So I Bought Another Stratocaster

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So the day before yesterday I had a bunch of stuff for my next Stratocaster guard arrive. I've wanted a H/S guard with 1 vol. knob & either a 3 way blade switch or a push pull for a pup selector for a while now, basically a Pro Mod San Dimas kind of deal? Now if I had known how things were going to turn out I probably would have just bought a Charvel but I didn't & building a guard for one of my 7 Stratocasters seemed like a good way to get what I wanted without having to dish out a bunch of cash, I already had the pickups & everything so it was just the guard & a pot? Anyway I put it all together & tossed it into my beater to test it out? Awesome! It came out great but I ran into a bit of a problem that for some reason hadn't crossed my mind until then? Where the hell am I going to put it??? As I said I have 7 of them but I've also got over 20 assembled pickguards counting the ones that are currently in guitars & out of the 20 I've got my favorite 7 already installed? So if I want to use the new one I'll have to give up one of the existing guards, Oh well, that sucks but what am I going to do???

I'm going to the store, that's what I'll do! I'm a coffee junky & I was out of milk, no coffee, no guitar work!!! Anyway, there was an old lady in line in front of me & she was buying lotto tickets? I watched her buy @ least 8 of them one by one & lose on every one, by this time I'm getting pretty aggravated standing in line so I politely asked her to move so I could cash out? She turns & gives me this evil look then snaps @ me for not being patient enough, walks over by the coffee counter to finish the last ticket she bought. So when I finally get up to the counter the store clerk & I kind of rolled our eyes @ her & then she asks "will that be it?" being a rather petty person when I want to be I said no, I'll also take 5 of the same ticket she's playing. Now I never buy scratch tickets but my grandfather was crazy about them so I know 1st hand how upset some people get when they are chasing a bet & then someone buys the next few tickets, it screws up their whole system, I use that word loosely!!! I looked over @ this woman & I could tell she wanted to bite my head off!!!! So I go out & get in my car, before I leave I decide I'll check them, you never know & if I did win something I'm already @ the store?

1st, 2nd, were losers but I get to the 3rd & its $40, NICE!!! I do the next one & its a $500 winner!!! I looked into the store I could see that woman still @ the counter. I know this store drops whenever they have $200 over change in their drawer so they would not be able to cash them in but just to be a petty A-hole I walked in & asked "Can you cash $540 worth of winners?" You should have seen the look on this woman's face, PRICELESS!!!! Anyway, I got them cashed @ another store, paid my cable bill & solved my 2 many guards, not enough Stratocasters problem with my new found disposable income!

I was able to pick up this new for $404.00, its nothing special now, just a Standard MIM with a couple of uncovered Blacktop Humbuckers & it was a online buy, hence the stock photo, so I'd imagine it will need a set up & all that happy horse s***? Once I've got that done & this new guard dropped in I think I'm going to have one BADASS MEXI-STRAT on my hands!!!! I will be sure to post some before & after pics when it arrives & again after I MOD it! If there's a moral to this story its " DON"T BE MEAN " karma is a B****!!!!! She lost a bunch of money trying to get rich quick & I won a new guitar trying to prove a point, or at least trying to ruin a angry lady's day!!! LOL!!!!! :nana:
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

you should be ashamed

splitting the money with her would have taught both of you a lesson























I want a HS strat too
I'm so jealous
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

I don't feel the least bit ashamed, why would I? First off I could have lost on the tickets I bought just like her, secondly, I'm certainly not going to run up to some lady who not only made me stand in line for over 10 minutes so she could feed her gambling bug but when I politely asked if she could step aside for a moment so I could pay for my milk acted like I killed her first born child & be like "I know you were just super mean to me for no reason, but gosh dang it, here's $300"? I don't see how that's going to teach her anything other than you can act like a B**** & get rewarded for it. In my O.P. I said I was petty, I guess I should have said I can be very petty when provoked? Its not like I spend my time trying to ruin old lady's days for fun but if she's going to mess with my day & especially my coffee, I've got no problem rubbing her nose in a big, steamy, stinking, pile of Stratocaster that I won!

