Blog

The 80s saw some wild changes in the music scene. We saw the emergence of a new section of guitarists with blazing fast speed, breaking away from pentatonic into more complex scale structures and introducing techniques that were not heard before. All these virtuoso guitarists had one thing in common – the Super Strats.

Disclosure: We’re an affiliate. We hope you love the products we recommend! This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy the products, we may earn a commission from the qualified sales. These are at no additional cost to you. Thank you if you use our links, we really appreciate it!

The Origins of the Super Strat

A young and very talented guitarist called Edward van Halen in the quest to customize his guitar to match his playing style came with a modified Stratocaster and called it the “Frankenstrat”. The name was inspired by the fictional character of Frankenstein. Frankenstein was the product of a doctor who brought a monster to life but putting together the body parts of recently deceased people.

Similarly, the Frankenstrat was an attempt on a Stratocaster to put parts of different guitars in making a super guitar. It was an attempt to have the sound of a Gibson and the attributes of a standard Stratocaster with a whammy bar.

With Eddie’s unique playing style, sound, and the Van Halen numbers climbing the charts, guitar manufacturers were soon to notice this shift and started producing their own lines of Super Strats. As Steve Vai says, when Eddie put the humbucker to a strat it was a huge moment for all guitarists.

What differentiated the Super Strats

As the name suggests, the super strats were a take on the standard Stratocaster and made them even better. This means different woods, the shape of the body, neck profile, pickups, electronics, bridge, frets, everything that makes a guitar. With a quest for modifying and making it better than the rest.

The Body

With the Super Strats, came the use of different kinds of woods to help the sonic characteristics of the guitar. More thought was also given to the shape of the body. A combination of which was to achieve a lighter body, with more sustain and at the same time ergonomically designed to support newer techniques and styles of playing.

The Neck

The neck of these Super Strats saw a major change. Breaking away from the standard fender C, V, or U neck profile, the new age guitars flaunted thin necks for lightning speed wizardry. The first of these kinds of necks were introduced by Ibanez and called them the wizard necks. Ibanez till today has perhaps one of the best neck profiles and is an absolute pleasure to play on those.

Scalloped fretboards started becoming more common and blended in standard fretboards to give finer access to certain parts (like in the Jem, the last 3 frets are scalloped). Artistically designed inlays like the floral inlays or other shapes and colors to replace the standard dots.

The woods of the neck saw changes as well. Roasted maple and Roasted Flamed Maple necks gave the guitars stunning looks and great stability.

The Pick Ups

Just like what Eddie wanted to do with the Frankenstrat, the Super Strats sported super-hot pickups with great sustain. A traditional Stratocaster would have single coils while a Les Paul would sport a humbucker.

The Super Strats combined the best of both worlds and combined single coils and humbuckers. You are now able to get combinations like HSH, or HSS, or HS, or HH. The sonic possibilities multiplied with this and led to customization as per the requirements of these guitarists.

The Electronics

Active electronics and in-built preamps were featured in some guitars. From a passive pick up where the magnet alone drives the sound, came active pickups where additional power (typically a 9V battery) started driving higher outputs. With techniques such as hammer and pull-offs, legatos, tapping, the higher the output the pickups, the cleaner the sound.

The Bridge

The bridge of these guitars saw a massive shift. From the traditional floating bridge came into existence the Floyd Rose Tremelo. This Tremolo system was invented by Floyd D Rose towards the end of the 70s and which dominated the Super Strats throughout since then.

The Floyd Rose locks the stings at two points – at the bridge itself with locking saddles and at the nut with three metal pieces locking 2 strings at a time. This double locking mechanism brought a huge change in playing dynamics. The nature of solos changed with a lot of whammy tricks. Good examples are Steve Vai and Satriani.

The Frets

The Frets also went through changes. Came into use the jumbo frets for the ease of legato and hammer and pull-offs. Stainless Steel frets were introduced which does not wear off like the Nickel Silver Alloys and has a longer life.

