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Hatsubai « Thick sound with the humbucker »
Published on 08/16/11 at 18:22The fat strat is the standard strat that people tend to go to when they want something with lots of versatility. The humbucker in the bridge is what makes this guitar a fat strat, and I find they are a bit better than normal strats. This guitar has an alder body with a maple neck, a rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, two point tremolo, HSS configuration, one volume, two tones and a five way switch.
UTILIZATION
The guitar was put together fairly nicely. There were no issues with the frets, although they could have gotten a bit more attention as they were slightly oxidized. The guitar wasn't played for awhile, hence why that occurred. The neck joint had a slight gap in it, but I've seen much worse before. The nut was nicely cut, and it had no issues with the 9s that were on this. I'm not a huge fan of the radius, but that's the shredder in me jumping out.
SOUNDS
This guitar had some different pickups in it from stock. In the bridge was a Duncan JB, and the neck and two SSL5s. The Duncan JB in the bridge is great for nearly any genre you can think of. I've used it on everything from blues to fusion to brutal metal without any issues what so ever. It's scary how versatile it is, although it can sometimes be a bit bright. The SSL5s in the neck and middle are super powerful, but they match up with the JB quite nicely. If you're looking for that crazy fat SRV tone, these are your pickups.
OVERALL OPINION
This is another one of the HSS models, and it delivers in spades. I like using the HSS strats in the studios as it means I don't have to bring as many guitars with me. The aftermarket pickups in this really brought it to life, and if you have the spare cash, I would recommend replacing them like they were in this guitar.
UTILIZATION
The guitar was put together fairly nicely. There were no issues with the frets, although they could have gotten a bit more attention as they were slightly oxidized. The guitar wasn't played for awhile, hence why that occurred. The neck joint had a slight gap in it, but I've seen much worse before. The nut was nicely cut, and it had no issues with the 9s that were on this. I'm not a huge fan of the radius, but that's the shredder in me jumping out.
SOUNDS
This guitar had some different pickups in it from stock. In the bridge was a Duncan JB, and the neck and two SSL5s. The Duncan JB in the bridge is great for nearly any genre you can think of. I've used it on everything from blues to fusion to brutal metal without any issues what so ever. It's scary how versatile it is, although it can sometimes be a bit bright. The SSL5s in the neck and middle are super powerful, but they match up with the JB quite nicely. If you're looking for that crazy fat SRV tone, these are your pickups.
OVERALL OPINION
This is another one of the HSS models, and it delivers in spades. I like using the HSS strats in the studios as it means I don't have to bring as many guitars with me. The aftermarket pickups in this really brought it to life, and if you have the spare cash, I would recommend replacing them like they were in this guitar.