If I'm @ the grocery store & have a full cart but the lady behind me only has a few items I will always let them go ahead of me, its just common courtesy? My 10yr old has better manners than this women did, so I don't feel bad or ashamed, just excited about my new guitar!!!! I always try my best to be as polite to others as possible & as long as I'm treated with respect I will always give it right back, 4 fold? That said, if you disrespect me I'll also give it back 4 fold & I wont lose a moment's sleep over it!!! If she had moved to let me pay for my milk & for some reason I had decided to buy a ticket that turned out to be a $600 winner I probably would have offered her something but she was rude & cruel, the world corrected itself, & now she's S.O.L.!!!! As I said before, KARMA!!!!! Maybe next time she'll show some kindness & she'll be rewarded for it? Although, judging by her demeanor, I doubt she has enough time to make up for all the crappy stuff she's done!!! If gambling was fair it wouldn't exist, life isn't fair, honestly I think what happened @ the store was the closest thing to fair I've seen in a long time! I got some bills paid & a new guitar because I'm not a total dick & she has something to complain about for the next few weeks, honestly I think we both came out of there winners!!!
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

as observed
the object lesson of "being the bigger person"
evades you

as I said both of you could have learned from it


she would have learned what nice people do
you would have learned humility

but alas not

maybe next time
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

as observed
the object lesson of "being the bigger person"
evades you

as I said both of you could have learned from it


she would have learned what nice people do
you would have learned humility

but alas not

maybe next time

Your absolutely right, righteousness is the path less traveled! Maybe I should have been the bigger person and shared it with her? Perhaps all she needed was to know that someone out there cared & she would have taken that money & donated it to charity, maybe even saved a starving kid? 500 to 1 she would have just kept buying lottery tickets, but hay , someone has to pay for public schools and roads? Perhaps you should teach me how to be the bigger person by sending me $300? I would certainly keep it in mind the next time I have another experience like this? Sounds a bit silly when it's your money we're talking about right? if not P.M. me & I'll be happy to send you my PayPal?
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

The estimated E.T.A. is Friday, U.P.S. typically gets here pretty early so I should have some in hand pictures by the afternoon? Apparently buying a guitar online over a long weekend, not a great idea? I paid for it last Friday or Saturday but it didn't actually start moving until last night. Believe me, I want to see it even more than you!!! Stay tuned!!!!!
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

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So I know its not the new guitar but at least I got the guard built? I'm sure if you use your imagination you'll be able to piece together what it's going to look like? I will have some pics of the finished product once it arrives, 2 more days!!!
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

I think this turned out beautifully.

There are always two ways to do something and she chose a method that brought down a lesson in humility. Had she just kept to herself and scratched her cards and then went back you would have just paid for your coffee and left. Right?

Problem solved and nobody got hurt.

Enjoy your winnings in good health.


~LD
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

Pickguard looks freakin' awesome. Very much the way I might like to do it myself.
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

Pickguard looks freakin' awesome. Very much the way I might like to do it myself.

Thanks, I've got some pretty cool puppies in there too! No one bought my Arcane Browbucker so that's in the bridge & I've got a hand wound Nicco's Fat 50's S.C. in the neck, should be a very cool Vintage voiced pickguard? Knowing myself they'll be some Duncan's in there soon though, I've got Brownbuckers it 2 other guitars? I bought a Dragonfire guard, if you do decide to go with the same setup I would suggest you get one that has the vol. knob a bit further away from the humbucker route? I've got a feeling it may cause some issues when I palm mute, I think my pinky might turn it down as I play, on the other hand it's going to be great for volume swells? For me if it becomes a issue I'll add a tone knob that wil actually become the vol. pot & the vol. will become redundant, I'll just leave a unhooked pot & knob there for looks? Given the choice I'd put the hole right about where the neck's tone knob is on a typical Stratocaster guard? Should have gone Warmoth!!!!!!
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

Kool. I think I might go with a pickguard a little more like this for my next project. Lets you have even more control.

franky.jpg
 
Re: So I Bought Another Stratocaster

Yeah, I don't know if I'd call that a guard but the pot is in the perfect place! Far enough away that you wont hit it with your hand but still right there for swells & such? It would def. be easy to work on, you could probably swap out pups without even taking off the strings!

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This is my Ed Shredder, not quite as ugly & out there as the Franken-Strat but pretty darn close & it def. has the same feel to it! Simple layout, awesome playability, Vintage Tremolo, but a good one that actually stays in tune, & it sounds amazing! For a one pickup guitar she's super versatile, it can do just about anything I want it too!!! She does love her Heavy Gain though, the thing pulls the nails out of the floorboards!!!!

BTW, ugly & out there are intended to be endearing terms! To me there's something very special about a guitar that looks like if it were to be touched it would just biodegrade in your hands but when you pick it up you relies its pure magic!!!!
 
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