Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

[Eric Dahlberg]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

If you took it to a good luthier to have it fixed, it would've set you back 'bout $ 30-50 bucks. How can you quantify nine years of guitar unhappiness?

I would call that naivete except that you're in Italy where luthiers care about their work. Most repairmen around here are butchers and even the best of them (who, btw, charge a lot more than $30-50) would never go to the lengths and take the care that he did. Besides, working on guitars is fun!

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

I'd like to add putting in neck inserts and machine screws to improve resonance. The tighter the joint between neck and body, the more the two vibrate as one. I recommend Onyx Forge's kit, but ask for the stainless steel inserts. Compared to the basic zinc inserts, they are INSANELY hard, and once they're in, they're in. You'll end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 to 3000 lbs of clamp force.

$50, a drill press, and a little strength, and your strat's resonance and sustain will go up significantly. I have this mod in my strat, and it's amazing just how much more "dialed-in" it ended up being.

Jason

 

[Eric Dahlberg]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

I'd like to add putting in neck inserts and machine screws to improve resonance. The tighter the joint between neck and body, the more the two vibrate as one. I recommend Onyx Forge's kit, but ask for the stainless steel inserts. Compared to the basic zinc inserts, they are INSANELY hard, and once they're in, they're in. You'll end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 to 3000 lbs of clamp force.

Nice tip, I might give this a try!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

best ting I ever did to improce the tone of a Strat was to put a Callaham tremolo on it, if you can't do the whole tremolo at least get the block...massive improvement however if it is a "dead wood" guitar nothing will "fix" that...

 

[j9fd3s]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

I'd like to add putting in neck inserts and machine screws to improve resonance. The tighter the joint between neck and body, the more the two vibrate as one. I recommend Onyx Forge's kit, but ask for the stainless steel inserts. Compared to the basic zinc inserts, they are INSANELY hard, and once they're in, they're in. You'll end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 to 3000 lbs of clamp force.

$50, a drill press, and a little strength, and your strat's resonance and sustain will go up significantly. I have this mod in my strat, and it's amazing just how much more "dialed-in" it ended up being.

Jason

yeah, that was a no go for two reasons.

1, the neck plate was already warped, and the wood on the back is dented, you need a new back plate to go tighter.

2. installation looks hard....

i have no doubt it works though

 

[j9fd3s]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Wilkinson tremolos are better quality than this, not to mention that many of them have steel blocks. Guitar Fetish makes some cheap bridges that seem good, too.

How did you polish them? What is your block made out of?

If you're going for an LP, you might want to try a Little 59 in the bridge, as well. My ash body strat with a Little 59 in the bridge sounds very similar to my LP with a C5 in the bridge. The strat has a quicker, slightly harsher attack but this can help with Fender amps that sometimes make the LP sound dull.

i'm a lefty, guitar fetish has nothing. its really frustrating to go somewhere like guitar center, and among the 100's of guitars, they have like 1 left handed one....

i polished the block with sandpaper, i went to like 2000 grit. block is cast, dunno what it is, it is pretty heavy, so its some kind of steel

i have a 59 i might throw in it, we'll see, i'm warm with what ive got

 

[j9fd3s]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Stop being a gomer and get a callaham bridge and saddles.

well this guitar went from like a -1 to a 7 with the stuff i just did. i do want the callaham stuff but its going on the guitar that was already a 8

 

[Eric Dahlberg]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

I'd like to add putting in neck inserts and machine screws to improve resonance. The tighter the joint between neck and body, the more the two vibrate as one. I recommend Onyx Forge's kit, but ask for the stainless steel inserts. Compared to the basic zinc inserts, they are INSANELY hard, and once they're in, they're in. You'll end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 to 3000 lbs of clamp force.

$50, a drill press, and a little strength, and your strat's resonance and sustain will go up significantly. I have this mod in my strat, and it's amazing just how much more "dialed-in" it ended up being.

Jason

Hey Jason, I just wanted to thank you again for that recommendation. I spoke with Roy today, he's a great guy and I'm planning to buy the inserts soon. He remembered you, too!

 

[Thunder]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

One thing I did was replace the neck bolts with machine bolts like Yngwie malmsteen's strat. They let you tighten the neck more into the neck pocket than the wood screws.

Sanding the polyurethane is only necessary if there's a big buildup of paint

That's a cool idea! I sanded and glued one of mine in.