The stainless-steel frets on a Roasted Flamed Maple neck gives a stunning shiny look. The guitar transformed from being just an instrument to play to a work of art.

So, you can see the Super Strats came a long way to what it can deliver.

There are many guitar manufactures and there are 100s of Super Strats in the market today. Here we will discuss 8 Super Strats which are meticulously designed by great artists. These Super Strats are different and stand out from the crowd.

If you are a Super Strat lover, you should consider owning at least one of them.

Lets get started.

Steve Vai Signature Series – Ibanez Jem 7V

Steve Vai is with Ibanez for over 35 years now and Jem is a product of this mutually respectful relationship. As per Steve, when he was growing up the options were either a Fender Strat or a Gibson. Steve always liked the whammy bar (he calls his concerts at times sounding like a Floyd Rose Clinic) and the Strat appealed to him more. But he liked the humbuckers of the Gibson. Difficult decision to make.

When he was working with Frank Zappa, he was inspired by Zappa’s ability in implementing his ideas, making changes to guitars like including preamps, etc. This got Steve thinking and trying to assemble a guitar that truly reflects his quirky style of playing. Ibanez was able to bring that to reality and the Jem series was launched.

As Steve says he feels at home with the Jem. Ibanez as a company is known for quality and precision. With such high-quality production, he can literally walk into any guitar store and pick up a Jem and start playing as he would his own.

No products found.

The Jem has 24 frets. In addition to the cutaway to access the higher frets, the last 3 frets are scalloped. This idea was originally borrowed from Billy Sheehan. The scalloping of the last three frets makes it super easy to play those high notes.

The neck of the guitar is very fast and sports a thin neck profile, which Ibanez is famous for. It is made up of walnut and maple and the body of the guitar is Alder. The body has the Vai Signature “Monkey Grip”. Perhaps the most stunning part of the guitar is the fretboard with the “Tree of Life” inlays.

The Jem has an Edge Tremolo bridge. The body below the bridge is carved out (Lions Claw Cavity) to give the bridge enough room for the whammy dynamics.

Steve has been working with Larry DiMarzio for years and as expected his Jem has two DiMarzio humbuckers at the bridge and the neck and a DiMarzio single-coil in the middle. The hardware color is Gold and truly matches the style of Vai.

The 5-way selector switch can split the humbuckers and provide Strat like tones as well.

The Jem as a guitar is a pleasure to play with. The sound of the guitar is exactly what you expect out of a Steve Vai signature series. Super clean sound when it is played on the clean channel and provides the typical Vai aggressive overdrive tones when on the overdrive mode of the amp.

Both the  bridge and the neck pick ups are super powerful. The bridge pickups give that edgy attacking tone which you want to be in your solos and the neck pick up gives the beefy sound.

With a super stable tremolo, you can use it without having to think the guitar going out of whack. This is indeed a Jem of a Super Strat.

Joe Satriani Signature Series – Ibanez JS 1CR

The JS 1CR is a flashy guitar and true to the style of Satch.

It has a full chrome finish with chrome hardware. The body is made up of Alderwood which provides a tight low end with a focused mid-range. The neck made up of 3-piece Maple and Bubinga neck. The fingerboard is rosewood with mother of pearl dot inlays. The frets are medium with Prestige fret edge treatment.

The pick up at the neck is a Sustainiac Driver (S). This is an active neck pick up and it is supposed to sound like a humbucker. When activated, the push-pull pots give three different output settings and incredible nice and warm tones.

No products found.

Position one or the Normal mode of the Sustainiac is supposed to hold the sustain. On testing, it does provide crazy sustain and is typical of the Satch style. It helps you to utilize the sustain for additional tonal dynamics. Position two is the mix and position three is Harmonics and is meant for pinched harmonics. Again, the sound produced by this pickup is very Satch like.

