I laughed out loud when Jonathan said “Don’t do that…what a d*ck.” I must have gone back two times to watch that. I love the real moments like those in your videos.

A hardtail Strat is the perfect guitar. The absolute best blend of simplicity, features, and comfort. Also, naturally light.

I built my own hardtail. Started with a Robert Cray sunburst body, added a Custom Shop '59 rosewood neck, mint green pickguard, and finished it off with a set of Abigail Ybarra '69 hand wound pickups. Just doesn't get much better. Incredible guitar.

@pharmerdavid1432

2 жыл бұрын

I love the neck and pickups on my Robert Cray stratocaster, but I'm sure your modifications sound and feel great too. I've got Abby pickups in my 1997 Hendrix Tribute strat (1968 period correct mirror image of the Woodstock strat), and they do sound great.

@mariodriessen9740

2 жыл бұрын

I’m not implying that your home build guitar doesn’t sound great, it most probably does, but I once assembled an Esquire and I bought an old beaten up Japanese contemporary strat for the sole reason that I wanted to change as good as any aspect of it to turn it into the most beautiful, best sounding and perfectly playable strat I could think of. I didn’t have the know how nor the tools or the patience to actually achieve this goal, yet both of these guitars were perfect, even though I knew they weren’t really. But because of all the love and hard work I put into them they looked and felt and sounded absolutely perfect to me and for many years they were the guitars I played the most, even though I had some really good and expensive guitars. This is the magic of building (or assembling, or even heavily modifying) a guitar. Nothing will beat that feeling. 😎

@lancehed

Жыл бұрын

I built one from a two piece alder body and a neck from a -87 USA Stratocaster and -69 pickups from Fender Custom Shop. Sounds GREAT!

@paulcowart3174

Жыл бұрын

A bit easier I would think

@victorvillafane3241

Жыл бұрын

Sounds incredibly cool. I’m thinking of doing a 2 tone sunburst hardtail from the modshop

so excited I bought a hardtail from the mod shop last week before the price jump. Bordeaux metallic, full rosewood neck, vintage style tuners and corona classic pups!

@kylesteckler9922

2 жыл бұрын

Bought a Mod Shop hard tail a couple years ago. You’re gonna love it.

@alanlevesque7180

2 жыл бұрын

I did too! Got Antigua.

I got the Noveta, hard tail with P90’s. Love it!

As much as I love guitar, I can’t help but think that I would really get along with you guys, personally. You guys are rad keep up the fantastic content!!!

1995 I was 16 and bought a '75 hardtail swamp ash body with maple neck strat for $600. Still have it. Best guitar ever!

Yep, I picked up a set of Bill Lawrence L 45's pup's at an estate sale. So I built a hardtail strat for them. I'm very pleased with the outcome. The top load Schaller roller bridge that I chose really makes a difference when it comes to set up. It allows string spacing adjustments. Everyone should have a hardtail strat in their stable.

You guys are off the dang hook, Love it!! Great video!!

Don’t throw me in the Briarpatch! Got my first one back in the early 90s and even though I am really a Les Paul player, I always keep one around. Fantastic choice… Thanks for the great video, fellas!🤠

Wow! I can't believe you guys are talking about a 74 hardtail Strat. I've been playing one for years. I love it!

I have NEVER owned a strat (and we're talking dozens and dozens) that I didn't lock the tremolo down or bar it off. I've never had anything BUT a hard tail, but never actually owned a true hard tail. So, I feel the vibe.

@bassclef6

2 жыл бұрын

I blocked my Strats trem as soon as I got it home.

@BlairLSK

2 жыл бұрын

Same. I own two and they've been blocked off from day one. I might set it up as floating trem to channel my inner David Gilmour, but then I realise I'm not David Gilmour.

@riffs66

2 жыл бұрын

In my experience, a Strat NEEDS a trem and trem cavity to sound like a proper Strat. You can absolutely block the trem, and I’ve had 2 Strats for 30 years that are blocked, and I love them, but a hardtail Stratocaster just doesn’t sound “right” to my ears. I also have had 6 Suhr Strats, and they are absolutely fantastic. I decided to order a Custom Classic Suhr and had them build it as a hardtail. It was a dog. I couldn’t get it to sound good no matter what I tried. My Fenders that have blocked trems sound completely different. Again, just my opinion.

