# Fender guitars for metal



## JakeRI (Nov 19, 2008)

what do you guys think about playing fender guitars for metal? im in an argument with someone about. i wouldn't do it.

the setting would be:
a progressive, heavy, band with meshuggah rip-off riffs (8 string) and then clean jazz parts. 

thoughts?


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## 7StringofAblicK (Nov 19, 2008)

I've played tons of metal riffs on humbuckered strats. 

If I wasn't a 7 stringer, I'd sport a strat for metal. ...sorry


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## JakeRI (Nov 19, 2008)

weak dude. not helping my argument lol


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## sakeido (Nov 19, 2008)

Don't see what there is to argue about.  On the album, people will have no idea what guitar you are playing, and if it just so happens to be a Fender, it wouldn't be any less heavy. 
And then live, I would think it'd be awesome to have a guitar that looked like a Strat but was actually a metal machine.. that's why I liked my last Charvel so much.


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## Ishan (Nov 19, 2008)

Fender doesn't make any 8 strings (or 7 strings either) so I don't see how you can play some Meshuggah ripoff without having a Fender Bass VI (30.3" scale baritone 6er) with humbuckers installed


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## FlyingBanana (Nov 19, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> weak dude. not helping my argument lol


 
When Lynch Mob played a relatively recent gig, tell me what George was playing on. Here's the video proof. Do I win?


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## Dark Aegis (Nov 19, 2008)

Doesnt the guy from iron maiden use a fender?


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## Variant (Nov 19, 2008)

Ishan said:


> Fender doesn't make any 8 strings (or 7 strings either) so I don't see how you can play some Meshuggah ripoff without having a Fender Bass VI (30.3" scale baritone 6er) with humbuckers installed



Agreed.  I can think of plenty of metal that occurs on Strats, but not anything in the Meshuggah variety.


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## JakeRI (Nov 19, 2008)

yeah fender is good for iron maiden stuff. the point is im in an argument cause im an 8 string player and this dude might start playing with us and he said maybe use a six string fender. doesn't fit i fyou ask me


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## Zugster (Nov 19, 2008)

Metal comes mostly from the amp. People play metal on superstrats, strats and even teles. It's better to have a humbucker at the bridge.

But if you need a 7 (or 8), Fender doesn't make one.


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## Elysian (Nov 19, 2008)

gary from exodus used to play strats if i'm not mistaken, iron maiden as well, nothing wrong with strats for metal, imo.


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## JakeRI (Nov 19, 2008)

let me put it this way, cause i have used a strat for metal before.

does a fender guitar belong as second guitar in an 8 string band?


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## Variant (Nov 19, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> yeah fender is good for iron maiden stuff. the point is im in an argument cause im an 8 string player and this dude might start playing with us and he said maybe use a six string fender. doesn't fit i fyou ask me



And remember that the vast majority of Strat wielding metallers, have humbuckers in at least the bridge position, and some that look like single coils are not... just single space humuckers. 

He _*might*_ be able to get on with it with a good bridge pup and a serious string for the F# (.080, maybe)...


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## FlyingBanana (Nov 19, 2008)

Taken from bullshitopedia.

Throughout his career, Murray has used and endorsed Marshall amplifiers and has used Fender Stratocasters almost exclusively. His black 1957 Strat (used from circa 1976-1990) now resides in a glass case at his home. Although he has been seen with the occasional Dean, Gibson, Ibanez, ESP, Jackson or acoustic, Murray's primary instrument has been a Stratocaster. He used the Dimarzio Super Distortion and PAF in his strats before switching to Seymour Duncan's JB's and Hot Rails in the 1990s. He also occasionally uses Seymour Duncan sh-11 custom custom's.

*Guitars*


3 Fender Custom Shop Stratocasters with Floyd Rose Tremolo systems.


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## Variant (Nov 19, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> does a fender guitar belong as second guitar in an 8 string band?



Sure, he could play some cool counterpoint one octave above, when you go onto the low strings... it all depends on how you two want to work it out.


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## tehk (Nov 19, 2008)

Devin Townsend


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## JakeRI (Nov 19, 2008)

so i guess i lose my argument haha.

thanks for the thoughts guys, its made me a bit more tolerable


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## killiansguitar (Nov 19, 2008)

I used to have a Fender MIM Fat Strat, and i threw a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom in that bad boy, that pickup really made the guitar sound a hell of alot fatter and thicker, and really brought it to life. It was awesome for metal. At the time, metal was all that i was interested in.

Yes, i think you can pull off some amazing metal tones with a Fender, pending you throw the right pickup in there.


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## The Dark Wolf (Nov 19, 2008)

Variant said:


> Sure, he could play some cool counterpoint one octave above, when you go onto the low strings... it all depends on how you two want to work it out.



 Exactly.

