SRV Number One Project

[garbeja7]

Hi there! I'm in a SRV tone quest. I'm doubting what to do and I want to ask you what would you do in my place.
Currently I've got two guitars that I use for SRV stuff:
1.Yamaha Pacifica 812wx. It's a nice one, alder/rosewood with SSL1's and a '59. I bought this one to my teacher and it's the one that i found myself most into for this kinda stuff. It's like my warhorse, I used to play 8's, now I'm moving to 11's after various string changes on this one. I love its tone with SSL1's and its glassy and at the same time beefy tone I don't know how to explain it.
2. MIM Strat. It was in the start a fat strat, but i modded it and now it has the YJM loaded pickguard and a scalloped maple neck.(I was so much into YJM at the time) the thing is I always return to Stevie, and I find that guitar quite lacking now with the YJM's. Buuuut I love the strat looks and It's more like a real instrument to my hands.

I already asked you about pickups for the Strat, and I think I love the surfers, but now I'm thinking this posibilities:
At this moment I don't want to spend anymore money for saying meh at the end, I want the Srv tone, an yes I'm working on the chops and the strings, with the pacifica I like my tone already, but not enough.So, options

1. Pickups on the Yamaha, hope for tone improvement and calm myself about spending more money. But i think I will be unsatisfied to have the yamaha like my main guitar, I'm a strat boy for sure.
2.Pickups on the strat, being an ash/scalloped maple I think still will be picky about the woods and stuff.
3.Save for SRV strat new/search one used.
4.Warmoth, i was reasearching this option and I'm very interested in it, is it worth it for the price?(here i need to save money too)

So, my main worries here are the woods of neck and body and the neck itself, i want the SRV shape, and Pau Ferro will be great.
(in the warmoth options i could use the strat or yamaha's bridge, tuners etc. The Yamaha has a nice wilkinson bridge and Sperzerl locking tuners.And I could use the yjm pickguard of the strat, has great volume knob.

Thank you so much, you are a great community, and sry for the english!

 

[AlexR]

Re: SRV Number One Project

As you probably know already, the rig + you will be the most important.

His #1 was just a fairly simple alder/rosewood fretboard strat, with pickups from 1959. That last bit might be quite important as the surfers and ssl 1's are more like the thicker 62/63 pickups, which was when the stock pickups had generally the most turns of any vintage period. In fact as strat pickups I find the Duncans to be thicker than other offerings, and not quite so vintage correct. They do Frusciante well, but won't sound as crisp say if you were trying to do Lenny.

For mine the Fender Fat 50's did SRV better than the Ant Surfers. But the best SRV type pickups I've owned are the Chevalier 59's. Both of these sets are about 1/2 the price of the Ant's.

As to the guitar, I would find the neck profile you like playing, as well as the strings. Simply trying to play something someone else finds comfortable for the sake of an authenticity that nobody but you will see is not wise. SRV got the tone he did by being able to play the guitar he had easily, and therefore he could hit it hard.

I have had a few necks from warmoth, and a body or two. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them, and they have all sorts of options.

 

[garbeja7]

Re: SRV Number One Project

Yeah, It's true that the SSL1 is a little bit too much in some frecuencies for SRV. For the surfers, I've searched online and liked a lot the tone but I'm open for other pickups if this goes a long way. The profile thing, I've heard form SRV kinda players that like to throw on the thumb over the neck like me that the is quite comfortable. All my necks are kinda thin to my hands and my playing style, and i think it probably would be a good choice

 

[AlexR]

Re: SRV Number One Project

The Zhangbucker Refin set is also a great option. Superb individual tone for each pickup, then some nice quack in the combos.

 

[NoOnesFang13]

Re: SRV Number One Project

The Zhangbucker Refin set is also a great option. Superb individual tone for each pickup, then some nice quack in the combos.

cant say anything about that specific set of pickups, but he makes some fantastic pickups, my I had him wind pickups on my last 2 builds and really knows what he is doing. Also he is (or was) a forum bro.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: SRV Number One Project

cant say anything about that specific set of pickups, but he makes some fantastic pickups, my I had him wind pickups on my last 2 builds and really knows what he is doing. Also he is (or was) a forum bro.

I'm still here, still occasionally shamelessly searching for my name being mentioned to see what the buzz is.