My Texas Blues Strat Buying Advice 

couldn't even make it to the end of the video before curiosity got the best of me, i got my ass up off the couch, got my measuring tape and measured my fret hand. 🤣

The part about fret size and ease of bending blew my mind. Makes perfect sense.

“How you feel effects how you play” That’s the main thing you said. No one else will know how it feels except for you! Good video. Very educational.

Thank you Anthony!! Been playing for a LONG time and hadn’t yet considered all these factors - which add up, especially for my love of Blues and Southern Rock! So helpful!!

Thanks Anthony for taking the time to create this lesson , I found it really interesting & useful

Well explained. Wish someone would have done this video in the days when I was looking to put a strat together. Really, really helpful! Stay safe, dude.

Thank you so much for all of these points. Honestly, you solved mysteries countless other channels and videos only made more obscure to me and saved me from buying Texas Specials needlessly!🥰🕺🏿

Thanks for all the input and work you have done over the years! Personally, I think this is a great place to start with achieving the srv tone/feel and is a perfect video on that. Just like to highlight as your sort of reference it's a guide and a great one at that for people to learn what works for them and adapt to there own individual characteristics. Thanks Anthony

Thank you for sharing this well thought out and comprehensive video. I've wondered so often about the topics you cover here and have never found a resource that fully explains the differences in neck shapes and pickups etc.. as concisely and clearly as this presentation. I appreciate the time and effort very much. Thanks!

The most educational clip I've seen explaining the technicalities to the uninformed. Can't thank you enough. I'm an acoustic player who only recently started dabbling around with electric guitars and being a technical type I was really looking for something explaining the tech stuff. Tks sooo much....

Playing Since the 70s, and I still pick up a lot of tips from what you have to share. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us all!

Thank you for the next-level advice. The bit at 28:10 or so about less output on the pickup's if you play in an aggressive style is very insightful and helpful. Thank you.

Great video. I was blessed in the early/mid '70s to see SRV up close and personal at The Nickel Keg in San Marcos Tx and The One Knight in Austin. His hands were HUGE and he had power in them. I've never seen such an informative video before on all the variables that can effect playing and tone and comfort. Truly an education. Thanks again!

Mate, your videos are really interesting and its great that you take so much attention and love to this issues. cheers

Diamond geezer, great to hear somebody who actually has an idea about what they are talking about 👍 I'm learning Texas blue as a newbie to both guitar and bass and this has saved me YEARS of trying to figure it out. Ta mate from across the pond.

Such a great video Anthony!!!! A lot of great sensible info here!!!!

Great vid with lots of hints and explanations! Thank you very much for sharing.

Anthony, thanks for breaking it down. Excellent explanation of a complicated subject.

Thanks really appreciate this video even though I’ve already bought my strats. Love hearing guitarist talk about blues and guitars.

This video was a huge help in my search for a CS strat with the perfect specs for my hands. Thanks man!

Man you've explained stuff I didnt know I needed to hear.....Subbed for life!

Thank You! I have been playing since 1980, tried to learn TX blues in the 90's with TAB books :(. I struggled and struggled with the bends. After watching your video I bought a good quality (Warmoth with finish defect) neck with Jumbo frets and installed it on a strat style guitar. The difference is AMAZING! Yes, being able to get under the strings makes all the difference! It makes perfect sense, but no one had ever explained it to me as you did. Thank you thank you thank you. I plan to subscribe to your courses as soon as I get on my feet financially.

Excellent video. Thanks for breaking it all down.

A fantastic video on buying a strat. Certainly given me reasons to rethink what I am looking for. Yes, I too measured my hand. Thanks for sharing 🤠🎸

Power is knowledge. 'Overthinking' is better than 'under-thinking'... it is just a matter of making adjustments according to your personal tastes (even if it means 'dialing it back' some). This is an excellent video. It provides a basic knowledge to those that have never given much thought to "why?". It provides a better understanding of 'why' you can walk into a music store and try 10 different versions of a particular style guitar and walk away with the feeling only one was the 'perfect fit'. You have helped to explain the 'why' in all of it!

