Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

[Stringer]

So I wanted to add a top-notch single coil guitar to the stable. After the usual test rides, I decided I owed myself a treat, and that it was time to undertake a little project. I was down with some kind of summer flu when I started putting my list together; perhaps it was all the fever-reducers white-washing my brain, but I got a little carried away with this one.

Well, if you gonna do something…

Body – One-piece swamp ash, featherweight, from USACG. Precise weight: 3.5 lbs.! Beyond resonant.

This is ridiculously gorgeous. Vital stats: 22 frets, 1.650” width at nut, .870” depth (slightly beefier than standard), C contour, 10-12” custom compound radius, 6105 stainless steel frets. That’s AAA birdseye maple. If you are going with a maple board, but, like me, are a sucker for wood that gives you wood, do not go with a one-piece neck. A maple-cap will be much stiffer. Also, do not go with anything above AAA birdseye and stay away from flamed maple altogether on a neck. They are too flabby, even with a two-piece construction. Professionally PLEK'd by Phil Jacoby.

Inner goods: Peter Florance Voodoo pickups (ST-60s), and the Suhr BPSSC system.

After wet-sanding.

Callaham V/N bridge. Check out how the vintage/narrow spacing lines perfectly over the poles.

 

[Stringer]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Kluson-style locking tuners.

Suhr system installed.

And, finally, my little moustache on the Mona Lisa:

Bone nut, string tree in vintage placement for behind-the-nut bends.

 

[Stringer]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Behold, the Flabbergaster!!!

As we say in B'More, "It's a banger, yo." Come to Balto, I let you strap.

Cheers,
String

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Nice! Great job with the finish

 

[sosomething]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

I'm not sure if I love or hate the pickguard material.... but the guitar is gorgeous.

 

[Stringer]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

I'm not sure if I love or hate the pickguard material.... but the guitar is gorgeous.

Thanks. Pickguard is engine-turned aluminum. Tends to look like carbon-fiber in the pics. I had an even crazier one on there before (rusted steel from Sharp Concepts), but that one didn't work at all.

 

[JordanM82]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

It's Glorious! Beautiful man, love it... hows it play?

 

[Stringer]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

It's Glorious! Beautiful man, love it... hows it play?

Thanks! Well, it was PLEK'd right around the corner from me, so, to my tastes, it couldn't play any better. Action is by no means high, but not dumped either. Frets are perfectly level, and stainless steel just feels oh-so-smooth. The neck is great... very stiff, with a satin finish.

The pups are exceptional, but definitely in a vintage way. The DC resistance is only 5.7-6.1-6.7 for the neck, mid, and bridge, respectively. But all of my favorite strat tones are in there. It has a push-pull pot, too, to bring the bridge pickup in for positions one and two (and technically three, which just makes it position four). I played around with a blender, but I didn't really find many useful in-between tones other than just wide-open, so I like this mod better.

 

[JordanM82]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

I have been pondering whether to take my Strat to get PLEK'd or not, there is a shop in Oklahoma that has a PLEK Pro that is about 2-3 hours from me, me and another forum bro in the same band have talked multiple times about a day trip up there for a PLEK job...

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

I have been pondering whether to take my Strat to get PLEK'd or not, there is a shop in Oklahoma that has a PLEK Pro that is about 2-3 hours from me, me and another forum bro in the same band have talked multiple times about a day trip up there for a PLEK job...

Yes .......... if I ever get my guitar finished.



Nice strat there, dude! I love that see-through blue (or STB).

 

[NUNOSLASH]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Its beyond Glorious!

Amazing man, just amazing

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Insane - that neck is just sick....

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Holy moly, that's beautiful! Nice job, you have more than just a little to be proud of there.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

i sure do like this strat! I would have a different guard myself but still the body and neck and the hardware are top notch stuff.... that Surh piece is it a noise cancelling thing?

 

[Pierre]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

I hate you, in the most lovely way possible.

