You have to remember Clapton also has his strat custom wired, that said he does use the middle pup quite a lot. I use my middle pup a lot because I like the tone.
Middle pickup is so underated. However, Clapton and even John Mayer use it all the time. It's really good with overdrives especially when you stack overdrives. Very balanced between neck tones and bridge tones.
Highly recommend any strat owner getting a "Gilmour" switch installed that activates the neck pickup on demand. All three activated as well as the bridge and neck together are the tones you hear all the time on records yet never can quite get. Essentially, it is a 7 position switch. Trust me. Do it.
@@youropionmattersnot I have one and while I play with the bridge + neck a lot, I really haven’t played all 3 pickups and I really think I should. Can you think of any examples of songs that use all 3? Or any sort of reference songs that have a similar sound?
One of my fave comments i read years ago (Lowell George?) was I can make a Strat sound like a Les Paul but i can't make a Les Paul sound like a Strat. Leo and crew got it right the first time.
@@glenkepic3208 omg yes! strats and similar guitars rule! Love the HSS config with a stacked tone pot to get the quack in the 2nd position. or coil tap/splitter? not an expert in the area of electronics but Strats are so freaking versatile.
Jerry Garcia is well known for using the strat middle pickup, listen to anything from the Europe 72 tour, his modded strat middle pickup is all over those albums
His best tones were Alligator on the middle pickup. I play a hard tail strat with a flat pole 50's pickup in the middle position and it gets that sound. Also after years of hating strat bridge pickups I found a simple solution, hook up the bridge pickup to one of the tone pots. In a stock strat they're wide open, one wire swap and the ice pick is gone. Like Rhett says most strat player never use the middle, which also means they aren't using the middle's tone control either!
I was messing with my strat recently and realized the middle position (which I’d barely ever used), sounds great with big open chords and arpeggios. It’s like the Strat’s take on an acoustic guitar and I’m here for it.
Doug Martsch of Built to Spill is one of the first players that comes to mind when mentioning middle pickup on a Strat, “Carry The Zero” is the perfect example.
He's the first person that comes to my mind as well. Doug has said in interviews that his strat's are wired so only the middle pickup is functional. this in combination with his fender bassman is literally orgasmic 🤣 "Living Zoo" is prob. my favorite example of his "sound"
Finally, someone realizes what I've been enjoying for the past few years. The sound is clear and crisp and can be punchy with volume up when wanted. Thank you Rhett for mentioning this very usable and complimenting option.
If anyone wants to get the brittle and the shrill out of the bridge pickup sound, experiment with the tone knob. Some more modern strats have the 2nd tone knob control the bridge pickup as well. Mine does. If I roll it off to about 5-7, I dial out some of the harsh shrill, dial in a bit of warmth, but still keep the bright and crunchy. Sounds nice.
I totally agree. It took me way too long to figure it out but rolling off the tone knob has made all the difference in getting rid of the bridge harshness. But, like you say, you still keep the brightness. Amen to using the tone knob!
if you want to solve the problem for good without messing with the knobs every time you want to play a solo. get a stra bro 90 for the bridge .it's a single coil sized p 90 made by seymour duncan for the strat with tons of low mids. nothing sharp, harsh or thin. a single coil at the bridge was always a bad idea, only jeff beck got away with it and john suhr commented that he used "dark sounding pickups". single coils are not good for drive there are other options out there.
I rarely use the bridge pickup on my Strat. But when I do I want to have that bite. I almost never use my tone knobs anyway. If I need a darker sound I use different pickup, picking position, mute the strings... Or use a different guitar.
Robin Trower has stated in many interviews how he uses the middle pickup quite a bit. Hendrix used it a lot also, listen to Band of Gypsys live. It’s no secret it’s a great tone.
Been playing over 50 years and just got my first one, a G&L Tribute. Love it, so much fun! Fun having with all the possibilities. I found working on pickup height very important. Your right about neck tending to be muddy. Have to agree on the middle. Love the way a strat fits my body. Good episode!
Playing 42 years and bought a used 2011 G&L Tribute a couple years ago. Natural swamp ash body with a hot rail at the bridge and Fender noiseless pickup at the neck along with Fender locking tuners the previous owner installed. I've owned MIA and MIM Strats but never loved them like this import with the mods for a fraction of the price.
Another great video Rhett! I love using the 2 and 4 positions where the middle blends with the bridge or neck more than the middle by itself. All depends on amp/cab and overall tone you're going for!
I do a similar thing, but my tone knob controls my bridge pickup, so the bright middle pickup & the dull bridge pickup cancel eachother out & do a really cool thing
Couple of my strats do not have the tone control connected to the bridge - rewired and took it away from the middle position put it to the bridge and definitely made a huge difference for a lead tone... Very smooth, round and great sustain when complimented with a great overdrive
I had Lindy Fralin build my pick up set for my custom Strat, and he used a vintage Strat pick up in the neck, a pure PAF humbucker for the bridge, and a Texas Special pickup for the middle. So I use my middle pick up a lot. It sounds fantastic.