Brilliant. I learned so much about my SRV Strat watching this. Awesome video man!!!

This was a thorough and informative video. Thanks for sharing it. I really enjoyed it.

Incredibly informative! I knew all this stuff from being a Strat fan for years but it's always good to refresh one's knowledge. As an SRV fan and an ex-SRV Strat owner (circa '97), I always looked for the specs that similarly matched that of SRV's n˚1. In 2014 I purchased a 60th Anniversary Classic Player '50s MIM Strat (a mouthful) with a soft-V neck shape, Medium Jumbo 6130 frets, vintage Strat pickups and 9.5" fretboard radius. Not exactly what I have always envisioned as the ultimate Strat specs for the kind of music I like to play, but the selling points for me were that it was on sale for 50% off, which came up to the same MSRP in the U.S. where I live, the color which I loved, but mostly the fact that it's finished with Nitro (neck and body), which ages much better than Poly and is much thinner, hoping it allows the wood to breathe more and resonate better. The vintage pickups sounded really snappy and thin so I replaced with a set of Jazzy Cats, which sounded much better but did not produce that mid range girth I was hoping for (too scooped), great for playing in the style of John Mayer but not exactly SRV or Hendrix-esh. I realized then that the most likely culprit is most likely the maple fretboard! As far as the soft-V shape, with hand size very similar to Anthony, I always felt I was missing something, which took some time to convince myself it's just my own mental bias that's keeping me from fully contending with what I have. In comparison to my "97 SRV Strat, I would say it's fine but not ideal. Btw, I don't think the '97 SRV had an a-symmetric neck. Not sure! I also upgraded the tone and volume caps to orange drops, swapped the galvanized aluminum pickguard to a vintage mint green Nitro one and fashioned my own bone nut to make it my own. Is it ideal? Most likely not, but I would venture to say it's more than good enough for a bedroom player like myself. I'm happy!

I don’t believe it matters what style you are playing, this is a great video fo have seen! I’ve not known anyone who has put out such a dynamite video on how to choose a guitar... period. Thanks, and please continue this video with other options for playing with style! 👍

Great stuff Anthony! I like your notes about the lower output pickups. I think amps react very differently when you start to feed in pickups that are too hot. It can completely change the personality and thin out a guitar that would otherwise sound fat and creamy... Wonderful video.

Modern C is 0.83-0.87 Early 60s C is around 0.79-0.93 (probably the normal non-modern C in non custom fenders) Mid 60s C is around 0.82-0.97 (I think thats the 'thick C') The '59 D rosewood necks are around 0.79-0.98 The american original neck should be pretty big, I believe it's comparable to the custom shop '65 neck, which is 0.875-0.98 or something like that. The fender strat neck with 1.00-1.00 dimensions is mostly used on the ancho poblano custom strat if I recall correctly... This should be a good guideline for everyone looking to buy a fender strat, I think. I bought a '62 custom shop strat with an early 60s C neck, the actual dimensions are 0.79-0.90, which is comfortable to me. :) Edit: Measurements are in inches and always 1st-12th fret.

Lots of wisdom in this video. Thanks!

Excellent video, particularly the information on neck profiles.

So so interesting and produced ! Well done 👍....love it ...even if I know my neck shape ! Awesome video. Kind regards from France 🇫🇷

Well thought out review, useful information, thanks!

Very important points, especially for us mere mortals who aren't born with natural talent. Your points were taken to heart, sir!

Wow, nice point about bending on the tall frets, eye-opening, thank You sir.

Awesome video! I just started playing 9 months ago, and I am an aspiring Stevie Ray Vaughan. I bought 2 strats so far, but neither is configured for Texas blues. Based on your video I have one sitting on the Fender Mod Shop website waiting to be built. Thank you so much for the advice! Looking forward to future videos to help me progress.

