Battery box on a Strat - what should I use it for?

[PFDarkside]

I’m assembling another (surprise, surprise) Strat, this body has a battery box. It’ll be Floyd equipped and either HSS or HS, so modded/hot rod, not vintage.

My immediate thought was a set of EMGs, but if I went the passive route like JB/Stk/Stk, what are some other creative ways I can use the battery box? Boost, Mid Boost, illuminated kill switch, what would be cool and what would be useful?

 

[uOpt]

Snack storage!

 

[zionstrat]

Mid boost is, by far, my favorite... Dial in for clean and use the boost to drive.

 

[PFDarkside]

Mid boost is, by far, my favorite... Dial in for clean and use the boost to drive.

Do you have a preferred one? The EMG SPC seems like the easiest. The Clapton seems a bit more difficult to shoehorn in the Strat cavity.

 

[PFDarkside]

Snack storage!

Adam Sandler SNL character style?

 

[Mincer]

I store picks in mine.

 

[jeremy]

i love the spc and its definitely easier than the clapton boost. i do love the clapton boost too but its a cred card size circuit board. i always deck my bridges so i pull the claw and springs out and put it there but thats not an option for many people

 

[PFDarkside]

i love the spc and its definitely easier than the clapton boost. i do love the clapton boost too but its a cred card size circuit board. i always deck my bridges so i pull the claw and springs out and put it there but thats not an option for many people

This body has Floyd posts, otherwise that would be a great idea. Although I guess I could block it, use a D-Tuna and have rock solid tuning.

 

[idsnowdog]

I have had really good luck with the Artec boosters. The stronger the input signal the better they sound. http://www.artecsound.com/pickups/electronics/index.html

 

[PFDarkside]

I have had really good luck with the Artec boosters. The stronger the input signal the better they sound. http://www.artecsound.com/pickups/electronics/index.html

That’s very interesting, which ones do you have experience with?

 

[idsnowdog]

That’s very interesting, which ones do you have experience with?

The BCU and the QTB. The QTB has four different boost frequencies while the BCU is a midrange control. You can find them for $25.

 

[Securb]

what would be cool and what would be useful?

.

 

[PFDarkside]

.

Much less cool to have the back of the guitar smoking.

 

[Securb]

Much less cool to have the back of the guitar smoking.

The battery compartment is to power the smoke bomb under the pickup, make it happen.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I've had the SPC in one of my Floydcasters for many years. Love how it fattens the EMG singlecoils.
Not sure how well it'd do with a JB though.

 

[PFDarkside]

I've had the SPC in one of my Floydcasters for many years. Love how it fattens the EMG singlecoils.
Not sure how well it'd do with a JB though.

How about a Fat 55 or 57? Or I guess I could go SSS…

 

[Securb]

 

[eclecticsynergy]

How about a Fat 55 or 57? Or I guess I could go SSS…

Not familiar with those, but the SPC is a fattener so maybe a fat voiced humbucker isn't the best match.
I have the original EMG singles with SPC and EXG, later renamed the Gilmour set.
IMO the SPC is perfect with those.
EXG is pretty cool too, though occasionally I've wished for a conventional tone knob to go darker when I want.
I think the SPC plus a regular tone would be the bee's knees for an SSS.

Not positive the SPC couldn't work with a JB, either; its hump is mostly below the JB's upper-mid spike I think.
But the JB is touchy - sometimes it doesn't like naturally midrangey guitars so I'm unsure how it'd fare with a midboost.
Might be great. Might be awful.

Artec's EXP seems cool too - midboost, flat boost, or high/low boost, all on one knob. And cheap to try out.

 

[Demanic]

The battery compartment is to power the smoke bomb under the pickup, make it happen.

Powering led fret markers would be cooler.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

 

[PFDarkside]

Powering led fret markers would be cooler.

Sent from my SM-A115A using Tapatalk

That would be cool. If it was a brand new guitar that would be clever. This looks like a late 60’s Strat that an 80’s Shredder owned.