-position chords (the ones that are still flat are due to my own clumsiness and not because of oversized strings or too-high action) and I'm more stoked about playing than ever before.
This is the way the guitar should have been straight "out of the box." I'm very, very pleased.
I took it over to Jeff Guiness (guitarist for Dragline, Dry County Drunks, Kickstand, etc.) last night and he gave it a searing workout, after which he honored it with his hearty seal of approval.
— GREGORY NICOLL, Southern Surf Syndicate Agent # 44
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unlunf
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 106
The Vatican
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Posted on May 21 2006 07:05 PM
Greg,> > Proof of that concept is easily obtained - when you sit, does your torso center itself over your right leg?
unlunf
Well, the great thing is that, even given my advanced years, my right leg can still be moved to the left and the right, as needed, to adjust the position of whatever's being balanced on it.
Hmmmm, I take it you've never twisted your torso, not in your entire life? No, you aren't moving your right leg towards center, you are twisting your upper body. I don't know anyone who can keep their body like that for very long...... say, long enough to complete a whole tune, without squirming in an attempt to relieve the tension. The body naturally wants to flow back towards it's aligned position, which is the trunk is evenly divided between the two extremities of the pelvis, your legs.
Even crossing your right leg over your left will not remain comfortable for very long, this is usually done only when one leans back for a period of time, which is again, inimical to playing any guitar, not just a standard electric model.
I have seen many a player leave the guitar on their right leg, and extend their left arm/hand to do the fretting while letting their right arm drop naturally onto the guitar. To me, this looks painful, but obviously, they don't think so, they can do it for 45 to 60 minutes at a time. That's a testament to the power of the mind overcoming the urges of the body. Wish I could do that. 
unlunf
— MY RIGHT HAND IS FASTER THAN YOURS!
(copyright 2003, Bruce Welch)
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