Wooow, for me one of the best Strat-Videos. I´ve got 3 of them, each diferent. You´re so right. Fender and Warmoth shoud pay you. :)

Whoa, I just want a Strat 😁 A very nice guide through the specs, thanks 😁

I specifically ordered the 63 C neck on a custom Strat after feeling how well it filled in my hand for playing chords with the Hendrix “thumb over the neck” approach. It took me a while to realize thinner wasn’t necessarily better. Until it arrives, I will keep loving on my MIM Strat! It has become my go-to for my videos.

Great knowledge, thanks man,really helps to understand the whole stratocaster .

Fantastic video, wish there was more stuff like this on RU-vid. The Les Paul guys and British Blues style players should do something like this breaking down Les Pauls and semi-hollow bodies for nailing that style. You do a great job with everything, and I can relate to what you're talking about with necks. D profile fit me the best. For years I played those modern C necks and always found them to be feeling somewhat off with my grip. It wasn't until I started playing D shape necks, I realized what it was and what a difference it made with my hand grip.

Another great helpful video Anthony thanks again!!

Excellent discussion. I learned a lot.

Best video ever. Very helpful and info is spot on!

amazing video Mr.! Super clear. Thank you.

Excellent video. It is informative with opinions where it counts. Not having a group support I had/have a lot of questions about guitars. After buying few, and i customizing myself few, intuitively I got the idea that what it matters is what you have presented here. A must view for anyone trying to buy a guitar. Thanks! PS you may try the amp choices as well ...

I'm a beginner and had to say I love your channel man thank you so much for all your hard work. I grew around blues my dad played piano and our living room was were they jammed,my father has passed and I miss the watching my dad playthank God I habe some cd's of his music because I can close my eyes and see daddy play.( eyes are leaking) I got in a car crash and and now I'm disabled and in bed most of the time lot so I want to learn to play the guitar. God bless you brother

One of the best buying guides ever

Great video dude...,would’ve been great having this knowledge yrs back when I started

Such a useful and interesting video. Thanks

Glad to find another Zexcoil player. I settled on them after a ton of research and ever since then the Strat I equipped with them has been my main guitar.

What a great video. I sanded down my legs Paul back to feel more like the new strats and I love it. Just wish I saw this vid first lol

Very informative video and well done. Thank you for sharing. 🤠🎸🤘

Very useful info for sure. I have a Les Paul with a 12 in radius fretboard, and then I recently acquired a Strat with the 9.5 fretboard. I appreciate getting a look at the various options there are with fret heights, varied radius sizes, and seeing cutaway views of the different neck shapes. I had heard of most neck options, but hadn’t heard about the ‘asymmetrical’ neck. It seems like it makes sense, and would be worth trying out. I can’t bother to ‘overthink’ all the variables, but it’s just good to know what can contribute to having a ‘better fit,’ next time I’m ready to sort of shop for another guitar, and start to check some out. Aside from all that, I appreciate getting to listen to a guy who plays killer blues guitar as well as Anthony does, as he talks about why, or why not, he might prefer one neck, or fret style over another. Thanks Anthony!

great info, thanks a lot for the nice comparisons

Thanks dude, Great advice, very helpful. Cheers

The maple vs rosewood comparison and the neck profile info were very interesting to me. I have small hands and fingers - from the tip of my middle finger to the base of my hand 6.5 inches - a full inch shorter than Anthony's. For years I have had problems with guitar necks that just seem too big for me (and I like to play chords with my thumb over the top). Now I know how to evaluate neck size before I buy. Thanks again!

Great video, lots of ideas. I’m with you on the neck sizing. My Strat has a modern C and I’m thinking about swapping it out for something wider via Warmoth myself.

Bill Carson designed the Stratocaster for Fender. In a '91 interview he said everybody was hot for that SRV sound. He told Fender they can easily do that Just use worn out magnets..

Very interresting and informative video! Thanks!

I have a 2019 American Fender Pro Strat with rosewood fingerboard and narrow tall frets. It took awhile to get used to the frets but now I like them. Great guitar and sound.