I think it would be cool, personally. I play in a band with a guy who plays a 6-string Dime. And my bass player generally plays a 4 string bass (although he plays my 5 for some stuff.) I play a 7. It all works cool.


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## assfreely (Nov 19, 2008)

I had a Fender Squire Stagemaster 7 string that sounded amazing! It had fat sounding Seymour Duncans. Go check it out at MySpace.com - WeHateJulia - WEST BABYLON, New York - Metal / Comedy / Death Metal - www.myspace.com/wehatejulia


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## HamBungler (Nov 19, 2008)

I play SikTh style stuff on my Tele all the time, sounds brutal as all hell 

He could easily tune the 6th string to your low string then the rest regular, or whatever combination of low/high strings to achieve whatever heaviness you need to, lots of options to make it work  And references to Townsend and Mercenary because they're bands that have both 7 and 6 stringers at once, which works awesome.


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## Justin Bailey (Nov 19, 2008)

it's not the guitar that writes the music, you slap the right pickup in any guitar and it'll do metal fine regardless of what brand it is.


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## Scali (Nov 19, 2008)

Well, to be fair, that guitar that George Lynch is playing in that video isn't actually a Fender, it's an ESP:
The ESP Guitar Company :: George Lynch Signature Series






However, since it's just a standard Strat model with a standard alder body, I don't see why a real Fender would sound different when you put in the same pickups.


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## gaunten (Nov 19, 2008)

I've only read through the first couple of posts here, but "fender doesn't make any 8 or 7 string guitars" so? they're still 25.5" scale, as is the LTD 8 string, so basically, get yourself a lundgren M6, fat strings, tune down to F, and you're good to meshuggadamdam all you want  
not that I use my stratocaster for anything heavier than a "hardrock", E standard band I play in at the moment, but I have no problems getting a sweet metal tone out of it with the singlecoil sized seymour duncan humbucker and my X3. plus it's a damn nice looking and playing guitar


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## assfreely (Nov 19, 2008)

gaunten said:


> I've only read through the first couple of posts here, but "fender doesn't make any 8 or 7 string guitars" so?



Fender makes the Stratocaster VII and the Squire Stagemaster 7, as well as the Sub-Sonic Stratocaster (6 string). Each one very sick players. Why does everyone keep saying that Fender doesn't make 7 strings???


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## stuh84 (Nov 19, 2008)

Because fender themselves do not, it is Squier


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## budda (Nov 19, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> let me put it this way, cause i have used a strat for metal before.
> 
> does a fender guitar belong as second guitar in an 8 string band?



i personally dont give a rats ass what brand or model the other guitarist owns, so long as he contributes to the sound and growth of the band, and is competent with his gear.

is it an 8-string band, or do you just an 8 string? does your bassist use a 6 string?

there is no logical reason why a strat wont fit in your band, unless you guys dont let it fit. if he is a good enough *musician* he will find ways to make his playing and his tone complement the rest of the instruments, and the music will be a cohesive unit.

you never had an argument with "would you use a fender for metal?" 

also, metal tone predominantly comes from your amp: my squier affinity strat DOES sound heavy as hell if i want it to. your profile says your rig is "shit". you might want to fix that - not much point in playing an 8 if you cant hear all the notes coming from it, eh?


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## Scali (Nov 19, 2008)

budda said:


> there is no logical reason why a strat wont fit in your band, unless you guys dont let it fit. if he is a good enough *musician* he will find ways to make his playing and his tone complement the rest of the instruments, and the music will be a cohesive unit.


 
Exactly, there's plenty of bands that have completely different instruments working together just fine with guitars (piano, synth, violin, sax, horns, you name it)... So why wouldn't a slightly different guitar fit?
Just like you let a bass guitar play different parts than a regular 6 or 7-string guitar, you could have different 6-string and 8-string guitar parts in a song.


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## JakeRI (Nov 19, 2008)

we're an 8 string band, bass player uses a 6 string. and i hear what you guys all mean


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## kristallin (Nov 19, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> let me put it this way, cause i have used a strat for metal before.
> 
> does a fender guitar belong as second guitar in an 8 string band?



Anything can be made to work.


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## Carrion (Nov 19, 2008)

Jon from Cryptopsy used a Strat with a humbucker in the bridge for the recording of None so Vile. The tone on that album is just incredible.


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## FlyingBanana (Nov 19, 2008)

Why in the heck is this thread turning into another argument for 7 string guitars. 

Sorry about that whole Lynch/Fender fuckup. It looked like a Fender...sounded like a Fender...but is sadly an ESP. 

Damn.


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## gawangilbert (Nov 19, 2008)

i think so 

YouTube - Fender baritone guitar shred


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## budda (Nov 19, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> we're an 8 string band, bass player uses a 6 string. and i hear what you guys all mean



good.