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Hey Jason, I just wanted to thank you again for that recommendation. I spoke with Roy today, he's a great guy and I'm planning to buy the inserts soon. He remembered you, too!

I got recommended by JMH151 on this forum to use roy. Roy's a class act, knows his stuff inside and out, and builds his own guitars (he has a 1 piece on his site, 1 big piece for the body and neck together... it's absolutely wicked). He's kinda like the callaham for neck inserts IMHO.

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Stop being a gomer and get a callaham bridge and saddles.

+1,000. The callaham stuff is unreal. Sometimes it makes my jaw drop as to just how good it is. Expensive, yes, but worth every penny once you hear all the little nuances that come out. It made my guitar unforgiving yet so much better to play.

 

[tc]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

One thing I've always thought about my hardtail strat, the neck vibrates insanely, I can feel that when I play, yet I get nothing from the body. I can't feel it in my gut, so to speak. The guitar itself is pretty loud compared to most electrics I've played.

 

[Frantic_Rock]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Here's a demo of my strat guys. I am posting it here, because you can be the judge of the sound. (SRV's "Lenny")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7n1J5LVDFk&feature=channel_page

It has the following mods:
Callaham bridge and block. (4 tight springs in the back)
I am using only 4 springs, because that (64 style) trem arm from Callaham seems kinda really soft for some reason. It's actually a flexible arm, and I don't wanna bend it harder with 5 springs. It's tight the way it is.

Paint on body is removed under bridge plate.
SD Antiquity 2 pickups in neck and middle
all electronics shielded with copper tape
sperzel locking tuners
the strings are 12-54

going into a blonde blues junior with Jensen C12 (only on about 2, because i couldn't play very loud in my apartment)

I definitely like it a lot. However there is still room for improvement, and I wish I could get more ring from the single notes when I use hammer ons. I think i might raise the action some more.

Oh and I think the intonation is wacky in spots. I am looking at the Earvana nut soon.

 

[j9fd3s]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Here's a demo of my strat guys. I am posting it here, because you can be the judge of the sound. (SRV's "Lenny")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7n1J5LVDFk&feature=channel_page

It has the following mods:
Callaham bridge and block. (4 tight springs in the back)
I am using only 4 springs, because that (64 style) trem arm from Callaham seems kinda really soft for some reason. It's actually a flexible arm, and I don't wanna bend it harder with 5 springs. It's tight the way it is.

Paint on body is removed under bridge plate.
SD Antiquity 2 pickups in neck and middle
all electronics shielded with copper tape
sperzel locking tuners
the strings are 12-54

going into a blonde blues junior with Jensen C12 (only on about 2, because i couldn't play very loud in my apartment)

I definitely like it a lot. However there is still room for improvement, and I wish I could get more ring from the single notes when I use hammer ons. I think i might raise the action some more.

Oh and I think the intonation is wacky in spots. I am looking at the Earvana nut soon.

i think it sounds good. if i was the producer, i think i'd be looking for a little more warmth, so id prolly loose some reverb, and twirl a few knobs, but thats IMO.

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Here's a demo of my strat guys. I am posting it here, because you can be the judge of the sound. (SRV's "Lenny")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7n1J5LVDFk&feature=channel_page

It has the following mods:
Callaham bridge and block. (4 tight springs in the back)
I am using only 4 springs, because that (64 style) trem arm from Callaham seems kinda really soft for some reason. It's actually a flexible arm, and I don't wanna bend it harder with 5 springs. It's tight the way it is.

Paint on body is removed under bridge plate.
SD Antiquity 2 pickups in neck and middle
all electronics shielded with copper tape
sperzel locking tuners
the strings are 12-54

going into a blonde blues junior with Jensen C12 (only on about 2, because i couldn't play very loud in my apartment)

I definitely like it a lot. However there is still room for improvement, and I wish I could get more ring from the single notes when I use hammer ons. I think i might raise the action some more.

Oh and I think the intonation is wacky in spots. I am looking at the Earvana nut soon.

for the intonation, I'd get stewmac's radius kit
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Inspection/Basic_Setup_Kit.html

and set up the strat as close to the specs as is possible. EXCELLENT choice on the 12-54s, make sure you neck is compensated for the extra tension of these thick strings (i use 12-52 myself). An odd idea for getting more ring from the single notes is to put all 5 springs in. I know you said you like having some trem use, but with all 5 springs in, and the claw decked, you make an effective hardtail. Other than that (and some small modifications like the neck inserts, an irreversible mod), your tone is wicked. I love the youtube sample.