Cool ! This video couldn't come at a better time. Just deciding on which Strat to buy. Thanks

Thank you!! Years and years of scouring RU-vid for aa video like this and you nailed it. I have large hands(8 and a half Inches) and have a Modern C Neck Tele....It was a gift so I didn't have much say in the matter. Thanks to your video I have a pretty good idea to go for a Fatback or Boatneck profile neck. Suscribed.

Excellent video very informative.

I've been contemplating replacing my neck pickup with either the Tex Mex or Texas Specials. This helped me decide, thanks!

I remember when you first began and I actually copied your SRV Strat. I got the Graph Tech saddles & the auto trim tuning gears. The triple ply pick guard, Even went with your Zexcoils! Lol. Since then I’ve had a number of strats including a few custom shops, but I still love that SRV. The neck is just so nice! John McKenna 😎

very interesting... i learn more with this post

I've learn quite a lot on my very first Stratocaster, a black '95 Special (MIM) i bought brand new in '96; it was the HSS config w/vintage specs and a 9.5-inch radiused maple neck w/21 medium jumbo frets bolted onto a multipieced poplar body. For over 22yrs i dealt with its imperfections like getting a dark quack from a middle SC paired w/a 3.9K split humbucking outer coil (7.8K full) on 2 so i'd reconfigure both 8K SC's moving it to the neck position giving me an unStratty tone i discovered I'd keep while retaining the deep NMQ (neck/middle quack) on 4. Weeks after the 1yr warranty expired in '97, i swapped the seized low E tuner for a cheap offset tuner that held its own among the Klusonesque tuners without ever going out of tune; however I kept breaking the D B & high E strings so I put on a set of those Graphtech String Saver saddles intended for an narrow spaced import guitar and for over 18yrs i hadn't broken anymore strings but i accidentally screwed the tremolo bar in the block too far and broke the threads in it so I blocked the already decked bridge. I replaced those mismatched tuners w/a set of Tonepros improved version of Kluson Deluxe tuners and i can feel the strings vibrate more! I did a pickguard swap from black to white and the neck positioned RWRP SC was damaged when the pickup cover came off and then decided the traditional SSS loaded pickguard was the only way to go so i ordered a B&G Golden Age Alnico 5 from Stewmac; @ DC resistances (identically similar to Fender Tex-Mex pickups [6.3K bridge, 6.4 mid & 6.5 neck]) made a big difference in the mildly spicy tone i couldn't get from stock setup but then i rewired it w/CTS 250K pots, Sprague orange capacitors (0.022 middle & 0.047 neck/bridge), a CRL 5-way switch as well as new pushcloth wiring but this time i swapped the bridge & middle SC's retaining the BMQ (bridge/middle quack) with the bridge positioned RWRP & neck pickups on 4 (only to discover that unStratty tone was similar to a Fender Classic 50s Telecaster with both pickups in parallel!), but I was still missing something. I watched a few videos of the Highwood saddles and after 18 yrs of being without the original saddles I decided to put them back on after the deburring the edges that caused the strings to break, then I put on a fresh set of strings and THAT was it along w/a Graphtech Tusq XL nut, a triple string tree and a mint green pickguard; playing the blues on 5 is SOOO awesome! By the way, seven months strong and i still haven't broke a string yet! Nearly 20yrs ago i bought a pair of Dimarzio Virtual Vintage Blues pickups i wanted to put in my Strat but I wouldn't do it without a third stacked pickup so I ordered an Area 58 last summer and loaded all three stack Dimarzios in the mintguard, starting out the Area 58 in the middle position, then I moved it to the bridge and now it's currently in the neck after watching RU-vid videos demonstrating the pickup in that position which sounds very sweet and to anyone with stacked or twin railed humbuckers in their Strats, i highly recommend opening em up w/a 1-Meg volume pot. They're guaranteed to make em sound like actual single coils without the 60-cycle hum and a treble bleed cap may be needed if you don't care for a dark roll-off but apart from that I love my Strat over 25yrs later and i still haven't broken any strings yet between changing sets of em and it's been two years ago since i put my steel saddles back on!

