Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

[PFDarkside]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

how are you liking those lace sensors? I have the same set in my white strat ^

They are decent, I'm bigger on some of the other noiseless pickups now, but I returned the Deluxe Strat Plus to stock form recently. It's a great "neutral" tone that you can shape with your choice of amp and pedals.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

Overall I have never made the step from Les Pauls to Strats.

Things improved a bit after I stopped excessive neck swapping and treated body+neck more as a unit. Trem doesn't help. Gets in the way of pickup and string testing and more choices needed. That debate around maple versus rosewood doesn't help.

Another one is that I got attached to Blazers and Roadsters early so a Fender strat often looks overly expensive or too thickly painted to me.

My best Strat contender is a big CBS headplate model with 2x surfer, 1x texas special, a LCR network (lawrence Q filter). Original Fender steel block trem.

 

[Securb]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

Here is my MIM Strat it never sees the inside of the case. It is quickly becoming my No. 1. It has a Fralin High Output/Pure PAF set with a partial tap kit and a push pull phase. The super switch is wired for various coil splitting options. It has a Babicz bridge, Sperzel locking tuners and a reverse headstock. The controls are bridge volume, neck volume and master tone.

 

[Kac]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

Securb, that looks badass. Makes me want to get a real strat instead of my little bullet strats.

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

Here is my MIM Strat it never sees the inside of the care. It is quickly becoming my No. 1. It has a Fralin High Output/Pure PAF set with a partial tap kit and a push pull phase. The super switch is wired for various coil splitting options. It has a Babicz bridge, Sperzel locking tuners and a reverse headstock. The controls are bridge volume, neck volume and master tone.

I love that tremolo! I'm not super happy with the stock nut & trem on my newest Strat, my B string isn't sustaining as well as the rest of the the strings and the bridge just sucks! I think I'll be replacing it as soon as I've got the cash to get something nice & that's almost exactly what I'm looking for, how much did it run you???

 

[Securb]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

Securb, that looks badass. Makes me want to get a real strat instead of my little bullet strats.

Thanks a lot. I wanted a vintage vibe with a modern tone and it worked out well.

I love that tremolo! I'm not super happy with the stock nut & trem on my newest Strat, my B string isn't sustaining as well as the rest of the the strings and the bridge just sucks! I think I'll be replacing it as soon as I've got the cash to get something nice & that's almost exactly what I'm looking for, how much did it run you???

I have been seeing the Babicz's going for as low as $80 on Ebay these days. Typically they are around $130ish. The things are built like a tank.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

I've considered flipping the jacks on a few of mine more than once, it doesn't get in your way while you play???

I bet with it mounted this way, you can easily run it back tween the strap and strap button to keep it out of the way and also prevent a pull out in the heat of the moment...

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

Although Ive discovered Im a Charvel guy, my white strat is the guitar I learned how to do most all fixes and mods on..




Looks like folks are going into detail, so Ill offer some. The white strat is I believe a 96 Chinese strat. Hadnt had a guit in many years and wanted a cheap reentry.. played a bunch the store had and this one had some mojo. Anyhow, the stock nut started to crumble, so the dealer put a bone nut on for me under warranty..Cool huh? Stock pups were lame, and stock pots started to crackle, so went blue/silver and red lace sensor and new cts pots. really wanted a humbucker, so new PG and Duncan C5. Added push pull pot to split. Put on sperzel keys. (cracked part of the headstock drilling, so fixed that myself) and Dunlop straplocks. But this was my learn to work on project and its a pretty darn good player!!

 

[Diego]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

I've got a natural finish Squier Strat which I've modded a bit... Bone nut, 6 point Guitar Fetish steel trem and hlock, Tonerider single coils, trem screwed all the way down.
String action quite high. I hate plinky sounding Strats and higher action is IMO the way to go to squeeze the boldest sounds and vibrato/sustain out of mine.

It does the Strat thing good enough for me. Can't justify a MIM since I'd have to redo some of this on it.
So if I ever step up, it's going to be on a Highway One or something.

I find I have to have a SSS Strat within reach. They feel like home to me.

 

[Securb]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

Here is my other Strat. P-Rails/SSL-3/Pearly Gates, Babicz bridge, LSR nut and Sperzel locking tuners.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

How you like that bridge?? Bet you get a plethora of tones out of that bad boy!! ??

 

[Securb]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

How you like that bridge?? Bet you get a plethora of tones out of that bad boy!! ??

Love the Babicz bridge. I have them on two Strats and two Teles. That guitar is a tone beast my goal was to have an axe that could cover any gig. The p-rails is on a 3 way switch (P90/Hum/rail) the Fender 5 way is setup stock.

Here are a few reviews I did on the Babicz if you are interested.

http://www.tmrzoo.com/?s=babicz

 

[GuitarFanatic]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

I relic'd my Samick. It sounds DIRTY as hell for slide!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[dystrust]

Re: Things We Do To Our Stratocasters

It turns out I'm a Charvel guy as well. I've owned both a Fender and Squier Strat (both MIJ), but I couldn't really bond with either of them. I've owned 3 MIJ model series Charvels and still play two; the newest is mostly stock, whereas the other is built of parts from the first two.

This is a 1987 Charvel Model 1A that's mostly stock except for electronics. It's loaded with SSL-2 / SSL-2 / SSL-6T and wired 50s style with Master Vol / Master Tone (pull tap) / Fralin Blender.



This is a 1986 Charvel Model 4 with the neck from a 1988 Model 2. I gutted the active electronics and installed a set of Sperzels. It currently has Cool Rails / Custom wired with just a volume & 3-way switch, but I'm thinking of routing the neck position for humbucker and installing a Jazz I have kicking around. I'm also thinking about swapping necks between these two guitars and installing a Floyd nut on the Kahler guitar.