Superstrat

Superstrat (sometimes spelled as sooper strat or super-strat) is a name for an electric guitar design that resembles a Fender Stratocaster but with differences that clearly distinguish it from a standard Stratocaster, usually to cater to a different playing style. Differences typically (but not necessarily) include more pointed, aggressive-looking body and neck shapes, different tonewoods, increased number of frets, and usage of humbucking pickups, and Floyd Rose tremolo systems.^[1][2][3]

There is no formal definition of a superstrat;^[3] the categorisation is still largely left to popular opinion and depends greatly on the artist(s) associated with a particular model and how it is marketed. Superstrats are generally suited for heavy metal music played with high-gain distortion.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Genesis, custom modifications 1.2 Mass production 1.3 Fender's response 1.4 End of superstrat era 2 See also 3 References

History

Genesis, custom modifications

With the increased popularity in heavy metal music during the early 1980s, guitarists began seeking out guitars more suited to the new style, both in terms of looks (more "pointy" aggressive designs) and playability (ease of playing and fatter tone that sounds good with hi-gain amplification). Guitarists such as Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth and Dave Murray had used Fender Stratocasters, but each had minor modifications made to his instrument to suit his individual playing style.

Eddie Van Halen was the first to build a guitar with superstrat characteristics. Dissatisfied with the performance of then-available commercial-off-the-shelf guitars, Van Halen sought to create a hybrid instrument that would suit his acrobatic playing style. The stock pickups of a Fender Stratocaster were noisy, and lacked the output necessary to drive an amplifier into hard distortion (characteristic of the Van Halen sound), but the body shape and wide pitch range of the Fender fulcrum tremolo appealed to him. An avid tinkerer, Van Halen assembled a Boogie Bodies Stratocaster body with a thin, 21-fret maple neck and a high-output humbucking Gibson PAF in the bridge slot. This guitar, known as the "Frankenstrat" was featured on Van Halen's debut album Van Halen, and pictured on the album cover. It was later repainted with a top coat of red, and has had different humbucker pickups over the years, some of them custom-wound.^[4]

Soon, other guitarists and luthiers would also apply similar custom modifications to their instruments. Many sources cite Grover Jackson as one of the first (and most influential) guitar makers to have crafted custom shop guitars with all the features of superstrats, doing so as early as 1981.^[2][3][5][6] Later all these improvements were integrated in factory-produced Jackson Soloist model.

Mass production

Since about 1983-1984, companies such as Kramer,^[7] Jackson,^[7] Charvel,^[7] Yamaha, Aria,^[7] Ibanez,^[7] and Hamer started mass production of superstrat design guitars due to growing market demand. Rising popularity of heavy metal music led to a whole new generation of guitarists that employed fast and complex techniques, previously only heard in bluegrass and jazz, which demanded thinner and more versatile guitar necks and stable tremolo systems. Some examples of guitars marketed to this specific audience include:

• Kramer Baretta (1983–1991) — an early guitar with Floyd Rose, one slanted humbucker, but more traditional neck and body contours. Baretta has a close connection to Van Halen's Frankenstrat — it was designed to be marketed as Van Halen's signature model, but, in the outcome, Eddie had never endorsed the Baretta in terms of playing it on stage.^[8]
• Dean Bel Aire (1983–1984) — an early HSS guitar dubbed "superstrat"^[9] (however, it's still with bolt-on neck, 22 frets and vintage tremolo).
• Jackson Soloist (officially produced since August 28, 1984^[10]) — HSS guitar with neck-through construction, 24 frets and Floyd Rose/Kahler bridge — the fullest pack of Superstrat features to date in mass-produced guitar, considered by many the first "real" superstrat.

During the rest of 1980s, due to huge marketing success, most guitar companies had at least one model of superstrat in mass production.

Fender's response

Fender responded to the superstrat fashion in the mid-1980s, producing a number of models until 2009.

• Fender Contemporary Stratocaster Japan(1984–1987)
• Fender Performer (1985–1986)
• Fender HM Strat (1988–1992)
• Fender Prodigy (1991–1993)
• Fender Showmaster (1998–2009)

Gibson also produced some models inspired by the superstrat:^[6]:

• Gibson WRC (1985–1986) — an early and rare Wayne Charvel model, a line of guitar manufactured exclusively by Wayne Charvel and branded as Gibson.
• Gibson US-1 (1986^[11]-1991^[12]) — first Gibson mass-manufactured try at superstrat market^[11]
• Gibson U-2 (1987^[11]-1992) — second Gibson's superstrat, a somewhat stripped down version of US-1, featuring basswood body without a figured top, dot inlays, and regular pickups.^[11]
• Gibson Q series
• Gibson M-III (1991–1994)

End of superstrat era

In early and mid-1990s, heavy metal and particularly shredding suffered popularity decline, in favor of grunge, nu metal, alternative metal and other styles. Popularity of superstrats also declined, in favor of guitars more suited to these new styles.^[3] Lots of companies that relied on superstrats as major part of their target market suffered heavy losses and went out of business or were bought by larger corporations:

• Guild went out of solid-body guitar business in 1988.^[3] Only hollow-body instruments are still manufactured under Guild brand after its acquisition by Fender in 1995.^[13]

• Hamer was acquired by Kaman Music Corporation in 1988,^[14] which in turn was acquired by Fender in 2008. As of 2008^[update], Hamer reduced their superstrat selection to just one model, the Californian.^[15]

• Dean was sold to Tropical Music in 1990. Superstrat production was resumed by its new owner in Korea.^[3]

• Kramer went bankrupt in 1990^[3] and was sold to Gibson since the early 1990s.

• Jackson and Charvel brands were bought by Fender in 2002.^[16]

• Ibanez suffered heavy losses in 1991-1993 and had to undergo a major restructuring of model lineup, adding such series as GR ("Ghostrider"), Blazer, TC ("Talman"), RT (from "Retro") guitars, TR (from "Traditional") and ATK basses. Older Iceman model and even forgotten Ibanez Gibraltar bridge were resurrected as part of "vintage" followup. This restructuring kept the company afloat, as well as tweaking its image as "metal guitar only company" to a more customer-appealing one.^[17]

See also

• Fat Strat

References