Good job... VERY good job. :notworthy

Jason

 

[Frantic_Rock]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Thanks a lot for that. That's some great information. I will try that stuff, the setup kit, and the springs.

LOL i did the neck loosening trick. And I find out that my neck wasn't even tight at all. I did like a full revolution and a half to tighten it. I guess its the dry winter doing this to my neck. So now I have better sustain lol. I didn't even know my neck screws were all loose by about a revolution and a half to two revolutions. And i found this on all my strats. I gotta check this more often.

I think right now - for the first time in 6 and a half years (ever since i purchased my highway 1), I am saying to myself - "i finally arrived at the destination with this guitar". I am actually happy for the first time with the way it sounds, and I just enjoy playing it. I even screwed a brass door hinge to the headstock to seal the deal ROFL!!

 

[LReese]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Yea those radius gauges from Stewmac make setups a breeze - I've been setting the strings to a slightly flatter radius than the neck - say 9" for a 7.25" radius neck.

I'm not a luthier but -

If intonation's wacky, I'd try getting some nut files and feeler gauges and lower the nut slots to say .005" above 1st fret height for the plain and maybe .008 to .010" for the wound strings.

You can also make your own compensated nut:

http://www.mimf.com/nutcomp/

AFAIK, Suhr used to offer the Feiten system standard, but has since gone back to a standard nut unless special ordered.

You'll be making string nuts more often, but you'll already have the tools.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

Springs only make a difference when you are not hardtail'd like the picture of my sunburst Strat.

This is not true.

Even when the spring tension is high enough to negate the trem as an expressive device, the springs still act as a built in reverb chamber because vibrations still travel through the springs to the claw into the body, resulting in a secondary vibration minutely offset to the original.

The effect is not huge, but it is very much audible. If you don´t believe me, record your "hardtailed" strats, replace the springs with load bearing cables or remove the springs completely and jam a block of wood between the trem block and the butt end of the trem route, and re record. The latter will sound a bit "stronger" but will lose almost all of the "airiness" associated with a trem-fitted strat

Different spring strengths ("vintage", "modern" and "locking trem" are the 3 generally available strengths) may not have a huge impact on the "fundamental" tone of the instrument due to the trem being blocked, but the natural reverb is still there and the springs will most definitely have an effect on that. What exact effect I can only speculate having never A/Bed them, but my instinct says that the softer the spring the more pronounced the reverb effect will be...

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

This is not true.

Even when the spring tension is high enough to negate the trem as an expressive device, the springs still act as a built in reverb chamber because vibrations still travel through the springs to the claw into the body, resulting in a secondary vibration minutely offset to the original.

The effect is not huge, but it is very much audible. If you don´t believe me, record your "hardtailed" strats, replace the springs with load bearing cables or remove the springs completely and jam a block of wood between the trem block and the butt end of the trem route, and re record. The latter will sound a bit "stronger" but will lose almost all of the "airiness" associated with a trem-fitted strat

Different spring strengths ("vintage", "modern" and "locking trem" are the 3 generally available strengths) may not have a huge impact on the "fundamental" tone of the instrument due to the trem being blocked, but the natural reverb is still there and the springs will most definitely have an effect on that. What exact effect I can only speculate having never A/Bed them, but my instinct says that the softer the spring the more pronounced the reverb effect will be...

which ones have the most tension (and hopefully the most sustain of those, as a result?)

Jaosn

 

[Slann]

Re: Improving Resonance in a Stratocaster

I've got a '69 Strat I purchased new. It's great for reference, not to mention playing. I've only had the neck off twice, but I noticed the perfectly flat surfaces where the neck and body contact each other. I think that's important.
Also, I don't think taking the neck off very often is a good thing. I keep mine tightly screwed down. However, and this is probably the most important observation, the wood needs to be dry to be most resonant. This happens over time, and if the current mfg. process doesn't allow for aging the wood (is kiln-drying as good as natural drying?), the guitar won't be as "live". I've noticed this with friends' Teles, especially...the older they are(same woods...ash bodies, maple necks), the more they resonate when played unplugged. I noticed my Strat's resonance improved around 6-8 years after I bought it. I also have my tremelo bridge "hardtailed".