Thank sounds like exactly what I want. The Fralin Texas special pickup sounds like a Tele bridge pickup to me. So putting that in the middle of a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge would give me my three favorite pickup sounds in one guitar. Epic
Me Too !!! I love the strat middle position. You said very well it still retains some nice attack and it has a good balance of bridge brightness and neck warmth. No other guitar sounds alike. Thank you Rhett 👍
I love the middle position, especially for clean settings and I play it even more than 2 or 4 at times. Agree with your criticism of bridge tones sounding too brittle and harsh for some purposes. l modded my Strat to have a global tone knob instead of separate ones for the bridge and neck -- that way I can get some mellow tones out of the middle position too by rolling back the tone, the simplified circuit leads to a clearer tone and overall it just makes more sense to me.
I was in fact sleeping on this position until this video, and for the past few months I've been using it a TON. Directly changed my playing for the better, thank you Rhett!
The same goes for the mid position on guitars whether it's with P90s or humbuckers on Gibson Les Paul's, ES 335's SG's and others. I found that much of the guitar parts on the records from the 60's and 70's used the mid position. They really have a different kind of expression as far as tones go.
I'm currently rebuilding and upgrading my first Squier Strat that hasn't been playable in 20 years. Can't wait to hear those Lace Sensors. Thanks for the tips, hoping to finally do the Strat thing!
I’m a long time Strat player and I never understood why people didn’t like the middle. I’ve been playing that pickup for years and it always gives me what I need. Enjoyed the video as always!
@@yaniv-nos-tubes i would have to agree. After building my design I didn’t realize how much I would love it. I constantly come back to it. It just has everything I want and need, and with it being a single pickup guitar it is truly the place where simplicity meets versatility!
I've been discovering my strat middle pickup those days too and it is indeed amazing ! With some slapback delay and spring reverb you get awesome surf sounds! Great video as alwas Rhett, thank you !!
Always loved the middle pickup on my Strat, was almost shamed out of using it by Scott Grove saying it was stupid and no one serious was using it. Crazy. It’s a great balance between the too-dark neck and the too-brittle bridge.
I don't think Scott Grove is the best source for advice, he's kinda hardwired that his way is THE way . He has a lot of knowledge but he filters his knowledge through his opinions.
@@garycoates4987 I like those quacky tones in the hands of the greats, but in my hands they just don’t sound right. I like two single coil pickups better in series, which a standard Strat won’t do.
I have all my Strats (5 of them) wired to a configuration that gives me two more than standard settings; bridge and neck as well as all three plus master tone. The Neck/Bridge setting is close to but slightly different than Middle. All three is just something else entirely. This is what I like about the Stratocaster; it's utter versatility.
I love the middle pickup on a strat for strumming open chords. It always sounds so full and full of life. Every time i pick up a strat, I switch it to the middle and play an open G chord. Great way to test out the instrument.
Love your channel, love your guitar "gun for hire" work with others... but lord almighty, I do love it when you just groove out on a jam like this intro. Killin' it, bruh... absolutely killing it.
My strat has a bunch of mods, but the one relevant here is removing the tone pot from the middle pickup and putting it on the bridge. I usually use neck and bridge, or position 2 and 4 in series (which is the main thing that my strat does that's special) for leads, and then go to that middle pickup and roll my volume back to get a rhythm sound. It has some thump, it has some sparkle, and with the volume knob rolled off a bit it thickens nicely and just works for a rhythm sound. I feel like on a lot of older budget strats, such as my first guitar, the middle pickup lacked that magic due to the poor quality of the pickups. I have some seymour duncans in my current strat and I have to agree with Rhett that it's one of the best strat sounds out there
In my early years playing guitar and learning on a Strat I felt like positions 2 and 4 were so cool because it was instantly in the ball park of Stevie and Jimi and John but the better I got the more I prefer the neck and middle because I was able to play more dynamically and get my tone that way rather than relying on the instant pretty effect of 2 and 4. Just my two cents. Every position is great on a strat
I respect and understand your view and perception of the different sounds you can get from a strat. And if you like the middle pickup sound, thats wonderful. Still, I think you’re missing out the versatility and dynamics of the sounds that you really can get out of it. Personally, I love the ability to choose the sound that serves the actual song I’m playing the best. Like you I, love the middle pickup by it self, but in some songs it’s just too anonymous and generic. And it’s hard to determine what guitar that´s being used. I love it when you can hear the characteristics of a certain guitar. As opposed to something that just sounds - guitar. Anyway, love your work and your willing to share your knowledge and thoughts about this wonderful instrument.