Great advice, thank you

Thanks, very good explanation and tips. Refreshing to get an open ended opinion. With advice to go to off site links and no sales pitch in the end.

I owned a strat with the warmoth fatback profile like you’re talking about. You’re right hand fatigue was more present with that. I also bought a warmoth neck with the boatneck profile and that is still 1” thick but has a taper on the sides of the neck. Much more comfortable and that’s my perfect fit and my main guitar.

Great video Anthony! Representing Berks county PA here!

Love your video skills and angles

Some really good information on here 😃

Thank you...a lot of very useful info

Yes ,This is great stuff because I built a couple and bought a couple and kind of fuzzy on a few things that help clear up the Mucky water 😀But you covered everything this is great.

Nice job. Very informative. Thx

I been playing since the 80s and I agree with everything here. I have several sets of underwound pups and love them because I play through a Marshall and it works. I did though buy a guitar with Duncan hot P90s and it is amazing and very different from my usual. P90 are the king of pickups

Really great video! I don't play Texas blues but still really interesting and informative :-)

Very useful. Thanks!

My hand size is exactly like yours, size wise, and I just purchased a Fender American professional Strat. It has the "Deep C" maple neck, and I love it.

Really great information ❕

Thank you for this.. Very informative

Well done!

Good info...... particularly the pickup power info. I suppose pickup height also plays a part in output but overall some good info there.... cheers

excellent video!

Great video... Thanks!

My friend Ron Thompson who passed away earlier this year. Was given a guitar that was made by fender for Eric Clapton but he didn't like it so he gave it to my friend. I just wanted to share that with you. Another fine video. And maybe one day I'll be blessed with a Jimmie Vaughan signature Model Guitar. I'd really love to have the SRV model 2. Thanks again many blessings

interesting when talking about the neck/profile size, my hands are the same dimensions as yours but the hand itself is smaller and fingers slightly longer. I like the boat neck and the old Jeff Beck which is about the size of the warmoth "fatback" I do a lot of thumb over ala Hendrix or SRV. I also have the Warmoth "59 Roundback" that's pushing it a little bit for me, radius 9.5" down to 7" feels good for blues and bending, compound or flatter radius not too good for me, 6115 are great frets, I was just having a discussion with someone about 6100 are too high for chording. I find lighter bodied stratocasters sound better regardless of finish or type of wood. This video made me reconsider the SRV neck. Medium to medium high output pickup are good, Zexcoils are great, Lindy Fralin and Texas Specials, SD SSL5 all work good too, Highwood saddles are great, check them out ;) . Thanks for spending the time and detailing. Appreciate all that you do, stay safe!

Great tutorial!

Here from Brazil, a big hug to everyone!

Very educational, thank you 🙏🏽

I’ve got about 10 different strats on my list. Now, thanks to this video, I can narrow that list!

Thanks man just a newb but I listened all the way through something might stick in my brian with a few scratch notes.

GOODNESS(!) this is simply THE BALLS!!!! I'm a believer!

Very instructive. Thanks!

My perception about some subjects covered. Large frets can compensate for a thinner neck and slightly increase the treble. Higher action changes the bass response on the guitar. It sounds a little fatter. You can adjust the height of the pickup according to the amount of force you use to play. I use a lot of force on the guitar, and to make up for it I adjust the texas specials as low as I can without losing too much volume. This also affects the tone and sustain of the guitar. Grate Video.

Man you nailed it with the medium jumbo fender uses. I hate i cannot bend without worry of occasionally losing the grip of the string. Slides out. Mine are like new and I have this issue. But on my Squier 60s cv has medium tall. They are almost perfect. I am thinking the hb fusion I have has jumbo frets nice and stainless steel and tall. Makes me want all my guitars re fretted to SS same size. I love bending and its most what I play. Awesome video man.