From a Strat to a 575

[pusher]

I'm starting to get some mojo going playing jazz and want to switch to a 575, but I'm worried about the nut width difference.

 

I've switched strings on my custom strat. I'm up to .11's and thinking of putting .12's on. I like the string tension it's been providing.

 

So who can talk about their adjustment period when they switched? Wider string spacing is scare to me after 35 years of playing a strat, but the string tension is what I'm looking forward to.

 

Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated. This actually keeps me up at night.

 

push~

[FredZepp]

Hey pusher... welcome to the club.

 

I may be different than some, in that I like my guitars to feel different. Different widths , different scale, different pickups, etc....

 

So I welcome a guitar that has it's own personality.

 

I can't remember anyone here who claimed they picked up a 575 to play jazz and felt that they had to revert back to a strat.... it doesn't seem very likely.

 

And the 575 is a well loved and appreciated Heritage model.

 

Maybe find a Heritage dealer and go try one for a bit.....

[smurph1]

it sounds like you like your guitars to fight you a bit..Is that fair to say? I'm the same way, I set em a bit high, and bend the crap out of em..Plus a higher guage string gives you richer tone..IMHO..

[tulk1]

Push, I was a Gibs guy for years. Thought that was the only scale, width, blah blah that I could ever play. "Strats, ah, they're not for me". Then I started on Country music. At that time, not a lot of humbucker equip'd guitars in the genre`. So guess what? I started playing Strats (don't like Tele's, but it's nothing to do with scale, neck lenght, etc. it's personal). Thing is, it only took a few hours to be able to switch back and forth between the two scales, body types, etc. If you've been playing for 35 yrs, it's just another guitar! Not like you're just learning. You're "applying" what you know. Know that you can do it, then go do it. It's no big thang.

[mark555]

Hi Push, welcome to the cult, don't forget to post the manditory pictures...

 

My Strat has 10's on it, my 555 has 12's, different guitars for different jobs, no worries, you will love the 575 with 12's, it's a very natural gauge for that guitar - enjoy! Meanwhile we will look forward to reading your posts.

[peacemaker]

I was a strat guy before I got my 575. And I played .11s on the strat too. Here's what I've found when I got my 575: I play better on the 575 in every measurable way than I do on any other guitar. I'm faster, more comfortable, make better note choices in my solos . . . in every way, I have grown in my playing by bigger jumps than I have in 10 years. I have .12s on the 575 and still have .11s on the strat, but to be honest, I have only played the strat once since the 575 came in and that was at a rehearsal. The strat just doesn't inspire me like it used to. It will still have its place in my stable, and I'm sure that I'll go to it when I need its voice. But right now, even on things that are very "stratty", I end up playing the 575.

 

Now, to address your question of different strings on the two guitars, I hear what some have said about guitars needing to feel different and I get that. But, I always kept .11s on all my acoustics AND electrics before, just so they would feel more alike. After all the hours on my 575 and the .12s on it, when I go to the strat and its .11s, it is a different feel for sure. And I want to keep a guitar with strings on it I can actually bend . . . although, I'm building enough strength in my fretting hand that bending .12s is becoming less of a big deal. Still, on the strat I always found .11s to have enough beef to give me the tone I wanted while still being light enough to bend. I'll probably keep .11s on it.

 

As to all the nuances of scale length and nut width and how that affects your playing, all I know is that on the 575 I am just flat-out a better player. Not that I have "arrived" or anything or think I'm a guitar monster. Just, my experience is that my hands don't do the things they can on the 575 with any other guitar. Maybe that's a weakness--that I'm too dependent on the guitar and not dependent enough on my skill. But that's another question for another forum . . . I HAVE always wondered why the "standard" nut width on most guitars is so dang short. When I was studying, the huge classical nut width always felt more comfortable and allowed me to play cleaner, but maybe that's just me. Is the 575 wider than a strat? If it is, maybe that's one of the reasons I find myself playing so much better on it . . . I mentioned how much better I can play on the 575 to a guitar tech at the local music store, and he said it was because of the shorter scale length. Whatevah . . . I just love playing my 575 . . . I think I'll go do that now.

[drfie]

I have several guitars with widely differing neck widths, contours, etc. It's not hard to adjust, especially if I play them regularly. Whatever you do, don't get rid of the Strat, unless of course you really need to sell it to get your 575, but otherwise keep it. I love strats. Teles too.

 

dan

[Steiner]

575? Ahhhhh...

[Kuz]

I have several guitars with widely differing neck widths, contours, etc. It's not hard to adjust, especially if I play them regularly. Whatever you do, don't get rid of the Strat, unless of course you really need to sell it to get your 575, but otherwise keep it. I love strats. Teles too.

 

dan

 

+1