I'm starting to see some serious mojo from Rhett. Rythm, tone, timing, feel all coming together. I think you may need a cool rim hat and a music tattoo on a fore arm to complete the look. Rhett got rythm!
2 and 4 positions are NOT out of phase - they are in phase, in parallel. Wire them in series and you won't worry about them sounding weak. Other than that, I fully agree - third position is a banger on a good strat.
I don't understand any of that...but my strat sounds pretty quacky and out of phase in position 2. But *not in position 4, that is actually my fav position by a mile, it's sound sort of like the neck but with more clarity and presence. I'm not sure why the 2 post sounds out of phase while the 4 doesn't.
I recently rewired mine to a 3 position switch as I always found 2 and 4 useless for my style. Unbelievable how hard it was to find a reference for this or a diagram. I did find one with a vid using tone 2 as a blend control for the middle to N/B. After messing with different caps and PU heights I am very pleased with the results. Kinda have the best of 3 and 5 position switches with no volume loss, bonus having all three at once too! Thanks Rhett, always look forward to your knowledge.
Cool video Rhett! I've been using the middle pickup on my Strat a lot over the past several years. I find it really versatile, whether with clean or overdriven tones. You also mentioned about the bridge pickup being harsh and tough to use for some things; I agree, so I had a mod done to my Strat where I now have only one tone and the volume is where the other (closest to the strings) tone used to be. The remaining tone control controls all 3 pickups, which has given my bridge pickup a whole new lease on life. Far more usable! The whole thing started because I was so used to my Music Man EVH having the volume control farther away from my right hand (which I prefer). The discussion with the tech went from there to the tone controls and pickups. Now my Strat is amazing!
Thanks for sharing the information Rhett! I always use the neck or bridge (HSS) humbucker… I just recorded a track with the middle pick up after watching your video, and the Stratocaster cuts through the mix beautifully!
I'm so glad somebody finally talked about position 3. I've been thinking about getting a Strat for a long time but I never really enjoyed listening to the 1 2 and 3 positions, and a Tele always did the neck position better in my opinion. But I've been listening to one guitar player on RUclips quite a lot lately who tends to use position 3 a lot and it sounded exactly how I wanted it to sound. absolutely love it.
I totally agree ! Middle position on my strat is my go-to sound when I pick it. I play a lot of funk music, often associated to position 2 and 4, I've tried those of course, but always back to the fuller sounding middle position. Overdriven tones are also amazing on that pickup. I love it !
Rhett,, u have THE most interesting vids! I’m 69 and have learned so much that I skipped over. My one man band has benefited greatly with yur informative vids! Keep em’ coming! I’m a fan!
Very enjoyable demonstration. And a bit eye opening. Last year I bought an Ultra HSS Strat from Fender, as no one else had this guitar in stock at the time. However, One Fender 12 string and Twin Reverb Tonemaster last year and a '65 Super Reverb Reissue this year from Sweetwater. They are excellent to do business with. Thanks for posting this.
Thanks, you helped me decide that it is a good idea to put a Strat pickup in-between the other steel bridge and the goldfoil neck pickup on my Coodercaster (Ikeacaster).
i installed a 10-way freeway switch and after watching this video i went and tried all 10 positions. And have to say the middle pickup does have a very clear tone. Cleaner than any other position! I think I'm gonna spend more time there for a while thanks!
Definitely sit in the middle position most of the time. Love it! I could be wrong, but I feel like often when Paul Simon played electric it was a strat with only the middle pickup.
I like the bridge pickup in my Player Strat as well as all the other positions you mentioned. Also I ended up with two Player HSS versions and they are my favorite Strats. Bridge HB sounds great and powerful and in pos 4 it splits the coils so you still get the fantastic blend of the others. And the second tone knob only controls the bridge pickup, genius!!
Really Inciteful video, didn't know there was so much there I've never even thought about. I'm thinking this is a Robin Thrower Move, but you are right on the Money about that " Sound". Digging out my Bridge of Sighs LP, for tonight, so thanks for steering me back with an old Favorite. Rhett...you just Rock!
Hi Rhett, amazing video! You've touched a very interesting subject here. I've recently started playing on the middle pup alone on my Strats and it's really cool messing around with the tone knob and shaping the sound, it just has lots of character. As for positions, recently recreated a Gilmour Strat with a used MIM I found, and playing all three pups together just gives you Super Duck, it's really fun (not so much neck and bridge, but kinda sounds like you've got a Phaser on). Also, loving the fact that you used a Squier Affinity Strat as my very first S-type guitar was one of those (still have it, not getting rid of it!).
So glad to hear someone sing praise for the red-headed stepchild of the Strat pickups. I've always loved the middle pickup on the Strat and like you Rhett never been a fan of the in-betweens.
The other night, I was banging away on the middle pickup of my Suhr HHH strat. I didn't realize but I hit the coil splitter in the heat of battle. I do play on the middle humbucker a lot of the time. After about of playing on the middle split pickup, I was amazed how much fun I'd had with it.
