My TOP 10 STRATOCASTER Tones Ever

[@niekvanwensen]

The fact that Mark Knopfler’s tone isn’t on here is criminal. When I think of a strat I immediately either think of SRV or Mark Knopfler

[@stavanski5083]

people dont give frusciante enough credit as a guitarist his tones are unmatched and unreplicated

[@ZalMoxis]

He is an empty player.

[@filip_petric]

@@ZalMoxisyou know damn right thats not true…

[@replicated]

Severely overrated. Credit on his endurance and riff making, but he's not the virtuosos everyone is claiming lately.

[@niklasmuller4372]

​@@ZalMoxisplease what?!?!

[@niklasmuller4372]

I think he's actually getting veeeery much credit

[@andrewpappas9311]

Other great Strat players/tones I always think of - Billy Corgan (Cherub Rock/I Am One fuzz, Today/1979 clean) - George Harrison (Nowhere Man solo/My Sweet Lord slide) - Eric Clapton (Wonderful Tonight solo) - Billie Joe Armstrong (Basket Case (also yes I know it’s a Strat copy he uses but it still sounds great)) - Tom DeLonge (Dammit/What’s My Age Again? clean/First Date) - Billy Gibbons (La Grange clean) - Ritchie Blackmore (Highway Star/Burn) - Dave Murray (Number of the Beast/The Trooper) - The Edge (Where the Streets Have No Name delay) - Mark Knopfler (Sultans of Swing riff/solo) - Robin Trower (Bridge of Sighs Uni-Vibe) - Ed King (Sweet Home Alabama riff)

[@joaquinlezcano2372]

I'm surprised Blackmore or Knopfler didn't make it

[@andrewpappas9311]

@@joaquinlezcano2372 Same

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

​@@joaquinlezcano2372the tone on Burn is fking amazing, both the riff and the solo. Isolated it sounds weak, like most strat bridge tones (blackmore also used marshall amps, so the tones were as bright as they could get), but in the mix its sheer power and violence.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

Stevie Ray Vaughan made a Strat sound better than anybody else. Eric Johnson had a great tone as well.

[@hesch-tag]

I don't agree at all. Way too harsh and not enough gain. But that's my opinion.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@hesch-tag Fair enough. I like low gain stuff.

[@Mambamentallyready]

Ej and Hendrix

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@Mambamentallyready Hendrix is one of the best players of all time but I gotta say, I don’t love his tone. I’d mostly attribute that to him not having modern technology though. I don’t really like anybody’s tone from the 60s or before.

[@blackstormer95]

@@hesch-tag wym not enough gain when he stacked 2 or 3 Tube Screamers?? More gain on a Strat would mean a lot of noise, this was way before any noiseless pickups existed

[@PedroFreire95]

Sultans of Swing Live from Alchemy is the greatest strat tone I’ve heard in my life. Maybe my favorite guitar tone ever. There’s just something about those crystal cleans, the ticks from the finger picking, the very slight overdrive and the larger than life auditorium echo/reverb that just can’t be matched. But all great picks and great video!

[@DGB93]

Robin Trower, Jeff beck, blackmore, Kotzen all have killer tone definitely worth the mention

[@NickJardine]

Nice tones and playing! Clapton Journeyman-era or Layla, Robert Cray and Mark Knopfler are some of my other favourites!

[@simonleach6632]

Mark knopfler for me, the tone he dialed in on the strat for songs like money for nothing and sultans of swing was beautiful, also telegraph road is a masterpiece!

[@williamvb5080]

Money for nothing is played on a les Paul (sorry for being a nerd)

[@norseman61]

@@williamvb5080Yup!

[@simonleach6632]

@@williamvb5080 you are absolutely right, I have just come off night shifts and my brain has stopped working! Let's just read money for nothing as brothers in arms instead! 😂 I am an idiot!

[@rubber_man647]

@@simonleach6632 youre gonna hate me but that was also a les paul lmao

[@niekvanwensen]

@@simonleach6632we’ll read it as lady writer😂, Knopfler really got great Strat and Les Paul tones!

[@imacmadman22]

Taking a subject like this on is bound to leave out someone’s favorite player, an iconic tone or an important performance. One of my favorite Strat tones is “Daydream” by Robin Trower. I’ve been a fan of his playing for decades and I was fortunate enough to see him live in 1985. Of course, you can’t go wrong with anyone else you’ve mentioned here, all are legendary examples. Other players such as Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, Mark Knopfler and others created singular, iconic tones too, perhaps a part two is in order?