The Bridge has a Dimarzio Satriani signature Satchur8 pick up. This is a big sounding pick up and sounds beautiful as well. The 1CR comes with the Edge tremolo system and an ultralight tremolo arm and chrome hardware everywhere. The Guitar comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by the man himself (mind you it is not printed but Signed by Joe Satriani).

The neck of the guitar is on the thicker side if you compare it with the Vai models. It in a way resembles a 60s Les Paul neck but feels great to play.

Lastly the guitar comes in a beautiful hard case and very different from the traditional cases of Ibanez. A true match to a guitar of this class.

If you are a fan of Joe Satriani, have the skills and the licks but want to have the tools to sound more like him, then this is THE GUITAR for you. Highly recommended. Bring that Satch Boogie on.

Andy Timmons Signature Series – Ibanez ATZ100

When Andy Timmons was asked by Ibanez what would be his dream guitar, the only thing which Andy had for them was a neck (no name neck). He loved this neck profile and asked if Ibanez could make something on these lines. With that started the relationship of Andy Timmons and Ibanez and came the AT 100.

With the launch of the AZ series of guitars in 2017, Andy and Ibanez got together to create the AZ Signature Series for Andy. This guitar as Andy says combines vintage and modern elements into one.

No products found.

The neck is a one-piece roasted maple neck with a roasted maple fretboard. This guitar includes jumbo stainless steel frets with the prestige fret adjustments to make the playability super smooth. The body of the guitar is Alder and houses three DiMarzio Cruiser pickups. The bridge of the guitar is Wilkinson – Gotoh VSVG tremolo bridge and all hardware are chrome.

The AZ series takes a leap over the previous signature model of AT100. The ATZ 100 replaces the humbucker in the bridge position with the DiMarzio cruiser bridge pick up. These are hotter than a single-coils and at the same time have a better bass response.

The other differences in this model is the upgrade to a roasted maple neck and fretboard compared to a normal one in the previous model. Roasted maple provides better stability over humidity changes as during the process of roasting the wood is dried of any humidity. The jumbo stainless-steel frets are also an improvement over the previous model.

Overall, all the upgrades when you put together, gel really well and provide very clean sound, and at the same time is able to deliver a gritty overdrive solo.

The AZ series have made the headstocks less pointy. This gives the guitar a more matured and less aggressive look. Perfect for the kind of music Andy is known for.

This guitar is perfect for blues-rock or fusion type of sounds. The neck profile with the jumbo frets help in effortless legato or hammer and pull-offs as well as shredding.

John Petrucci Signature Series – Ernie Ball Music Man JP 15

Everyone knows John Petrucci is one guitarist who is super detailed and particular about his sound and the instrument he plays with. His signature models are years of experience as a virtuoso guitarist putting together a guitar for ultimate playability.

The JP 15 is hands down one of the best creations of Ernie Ball Music Man. The first look at the instrument makes you feel that this is more than a guitar – but a piece of art. The body of the guitar is a double-cutaway and made of African Mahogany wood. The tops are either quilted or flame maple with different finishes. All the tops look stunning.

No products found.

The neck is made up of roasted maple with custom inlays of John Petrucci. There are 24 frets medium-jumbo stainless steel. The neck feels comfortable and great for shredders. The bridge of the guitar is a floating one with stainless steel saddles. The bridge has Piezo built-in. The guitar sports locking tuners.

The JP 15 has two DiMarzio Illuminators directly mounted on the body. There are a three-way selector switch and coil-split mechanism built in the push-pull knobs. The guitar has active electronics and a 20db gain booster under the volume knobs push-pull.

There is a three-position switch on the upper bout of the guitar and provides you with piezo, piezo + illuminators, or only the illuminators in the three selectable points respectively.

Playing the guitar is a sublime experience, the neck feels great. The oil and wax treatment makes it an extremely comfortable play. The sound from JP 15 is distinctly warmer than the other JP models. This guitar is extremely versatile in producing clean tones as well as also fat bottom chugs for heavier music players and lovers.

The Fishman Peizo sounds great and gives you a very Led Zepplin sort of a sound when you dial it in. This guitar makes it incredibly simple to switch from an electric guitar sound to an acoustic one.