Great video ! Robin Trower uses the middle pickup and never goes near the bridge pickup . Neck pickup my favourite but I also have Deluxe HSS and the humbucker on the bridge is great !!
I love the middle pickup on my strat. I always loved how full it sounded, not too bright and not too dark. I use it a lot especially now since my acoustic guitar is (sadly) currently broken
YES!! finally someone talks about the middle pickup of the strat 💚 I use it because it has a middle tone (literally) between the bass and treble, and I use the tone knob of the middle pickup around 8 or 9
you make a very good point, definitely onto something, reminds me of when i was in manhattan in 2002, cant remember the name of the place but there was a brilliant house band there which included Billy Joel's sax player although i didnt know that at the time, on guitar was a real road worn guy with a very road worn strat, i did not own a strat at the time but watching him play i noticed he was never out of the middle position, all night that pickup selector hardly moved, i never forgot that because he sounded great
So true. Middle position is great, and one of my favorites for some clean sounds right on the edge of breakup. I feel like people sleep on the tone controls on strats too. A distorted strat on the bridge/middle position with the bridge tone rolled all the way down makes a great fuzzy lead tone.
Clapton has played nearly whole concerts without changing from the mid pup position. It is one of my fav sounds from a strat.
Albert hammond from the strokes literally had his strat wired where its the middle pickup whatever switch position it is.
You have to remember Clapton also has his strat custom wired, that said he does use the middle pup quite a lot. I use my middle pup a lot because I like the tone.
Exactly, this is what I came here to say!
i actually falled in love with the middle position when i was learning how to play key to the highway from the derek & the dominos album, layla
@@zillmer448great song brother
Middle pickup is so underated. However, Clapton and even John Mayer use it all the time. It's really good with overdrives especially when you stack overdrives. Very balanced between neck tones and bridge tones.
Highly recommend any strat owner getting a "Gilmour" switch installed that activates the neck pickup on demand. All three activated as well as the bridge and neck together are the tones you hear all the time on records yet never can quite get. Essentially, it is a 7 position switch. Trust me. Do it.
@@youropionmattersnot I have one and while I play with the bridge + neck a lot, I really haven’t played all 3 pickups and I really think I should. Can you think of any examples of songs that use all 3? Or any sort of reference songs that have a similar sound?
That tone... 🔥💞🏆🤯
@@justraaay you won't find any. i have that option and i never use it. it sounds like a very bad acoustic electric, like plastic.
Couldn’t have said it better! This is the exact concept in my Matador model. A single pickup in the middle position. Simplicity meets versatility! 👍
Strats are so smooth and versatile. They've stood the test of time for so long, and there's still so much to do with it. Cheers Rhett.
Give me a Tele any day.
@@narvul - I prefer Telecasters too. Or at least songs played on Teles.
One of my fave comments i read years ago (Lowell George?) was I can make a Strat sound like a Les Paul but i can't make a Les Paul sound like a Strat. Leo and crew got it right the first time.
@@jimferris9447 rather have a strat if you want a guitar that won't dig into your ribs though.
@@glenkepic3208 omg yes! strats and similar guitars rule! Love the HSS config with a stacked tone pot to get the quack in the 2nd position. or coil tap/splitter? not an expert in the area of electronics but Strats are so freaking versatile.
Jerry Garcia is well known for using the strat middle pickup, listen to anything from the Europe 72 tour, his modded strat middle pickup is all over those albums
His best tones were Alligator on the middle pickup. I play a hard tail strat with a flat pole 50's pickup in the middle position and it gets that sound. Also after years of hating strat bridge pickups I found a simple solution, hook up the bridge pickup to one of the tone pots. In a stock strat they're wide open, one wire swap and the ice pick is gone. Like Rhett says most strat player never use the middle, which also means they aren't using the middle's tone control either!
My fav Jerry sound too and the easiest path to cope those plucky tones. There really are few middle position pickup guitars out there.
That is the tone that got me playing strats. I'm a strat guy through and through, and a middle pickup guy at that.
Came here to say this!!
I was messing with my strat recently and realized the middle position (which I’d barely ever used), sounds great with big open chords and arpeggios. It’s like the Strat’s take on an acoustic guitar and I’m here for it.
Doug Martsch of Built to Spill is one of the first players that comes to mind when mentioning middle pickup on a Strat, “Carry The Zero” is the perfect example.
You beat me to it!
I think he only plays on that middle pu.
He's the first person that comes to my mind as well. Doug has said in interviews that his strat's are wired so only the middle pickup is functional. this in combination with his fender bassman is literally orgasmic 🤣 "Living Zoo" is prob. my favorite example of his "sound"
It's just great sound for fuzzed-out indie rock. Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females is another example of that.
