It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:53 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 24 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:15 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:55 pm
Posts: 15
I've decided that my back prefers a lighter guitar (like sub 7 lbs). I have a thinline Telecaster that weighs a comfy 6.5lbs but I need to use a leather/suede back strap to prevent the neck from diving to about horizontal with the floor. The Strat shape seems much more balanced with that upper horn reaching towards the headstock, but it is hard to find a sub 7lb Strat. (I also have a semi-hollow PRS that is about 6lbs and has no neck dive). So if they are going to have a lightweight version of a classic design, the Strat makes much more sense (and you can skip the f-hole).

Fender doesn't seem to charge much (if any) more for Telecaster Thinlines and places like Warmoth add just under $100 for chambering. I'd gladly pay $100 extra to have two pounds less guitar. I know of plenty of guys who like their guitars under 7 or 8 lbs, so come on Fender, if you are listening, start making a couple lightweight Stratocasters! Yes, I know you can find a lighter ash bodied version if you look hard enough, but I prefer solid colors too.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 11:00 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2013 8:50 pm
Posts: 4602
Location: ˚ɷ˚
ScreamingBlueMessiah wrote:
Fender doesn't seem to charge much (if any) more for Telecaster Thinlines

A Tele Thinline isn't really fully chambered. The old ones from the early 70s had more dugouts to remove weight, but the new ones have less.
Some only have the top part where the f-hole is chambered, purely for visual reasons.

Strats already have a weight advantage due to the thinner contour body instead of a thick plank. If you want to find a really lightweight strat, check one of the Select models from a couple of years ago. I believe a QA criterion for the Selects was that the body had to weigh less than 5 lbs.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 1:39 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:53 am
Posts: 4241
First, try a different strap...

But seriously, if you accept used guitars, hunt for a swimming pool routed swamp ash Strat, some come close to that 7lb border.
Some Squier Classic Vibes are really light, plus you'll stay in the budget (new MIA Strat price plus your generous 100$ offer for chambering) even if you upgrade all the gidgets.
On Fender side, some Road Worns come close to what you want.
And Yuri Shiskov masterbuilt an empress (paulownia) Strat, weighing (web wisdom) 5 lbs.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 1:52 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Just so I'm clear on this......

You want Fender to commit the ultimate blasphemy upon the venerable flagship guitar that's been a cornerstone of the company's product line for over sixty years so that it neither looks nor sounds like a Strat just for you?

:roll:

I'm sure Fender will get right on that.

:lol:

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 2:58 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2015 6:57 am
Posts: 2238
Location: UK
Retroverbial wrote:
Just so I'm clear on this......

You want Fender to commit the ultimate blasphemy upon the venerable flagship guitar that's been a cornerstone of the company's product line for over sixty years so that it neither looks nor sounds like a Strat just for you?

:roll:

I'm sure Fender will get right on that.

:lol:

Arjay


LOL

There are light Strats about and mine vary considerably. You can find a light body, as already suggested and/or rout out more timber below the pick guard. However, removing timber is sure to make the guitar sound different and could compromise its stability if you get too carried away. The swimming pool rout is tried and tested and you could perhaps increase the rout location hole in the lower body. I wouldn't join the swimming pool and rout location hole up though.

If I get time (or can be bothered) I could do a simulation to see how much weight saving one might achieve.

Strangely, or not, my hard tail is relatively light despite having more timber in the body but it is missing the trem block. One could take it from this that the timber in the trem recess and spring cavity weigh less than the block its self (seems reasonable).

_________________
John

After all this time I should be better.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:13 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:57 pm
Posts: 1089
Location: Rossendale UK
Fender making a chambered Strat?
It ain't happening.
Go see these folks http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicSho ... r,Standard

_________________
Chris :)

Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:27 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2015 6:57 am
Posts: 2238
Location: UK
http://shop.fender.com/en-GB/acoustic-series/california/standard-stratacoustic/0967300006.html#q=stratacoustic&start=1

:-)

_________________
John

After all this time I should be better.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:30 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:57 pm
Posts: 1089
Location: Rossendale UK
John Sims wrote:


I'd forgotten about them :lol:

_________________
Chris :)

Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 3:46 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
Posts: 14049
Location: Province de Québec, Canada
A friend of mine has a original '70 area vintage thinline Tele, I did not remember a neck diving on it.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:29 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:55 pm
Posts: 15
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check out some of them. I actually HAVE considered a Warmoth chambered body.