Lastly, the guitar comes with a very sturdy Music Man hard case and a Certificate of Authenticity. A great guitar to fall in love with and having in the collection, no matter you are a metal, progressive rock, or a blues-rock player.

This guitar is extremely versatile and does justice to all genres of music.

Steve Lukather Signature Series – Ernie Ball Music Man Luke III

Steve Lukather is no stranger in the world of guitar players and again like John Petrucci, have been with Ernie Ball Music Man for many years. The signature series guitar called Luke III has evolved over time with adjustments here and there. The guitar provides the players with an effortless playing experience with great tones.

The 2020 line of Luke III has some modifications over the previous models. Most importantly EBMM has made modifications on the pickups and has upgraded the preamp. The guitar comes in as either HH or HSS configuration.

No products found.

The body of the guitar is Alder wood with a bolt-on roasted maple neck. The sculpted neck heel provides very comfortable access to the higher frets. The neck profile is a shallow C with gunstock oil and a special wax blend finish. The guitar has locking tuners by Schaller M6-IND which keeps the guitar in tune irrespective of how hard the tremolo is used.

The master volume knob is a 2D push-pull function for an active boost. There is a master tone control and five-way pickup selector. There is a 9V battery case for the active circuit which is provided in the rear of the guitar.

The guitar provides incredible versatility. The pick-ups have a very distinct mid for solos with good bass response. This guitar can provide screaming solos while the chords will be round, warm, and clear.

As expected of a Music Man, Luke III delivers a solid sound coupled with exceptional playability. This guitar can provide screaming solos and at the same time can chug for heavy and hard rock use. A very versatile instrument-built piece by piece by the master guitarist.

Steve Morse Signature Series – Ernie Ball Music Man Y2D

The name Y2D came from the fact that at that time when this guitar was conceived, Steve Morse already had 20 years of partnership with Ernie Ball Music Man. This guitar might look simple at a first glance but once you take a closer look you can find there are few things that are different.

The body of the guitar is made up of Poplar wood with a high gloss polyester finish. The neck is figured maple with rosewood fingerboard. The wood is heavier and provides a deep sound. The fretboard hosts 22 frets and not 24 what you will find in most of the Super Strats.

Steve Morse goes on explaining that for his sound he needed to forgo the two frets and placed the neck DiMarzio humbucker in that space. As a part of his style of playing, he uses this humbucker position when he is playing high on the fretboard and the bridge humbuckers when he is playing at the top of the fretboard.

The single-coil in the middle gives a very straty sound. It also works brilliantly in toning down the sound for softer sections of solos by switching from the humbucker to the single coil. This provides amazing variation to the solos and is typical in Deep Purple live performances.

The neck profile of the guitar is very comfortable. The fretboard holds jumbo stainless steel frets and comfortable to play with.

Overall, the guitar is much simpler to use and does not have push-pull gain boost knobs. But in all honestly, you will not miss one. This guitar provides brilliant loud humbucking tones and also at the same time the versatility of a single coil. The single-coil can produce brilliant cleans or perhaps used for mildly distorted blues and classic rock rhythm.

This guitar comes with a fixed bridge and not a floating one but nevertheless a great Super Strat option to own. Players who are lovers of the fixed bridge with heavy rock tones should definitely go for this.

Guthrie Govan Signature Series – Charvel

The modern-day melodic shredder Guthrie Govan. He has been exposed to music from his very early age and was quick to learn that music is serious thing. He was brought up on a heavy dose of Hendrix, Beatles, Dylan, Rolling Stones and a lot of rock n roll and blues rock.  

A very witty person with lots of humor which sort of translates into his quirky playing and tones. The phrasings of Guthrie are different, unique, and sublime. One of the top-notch guitar players of all time and my all-time favorite.

