When you say, " A G&L isn't a Strat " , which G&L are you meaning. I understand the USA Tribute was made to be a Strat, with improvements from Leo. Obviously, they have many and various models, so what sound you get depends on the specs.
Yup! What I meant was that even Fender Stratocasters have different sounds. An American Standard doesn't sound like an Eric Johnson. And when you start pulling in other Strat-style guitars, like, for instance, G&L USA Tributes, Robin Rangers, modded Strats, and the whole universe of partscasters, you really have a lot of different sounds.
And as you say, G&Ls are one attempt at improving - that is, changing - the Strat. And as you also say, they don't all sound the same, either.
I bought my first Strat right off the rack without even plugging it in. I liked the color, and I thought Strats all sounded the same. Ugh.
Yes, there are some distinctly Strat sounds. There's the above-mentioned quack. And there's the the third-position middle pickup sound that you hear with Bonnie Raitt and with early-seventies Jerry Garcia - who, I think you'll agree,
don't sound the same!
And there's the fat, bluesy sound of the neck pickup and the country-twang-to-hard-rock sounds of the neck position.
So you can often listen to the radio and say, "
That's a
Strat!"
But all in all, to me, Strats don't all sound roughly the same. So if there's a characteristic sound you're looking for, shop around.
For instance, if it's the sweet Knopfler sound you're after, avoid hot, aggressive pickups (like humbuckers and so-called Texas-style single coils) and try some models with three single-coil pickups and a whammy bridge with six screws in a row.
Cherche la quack!