[@stratonarrow]

The Edge’s tone on “Where the Streets Have No Name” absolutely must be given a nod at least!

[@vDomMusic]

Thats the song and guitar parts that made me pick a guitar up, completely agree!

[@julianmay5653]

Thanks, I wanted to say the same thing.

[@arturogarduñoguitar]

I got to hear Eric Johnson live at the Cleveland house of blues. A phone or camera recording doesn’t do justice for how amazing his dirty and clean tone sounds. It is so beefy and warm on the low end while still retaining the bright and chimey sound strats are known for. That applies for both of his tones.

[@randychadwick3776]

Enjoyed everything you've done here! This takes me back to Hendrix' In The West album. When he kicks in the Wa peddle and blows out that screaming treble lead in Johnny Be Good. One of my all time favorites throughout the years.

[@stormraiders1172]

Omg I was trying to find the perfect pedal to get to replicates david gilmours sound thank u so much

[@timchalmers1700]

My favorite tone is the tone Mark Knopfler used on Sultans of Swing. Another interesting tone was by Pete Townshend: the headstock of a Strat being rammed thru the feeding back speaker.

[@jamjar1977]

Richie blackmores strat sound is iconic especially on live albums like made in japan

[@josemiguelcarrizo7373]

Hank Marvin, George Harrison (Nowhere man solo), Hendrix (Little wing), Blackmore (Made in Japan), Richard Thompson, Mark Knopfler, Gilmour (different tones in Shine on you crazy diamond).

[@adamguthrie7063]

I’d love to see more guitars (Les Paul, Tele, etc) have videos like this about them!

[@mike5177]

This!

[@marcsullivan1168]

The "Hendrix clean tone" is best achieved, in my "experience", by using a Fuzz Face type pedal (I use a Fulltone '69, among others) with a strat and ROLLING THE GUITAR VOLUME WAY DOWN. As the fuzz "cleans up" it leaves that slight hair and beautiful glassy clarity. It's the "Little Wing" sound and it was a revelation to me when I finally discovered it. It is one of my favorite clean tones to use, since. Then roll volume up for more gain for solos, and all the way up for fuzz tone

[@daviddrake6305]

Robin Trower on Bridge of Sighs is the greatest guitar tone I have ever heard period !!!

[@synonyx]

I've had that hendrix tone in my head for two years now, and I couldn't remeber where I had heard a certain part of it. You just played it. THANK YOU!

[@cbguitar9770]

One of my favorite Strat tones was Hughie Thomasson of the Outlaws. Snarly with a unique twangyness (all technical terms) that I've not quite heard from any other player. I believe the extra twang came from him picking closer to the bridge. "There Goes Another Love Song" and "Green Grass and High Tides" are great examples.

[@brianmcdermott281]

Rory Gallagher (VOX AC30 and a rangemaster treble booster) powerful, raw and dynamic tone

[@paulgrahammusic1]

And as a biproduct of Rory Gallagher's set up (treble booster into ac30) we got Brian Mays tone. He was a big fan of RG and tried to emulate his tone, ironically he accidentally ended up with his own unique with his red special guitar.

[@jono_young]

Awesome tones🎧😮‍💨🔥 You have more pedals than the tour de france 🙌👌

[@Vivi_9]

3:05 *Robert California liked that*

[@blendzofficial7814]

My 5 favorite Strat tones are as listed: Pickup switch position #1 Pickup switch position #2 Pickup switch position #3 Pickup switch position #4 Pickup switch position #5

[@rogersar86]

I have to say, watching your hands almost effortlessly operate the tremolo bar and the pickup selector while playing those Hendrix solos is something that not only boggles my mind, but also makes me want to understand more about why you are doing it. Obviously it's a tone thing, but to dig deeper, it makes me wonder why you're doing it.

[@ethanpunto9222]

You can hear it if you listen closely, perhaps with headphones. He doesn't really operate the tremolo while changing pickups just kinda has it in his fingers ready for when he does. You can hear the tone changing in and out as he changes pickups and then of course the dive with the tremolo bar after that is self explanatory

[@andrewbecker3700]

Everybody likes different guitarists and styles. I think Ritchie Blackmore will always be the biggest influence on my guitar tastes through a Strat. Then it's gotta be David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler. There's so many greats. R.I.P. Jeff Beck. A series of videos like this gives you a chance to share some of your favorites. Could actually do dozens of them, depending on the brand or specific models of guitars. Lots of great content there for sure.