I guess I'm one of those guys that cannot tell any tonal difference between a chambered guitar and a solid one. I would think going to a swimming pool route would be more important (feedback potential), but it doesn't seem to matter. In my mind, changing pickups would make much more of a difference than chambering.

How is chambering a body more sacrilegious than an HH model? And I don't see Fender limiting things they will try because the Universe will object. The Burton and Adkins Teles are proof of that.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 9:38 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
Posts: 14049
Location: Province de Québec, Canada
ScreamingBlueMessiah wrote:

I guess I'm one of those guys that cannot tell any tonal difference between a chambered guitar and a solid one. .


For these tests only A/B test will show if there any difference;
Boths guitars must have same pickups and made from same wood from the same tree...Good luck :lol:


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 10:42 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:57 pm
Posts: 1089
Location: Rossendale UK
ScreamingBlueMessiah wrote:
How is chambering a body more sacrilegious than an HH model?

It isn't.
If you place an order with the Custom Shop I'm sure they'll be happy to oblige.
One of the Custom Shop guys built a cardboard Strat last year.
ScreamingBlueMessiah wrote:
And I don't see Fender limiting things they will try because the Universe will object. The Burton and Adkins Teles are proof of that.

Those are both Artist Signature models, and Fender approached the artists in question about building them.

The Adkins model is based on a Telecaster Thinline, which came about partly because of dwindling supplies of light Ash in the late 60s.
The guitars were getting heavier, and enough players were vocal about it, complaining to the dealerships, that CBS decided to do something about it.

I don't recall having ever seen or heard of a Stratocaster Thinline, so in your case there's no precedent.
If there was sufficient interest in one I'm sure that FMIC would take note, and possibly even produce a run of them.

You could have a Warmoth body in next to no time for a modest cost.
I think this is your best approach.

_________________
Chris :)

Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 11:32 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
stratmangler wrote:
One of the Custom Shop guys built a cardboard Strat last year.
That sounds like a REALLY expensive tonewood experiment. I envision heated debates about the merits of alder pulp cardboard versus ash pulp cardboard.

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 11:38 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2012 6:56 am
Posts: 1677
Location: Coastal Bend, Tx.
You can usually find one of the aluminum chambered strats for sale @ Reverb!!!
I don't know for sure the weight difference from a traditional strat body, but would assume at least a pound difference.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Why not a chambered or thinline Strat?
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:06 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:55 pm
Posts: 15
stratmangler wrote:
ScreamingBlueMessiah wrote:
How is chambering a body more sacrilegious than an HH model?

It isn't.
If you place an order with the Custom Shop I'm sure they'll be happy to oblige.
One of the Custom Shop guys built a cardboard Strat last year.
ScreamingBlueMessiah wrote:
And I don't see Fender limiting things they will try because the Universe will object. The Burton and Adkins Teles are proof of that.

Those are both Artist Signature models, and Fender approached the artists in question about building them.

The Adkins model is based on a Telecaster Thinline, which came about partly because of dwindling supplies of light Ash in the late 60s.
The guitars were getting heavier, and enough players were vocal about it, complaining to the dealerships, that CBS decided to do something about it.

I don't recall having ever seen or heard of a Stratocaster Thinline, so in your case there's no precedent.
If there was sufficient interest in one I'm sure that FMIC would take note, and possibly even produce a run of them.

You could have a Warmoth body in next to no time for a modest cost.
I think this is your best approach.


I have thought about it a lot. I think buying a MIM strat and then pulling it apart to use a Warmoth body instead is probably the cheapest option. But I figure that would cost me within a couple hundred of a MIA Strat.

Still, my main point was that there is a market for a lightweight Strat. In a thread over at TDPRI lots of members posted that they only play guitars under 7 or 8 lbs. I am just surprised that Fender hasn't accommodated that preference. Cost doesn't seem to be an issue and and I don't buy the idea that they won't do it because they want to maintain some design integrity. HH strats and other variations have proven that. That is all.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 24 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: