Finished ! (II)

[MetalManiac]

Yesterday I finally got the ambition to finish my late 50's Alder tribute Strat. It had been laying apart, and the karma wasn't right to go ahead and finish the assembly , but yesterday I did it.
I'm very happy with this. Its an early 80's Dimarzio thin skin Poly body ( I think made by ESP for Dimarzio.
I found a Mighty Mite '81 neck off Ebay for less than 100 shipped, and did an amazing job on the frets which were well worn and needed a dressing badly.
I have access to a few old Strats at the studio I play at sometimes, and I was going for the Look, tone and feel of the old Strats.
Well, it worked!
No, may not be a Custom Shop relic, but I have a good deal less than than 5 hundred into it. I paid about one -fifty for the old body, and another one-fifty for the Abigail initialed '69 pickups. I added an American Vintage Steel Block Tremolo and Callaham steel saddles for about 75, and tuners and hardware for about another 75 ..
It plays very reminiscent of an old Strat- you can sure tell that no CNC machine ever did this neck.
The early 80's Alder body gives off some vintage vibe, and the Custom shop '69's may be the weak link..I might change them out for some Duncan Antiquities eventually.
.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Finished ! (II)

 

[jeremy]

Re: Finished ! (II)

looks nice man but could you take a few more photos

and whats up with your strap?

 

[Will S-T]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Nice one Jerry! What do you think of the Hipshot's?

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Looks awesome, Jer!

 

[Jocelyn]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Looks nice Jerry.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Not much looks better than a two-tone Strat with a single-ply guard. It's a beauty.

 

[ErikH]

Looks good. That's definitely a classic look.

 

[bluesbend]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Well done! Looks great Jer.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Who is it a Tribute too? It's a very nice looking Strat! Good luck with it!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Great job. Love those late 50s Strats. I've got a '57 and it's crazy great.

(Now put the strap on right).

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Thanks everbody. Yeah, I trimmed the fat and took off a few pics. I've never used this kind of Strap, so thanks, I'll put it on right.

I dont like Hipshots, but they are about as light as sperzels, and less bulky. One just broke on me, and I have to call Hipshot to see if I can replace. The little thumbwheels are thin and hard to turn. They just happened to fit in the holes in the headstock of this neck..they are a tiny bit different size than otrhers I think.


Its really just a mock up of a '57 .Not really a tribute per-se.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Those tuners are huge. Are they as heavy as they look? High mass tuners can suck some of the sustain out of the guitar, afaik.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Nice Strat, LOVE those Hipshots, Will convinced me to put the locking kind in my Stinnett and I am very glad that he did. They feel really smooth and the 18:1 ratio is great.

It doesn't show from the photos but they are actually open backed to keep the weight in check too!

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Finished ! (II)

^ Mine are staggered. Get the satggered ; worth the extra money.

 

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Nice Axe Jerry!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Mine only stagger when they've had too much to drink.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Finished ! (II)

Mine only stagger when they've had too much to drink.

I put my '57 mock up against a real genuine '57 this past weekend . Even though my 35 year old '57 sounds ( and plays) pretty dog gone nice, the real '57 made it sound ( and play) like a joke, and a bad joke at that.Add to that my genuine early 80's guitar sounds probably 50% better than a new production guitar, and its a bleak picture for you guys.
Oh well, what the hay.