[@TordiMoore]

Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler is also my favorite Strat sounds recorded so far! 🤘😎🎸 Ritchie Blackmore is my favorite guitarist, Pink Floyd are my favorite band, and Mark Knopfler's "Sultan Of Swing" is my favorite song. If you ask me, the Stratocaster is just the perfect guitar ;)

[@andrewbecker3700]

@@TordiMoore There's just soo many great guitarists that are "strat players". Jimmy and Stevie Ray Vaughan come to mind, along with Clapton.

[@norseman61]

I agree with every one of your choices, but when Knopfler has that Strat in his hand, there is absolutely no doubt what that instrument is. I think he’s got the Strattiest tone of all those Strat legends. Well, Gilmour (my favorite, if I HAD to pick) is pretty damn Stratty, too. And Hendrix. Beck, too. Ah Hell, they’re ALL the Strattiest!

[@MikeYeary]

Gilmour's is my favorite, but you could do a whole video like this on just his different tones.

[@martinfiolic8530]

Ritchie Blackmore should've been on the list as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, one of the most inspiring guitarists and has many great guitar riffs

[@faccsmachine]

All great tones! Hope you’re feeling better dude. 🤙

[@ilachow]

Love that "Gilmour" bridge tone! Well done.

[@sammygofast]

Phillip Sayce's live performance of "Once" at the 2022 Dallas International Guitar Festival was absolutely mind blowing. Talk about into the 'Strat'osphere!

[@189pinto]

Holy crap dude! I've walked around Nashville plenty and I could totally see the beer bottle thing happening.

[@Strotophonic]

Great Job Man.........I was very impressed with the Fruciante's berserker Mode........didn't know he could do that!!!!......I got to check that out. I however want to point out that In my Humble opinion the Voodoo Tone has to come from real speakers Moving Air, again just my opinion, I got a Marshall Vintage Modern and I swear that to my ears to you have to get those Power Tubes going, those speakers Shaking.......your attack has to be agressive. I can't get that on the console. Again just my two cents. Great Video again.

[@maxtgrant]

Black heaven the song by earthless is definitely my favorite. It’s so fucking gnarly. Isaiah is the man

[@landonsalmonsen1273]

One tone that I would say is a really cool Strat tone and underrated is the tone on Life in the Fast Lane by the eagles. That delay and just the good ol fashioned drive on that is just awesome

[@notshadow4061]

Hope you're doing good Tyler sorry about the beer attack, maybe it'll leave a cool scar

[@guybayo2002]

Hank Marvin (from the Shadows) has the best strat tone, and nothing could ever change my mind!!!

[@anthonymoore1705]

too right mate, hank did it best, but never gets the credit he deserves does he,?

[@guybayo2002]

@@anthonymoore1705 So right! Nobody ever mentions Hank, but he was the first, and the best, he's the first person who could tell a whole story and paint a scenery with no words, just simple guitar melodies! He's a pioneer of using guitar effects, and his tone is so majestic!

[@anthonymoore1705]

@@guybayo2002 correct, plus he influenced so many players that went on to be great players themselves,

[@guybayo2002]

@@anthonymoore1705 YES! So true! I live in Israel, and literally every single one of our best guitar player has said that he was a HUGE Shadows fan! And you can indeed hear the huge influence all over our greatest songs! (In fact if you want I can send you a link to an instrumental song our best guitar player did, Hanks influence is VERY present there, it's really really good)

[@anthonymoore1705]

@@guybayo2002 ok mate send it and i'll have a look.

[@joeabstractjoe]

Fantastic video 🎉

[@lloydonlead]

I bought a Fender mim Jimi Hendrix stratocaster just to get that fantastic tone he had. The guitar produces the tone pretty damn well not to mention the amazing playability.

[@greggpbowlz]

I enjoyed this. Nice concept, taking inspiration but doing your own thing with it.

[@eddievanhelsing]

My favorite electric guitar intro and one of my favorite guitar tones ever is the guitar tone for Lights by Journey. Strat neck pickup into a compressor and echoplex into a cranked marshall with greenbacks. It is so good.

[@maxdegraaf1333]

I love the KWS tone

[@9unslin9er]

Top 3 for me: 1) Keith Scott - Summer of '69 2) Neil Schon - Lights 3) Lincoln Brewster...literally everything Strat related

[@eddievanhelsing]

Yes on lights! That has to be my favorite electric guitar intro ever I love it so much.