@paulcowart3174

Жыл бұрын

​@@riffs66yeah totally subjective My 72 is blocked off...my 65 along with several others are floating but I recently got a CS Troposphere hard tail and absolutely love it I does have a bit of Tele vibe being string thru but it sounds great Strings are a tad snappier like a Tele and loves a half step down Not sure if there is more tension for that Tele twang but no complaints at all All keepers as well

I absolutely love Hardtail Strats! Thanks for posting it, Gents!

My first real big man’s electric guitar was an ‘82 Fender ‘Dan Smith’ hardtail strat in Sienna Sunburst. I still have it. I love that thing. I even bought a second one a couple of years later. For some strange reason, every guitar playing friend I had owned a hardtail Fender strat. I guess it was just more of a thing back then. And it does sound different. A normal strat sounds like there’s a build in reverb tank. The hardtail strat is sturdy as a mule, but comfortable as a satin shirt (forgive me for that comparison). And Ron Wood’s favorite strats are hardtail versions, so I’m in good company. 😬

@paulcowart3174

Жыл бұрын

😊

I have an amazing Custom Shop 57' Journeymen Hardtail Strat that I absolutely love. I think the hardtail tone really complements the 50's style Strat tone, especially when if has the aged sounding relic pickups. That aging rounds out the sound a bit but the hardtail brings a more immediate attack that really melds with that 50s chime and cluck. Great guitars

@paulcowart3174

Жыл бұрын

Good wording....love my 56 HT

You guys are like 7 hours away from me,but I hope to visit you one day even jus to meet you two. You guys just seem so so cool and down to earth. Maybe I'll go there when I pick up the Silver Sky I hope to win. Keep the vids up guys, you make a huge difference with the hard work into these videos

My hardtail is a Tom Delonge Strat. It’s Strat shaped but doesn’t have the Strat sound. It has a Seymour Duncan humbucker and a single volume knob. There is no tone knob. I bought it off the wall at Sam Ash over 20 years ago for less than $400. Best guitar ever.

A Hardtail Strat w/ the 70s headstock is kinda my dream guitar right now. I've been curious about the MIM Robert Cray model, but I'm also hoping Fender will put out other options in the future. For a hot second last year they made very limited runs of the 70s Vintera Strat (alder body instead of ash) with a hardtail and custom shop '69 pickups and I'm still kicking myself that I missed my chance on that one.

@real_fjcalabrese

2 жыл бұрын

I have a MIM Robert Cray model, and I love it.

Love the two different woods on that Strat. Looks great.

I got a 2005 HT Strat in Sept. Very resonate and very light.

I'd love to see a video on opinions for decking, floating, or blocking a trim! I look forward to any time ya'll talk strats

My 1st Strat is actually an accidental SSS HT. didn't know what I was doing, so I responded to a seller in the next county moving a 15 year old Squier Bullet HT. Didn't pay much for it, needed some repairs & fixes that I finally figured out as I learned more from a luthier's perspective. The Bullet taught me set ups at first, also glue & toothpick fixes. After that I finally realized the only way I was getting lower action was o shim the neck/neck pocket. So after playing this old guitar, I think I've finally resolved it's issues to the best of what anyone could really do for it. And it's now a phenomenal guitar. And the thing with the Bullet, about 2 weeks later I found the Affinity with a Tremolo. It was 3 years old at the times and rarely/never used. But it's music changing epiphany was swapping out a zinc alloy trem block for a solid steel trem block. The Affinity & Bullet sound different enough, yet Strat like enough, that I still wanted a Telecaster or two. And naturally the LP Special with P90's was a little next step of sound/tone territory than the Telecasters. Those are the 3 types of 6 string solid slab guitars. The LP I ended up putting a Bigsby like Vibrato on it. So it's not exactly the LP Special fixed bridge either. None of them are better than the other, just a different tool and role as part of a band & in a mix.

I’m definitely intrigued!

Awesome video guys! It’s a really cool subject, I am a telecaster player predominantly it’s just what I have gravitated towards historically. I definitely will have to check one out though,👍

Growing up my uncle had a obnoxious heavy 1970 something Ash mocha brown hardtail Strat. I loved it! A little bit ago I set out find one of my own and was just floored how crazy the market has got for 70s and 80s fenders. I decided to build my own Warmoth partscaster instead at a fraction of the price since I did not know how much play time it would get. Built my take on it and now I have a green sparkle hardtail “Strat” that weighs almost 11 pounds.

