Charvel2
New member
Hi, new member, and my first thread...
I've been working on a Strat build based around a new Fender American Standard Strat body paired with a maple neck I've had for more than twenty years. It was originally a Squier Deluxe Strat body, but as you can see from my avatar, that suffered a little mishap!
Anyway, I used a Duncan Pearly Gates that I'd bought from eBay months ago, along with a new PG neck and an Alnico II middle single coil wired through a Fender Super Switch and a 500k CTS volume with a Fender no-load 250k master tone (the third knob is an unwired dummy). I really like the PG neck, and I'm getting some nice spanky sounds in the in between positions, but I'm not liking the PG bridge at all in this guitar. The note separation is good, and there's decent depth and clarity, but there's a gnarly upper mid spike that I'm finding unpleasant. I can tame it with the tone control to some extent, but that's hardly ideal. I'm also finding it a touch underpowered, which surprises me as I've gravitated towards lower output humbuckers in recent years, especially in my Gibsons.
I'm looking at getting a roasted maple Warmoth neck to finish the project at some point as the current neck is a little unstable. It's crossed my mind to get a rosewood board to take the edge off the sound, but I'd rather stick with maple if I can. Comparing it to other maple neck Strats I own, my Charvel So Cal with an EVH Frankenstein sounds wonderful, articulate and meaty, and powerful without being over the top - though possibly too hot for what I'd like from this build. I also have an 80s JV Squier Strat that has a single GFS VEH which I like a lot - not as gainy as the EVH, put with similar highs and lows.
My problem is, I'm not sure how much is the fault of the pickup and how much is the acoustic property of the guitar itself. My Charvel, for example, has a fairly flat and neutral acoustic sound due to its basswood and Floyd construction, whereas the Strat I'm working on has much more boing and zing in the tone, with a more extended low end. I have a Custom Custom lying around which I might try just as a test, but I think that will be a little too hot.
So, I'm looking at some custom shop options, namely the '78 and the IM1 - the latter being close to the Frankenstein in my Charvel. Another possibility is the VHII from Bare Knuckle. Any thoughts on those in a fairly bright and springy sounding Strat? Any other alternatives?
I've been working on a Strat build based around a new Fender American Standard Strat body paired with a maple neck I've had for more than twenty years. It was originally a Squier Deluxe Strat body, but as you can see from my avatar, that suffered a little mishap!
Anyway, I used a Duncan Pearly Gates that I'd bought from eBay months ago, along with a new PG neck and an Alnico II middle single coil wired through a Fender Super Switch and a 500k CTS volume with a Fender no-load 250k master tone (the third knob is an unwired dummy). I really like the PG neck, and I'm getting some nice spanky sounds in the in between positions, but I'm not liking the PG bridge at all in this guitar. The note separation is good, and there's decent depth and clarity, but there's a gnarly upper mid spike that I'm finding unpleasant. I can tame it with the tone control to some extent, but that's hardly ideal. I'm also finding it a touch underpowered, which surprises me as I've gravitated towards lower output humbuckers in recent years, especially in my Gibsons.
I'm looking at getting a roasted maple Warmoth neck to finish the project at some point as the current neck is a little unstable. It's crossed my mind to get a rosewood board to take the edge off the sound, but I'd rather stick with maple if I can. Comparing it to other maple neck Strats I own, my Charvel So Cal with an EVH Frankenstein sounds wonderful, articulate and meaty, and powerful without being over the top - though possibly too hot for what I'd like from this build. I also have an 80s JV Squier Strat that has a single GFS VEH which I like a lot - not as gainy as the EVH, put with similar highs and lows.
My problem is, I'm not sure how much is the fault of the pickup and how much is the acoustic property of the guitar itself. My Charvel, for example, has a fairly flat and neutral acoustic sound due to its basswood and Floyd construction, whereas the Strat I'm working on has much more boing and zing in the tone, with a more extended low end. I have a Custom Custom lying around which I might try just as a test, but I think that will be a little too hot.
So, I'm looking at some custom shop options, namely the '78 and the IM1 - the latter being close to the Frankenstein in my Charvel. Another possibility is the VHII from Bare Knuckle. Any thoughts on those in a fairly bright and springy sounding Strat? Any other alternatives?
