How to Get a Fat Les Paul Sound From Your Strat

Learn how the Voodoo Lab Giggity transforms single-coil tone in front of an overdrive.

II think we can all agree, single-coil pickups are magical. But doggonit, sometimes you just want more beef. In this video, Voodoo Lab’s James Santiago shows how placing the Giggity Analog Preamp + Overdrive  in front of a Sparkle Drive MOD can transform your Strat’s delicate rear pickup into a fire-breathing Les Paul.

The Strat-To-Les Paul Toolkit:

The Flat Sound: Fender Strat straight into a Fender tweed Deluxe amp. Bright, spanky, unmistakably single-coil.

Giggity for Tone Shaping: With these Giggity settings, dig how the Strat takes on a fatter, rounder character with more girth.

Loudness: 3 o’clock

Body: 9 o’clock

Air: 10 o’clock

Master: 9 o’clock

Sun/Moon: Middle position

Giggity in Front of Sparkle Drive MOD: Without Giggity, the high-gain mode on Sparkle Drive MOD sounds trebly and a bit crumbly. Flip Giggity on and it pulls the grind together, smoothing out the top end and turning an overdriven Strat into something much thicker.

Gain: 4 o’clock 

Tone: 11 o’clock

Clean: All the way down

Volume: 9  o’clock

Mod switch: Position 3

A Milkshake-Thick Strat Tone: Looking for a Strat tone with even more calories? Simply flip the Sparkle Drive MOD mode switch to position 1 and enjoy.

—Darrin Fox