I watch you guys all the time but for some reason I dug this episode more than usual. Might be because of the recent trip to the Cannabis store. Play on, Gentlemen!

Hello from Dominican Republic! Really nice guitar. Love your show!

Hey Baxter and Johnathan, I've played hard tails, there great, but I reach for the wiggle stick and it's not there. I know, there is a massive hunk of tone wood that's gone, very hard to set up and changing strings is a drag. But I've always love to play wiggle stick. I'm not a shred master, but I do love having the trem bar. It's to me anyways, one of the coolest sounds your guitar can make, in my opinion. Therefore I taught myself how to maintain the bar, so it's always in tune for at least a half hour of wiggling. Plus Jimmy Hendrix would roll in his grave. So to ease the pain of being a trem guy, I now play P.R.S. because of Paul's excellent trem system, and guitar. He nailed it. Have a great day, as always great show.

Recently got a Mod Shop Strat and went with a hardtail bc I already have a trem. One of my now favorite guitars :)

My first guitar, that I still own. Is a 61 Strat hard tail. It's still my favorite guitar. I prefer hard tails to this day because of this guitar. I love them for all the reasons you guys say. I blocked up my 86 Charvel years ago. Because I like to down tune it. The only, "Wiggle Stick" guitar I have is my '13 MIM Charvel San Dimas. I wish Charvel would do more hard tails.

I was jonesing for a hard tail strat a couple years back. Ended up getting a duo sonic. Not a hard tail strat but I’ve had fun with it. It scratched that itch and gave me something I didn’t have before.

The HT Strat is awesome. It sounder louder unplugged and the strings ring with longer sustain. Just nicer all round.

You are right about how special that model of Strat is I have a Hard Tail FSR Stratocaster. I really like the sound and the feel that the strings have., It is a good option. The feel of a Telecaster, makes the Hard Tail Strat feel great to me. I usually deck my Strat trems flat against the body, and the Hard Tail still feels different.

That thing looks great! Right up my alley, I have the trem on my Strat cranked down as much as possible. Not sure if you have time, especially since you said that’s already sold, but I’d love to hear a playing clip of that!

Do it Jonathan, I wanted a hardtail so I had one built in the Mod Shop in Shell Pink (Baxter) with a 65 neck and pure 59 pickups and she sings.🤘😎🎸

I own a 2000 hardtail Strat. It has a rosewood neck stainless frets and vintage noiseless pickups. It's my main guitar and it is very light as well... I love it...

My Mom was from So Illinois, Dad from Tennessee, but you guys have given me reason to drive to SC from Los Angeles. I'd fly but who wants to fly home with a new guitar?

@philipbrister

2 жыл бұрын

What’s in SC?

My first guitar since I decided to start playing again was(is) a partscaster hard tail with a warmoth roasted maple neck and a reverse headstock. Hsh w/5 way switch and coil splitters.

Just bought a CS hardtail Troposphere Strat... Its amazing...

I love my 79 hardtail Strat! Tuning stability and the lighter weight is definitely a thing!

I have a 1998 American Standard hardtail and I love it. The string tension is perfect for my playing style. It also seems more resonant then my American Standard strat with a trem from the same year.

@richsackett3423

2 жыл бұрын

Do you have the trem blocked out?

@pastorofmuppets1968

2 жыл бұрын

@@richsackett3423 No I don't. I think the sound difference occurs because of the route for the trem verses the string through on the hardtail. I could be wrong. I just get a nice tight sound with the hard tail. Stays in tune a lot better too.

@richsackett3423

2 жыл бұрын

@@pastorofmuppets1968 It’s that the force counteracting the pull of the strings is held in springs rather than solid wood.

@paulcowart3174

Жыл бұрын

Almost Tele feeling IMO but w better pups and contours

Whenever I see a hardtail Stratocaster I internally ask myself, "Am I good enough for a Hardtail Strat?" or "Who do I think I am Robert Cray?" Thanks for another great video & the opportunity to renew my guitar lust.

It sounded great, thanks.

I got a lefty player strat in 2018, decked the bridge, and loved it; until 2021. In 2021, i got a mod shop, lefty hardtail HSS, roasted maple neck, locking tuners, noiseless pickups. This thing is a beast of a guitar. Love it, love it, love it. If i want to use a trem, i play my Wolfgang. Thinking of selling my player strat. Don’t really play it anymore.