[@joedonuts13]

All the Hendrix tones were my favs. He was a wizard with the Strat!

[@Stretch09]

Honestly, I love all these tones for all their own reasons. So many tones for so many different styles, parts, nuances.. yeah.

[@borgonianevolution]

The drawback to all those great Strat tones is the ever present and ever AWESOME hum....

[@kkrsnn5632]

Strat clean sounds and neck pickup are wonders for me 😎

[@megarocker8591]

Idk if it’s been said but the Strat tone in Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Shepherd was always one of my favorite Strat tones.

[@prsfan01]

Thank you for covering the SRV Riviera Paradise thing. He did that glassy bell tone better than most. Left out anything by Dire Straits…the 4 position strat tone is synonymous with their music.

[@jamesjimenez4934]

Henry Garza (Los Lonely Boys) has some great strat tones, severely underrated

[@Frenchmelodymaker]

Hendrix defined the strat tone, Billy Corgan and Frusciante had an awesome strat tone too

[@bobarum8914]

No Ritchie blackmore????? His strat tone was one of the best and most recognizable in history

[@rianelliott1]

SOOO disappointed that you didn’t include Billy Corgan’s sonic wall of sound from the early Smashing Pumpkins days (Siamese Dream / Melancholy era). Not only super fun to play around with, but also super unique. You knew what band it was as soon as you heard the guitar…

[@rmaxtpmx]

That's not so much a strat tone, as it is a big muff tone. Plug any guitar into stacked muffs, and the guitar is no longer relevant.

[@e_xcalibur578]

I have my first strat delivering soon!!! Thanks for uploading this video I'm really excited to mess with these tones:D

[@jono_young]

Enjoy the icon that is the strat dude 🎧🔥

[@e_xcalibur578]

@@jono_young it truly is! I was obsessed with strats since I played some random squier mm strat😂

[@jmittere914]

I just got one too, so this video is perfectly timed!

[@chrisshaw6451]

Love the voodoo tones Tyler, and the Hendrix clean, but they're all great in some way. 👍❤️

[@JohnShalamskas]

That David Gilmour "Comfortably Numb" solo sounded a little off to me. Missing some swirl, like a flanger or low speed leslie speaker. Really liked how you saved the best (Jimi Hendrix) for last.

[@geoffreytodd]

LOVEEEE the Frusciante strat tone. the edge of breakup on his vintage Marshall amps are so perfect to my ears for that dirty clean tone. then adding a DS-2 and a fuzz like Bif Muff for the Live at Slane Castle is my ultimate tone goal. I also like the John Mayer clean tones, but not as much as Fru. The Jimi clean is awesome too, but for me playing, i like a little cleaner/less OD. Obvi that Jimi fuzz sound is just iconicccc.

[@Emrys345_Guitar]

Great video! I have a tele, but all my favorite players are or were on strats. I plan on getting one with I hit the one year mark on guitar,

[@TheAlexCruz]

Daaaaaaaamn!.....that SRV tone was puuuuurfect!

[@Henriqueleal0609]

Hendrixs tones on cry of love are some of my favorites. From the Storm and Angel have some of the best tones ive ever heard. Freedom is great too. Love everything else he made but cry of love is the besy

[@jandejongh]

Great list; thanks... I'd add Robert Cray (Right Next Door).

[@bestboy897]

fantastic tones

[@BradColemanisHere]

Yeah I just love the Bridge God sound and I think it is close to some other great rock tones without major adjustments. The EJ clean is the best clean ever.

[@danielban1555]

Bold as love has been my favorite guitar tone since I was a kid, before I ever even thought of picking up a guitar

[@PFB1994]

We Want Moore - Live album by Gary Moore from around 1984 . Heard that and was hooked on Strats ever since. (Although like the Tele quite a bit too)

[@stereoroid]

Chris Rea got some awesome tones with his Strat e.g. Stainsby Girls, It’s All Gone, and many more.

[@julianmay5653]

For me the 10 best Stratocaster Tones would be 1. The Edge - Where the Streets have no Name 2. Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child 3. Mark Knopfler - Sultans Of Swing 4. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Lenny 5. David Gilmour - Time 6. Richie Blackmore - Lazy 7. The Edge - The Fly 8. John Frusciante - Dani California 9. Eric Clapton - Layla 10. John Mayer - Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

[@jonathanhines2441]

Clapton on the Layla album, Journeyman era, and I really think he has had many other great Strat tones as well. Some have effects and some are straight into an amp. Live shows from 1986-87 had tones I really think are cool.

