Help with Fender fat strat.

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Help with Fender fat strat.

A 93 HSS strat MIJ or MIA is probably using the DMZ PAF Pro in the bridge if stock.

You could get a Warmoth or USAG alder body and have it finished in nitro. Nothings wrong with quality basswood either, except maybe looks if you use a transparent finish.

A luthier would need to fashion a peice of wood to replace the big slot for the floyd locking nut and then cut a slot, for the more traditional nut.

Fitting the MIJ neck to an after market or USA Fender body should not be much of a problem.

 

[papersoul]

Re: Help with Fender fat strat.

Thanks on the Warmoth thing. What about a Fender Nitro body off ebay? They go cheaper than Warmoth. There is also this place-
http://www.bestguitarparts.com/wyrd-parts/
This place can give me a body with the electronics cavity in the rear so I wouldn't need a pickguard.

This place has bridges as well and I am looking at the Wilkenson or hipshot trems assuming they don't have rough saddles like Fender.

I want to check US Masters also.

On the nut, I want to try an Earvana compensating nut and it is larger than the average nut. Maybe I'll get locking tuners as well.

What about a mahogany body? Or mahogany with maple top could be real nice.

A 93 HSS strat MIJ or MIA is probably using the DMZ PAF Pro in the bridge if stock.

You could get a Warmoth or USAG alder body and have it finished in nitro. Nothings wrong with quality basswood either, except maybe looks if you use a transparent finish.

A luthier would need to fashion a peice of wood to replace the big slot for the floyd locking nut and then cut a slot, for the more traditional nut.

Fitting the MIJ neck to an after market or USA Fender body should not be much of a problem.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Help with Fender fat strat.

i had to modify the neck a little to get it to fit a mia fender body. the neck was a little too wide, not much but enough it wouldnt fit without some sanding. measure the size of the heal.

i love the neck on mine and honestly i just left the locking nut but leave the locking parts off so its just an ugly metal nut. i put a fixed bridge on the body so tuning stability isnt really an issue.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Help with Fender fat strat.

What about a mahogany body? Or mahogany with maple top could be real nice.

I don't think you want go too far afield from what you have now if you like it. You may end up with something that you don't like. Guitars are funny in that its the sum of the parts and the way they interact, and there's no exact science to it. Changing things will alter things and it may be better and it may be worse. It best to just change one or two things at time to keep track of things and to go back if you want. There's no way of knowing with certainty in advance.

What you have now is a basswood body. Alder alone is not too far different, but mahogony may alter things quite a bit. I built a mahogony/maple top humbucker loaded tele and it sounds more like a Les Paul than a "fat Fender" than many might think, despite the scale length and the neck.

Basswood with a maple top is a great combination too. I would consider a basswood with a maple top body because that will keep the combination close to what you have and like now.

Is this a recessed Floyd? If not just pull the posts, plug the holes with dowls, and drill screw holes for a six point vintage style bridge.

Alder with a maple top will be slightly scooped, basically the opposite of straight basswood, and its fat midrange with softer top and bottom attack.


If you can find a good replacement body for less $$$ then there's nothing wrong with that!!

The Wilkinsen vintage style trem is an outstanding bridge. So is their original two point model, but the two point designs are basically a Floyd without the troublesome locking nut and the fine tuners (wilks are intended to be used with locking tuners and a low friction nut), so in that case you would just keep what you have now and avoid all the hassle.

 

[papersoul]

Re: Help with Fender fat strat.

Hey, thanks. I was thinking of finding a strat style body with basswood/maple top but I wonder if I could get one without the pickguard and just run the cavity in the back! Do you know where to buy a basswood/maple strat body?

I do have a PRS that is Alder/maple and sounds very good.......doesn't seem that scooped as you mentioned.

I don't really like the body. I want basswood with the maple top. I love that tone. This has the floating trem. I think I would want the Wilkenson trem that is like the FR without the locking mess. I think that would hold tune like my PRS trem...and I don't use a trem a lot but nice to have. Plus, I can never get a Floyd to give me the low action I like. Whic is the preferred Wilkenson trem? :1:

One thing that is bothering me. I have had the urge for a G&L Legacy, LOL! Trying to put that out of my mind. The other thing I am craving is a Peavey Wolfgang or HP Special. I need to really think about this one.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Help with Fender fat strat.

You can get a rear routed basswood/maple top body. I'm not sure where you should go. Just about all the normal body builders can provide you with one, Warmoth....ect... I have one that I made myself. Perhaps call USA Custom Guitars and tell them what you have in mind.

The guitar also has a two point Wilkinsen trem. If you don't like a floating trem you don't want the original two point Wilk, because it is designed to be floating. The vintage trem by Wilk, however, is basically just like the vintage Fender, but with key improvements for better tuning stability and a big steel block. It's much like the PRS trem bridge now that I think about it. You can tighten it down flat to the body.

Are you talking about the PRS with the alder body and maple neck design they did a several years ago? Or one with a alder body with a maple top on the body? If so what neck woods did he use? I would be interested in knowing about that design and what you think of it.

 

[papersoul]

Re: Help with Fender fat strat.

Thanks for the tips. I am actually thinking of getting rid of this guitar now. I just realize that my favorite guitars are Gibsons and PRS.....but I do love the tones I get from a Peavey Wolfgang. We'll see.

I have a 1994 PRS CE-22 which is alder with maple top, maple bolt on neck with a rosewood fretboard. Fantastic sounding guitar.