Whilst not always made by the biggest or most prestigious names in the electric guitar market, highly-modified double-cutaway guitars, often known as “superstrats”, are often very unusual, character-filled bargains for aspiring musicians.
Highly inspired by guitarists such as Dave Murray, Ritchie Blackmore and especially the late great Eddie Van Halen, superstrats are the pioneering restomods of the modern guitar world,
Often hidden gems, here is an explanation of the superstrat concept, how it became big, whether they are still popular today and why it might be worth picking one up.
What Is A Superstrat Guitar?
A superstrat is any double-cutaway guitar design which is customised to better equip it for a different, typically more aggressive playing style, often by changing the pickups, adding a floating bridge such as a Floyd Rose, and often incorporating an extended, slightly flatter 24-fret neck.
There is no formal definition, so the proof of a superstrat is in the playing, but the goal is typically to provide a faster, more aggressive and more personalised alternative to the venerable Fender Stratocaster.
It is unknown who invented the idea of modifying a Stratocaster, but it is often credited to three main musicians:
- Ritchie Blackmore - The Deep Purple lead guitarist switched from Gibson semi-acoustics to the Stratocaster, but he kept tweaking it from 1974 onwards to fit his increasingly aggressive and theatrical playing style.
- Michael Hampton - The guitarist for George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic had an extensively modified Stratocaster to fit the truly unique sound of the funk collective.
- Eddie Van Halen - The lead guitarist for Van Halen famously built the “Frankenstrat” himself from bits of other guitars, as well as a Floyd Rose bridge to create a guitar with the sound of a Gibson but the playing action of an aggressively tuned Stratocaster.
Why Were Superstrat Guitars Popular?
The popularity of Van Halen’s debut album and the legion of shred guitarists he inspired led to an influx of guitars designed to be lighter to hold, easier to reach, hold and bend higher notes, and filled with more advanced guitar technology whilst maintaining a great sound when amplified.
Many of the so-called “lawsuit era” guitar manufacturers, such as Aria and Ibanez, quickly transitioned into making superstrat guitars, opening the floodgates for the heavy metal revolution that came as a result.
Even Fender would make several superstrats of their own, including the Contemporary Stratocaster Japan, the Prodigy and the Showmaster.
Even Gibson had a go with the US-1, leading to the truly unusual visage of Gibson making a guitar profoundly inspired by their biggest rival.
One of the most famous and influential later superstrat models was the Ibanez JEM, the signature custom guitar of Steve Vai.
Are Superstrat Guitars Still Popular?
Superstrats are still sold, but the boom era of the 1980s has long faded as the shred-happy heavy metal world of the 1980s largely gave way to a grunge and alternative rock revolution.
This led to many of the biggest names of the superstrat era, such as Kramer, Jackson, Dean and Ibanez either heavily restructuring or folding entirely.
There has always been a devoted fanbase for superstrats, and they are often worth picking up for the joyful experience of playing them, especially during the wilderness years from the mid-1990s up until the mid-2010s.
The modern metal scene has embraced superstrats once again, favouring the sound and capabilities over brand names alone.