 

[Stringer]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Thanks everyone.

Proverb and Laz -- PLEK only works as well as the person programming it. If he does it right, it will be as close to perfect as you can get.


WhoFan -- This guitar was HARD to find a guard for. There is nothing in that paint mix except for blue and black, but the wood lent it a more unusual tone -- one that didn't match anything. Tortoise-shell, plain black, pearloid... none looked quite right, and I didn't want to go TOO gimmicky. This one is definitely growing on me.

Yes, the Suhr BPSSC system is a noise-cancelling system that does not affect tone. You need a regular (non-RW/RP) middle pup for it to work. I'm not sure if I have it dialed in just right, because it is dead quiet on the clean channel but still a bit noisy on the gain side. But I just re-tubed my amp (pre and power), so it could be a microphonic valve.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Thanks everyone.

Proverb and Laz -- PLEK only works as well as the person programming it. If he does it right, it will be as close to perfect as you can get.


WhoFan -- This guitar was HARD to find a guard for. There is nothing in that paint mix except for blue and black, but the wood lent it a more unusual tone -- one that didn't match anything. Tortoise-shell, plain black, pearloid... none looked quite right, and I didn't want to go TOO gimmicky. This one is definitely growing on me.

Yes, the Suhr BPSSC system is a noise-cancelling system that does not affect tone. You need a regular (non-RW/RP) middle pup for it to work. I'm not sure if I have it dialed in just right, because it is dead quiet on the clean channel but still a bit noisy on the gain side. But I just re-tubed my amp (pre and power), so it could be a microphonic valve.

i'll have to check out that Suhr sytem... i have a set of 50's reissue strat PU's without the middle RWRP... a local player told me about that Suhr thing last week... he was at a Suhr clinic

The trem's string spread is narrow spaced? Does that bridge require special mounting holes for the 6 screws? or does that bridge fit Vintage 6 screw spec bridge mounts?

 

[d1dsj]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Wow, very nice indeed! Can I ask how much it's cost you to put together?

 

[Stringer]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

i'll have to check out that Suhr sytem... i have a set of 50's reissue strat PU's without the middle RWRP... a local player told me about that Suhr thing last week... he was at a Suhr clinic

The trem's string spread is narrow spaced? Does that bridge require special mounting holes for the 6 screws? or does that bridge fit Vintage 6 screw spec bridge mounts?

The Suhr system is great, but costly. I haven't seen it much cheaper than $260 on the web. Nope, the Callaham drops right into vintage spacing (or Mexican spacing, if you specify). The screws are the same, but the strings give you some play on both sides of the neck, unlike most vintage layouts. His stuff is arguably overpriced, but, man, is it purty in person. Rock solid, too. Obviously, you can't do dive-bombs with it, but this thing holds tune right up to aggressive-but-just-short-of-stupid.

 

[Stringer]

Re: Check Out My Glorious Strat Assembly (pics)

Wow, very nice indeed! Can I ask how much it's cost you to put together?

Ah, dude... I spread the purchases out so that I wouldn't have to think about it in terms of "real" money. My guess is that you could get close to a CS Fender by the time I was done. Here goes, off the top of my head... this is painful:

Body and neck = $720
Callaham bridge = $175
Voodoo pups = $245
Suhr system = $260
Gotoh locking Klusons = $80
SS neck kit (steel inserts, can be removed and put back an indefinite number of times, will never strip, and will always return to the same place) = $50
Misc. (dunlop straplocks, pots, jackplate, etc.) = $70
PLEK job and reshape of headstock = $200

Yikes, what am I up to? $1,800? For something that has zero resell value. On the other hand, it is exactly what I want, and I've never bought a piece of gear with the intention of selling it. I'm sure it would cost more for me to get this out of someone's custom shop, and I can almost guarantee the wood wouldn't be as nice. (Yes, that's the sound of me rationalizing.)