Larkin Poe's Rebecca Lovell on why the secret to great Strat tone is in the right hand

Larkin Poe's Rebecca Lovell is known for getting great tones out of her Stratocaster. From full-on blues riffs to heavier rock, Lovell has undoubtedly developed a distinct approach and sound. So, what's the secret to getting a great Strat tone?

“It’s all in the right hand – and that’s coming from someone who started out as an acoustic player,” she says in the new issue of Guitarist. “It’s taken me a long time to understand the appropriate amount of force to use on a Strat. Because watching a player like Stevie [Ray Vaughan] play, you begin to understand how much violence the guitar can actually take.”

“You can draw a lot of dynamics out of your instrument if you’re willing to muscle in but also lighten up. I’ve broken thousands of strings on my blessed guitar… poor thing.”

Lovell's determination to master the Strat tone goes back to Stevie Ray Vaughan, particularly his 1991 Live At The El Mocambo concert film. “[It's] probably one of the most inspirational exhibitions of a Stratocaster from where I sit.

“Also, we played Doheny Blues Festival in California five or six years ago and watching Jimmie Vaughan play his Strat on stage was like raising hair on the back of the neck. When you see somebody playing with that authority, that is a connective moment where you understand the instrument’s power.”

And the best amp and pedal to accompany the Strat tone? “On a track called Bad Spell I used a Fender Deluxe with a Royal Jelly by Beetronics. It’s like a really overblown fuzz pedal that gives a kiss of an octave sound to it. It’s got a little bit of a slap on it and sounds really sick.”

For more new interviews celebrating 70 years of the Fender Strat, pick up issue 511 of Guitarist at Magazines Direct.