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## Curt (Nov 19, 2008)

FlyingBanana said:


> When Lynch Mob played a relatively recent gig, tell me what George was playing on. Here's the video proof. Do I win?




nvm, already been said.


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## JakeRI (Nov 19, 2008)

FlyingBanana said:


> Why in the heck is this thread turning into another argument for 7 string guitars.
> 
> Sorry about that whole Lynch/Fender fuckup. It looked like a Fender...sounded like a Fender...but is sadly an ESP.
> 
> Damn.



it is seven string .org


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## Variant (Nov 19, 2008)

Let's not forget that the ubiquitous 'superstrat' as we know it, evolved directly from the hot rodded and fat-Strats of the late 1970's. They started off as simply Fender Stratocasters with PAF-type humbuckers grafted onto them, later made more 'metal' by guys like Eddie Van Halen and Adrian Smith dropping Floyd Rose tremomos into them. Companies like Charvel/Jackson, Ibanez, etc. merely made the concept more modern looking and playable... but the roots of the design remain as such.


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## Oogadee Boogadee (Nov 19, 2008)

when i first learned karl sanders (at the time i discovered NILE) was playing extreme death metal on a strat, despite the metal status quo, i shit myself (in a good way).






that's how you say 'fuck the establishment'

all politics aside, if the guitar sounds great and balanced in all regards (individual string articulation on a distorted strummed chord, for example) and plays well, then use it!

also, for the most part, the birth of the superstrat filled a niche to accompany the birth of a new kinda of playing (the dawn of shred).... but the playing came first, prior to the most fancy, metal to the bone guitars. a clever company man said "holy shit, there's this new kinda of player on the horizon, let me make a guitar that will guarantee that you'll be able to master the shred just like him!" it's almost like developing a magic pill that will make you skinny. um... no.


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## DSilence (Nov 20, 2008)

What about James Root from Slipknot, he uses a Fender Tele with EMG's which I think is his signature guitar?


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## Mattmc74 (Nov 20, 2008)

Sepultura uses strats!


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## Variant (Nov 20, 2008)

DSilence said:


> What about James Root from Slipknot, he uses a Fender Tele with EMG's which I think is his signature guitar?



The James Root Tele, while cool, is not the least bit Tele , other than the shape. It's a very heavy, thick, solid chunk of mahogany, with EMG active humbuckers in it. I test ran one though a pair of Fender Twins, and as one would expect, it outputs a dark, dense tone more akin to a Studio LP, with a little crispness and articulation on the top.



Oogadee Boogadee said:


> also, for the most part, the birth of the superstrat filled a niche to accompany the birth of a new kinda of playing (the dawn of shred).... but the playing came first, prior to the most fancy, metal to the bone guitars. a clever company man said "holy shit, there's this new kinda of player on the horizon, let me make a guitar that will guarantee that you'll be able to master the shred just like him!" it's almost like developing a magic pill that will make you skinny. um... no.



This is only partially true... _*but*_ players before were "playing through" the shortcomings of their instruments to some extent. The superstrat companies made the biggest changes on the neck side of things, introducing flatter fingerboard radii, bigger frets, more frets (Stratocasters had 21, remember) and thinner necks... these, along with a few other elements separated those guitars from their predecessors... though there was a bit of marketing in there.


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## DSilence (Nov 20, 2008)

Bring back the art of shred lol, I recently purchased a guitar world magazine, it has an interview with Mike Varney who started up Shrapnel records. It inspired me to have a listen to some of these guys. But besides that there were a few pics of, namely Yngwie Malmsteen with a standard Strat by the looks?


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## Nick (Nov 20, 2008)

Dark Aegis said:


> Doesnt the guy from iron maiden use a fender?



while im not a fan of iron Maiden i feel this may indeed be BLASPHEMY!! of course he does!!

also, fenders in metal: Karl Sanders - Nile
Jon Levasseur - Cryptopsy


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## Variant (Nov 20, 2008)

Nick said:


> while im not a fan of iron Maiden i feel this may indeed be BLASPHEMY!! of course he does!!
> 
> also, fenders in metal: Karl Sanders - Nile
> Jon Levasseur - Cryptopsy



James Murphy has a modded Strat that he uses fairly often as well.


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## Scali (Nov 20, 2008)

DSilence said:


> But besides that there were a few pics of, namely Yngwie Malmsteen with a standard Strat by the looks?


 
Not entirely. He uses DiMarzio stacked humbucker pickups, and the fretboard is scalloped (he might also have installed bigger frets, not sure).
But yea, it's still a pretty standard Strat otherwise. Standard trem, standard neck profile, radius etc, and standard woods.
However, I've never liked his rhythm tone at all. It's nothing like the tight classic rhythm tones of Iron Maiden or say Metallica.