My 70s hardtail strat really makes me happy. Bright, snappy and responsive. Pisses all over my recent guitars that I sold them.

Jonathan, I also "Deck" Strat trems. I use the trem just the tiniest amount when I play really fast, just to slack the strings and get the bend to mature in full quicker.

My next build is already started and i planned on it being a hard tail strat. So now I excited . Its some old wood a buddy gave me that we watched burn in his fire pit one week end while sitting with family and havin a few beer. I asked him what kind of wood it was but he didn't know. I was impressed with how long it took to burn down since I thought it was a softwood. I figured it was quite dense based on the burn rate. I said I think that would make a great guitar. A few weeks went by and next thing I know he hands me enough wood to make 2 guitars including the necks.. I have a gold colored hard tail bridge and a mint green pick guard loaded with vintage 59s and some aged pick up covers and knobs. Also have some brass frets. I think I will burn a burst into the wood with a torch and the put a high gloss clear over it. Might turn out quite nice.

I would love a hard tail Strat. I never use the trem on mine so I took it off.

Totally! You absolutely gotta get a hard tail (and I just happen to have one in stock). It’s waaaay different from just using all 5 springs on the back and not screwing in the whammy bar!

Keep in mind that the Fender Mod Shop offers the hardtail bridge as a Strat option. I have one and Baxter was kind enough to give me advice over the phone when I was trying to choose which pickups to order.

My guitar that got away was a wonderful hardtail strat similar to that one. Small store in downtown Vicksburg whose high end is used Epiphones had it. I fell in love but hesitated, and he who hesitates…

I’ve got a Vintera 70s HT Strat. Great guitar!

Love my Robert Cray MIM Strat. It's my only Fender guitar. I'm a Les Paul and PRS Custom 24 player. Sometimes I need a Strat sound and to get that tone, well, best to go to the original source.

@pharmerdavid1432

2 жыл бұрын

Me too - I love the neck, pickups, and Inca silver finish..........!

@robertprice5039

2 жыл бұрын

The Robert Cray has my favorite shape for the neck.

I love the tone and feel of a nice hardtail Strat! Will ya'll have a booth at the Carolina Guitar Show in Fletcher, NC in a few weeks?

Love the hardtail… but assembled my own candy apple red with r.maple neck. Visually love the ferruled rear view and the stability.

Love the Troposphere hard tail Great low op pups too

Likely be ordering a CS hardtail from you someday Baxter. And it's Corto Maltese. Also, the Peacemaker opening is the best.

YES!!! my favorite guitar is my warmoth hardtail strat style ,and I love my 1979 fender Hardtail strat !!

I’m a massive hard tail strat fan boy ! They are rad ! The sustain is clearer and they just don’t go out of tune !

@autistichead8137

2 жыл бұрын

Regular Strats don’t go out of tune either. My bridge is floated half step in either direction.

I just pre ordered a charvel jake e lee model. His guitar with ozzy was a 79 hardtail strat.

Dad's 71 sunburst rosewood 4 bolt neck seems all that cooler. Thanks guys.

I had a 24 fret Gibson SG, the neck on that might as well have been a trem bar.

I purchased a hardtail noventa strat last year. Not quite in the same ballpark as this but people slept on that guitar. It's immense and still retains it 'stratiness' whilst the P90's howl!!!!

Love my hard tail strat

I read a Clapton interview in a guitar publication asking why he doesn't use a hardtail instead of blocking off his trems and he stated that he preferred the sound of the blocked-trem guitars.

You guys are killing me! First the Custom Shop Vid with #52, The '55 Wide Fade Hard Tail (I already Called), and now this. I played a '77 Hard Tail about 7-8 years ago and it changed my life, I almost never use the "wiggle stick" and mostly play Tele, let me get the cash for a deposit together and we will talk.

I would really like to have a hardtail Strat. They seem to be hard to find, though.

@michaelbartholomew8155

2 жыл бұрын

I recently got a new Squier Contemporary Strat HT in pearl white with a roasted maple neck. Hardtail of course. I absolutely love it! Plays and sounds amazing! If you're looking for a hardtail strat check 'em out.

