UPDATE - Stratocaster problem ( Stratitus) made the Kemper sound raspy with distortion when Gain was used. Guitar returned to Sweetwater

  • I might jump in a bit late.
    The audio file definetely sounds a bit weird. But it does not give any deeper hints what went wrong.
    You only played single notes, while chords or power chords would give a much deeper insight into the sound of the distortion.
    We didn't have the chance to hear your guitar without distortion, by just rolling down the amp gain a bit.


    Well the next time I have tone issues (which I hope there isnt and past experience suggests there wont be) I will remember your advice. Thanks CK :)

  • A it turns out the problem , as many of you suggested, was with the guitar.

    That was obvious from the very beginning. ;)


    I'm playing 6 strats ('58 Fender strat - all original / '66 Fender strat - all original / Fender '56 Custom Shop reissue / Fender '90's American Standard with Noiseless-pickups / ESP Mirage-strat with Seymour Duncan-pickups, custom made strat with Seymour Duncan-pickus), they ALL sound great with the KPA.

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    first name: Guenter / family name: Haas / www.guenterhaas.de

  • If you Google "stratitis", you'll see this can be a somewhat common problem due to various issues. Personally, I would doubt it had to do with the pickups. Probably just bad luck more than anything and at least you were able to return it.

  • So none of your Strats have the Fat 50s? That might have been a factor.


    A few others have posted in this (ridiculous) thread that have used or use a Strat with Fat 50's and they have no issues.....


    Have you actually taken the time to read any posts in this thread? Clearly you've seemed to miss a few...

  • If you Google "stratitis", you'll see this can be a somewhat common problem due to various issues. Personally, I would doubt it had to do with the pickups. Probably just bad luck more than anything and at least you were able to return it.


    LOL, stratitis. I like that. In this case it was terminal for the poor guitar. Once again Sweetwater shows just how cool they are. Thanks Randy!


    UPDATE - Yup Stratitis is exactly what it was. http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/stratitis/

    Edited once, last by lasvideo ().

  • So none of your Strats have the Fat 50s? That might have been a factor.


    I own a Fender CS maple neck hss Strat (among others) with Fat 50s in the sc positions (neck, middle) and I totally love it with the Kemper.

    90% of the game is half-mental.

  • I own a Fender CS maple neck hss Strat (among others) with Fat 50s in the sc positions (neck, middle) and I totally love it with the Kemper.


    Hmmmm, well its a moot point. The guitar is heading back to Sweetwater and Im happy its gone. Im not gonna dwell in the past here. Moving on.

  • I've had Fat 50's and SSL-1s and kept the latter. But it's not the pickups. It's something else in the guitar.


    The way I looked at it, Andy is a Strat man and he has 2 very popular Fender packs. And many have played and loved Armin's Deluxes so we'd have heard about this a loooong time ago.


    Fat 50s weren't made a month ago...

  • I'm glad you found the problem!


    It's always good to have a second reference amp - even when it's an AxeFx ...

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    Great Profiles --> soundside.de

  • So none of your Strats have the Fat 50s? That might have been a factor.

    That doesn't matter, the KPA sounds well with all my guitars, not just with the strats, but also with Tele, Les Paul, SG, Charvel San Dimas, Hoefner Archtop ect. Even with my Steinberger GM4-TA (active EMG's) there's no problem at all.

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    first name: Guenter / family name: Haas / www.guenterhaas.de

  • That doesn't matter, the KPA sounds well with all my guitars, not just with the strats, but also with Tele, Les Paul, SG, Charvel San Dimas, Hoefner Archtop ect. Even with my Steinberger GM4-TA (active EMG's) there's no problem at all.


    Guenterhaas, you seem to be missing the point here.


    In my experience something DOES matter since SOMETHING was essentially flawed in the Strat thus causing this distortion that is so widely noted & documented as to have the name "Stratitus" given to it. My Soloist didnt have this issue. Niether did my Les Paul or boutique Esoterik. Just the Strat.


    You are lucky it didnt affect yours. I am unlucky that it did affect mine. I will think twice before buying anymore Strats, thats for sure. Not interested in going thru this experience again.

  • Strats are finicky.


    You can have one set up perfectly on Friday and on Monday it's an entirely different guitar. Not all, but many are like that. I've searched and tried many of them to find ones that are more consistent. It's why there is such a high end market for boutique Strats I suppose.


    But magnetic issues are fixable with proper setup and are not an inherent problem with the guitar. It's like I've said before, you don't buy one Strat blind. You physically play 10 of them and maybe one will speak to you. If not, try another 10. The one that speaks to you is worth all the trying, and often comes, like love, when you're not really looking for it!