‘Perfect from now on’ one of the most epic albums ever !
I use the middle pickup probably 80% of the time strats, and I've never understood why people didn't do the same. They are great for R&B and pop
Very true ! Specially in a live context moreover.
Finally, someone realizes what I've been enjoying for the past few years. The sound is clear and crisp and can be punchy with volume up when wanted. Thank you Rhett for mentioning this very usable and complimenting option.
If anyone wants to get the brittle and the shrill out of the bridge pickup sound, experiment with the tone knob. Some more modern strats have the 2nd tone knob control the bridge pickup as well. Mine does. If I roll it off to about 5-7, I dial out some of the harsh shrill, dial in a bit of warmth, but still keep the bright and crunchy. Sounds nice.
Just wired the tone pot to the bridge there recently, makes a big difference!
I totally agree. It took me way too long to figure it out but rolling off the tone knob has made all the difference in getting rid of the bridge harshness. But, like you say, you still keep the brightness. Amen to using the tone knob!
if you want to solve the problem for good without messing with the knobs every time you want to play a solo. get a stra bro 90 for the bridge .it's a single coil sized p 90 made by seymour duncan for the strat with tons of low mids. nothing sharp, harsh or thin. a single coil at the bridge was always a bad idea, only jeff beck got away with it and john suhr commented that he used "dark sounding pickups". single coils are not good for drive there are other options out there.
I rarely use the bridge pickup on my Strat. But when I do I want to have that bite. I almost never use my tone knobs anyway. If I need a darker sound I use different pickup, picking position, mute the strings... Or use a different guitar.
Pretty much all modern strats have the second tone pot for the bridge and the other one for both middle and neck.
Robin Trower has stated in many interviews how he uses the middle pickup quite a bit. Hendrix used it a lot also, listen to Band of Gypsys live. It’s no secret it’s a great tone.
Been playing over 50 years and just got my first one, a G&L Tribute. Love it, so much fun! Fun having with all the possibilities. I found working on pickup height very important. Your right about neck tending to be muddy. Have to agree on the middle. Love the way a strat fits my body. Good episode!
You’ve got some great tone controls on your G&L. Quite different than Fender tone control.
Playing 42 years and bought a used 2011 G&L Tribute a couple years ago. Natural swamp ash body with a hot rail at the bridge and Fender noiseless pickup at the neck along with Fender locking tuners the previous owner installed. I've owned MIA and MIM Strats but never loved them like this import with the mods for a fraction of the price.
The middle pickup has become my favorite for the reasons you mentioned. It's a good balance and still very Straty.
Yes, middle pickup for the win 🥇 check out my Matador model. I go all in on the middle pickup!
Another great video Rhett! I love using the 2 and 4 positions where the middle blends with the bridge or neck more than the middle by itself. All depends on amp/cab and overall tone you're going for!
One of my favourite sounds is position 2, tone at about 3, and tons of gain, it sounds like a cocked wah and I love it
I do a similar thing, but my tone knob controls my bridge pickup, so the bright middle pickup & the dull bridge pickup cancel eachother out & do a really cool thing
Very well done Rhett. Thanks for the post.
Definitely food for thought, thanks for sharing!
Couple of my strats do not have the tone control connected to the bridge - rewired and took it away from the middle position put it to the bridge and definitely made a huge difference for a lead tone... Very smooth, round and great sustain when complimented with a great overdrive
I had Lindy Fralin build my pick up set for my custom Strat, and he used a vintage Strat pick up in the neck, a pure PAF humbucker for the bridge, and a Texas Special pickup for the middle. So I use my middle pick up a lot. It sounds fantastic.
Thank sounds like exactly what I want. The Fralin Texas special pickup sounds like a Tele bridge pickup to me. So putting that in the middle of a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge would give me my three favorite pickup sounds in one guitar. Epic
@@joateon Exactly. The Fralin Texas special, when put in the middle or bridge position, gives a slightly Tele vibe that is just awesome.
Me Too !!!
I love the strat middle position. You said very well it still retains some nice attack and it has a good balance of bridge brightness and neck warmth. No other guitar sounds alike. Thank you Rhett 👍
Cool vid. I gravitated to the middle pup when I started playing Strats. Definitely underrated and underused IMO
Sounds great, guys! Jimmie Vaughan is one player that uses the middle pup quite a bit.
I love the middle position, especially for clean settings and I play it even more than 2 or 4 at times. Agree with your criticism of bridge tones sounding too brittle and harsh for some purposes. l modded my Strat to have a global tone knob instead of separate ones for the bridge and neck -- that way I can get some mellow tones out of the middle position too by rolling back the tone, the simplified circuit leads to a clearer tone and overall it just makes more sense to me.
I agree! The middle pick-up is a well rounded sound and packs a punch when used with overdrive or distortion.