I had a bicentennial 76 hard tail natural strat. Awesome guitar

A few months back I was looking for a hardtail Strat but couldn't find any left handed ones that where not super expensive

I like that Fender. I only like hardtails myself.

I've been considering a hardtail custom too. Something about 'em that appeals to me and I've been buying some oddities lately... so I think there's a hardtail in my future.

On my Fender Strat I have my trem blocked off with 2 stacks of dimes and I use the back cavity to hold the battery for the Alembic blaster installed.

Just before C19 hit I played Robert Cray hardtail strat and loved it! It was a burst, that I also love, and MIM, so the $$ was more reasonable. It seemed like overnight they all disappeared! Every one that I had looked at was gone or sold! I have a Gilmour strat that I built from parts, the body is a '93 Clapton donor and the neck a custom Warmoth I had made. A company in Ca. makes "exact" copies of a loaded pickguard. That is my main strat, but I'm still jonsen for a hardtail!! 8) --gary (PS; Link to that loaded pickguard on request, there are a lot of options, and they are awesome, although a little $$).

Great video Gentlemen!

I love this channel! Have you done anything over pricing on vintage instruments .. guitars and basses.. basically the expectations vs reality? I only ask based off the UK comment about the high price.

I have a lefty G&L strat with a hardtail bridge, they call it the Saddle Lock bridge. They will be happy to build you one, made in Fullerton CA on Fender Ave.

Baxter, what two tonewoods did they make that body from? That really is a unique look, especially with that natural finish.

I've always wanted one

My Strat has five springs in it because I've never been a tremolo user and I like how it feels when the trem doesn't move - hardtails are great but they are tonally different than a 'normal' Strat.

@honkytonkinson9787

2 жыл бұрын

I’ve got four in mine, and the trem block in my guitar has a bolt inside of it that functionally blocks it off. Trem is still available but it doesn’t move unless I want it to. A nice compromise

I looooove hardtail Strats. There should be more!!

I honestly wish that Fender sold more hardtail versions from the factory. I would definitely get one just for the quicker restringing alone.

@pharmerdavid1432

2 жыл бұрын

If they made it in other models, I would still buy the Robert Cray version for the neck, pickups, and silver finish.

I love hardtail guitars. Been my preference for a long time

Guitar Mill has a really beautiful light swamp ash hardtail strat body finished in a dark lake placid blue nitro for sale on their website. Not affiliated with them at all, they just make a great product and that would be a sick guitar build for someone out there. :)

Yes, please. Hardtail all the way for me!

Got a wood bloc in my 50s classic vibe strat

I’ve got a scratch built hardtail strat that’s just a killer guitar. It’s loaded with some NC made Mojotones. Just a killer guitar!

I have mine locked out, bridge plate flush, tremolo claw is tighened all the way, 4 springs with foam underneath and no back plate..."oh the Sweet sound of music baby"! Great topic to all the fellow straters out their in this chaos we call life.. cheers!

A hard tail Charvel is on my list, that counts right?

You two should have a classic rock radio show. greetings from Riverside California

I have both of my Strats blocked, but one is a partscaster which I would love to swap to a hardtail body. Both have certain traits that I like, but with a good resonant body it's hard to beat that sound!

That would be for me. Have never once in 30 years used the trem bar on my strat.

I dont use my trems at all, so i usually put a block in to lock the trem. I would like to get a hard tail Fender, but the models are limited. Like the New Pro II, id love to have a hard tail of that guitar for sure. Only guitar i use trem on is my Gretsch with a Bigsby.

My $100 Fender - Squire ‘51 Pawn Shop hard tail Strat is still around! Thinking of upgrading the HS pickups if you guys can recommend a good humbucker with a nice coil split Tele-Strat sound...?

I love my hardtail Stratocaster. I even had Dick Dale autograph the headstock!

I so just picked up a hardtail Strat, magic.

I was about to Do another Strat, I bet I can build one like that a Hardtail, make sure to record something on that in case I do so perhaps we can compare, maybe this will be guitar I put those Abby Initialed CS 69 pickups into. Let me know if You two were building it anything you might like to see me do if able to

Dag....that's an awesome example. I am a believer in 70's guitars. They are in my sweet spot. Mostly because I intentionally love on things that others hate.

I LOVE HT STRATS!

I had an early Dan Smith era hartail , it was so amazing . Highly recommend

I have a Robert Cray , Love it . I only want Hardtails now .