Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

rspst14

Tone Cat
Hey guys, I'm thinking about putting together a Strat, and I notice some bodies have the "swimming pool"-style route, while others are routed specifically for single coils or humbuckers. Has anyone noticed a difference in tone between these two routing styles? Thanks.

Ryan
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

i cant tell the difference. there is hardly any mass difference between the two, so the tone change will be pretty negligable. just much easier for modding and the like.
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

rspst14 said:
Hey guys, I'm thinking about putting together a Strat, and I notice some bodies have the "swimming pool"-style route, while others are routed specifically for single coils or humbuckers. Has anyone noticed a difference in tone between these two routing styles? Thanks.

Ryan
You get better overall tone, but that's subjective ... some people hate the idea, I'm not super opposed to it, but generally avoid it. Some people claim that it can hinder sustain somewhat, or snap, or round the high end of a bit (as in the higher harmonics die off faster, rather then having less of them).
That's the negative, however on the flip side I can a strat style guitar that is almost a hollowbody with a pickguard over the open top, it's smooth, rich, and although it lacks a bit of natural (read acoustically) sustain, under volume rich conditions (read amp loud clean or dirty) it tends to get that sustain back because the sound waves resonate inside the hollow cavity under the pickguard.
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

SRV had one...I think he called it Butter. :laugh2:
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

<<<My favorite Strat has a swimming pool route and it has no loss of sustain or 'strattyness' I honestly can't hear a difference between guitars with or without them. IMHO there are so many variables that make one guitar sound different from one another that the type of route becomes pretty insignificant.
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

Ditto what was said. I doubt anyone can tell in a 'blind' test which Strat has a standard or swimming pool route. I have both body routes, but totally different pups, so it's hard to compare. I have an Invader in the one with the big route...so it's mean and loud...
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

Good info guys. I was wondering about any tonal differences myself, good to hear it doesn't kill the tone to cut out extra wood for the pups.
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

I don't own any with the swimming pool rout but Kenny Blue Ray (a terriffic guitarist with great tone) uses that rout in every Strat he builds. He says it has no negative impact on tone or sustain. Obviously you can put ANY combination pickups in there with a swimming pool rout...three paf humbuckers if you want. Lew
 
Re: Strats with "swimming pool" routing?

stratsandaks said:
<<<My favorite Strat has a swimming pool route and it has no loss of sustain or 'strattyness' I honestly can't hear a difference between guitars with or without them. IMHO there are so many variables that make one guitar sound different from one another that the type of route becomes pretty insignificant.

Well said here ... I think it's the general idea that most people are turned off to ... kinda like removing some wood from a Les Paul cavity so you can use short (well normal, not the long shaft one) shaft pots in there. Most people are turned off by the *idea* of removing some wood.
 
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