I love the middle pickup and I like that you're spreading the message too :)
That snare drum sound 🔥
Something about a deep snare, man
Interesting that Clapton mainly used the middle pickup on a single strat for most of the show when I saw him in 2021. Sounded great
I was in fact sleeping on this position until this video, and for the past few months I've been using it a TON. Directly changed my playing for the better, thank you Rhett!
Just want to say that Rhett you are amazing and really appreciate your YT videos.
The same goes for the mid position on guitars whether it's with P90s or humbuckers on Gibson Les Paul's, ES 335's SG's and others. I found that much of the guitar parts on the records from the 60's and 70's used the mid position. They really have a different kind of expression as far as tones go.
Always loved the middle pickup-really captures the sound of the wood and is perfectly balanced. Well done, Rhett.
I'm currently rebuilding and upgrading my first Squier Strat that hasn't been playable in 20 years. Can't wait to hear those Lace Sensors. Thanks for the tips, hoping to finally do the Strat thing!
I’m a long time Strat player and I never understood why people didn’t like the middle. I’ve been playing that pickup for years and it always gives me what I need. Enjoyed the video as always!
Albert Hammond Jr uses the middle pickup in both the Strokes and his solo work to great effect. It's my favorite strat sound.
He rigged his switch up so the bottom position is just the middle pickup so he can't knock it out of place.
My main guitar has one p90 in the middle and it is all I need. I love it. It is crazy versatile!
it is the best tone that no one knows of, you see so many superstrats with 2 humbuckers and nothing in the middle such a waste.
@@yaniv-nos-tubes i would have to agree. After building my design I didn’t realize how much I would love it. I constantly come back to it. It just has everything I want and need, and with it being a single pickup guitar it is truly the place where simplicity meets versatility!
Yes! Totally agree! The middle p'up is where mine rests most of the time. Most players sleep on it, and I rarely ever use the 4th position.
I've been discovering my strat middle pickup those days too and it is indeed amazing ! With some slapback delay and spring reverb you get awesome surf sounds!
Great video as alwas Rhett, thank you !!
Always loved the middle pickup on my Strat, was almost shamed out of using it by Scott Grove saying it was stupid and no one serious was using it. Crazy. It’s a great balance between the too-dark neck and the too-brittle bridge.
I almost never use the 2 and 4 positions
I don't think Scott Grove is the best source for advice, he's kinda hardwired that his way is THE way . He has a lot of knowledge but he filters his knowledge through his opinions.
@@marpsr me neither,, I really don't like the "quacky" tones
Who?
@@garycoates4987 I like those quacky tones in the hands of the greats, but in my hands they just don’t sound right. I like two single coil pickups better in series, which a standard Strat won’t do.
I have all my Strats (5 of them) wired to a configuration that gives me two more than standard settings; bridge and neck as well as all three plus master tone. The Neck/Bridge setting is close to but slightly different than Middle. All three is just something else entirely. This is what I like about the Stratocaster; it's utter versatility.
Adding a push-pull (or push-push) pot to activate the neck pickup regardless of the switch position is an easy and super useful mod.
I love the middle pickup on a strat for strumming open chords. It always sounds so full and full of life. Every time i pick up a strat, I switch it to the middle and play an open G chord. Great way to test out the instrument.
Love your channel, love your guitar "gun for hire" work with others... but lord almighty, I do love it when you just groove out on a jam like this intro. Killin' it, bruh... absolutely killing it.
My strat has a bunch of mods, but the one relevant here is removing the tone pot from the middle pickup and putting it on the bridge. I usually use neck and bridge, or position 2 and 4 in series (which is the main thing that my strat does that's special) for leads, and then go to that middle pickup and roll my volume back to get a rhythm sound. It has some thump, it has some sparkle, and with the volume knob rolled off a bit it thickens nicely and just works for a rhythm sound. I feel like on a lot of older budget strats, such as my first guitar, the middle pickup lacked that magic due to the poor quality of the pickups. I have some seymour duncans in my current strat and I have to agree with Rhett that it's one of the best strat sounds out there
In my early years playing guitar and learning on a Strat I felt like positions 2 and 4 were so cool because it was instantly in the ball park of Stevie and Jimi and John but the better I got the more I prefer the neck and middle because I was able to play more dynamically and get my tone that way rather than relying on the instant pretty effect of 2 and 4. Just my two cents. Every position is great on a strat
I LOVE the middle pickup on a Strat. Great vid
thank you for spreading the word about position 3! way too under appreciated!
Hey Rhett that looks like a classic vibe not an affinity. Great guitar that punches above its weight class.