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## Ishan (Nov 20, 2008)

Trevor Peres from Obituary


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## Lozek (Nov 20, 2008)

Ishan said:


> *Trevor Peres *from Obituary



Damn, you beat me to it. But FIXED!!!!


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## Mattmc74 (Nov 20, 2008)

Ishan said:


> Allen West from Obituary



Just plain Brutal!


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## DavyH (Nov 20, 2008)

Of course Fender don't do metal:






Oh my sainted fucking aunt. You can do metal with damn near anything given the right set-up.


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## Ishan (Nov 20, 2008)

Lozek said:


> Damn, you beat me to it. But FIXED!!!!



Haha sorry for that  I took the first pic coming in google image, but Allen plain Fenders too


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## CrashRG (Nov 20, 2008)

found this on youtube. meshuggah-ish stuff on what appears to be a strat.

YouTube - Extended Djent 2


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## JakeRI (Nov 20, 2008)

i think that's a peavey


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## assfreely (Nov 20, 2008)




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## Metal Ken (Nov 20, 2008)

Jon Levasseur from Cryptopsy used a fat strat for years. Listen to None So Vile. He did almost all of the gutiar on that disc.


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## shredthelight91 (Nov 20, 2008)

fender actually made the first seven string (before the universe) through there custom shop.


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## Ishan (Nov 20, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> i think that's a peavey



Naa it's a Fender Strat with what seems to be a hot rails in the bridge (the tags on Youtube say Fender too  )


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## JakeRI (Nov 20, 2008)

nice observation.

now that im thinking about it though, peavey does have a strat type model that gets a really good metal tone. i was surpirsed cause i remember it being cheap


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## Harry (Nov 21, 2008)

DavyH said:


> Of course Fender don't do metal:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's one of the Showermaster series eh?


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## DavyH (Nov 21, 2008)

Yup, Custom Shop Flat Head Showmaster. This is the one guitar I'd take with me if my place was on fire (I'd apologise to all the others first though).


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## Harry (Nov 21, 2008)

One of the coolest Fenders I've ever seen And I imagine it pulls off some supreme metal tones to boot.


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## 7 Dying Trees (Nov 21, 2008)

I remember seeing trevor pires grind out the obituary riffage on a strat!


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## 7 Dying Trees (Nov 21, 2008)

HughesJB4 said:


> That's one of the Showermaster series eh?


 Does that mean you feel clean after playing it? Or clean and violated? Does it come with a warning to not pick up the soap?


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## scottro202 (Dec 31, 2008)

JakeRI said:


> yeah fender is good for iron maiden stuff. the point is im in an argument cause im an 8 string player and this dude might start playing with us and he said maybe use a six string fender. doesn't fit i fyou ask me



well what model, what kinda amp does he use, and what pickups are in it? and he could use really heavy gauge strings I suppose for the tunings


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## Harry (Jan 1, 2009)

7 Dying Trees said:


> Does that mean you feel clean after playing it? Or clean and violated? Does it come with a warning to not pick up the soap?



Oh man, I missed this post entirely the first time around
Didn't realize I called it a Showermaster


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## CrushingAnvil (Jan 1, 2009)

JakeRI said:


> what do you guys think about playing fender guitars for metal? im in an argument with someone about. i wouldn't do it.
> 
> the setting would be:
> a progressive, heavy, band with meshuggah rip-off riffs (8 string) and then clean jazz parts.
> ...



Wow, don't get too original, the world might not be ready for such unique music 



Iron Maiden have used strats for two decades...

Judas Priest's K.K Downing has a red Fender with a Kahler.

Obituary used Strats with Floyds on the Album 'World Demise'.

Jon Levasseur of Cryptopsy used a strat for None So Vile and Whisper Supremacy.

I do hope you're not one of those people who are limited by the instrument they choose to wield...


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## budda (Jan 1, 2009)

... this thread was quite dead..


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## inflames1919 (Jan 2, 2009)

i recently recorded a mates album with his fender showmaster scorpion.
http://www.duijnhouwer.eu/mijn gitaren/scorpion.jpg <-- like this one
this thing has some serious tone and was perfect for hard rock/metal.
if they made that into a 7 or 8 string i would be very interested!


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## DavyH (Jan 2, 2009)

inflames1919 said:


> i recently recorded a mates album with his fender showmaster scorpion.
> http://www.duijnhouwer.eu/mijn gitaren/scorpion.jpg <-- like this one
> this thing has some serious tone and was perfect for hard rock/metal.
> if they made that into a 7 or 8 string i would be very interested!


 
What's happening on the top - that looks like an Aerodyne carve? Japanese?

Whatever, nice take on a showmaster.


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## Nick (Jan 2, 2009)

CrushingAnvil said:


> Wow, don't get too original, the world might not be ready for such unique music




fail


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## maat (Jan 6, 2009)

Metallica -A little ditty called "One". Has you not herrd? You can has Metallic fender.


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