(dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

[Davey]

sooo.. which fenders have that route and what are the possible disadvantages of it?

i know, having it, gives you the option, of any possible pickup combination you can imagine to put togethe, with humbuckers and singles, but are there any disadvantages to it? (since that is quite a big chunk of wood taken out of the guitar)


discuss

 

[greendy123]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

I think it would have more feedback problems like hollow guitars have. Maybe less sustain because of the lack of wood. Another would be is that guitar would look ****ty if no pickguard was on and the pickups are screwed into the wood.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

I don't know exactly which Fenders have the swimming pool route. I believe it's mainly the modern guitar models like the Am Std or Am Dlx, vs. the classic types like the 50's, 52 RI. I really don't hear a difference on tones myself. If you think about it, there's really not any more wood missing. Instead of having 3 cavities for a Strat, there's one large one. It's really not much bigger. People make it out like it's a humongous thing. It's really not. IMHO, the benefits far outweight the detriments. However, others might disagree......

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

It's mostly negligible for most players needs....

Fender's change back from them was mostly PR more than anything else.

 

[ErikH]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

The 1990's models have them, I know that. I like it actually. If I want to change to dual humbuckers or whatever, no router needed. Just new pickups and pickguard. I think it was around 2000 that they went back to S-S-S or S-S-H.

The tonal difference to me is minimal. If anything, it may help a tad with the acoustical properties. I know my '94 Strat rings really well acoustically. And, again, the amount of wood has nothing to do with sustain. There's a lot more factors that affect sustain than the amount of wood the body has. There's no feedback like a hollow body or semi-hollow body might come in contact with because the route isn't deep enough and it's covered up. Feedback busters are used on acoustics to help eliminate feedback and they make them for hollow and semi-hollow bodies as well.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

I don't think there are any important disadvantages to it. But it seems a little cheap to me. Route it for HSH unless it's a reissue.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

The swimming pool can be found on most US Strats made between 1988 and approx. 2000. The exceptions are artist signature models and vintage reissues. US Strats made 2000 and later are routed HSH.

In theory, more wood = better resonance, but in practice the effect is barely noticeable, if at all.

 

[Merodack]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

Here's an advantage : you can brag about having a swimming pool route to girls who don't know about such things, and then wait for them to turn up in bikinis. :laugh2:

 

[Davey]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

Here's an advantage : you can brag about having a swimming pool route to girls who don't know about such things, and then wait for them to turn up in bikinis. :laugh2:

:lmao:

 

[FretFire]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

Another would be is that guitar would look ****ty if no pickguard was on and the pickups are screwed into the wood.

So would any front routed body, swimming pool or not. That's what rear routed bodies are for.

 

[chcjunior]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

I have a G&L which has the swimming pool route. It still has a nice full sound to it. However, I don't have the same guitar without the swimming pool route to A/B it with. As mentioned, there's really not that much additional wood taken out...and certainly not as much as you'd lose adding a whammy.

 

[MattPete]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

I found that some pickguards flex with a swimming pool route because there is less support underneath.

 

[fretburner]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

I found that some pickguards flex with a swimming pool route because there is less support underneath.

I wonder what kinda pickguard those are...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

The big issue is the quality of the body wood, or the weight. I notice WAY more difference between those factors than I do the size of the route.
You could have a 3 single route that sounds like driftwood, and a swimming pool routed body that sounds like a million bucks. It's all about the wood IMO.

Another aspect that isn't emphasized enough is the sound of the neck. If you put 5 different strat necks on a body, you'd find that some neck/body combos are tonal magic, and some sound more dead.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

The swimming pool can be found on most US Strats made between 1988 and approx. 2000. The exceptions are artist signature models and vintage reissues. US Strats made 2000 and later are routed HSH.

In theory, more wood = better resonance, but in practice the effect is barely noticeable, if at all.

ya for sure.... I took a 94 MIM Standard strat and routed it out for the Swimming pool rout.... I used that guitar with many different pickups, kind of a test guitar... It had a HSS rout which was odd for a MIM body.... But i stuck a pickguard with 3 humbuckers in and routed out the body.... later i returned that guitar to the stock SSS pickguard.... and it still sounds the same to me.

my 1988 American Standard has the swimming pool route and it is the finnest sounding strat i have ever owned! Something is just right with that piece of wood!

 

[Pierre]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

This is one of those 'TB vs SH' and 'direct mounted vs pickup rings' issues. X says 'eh, A is better, I tried!', then Y says 'Well I didn't notice a difference' and Z says 'well I found that B is better...' and no one is more the wiser at the end hehe... I'm one of those who go with the 'there are WAY more factors out there' and I think a swimming pool route is a totally negligible point in tone. I'd go for one because it's handy and that's it. I too really doubt it makes any contribution to the tone.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

In theory the non pooled body would have more sustain because of more wood.

In practice 99.999999% can´t tell the difference w/o removing the pickguard.......

 

[Davey]

Re: (dis)advantages of the swimming pool route

=)

thanks guys.