Yep looks like a classic vibe.
it's a classic vibe! =)
yup its a 60s classic vibe
I respect and understand your view and perception of the different sounds you can get from a strat. And if you like the middle pickup sound, thats wonderful. Still, I think you’re missing out the versatility and dynamics of the sounds that you really can get out of it. Personally, I love the ability to choose the sound that serves the actual song I’m playing the best. Like you I, love the middle pickup by it self, but in some songs it’s just too anonymous and generic. And it’s hard to determine what guitar that´s being used. I love it when you can hear the characteristics of a certain guitar. As opposed to something that just sounds - guitar.
Anyway, love your work and your willing to share your knowledge and thoughts about this wonderful instrument.
Well put, Rhett.
I concur.
Spot on Rhett , this video is the kick in the pants I needed . I'm definitely going to start using the middle pickup !
I'm starting to see some serious mojo from Rhett. Rythm, tone, timing, feel all coming together. I think you may need a cool rim hat and a music tattoo on a fore arm to complete the look.
Rhett got rythm!
I agree, He is getting better.
Everything but the tattoo.
2 and 4 positions are NOT out of phase - they are in phase, in parallel. Wire them in series and you won't worry about them sounding weak. Other than that, I fully agree - third position is a banger on a good strat.
Yep! They are reverse wind reverse polarity which puts the guitar signal in phase, and the hum out of phase for noise cancellation
Strats sound WAAAAY better when the middle pickup is nonrwrp.
The middle pickup is reversed so that they are out of phase, even if wired in parallel.
I don't understand any of that...but my strat sounds pretty quacky and out of phase in position 2. But *not in position 4, that is actually my fav position by a mile, it's sound sort of like the neck but with more clarity and presence. I'm not sure why the 2 post sounds out of phase while the 4 doesn't.
You made some good useful points !
Damn!!! Your intro jams are so good!!!🔥🔥🔥
The Strat has MANY great sounds. THAT (…and amazing ergonomics) is what makes it such a great guitar.
I recently rewired mine to a 3 position switch as I always found 2 and 4 useless for my style. Unbelievable how hard it was to find a reference for this or a diagram. I did find one with a vid using tone 2 as a blend control for the middle to N/B. After messing with different caps and PU heights I am very pleased with the results. Kinda have the best of 3 and 5 position switches with no volume loss, bonus having all three at once too! Thanks Rhett, always look forward to your knowledge.
Love the middle position, it's all over the record I'm working on. Great minds Rhett
Hey Rhett, nice intro! Can see some good Posen influences there :) Thanks for all your videos.
Agree. The middle pickup on my Modern Eagle V is one of my favorite sounds ever, and I love the middle pickup on my Strat as well.
Oh man, the Modern Eagle V is amazing, and nobody talks about that middle single coil. It’s so good.
I designed a guitar with a P90 in the middle position and it is amazing. So versatile for being a single pickup guitar!
Cool video Rhett! I've been using the middle pickup on my Strat a lot over the past several years. I find it really versatile, whether with clean or overdriven tones. You also mentioned about the bridge pickup being harsh and tough to use for some things; I agree, so I had a mod done to my Strat where I now have only one tone and the volume is where the other (closest to the strings) tone used to be. The remaining tone control controls all 3 pickups, which has given my bridge pickup a whole new lease on life. Far more usable! The whole thing started because I was so used to my Music Man EVH having the volume control farther away from my right hand (which I prefer). The discussion with the tech went from there to the tone controls and pickups. Now my Strat is amazing!
Been using it for years - it’s my favorite position on the strat and a big reason why I play them!
Thanks for sharing the information Rhett!
I always use the neck or bridge (HSS) humbucker…
I just recorded a track with the middle pick up after watching your video, and the Stratocaster cuts through the mix beautifully!
Hi! I used to use that position every time that i was playing arpeggios. Great sounding position. Keep up the good content!
Love the middle pickup!
I'm so glad somebody finally talked about position 3. I've been thinking about getting a Strat for a long time but I never really enjoyed listening to the 1 2 and 3 positions, and a Tele always did the neck position better in my opinion. But I've been listening to one guitar player on RUclips quite a lot lately who tends to use position 3 a lot and it sounded exactly how I wanted it to sound. absolutely love it.
Thanks for showing this. The Strat is my favorite guitar and still I have yet to play much in the third position. Will try tonight!
I totally agree ! Middle position on my strat is my go-to sound when I pick it. I play a lot of funk music, often associated to position 2 and 4, I've tried those of course, but always back to the fuller sounding middle position. Overdriven tones are also amazing on that pickup. I love it !
I'm pretty sure that's a classic vibe either way great video
Rhett,, u have THE most interesting vids! I’m 69 and have learned so much that I skipped over. My one man band has benefited greatly with yur informative vids!
Keep em’ coming! I’m a fan!
Very enjoyable demonstration. And a bit eye opening. Last year I bought an Ultra HSS Strat from Fender, as no one else had this guitar in stock at the time. However, One Fender 12 string and Twin Reverb Tonemaster last year and a '65 Super Reverb Reissue this year from Sweetwater. They are excellent to do business with. Thanks for posting this.