[@bradygoldman6319]

The Hendrix tones were pretty close but to my ear the rest of the tones were a bit brighter. The SRV tone definitely felt brighter though it was well in the vein of Stevie’s tone.

[@GreenDistantStar]

Rory Gallagher's Strat tone, hard to beat.

[@calebfisher7345]

What about slow dancing in a burning room??? Best clean strat tone imo

[@Joe96892]

Hey, you finished a list!!

[@JumboJimbo015]

Lowell George for me! Although not a true Strat tone, seeing as he liked to have Tele bridge pickups, in place of the stock bridge pups. But to me that's some of the best tone to be put to tape.

[@siggesjolin5167]

I think the John Mayer tone should have been slow dancing in a burning room. I know it’s really really heavily played, but it’s such a good tone

[@whyguy3651]

You might have a badass scar now tbh. You become more of a rockstar everyday I swear

[@cassianandor4103]

Before having watched the video yet, here are some of my picks for some of the best or most iconic strat tones: SRV (duh) Buddy Guy's tone with his iconic polka dot strat Eric Johnson tone Cliffs of Dover for example The clean tone on Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight Tonight🎉 The tones Ritchie Blackmore achieved with Deep Purple, like on Strange Kind of Woman Jimi Hendrix clean tone like on Wind Cries Mary or Sandcastles Made of Sand Hank Marvin clean tones with the Shadows John Fruscisnte's RHCP strat tones

[@zionroberts7686]

One of my favorite modern day strat players is Brian Murray of Dogs in a Pile! If you haven’t checked dogs out you’re missing out!

[@falielover]

I'm so glad he mentioned Manhattan , that song is truly a masterpiece but underappreciated sadly

[@uniqdzign2]

For me, it has to be Jeff Beck's Strat sound. One note, and you just knew!

[@clust11]

Nick Johnson and Eric Gales have sick tones!!!

[@frodeleirvik]

Several good mentions here, indeed! I'd like to add Terje Rypdal to the list. Mesmerizing tone - and feel...

[@scoobydoo2004]

nothing beats yngwie’s tone on Marching out

[@norseman61]

Great stuff. Strats and Teles are about the only two guitars that are instantly identifiable running clean straight into the amp (to my ears, anyway). LPs, SGs, Jags, JMs, etc. are all GREAT guitars, but I don’t think their tones are as immediately identifiable (to me) if I took a blindfolded tone test.

[@Boveanisgris]

Ruban Nelson has got to have my favorite tone, especially in the song "American Guilt."

[@theowlsyndicate5049]

Andy Timmons- Electric Gypsy comes to mind!

[@sandesh.sange.moktan]

Every tone there is a career on it you cannot beat a sweet curvy strat

[@NinjaMatt2201]

Billy Corgan on Smashing Pumpkins' Gish/Siamese Dream.

[@drej1714]

The first Godsmack album was recorded entirely on a Strat

[@enzomiguel7373]

Lenny - Stevie Ray Vaughan Cliffs Of Dover and Manhattan - Eric Johnson Sorrow (Live Pulse) - David Gilmour Best strat tones ever, in my opinion…

[@luzdaviola]

Jimi on Band of Gypsys. Searing tones, funky, fuzzed out, creamy and wild!

SRV, Lenny. Eric Johnson, Trademark. John Mayer, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. David Gilmour, Comfortably Numb (ABSOLUTELY). John Frusciante, Under the Bridge.

[@tenkarabadger5244]

Billy Corgan on Gish and Siamese Dream.

[@althaz]

My favourite strat tone is Frusciante's from the Under the Bridge intro. It's absolutely glorious.

[@TheYellowDart72]

EJ Clean is my favorite on this list

[@DacaisenJ]

Honestly phillip sayce has one of the best strat tones I’ve ever heard

[@AORTA_X_FEVER]

"Get Lucky". Thanks Tyler.

[@xxdr34m5xx_4]

Yeess more tone videos 🔥🔥

[@solaris70]

You aRe HeLLA i love this video everything you play is Absolutely Stellar i love your choice of lead guitar style runs and chords all of the riffs and phrases it's all wAyy Thank You sO' much Music iS WiN \¡¡/

[@ericheideman8839]

Jimmie Vaughan on the Fabulous Thunderbirds records, Ronnie Earl T-bone boogie live, and Buddy Guy!