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Post subject: Modding a Strat...blasphomy, or a good idea?
Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:40 am
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I'm thinking of modding my Strat, just the bridge pickup though. Thinking of putting a humbucker in there. Looking for something super-hot, like a Gibson-sort pickup. I remember playing a Highway One HSS thinking it sounded beautiful...whats a good pickup to get that sound? Any suggestions? :?


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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:23 am
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Yeah, modding is great. My mim squire series is completely different from its original spec, and this week im putting a earvana compensated nut on it too.
Dont get carried away though, i sometimes miss the stock guitar even though its everything i want in a guitar now. Be carefull in your pickup selection too, i installed a dimarzio in my mim years ago and had a hell of a game getting the impedence of the pickup to balance with the singlecoil in possition4. I'd look at the humbuckers fender use, they all seem to balance out well.

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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:34 am
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I'm staying 50%/50% on this one. There are a lot of purist as well as modders. I say it's yours so do whatever you want to do to it to suit your ears and taste Good luck my friend !! 8) :wink:


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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:40 am
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modding a MIA strat is not a good thing to do
because it lowers the volue of the guitar.


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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:51 am
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joephstrat wrote:
modding a MIA strat is not a good thing to do
because it lowers the volue of the guitar.


Its an MiM Strat. I wouldn't dare mod an MiA. :shock:


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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 12:08 pm
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A good mod can be reversed to original spec, particularly pickups that were never designed to last the life of a guitar. If your putting a full sized bucker in it get a pickguard to suit too.

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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 1:49 pm
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I tweak my guitars, but I don't really mod them. I've often wondered why people buy guitars with a readily identifiable sound and then try to change them. If you didn't like the sound of the guitar, why did you buy it in the first place?

I saw a post where someone bought a new Clapton sig Strat and wanted to mod it. Cannot wrap my brain around that one.


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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 2:11 pm
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I'll mod my Stratocasters if they need to be modded. In most cases they do, if you are planning on using them to gig or record with.
If you are going to buy one and place it in a glass case and keep it hermetically sealed, then you probably won't want to do anything to it.

In my case, I use the tremolo's on my strats so one of the first things I do is replace the nut with a LSR roller nut, replace the string trees with the Ezy-Glide String trees, and the tuning machines with Gotoh Vintage Retrofit Locking Tuners, if this is a Vintage styled guitar, if the Tuners are standard size, then I would use Sperzel, or Shaller. I only do this mod if the stock nut, and hardware on the headstock does not keep the guitar in tune, after trying everything possible to keep it original.

The only other mods I do would be replacing the pickups if I need a certain sound from one of my Strats. I keep several pickguards around with the pickups already installed and wired up. and ready to install. The change-over is made easy by using computer terminal power couplings to simply plug in the new pickguard, screw it down, re-string, and go!

I should mention that since I have been having a major headache with the Standard tremolo bridge keeping the Showmaster guitars in tune, I am considering replacing this with the Vintage style bridge, or else a Floyd Rose Locking system.

Harley 8)

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Post subject: Re: Modding a Strat...blasphomy, or a good idea?
Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:15 am
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Blasphemy is what keeps Fender on their toes! So they claim with their rationale for the improvements on the new AmStd.

The more the consumer tweaks...the more the company listens. They certainly would prefer the coin in their own pocket as opposed to the aftermarket.

Doc :wink:


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:12 am
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I'm all for modding. It's the closest thing to a custom made guitar that most people can get. I can't afford $2000+ for a guitar but I can pay the extra $200 or so for some parts to make it exactly to my liking. Here's my list of mods:

MIM Strat w/ Black Pearl Pickguard:
-Seymour Duncan Vintage (neck)
-SD Twang Banger (middle)
-Fender Vintage Noiseless (bridge)

Highway One Strat:
-Fender Hot Noiseless (all positions)

Les Paul BFG w/ pickup ring and pickguard:
-500k bridge volume and master tone pots

Ibanez SZ520 w/ coil splitting and phase reversal
-Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pro (neck)
- SD Screamin Demon (bridge)

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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:58 am
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Go for it. i've modded both of my fenders, and they sound even better that before!!

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Guitars: left handed MIM strat
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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:28 pm
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I'm all for modding, but I won't perform a mod that isn't reversible (routing of the body, adding holes to the headstock, etc.) on a valuable ($$, not sentimental) guitar.
If it's a "one of one hundred" rarity or a vintage 1950s/60s (or even 70s) guitar, don't jack with the value. But, if you have to change something, it's your guitar, do what you like!
...and whatever you do, don't do stupid things like Neal Schon routing out his vintage 1950s Les Paul to put a Floyd Rose tremolo on it (idiot!).

My 1995 MIM (classic 50s styled) Telecaster has the following mods;
-Mighty Mite P90 in the neck position
-4 way switch
-Replaced tone pot with a Fender No-Load tone pot
-Replaced the neck plate with one that has my band's logo and the nick-name of the guitar ("Big Tex") laser-etched on it.
The guitar originally had a humbucker in the neck position so I didn't have to rout out the body. I sold the original humbucker and pickguard,but this axe would never be extremely valuable (on a monetary basis) due to the fact it's Hecho-en-Mexico; Sentimentally, I love it because of its great tone, feel and the fact that this is my first "modder", the first axe I took a soldering iron to.

On my 1962RI (MIA--oh, my! :shock: ) Stratocaster, I did the following mods:
-Replaced original pickups with Pete Biltoft Vintage Vibe SP90s
-Replaced (middle) tone potentiometer with a push/pull pot that turns on the bridge pickup no matter where the pickup selector switch is set
-Blocked the tremolo with a small stack of quarters (better sustain & tuning stability)
-Replaced the original (white) pickguard with an aged white mother-of-pearl (mother-of-toilet seat?), and the original trem cover/knobs/switch tip with aged white
-Replaced the neck plate with one that has my band's logo and the nick-name of the guitar ("Fiesta Red") laser-etched on it.
All of these mods are reversible within an hour or two; I saved all the original parts.

Good Vibes To Y'all! 8)


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:22 pm
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I'm actually thinking about NOT modding my Strat now. The pickups are pretty hot as it is, and I'm afraid I'll lose that tone. That'd be a real pity.

Although I might just get a new pickguard and do some...custom artwork to it. 8)


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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:06 pm
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The reason I'm all for modding a stratocaster is because the Custon shop is a waste of time IMHO. Basically the CS will take any off the rack guitar and do certain modifications within limits, and charge an over inflated price. that has been my experience with the Custom Shop.
I can spend less money at aftermarket parts suppliers, and a good Luthier, and have the guitar converted into exactly what I want it to be for much less.
When you take into consideration that Leo Fender originally designed the Straocaster to be a utility guitar, with all parts easily interchangeable, then does'nt that tell you the guitar was built to be modded?

Just my point of view,
Harley 8)

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Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:20 pm
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I believe the strat is a single coil guitar. But that's just me and it doesn't make you humbucker lovers wrong.

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