My wife bought me an Affinity Strat for Christmas. It’s now my number one guitar. I LOVE it!
Thanks, you helped me decide that it is a good idea to put a Strat pickup in-between the other steel bridge and the goldfoil neck pickup on my Coodercaster (Ikeacaster).
i installed a 10-way freeway switch and after watching this video i went and tried all 10 positions. And have to say the middle pickup does have a very clear tone. Cleaner than any other position! I think I'm gonna spend more time there for a while thanks!
tyvm for explaining this !
You just taught me something about the guitar I've been playing for 20 years. Thank you.
Definitely sit in the middle position most of the time. Love it! I could be wrong, but I feel like often when Paul Simon played electric it was a strat with only the middle pickup.
Good video; I use the middle pickup all the time- great sound. It's probably my most used position.
I like the bridge pickup in my Player Strat as well as all the other positions you mentioned. Also I ended up with two Player HSS versions and they are my favorite Strats. Bridge HB sounds great and powerful and in pos 4 it splits the coils so you still get the fantastic blend of the others. And the second tone knob only controls the bridge pickup, genius!!
The middle pick up is where I live ... its part of my sound .. love it !
The middle pickup on my 1976 Strat sounds aggressive and roary, I love it!
Really Inciteful video, didn't know there was so much there I've never even thought about. I'm thinking this is a Robin Thrower Move, but you are right on the Money about that " Sound".
Digging out my Bridge of Sighs LP, for tonight, so thanks for steering me back with an old Favorite.
Rhett...you just Rock!
Never used the middle pick up... have three guitars with one so will try it out, thanks for this idea.
Hi Rhett, amazing video! You've touched a very interesting subject here. I've recently started playing on the middle pup alone on my Strats and it's really cool messing around with the tone knob and shaping the sound, it just has lots of character. As for positions, recently recreated a Gilmour Strat with a used MIM I found, and playing all three pups together just gives you Super Duck, it's really fun (not so much neck and bridge, but kinda sounds like you've got a Phaser on). Also, loving the fact that you used a Squier Affinity Strat as my very first S-type guitar was one of those (still have it, not getting rid of it!).
So glad to hear someone sing praise for the red-headed stepchild of the Strat pickups. I've always loved the middle pickup on the Strat and like you Rhett never been a fan of the in-betweens.
I love the middle pup! 3 & 4 are my favs.
The other night, I was banging away on the middle pickup of my Suhr HHH strat. I didn't realize but I hit the coil splitter in the heat of battle. I do play on the middle humbucker a lot of the time.
After about of playing on the middle split pickup, I was amazed how much fun I'd had with it.
Great video ! Robin Trower uses the middle pickup and never goes near the bridge pickup . Neck pickup my favourite but I also have Deluxe HSS and the humbucker on the bridge is great !!
Yeah! Any time I play my strat I live on the middle pickup. Love it.
I love the middle pickup on my strat. I always loved how full it sounded, not too bright and not too dark. I use it a lot especially now since my acoustic guitar is (sadly) currently broken
100% agree! Thanks mate!
I too love rhe middle pickup, especially with the kingtone classic switch! I recommend it for all strats!
Totally agree Rhett. I usually play on the mid Pup and move to a " Strat Sound " on The Neck .... and the Surfy vibe of the Bridge.
Rhett. Love the Tempos riff. I actually tried to learn that riff when I first started playing electric guitar.....
That was awesome
That intro riff? What song is that? Great little groove.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Rhett. The middle pickup on a Strat can be sonic magic.
The Meters riff totally sounded proper middle pickup! I learned something as a lifelong Strat player! Thanks
YES!! finally someone talks about the middle pickup of the strat 💚 I use it because it has a middle tone (literally) between the bass and treble, and I use the tone knob of the middle pickup around 8 or 9
yes!, strat middle pickup at tone 8 is goldilocks.🎸
you make a very good point, definitely onto something, reminds me of when i was in manhattan in 2002, cant remember the name of the place but there was a brilliant house band there which included Billy Joel's sax player although i didnt know that at the time, on guitar was a real road worn guy with a very road worn strat, i did not own a strat at the time but watching him play i noticed he was never out of the middle position, all night that pickup selector hardly moved, i never forgot that because he sounded great
I love the middle position too and use it very often.
Great brother................last night gig I used the middle a bunch
Thank you for playing the Meters! Also, Jerry Garcia was a BIG middle position player on Alligator
My favorite Strat sound is in the two position with a bridge humbucker 👌 so lush but still has that pop and clarity that I love about the Strat
So true. Middle position is great, and one of my favorites for some clean sounds right on the edge of breakup. I feel like people sleep on the tone controls on strats too. A distorted strat on the bridge/middle position with the bridge tone rolled all the way down makes a great fuzzy lead tone.