Guthrie had a signature model with Suhr for some time but it was more of customizing the colors and parts of the guitar on a readymade template than building a complete signature model. The Suhr model is also a great one (as you can imagine Guthrie would not accept anything less than perfect) but it was lacking something. With Charvel, it was building from the scratch and construct a guitar that is truly his signature.

No products found.

The body of the guitar is a two-piece centered joined “caramelized” ash. This wood shows off the brilliant grain under a thin lacquer finish. Very natural. The neck is a bolt-on caramelized, graphite enforced, maple neck with a thin flat C profile. The feel is similar to a roasted maple.

The neck also has glow in the dark inlays on the top of the fretboard. The guitar has locking tuners and jumbo stainless-steel frets. The body holds Charvel custom pickups with HSH configuration.

A large part of the customization of the guitar went on getting the right bridge. Guthrie is not a huge fan of the locking nuts which stops you from easy drop D tuning or behind the nut techniques of Jerry Donahue.

The bridge of the guitar looks like an earlier version of the Floyd Rose without the fine tuner. It is actually a Charvel design called the recessed locking tremolo, where the strings are locked via long Allen Key Bolts and do not have fine tuners. The bridge also has a Tremol-No feature at the back, which can convert a floating bride to a fixed bridge.

This is extremely easy to use and keeps the guitar in tune even without having the second lock at the nut area. Lastly, this makes changing strings a breeze as compared to a double-locking bridge.  

There are master volume and master tone knobs. It also has a toggle switch which lowers the output of the humbuckers and provides a strat-like sound. The guitar also has a 5 way pick up selector switch.

The output jack on the guitar is a classic Stratocaster one but placed on the rear side of the guitar just below the strap bolt. This is placed upside down so that the guitar cable naturally points upwards and does not require it to be tugged in the guitar strap for live use.

An incredibly thought through guitar, keeping it simple and at the same time providing some great tones and versatility. One of the best equipment around and highly recommended.

Nuno Bettencourt Signature Series – Washburn N4 Authentic

Nuno Bettencourt is one of the top-notch guitarists who rose to prominence during the 90s with the band Extreme. A very versatile guitarist whose acoustic compositions like “More than Words” and electric hard rock ones like “Get the funk out” are equally famous.  

Nuno has been playing the Washburn for over 25 years and is still his go-to instrument. As per him, it has become part of his DNA. The N4 series is developed by Washburn to the specific requirements of Nuno from the neck profile, bridge, reverse headstock, everything.

The N4 Authentic is a true replica of Nuno’s guitar. It tells the complete story of this guitar, including the dings and dents just like the original. This guitar is true to the last details like the two replacement tuners which Nuno added and the N4 sticker which is peeled off in places, just like in the original.

No products found.

The body of the guitar is made up of unfinished Alder wood with Seymour Duncan ’59 neck pick up and Bill Lawrence L-500 bridge pick up. The bridge of the guitar is a Floyd Rose with locking nut and a D Tuna for a drop D tuning.

One of the special features of the guitar is the 5 bolt Stephens Extended Cutaway of the neck which allows unparallel upper fret access on the fretboard. The neck is made up of Birds Eye Maple and the Fretboard being Ebony with 22 jumbo frets.

The guitar comes with a Buzz Feiten tuning system which is known for very accurate intonation at any point on the neck. The control features of the guitar are minimalistic and simple with a three-way pick-up selector and volume control. All hardware are chrome and gives the guitar a rugged look.  

Overall, this guitar is made for the hard rock and heavy metal guitarists who loves to shred away to glory. A very fast neck combined with powerful pick ups and a super stable bridge makes this guitar as one of the best Super Strats in the market today. A must have for all fans and followers of Nuno.

Summing up

This article features 8 best signature Super Strats in the market. All of them are brilliant choices for different genres they represent and very difficult to rate them one over the other.

It comes to the personal choice of the player and his influence to decide on which one suits him the most. If you are undecided on the models, just pick any one of these and you will not repent for sure. You can also check this article if any specific type of guitar suits you better.

Last update on 2024-05-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API