Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

[Lewguitar]

Took some work. The neck (which was not one of Mark's) was to thick at the heel so I had to get long allen screws for the bridge. But it's all together now and sounding great!

The body is super light one piece Swamp Ash in Mark's distressed nitro finish. The neck I've had for a long time but I have a Mark Jenny neck on order...it'll be replaced when the new neck arrives.

Went with two Duncan Antiquity Surfers and a Fralin SP43 for the bridge pickup. And a Schaller Magaswitch Model E which gives me the neck and bridge pickups combined instead of the middle pickup. And I have a tone control on the bridge pickup and neck pickup. No tone control on the middle pickup.

I put a SP43 in my friend Aj's Strat, along with with some Duncan SSL-1's. The tone blew me away and I wanted that tone for myself. And it was in phase with the Surfers and worked perfectly the first time I plugged it in. Sounds a bit like a P90. Has adjustable poles.

I'm thrilled with the way this guitar turned out and when the new neck arrives I have a feeling it'll just get better.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Very cool!!

Nice looking round up there too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

I tried setting it up with the claw straight but regardless of what the naysayers have to say, the angled claw gives me the results I want. I spent a lot of time trying to set it up with the straight claw method, but as soon as I went back to using Carl Verheyen's angled claw method, it all came together quickly.

The idea is that I can pull up on the bar and the open G raises to a B flat, the open B raises to a C# and the open E raises to a F. That's as high as they go and they stop right on pitch.

Like I said, I tried getting that same result with a straight claw but it wouldn't pull up and land those notes perfectly on pitch.

That's the thing: the angled claw allows me to pull up and get those notes to stop right on pitch.

I really do think it's the best method I've ever used for setting up a FLOATING TREMOLO.

If your trem isn't floating, so you can't pull up on it but only dive bomb, then other methods can work fine.

But for a FLOATING TREMOLO that dive bombs and also pulls up to the exact pitches I'm looking for, Carl's method works great.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Very cool!!

Nice looking round up there too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Christian. I didn't put the Callaham in this guitar because I had to raise the saddles so much to compensate for the thick neck and use longer allen screws than normal. Didn't want to mess up the Callaham. So I just used my old Fender '62 Reissue bridge/tremolo. When I get the right neck for this ax from Mark, I'll put the Callaham and the Raw Vintage Steel Springs you recommended in it.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Very nice Lew....Love it! Enjoy! And I too still have the SP43 you sold me in one of my strats.Played that strat last night as a matter of fact!I use the Vintage springs and they do make a difference in tone and especially in what I'd call,the correct vibrato feel/tension.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Very nice Lew....Love it! Enjoy! And I too still have the SP43 you sold me in one of my strats.Played that strat last night as a matter of fact!I use the Vintage springs and they do make a difference in tone and especially in what I'd call,the correct vibrato feel/tension.

Thanks John.

Do you still like the SP43?

I think it's one of the best Strat bridge pickups I've ever used.

Sounds killer through my Klon Klone - like a dragster burning rubber!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Thanks John.

Do you still like the SP43?

I think it's one of the best Strat bridge pickups I've ever used.

Sounds killer through my Klon Klone - like a dragster burning rubber!

I love the pickup Lew...Its in a strat of mine that has a FR and it really helped that bridge position..I'm not really a FR guy but have had this strat for so long and can't part with it.Very P90ish for sure.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Mm, pics are gone.

The idea is that I can pull up on the bar and the open G raises to a B flat, the open B raises to a C# and the open E raises to a F. That's as high as they go and they stop right on pitch.

Hmm, I get the same result with my setup on my #1, which has a Floyd, 5 RV springs and the claw set straight. Maybe just one of those things where the mechanics of the guitar happen to resolve themselves in such a way... I don't pull up anyway, unless I'm playing some Beck.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Mm, pics are gone.



Hmm, I get the same result with my setup on my #1, which has a Floyd, 5 RV springs and the claw set straight. Maybe just one of those things where the mechanics of the guitar happen to resolve themselves in such a way... I don't pull up anyway, unless I'm playing some Beck.

Don't know why the pics disappeared. I didn't remove them. Oh well - I edited my post and put them back.

The angled claw method works for me and my Strats with floating tremolos all get that treatment.

I read rebuttals that it isn't necessary but it sure makes setting up a floating tremolo to my tastes much easier than trying to do it with a straight claw.

Everyone does it differently though and has their own goals in mind. Which is as it should be.

Thanks!

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Got the Mark Jenny Stratocaster Up & Running! Yahoo!

Ok, pics are back up - lookin' good.

For sure. I read about your method then went to test my guitar and found that I had the same result with my setup. Just enough pull up to play 'Where Were You' .