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Post subject: HHH Strat? Well I have one.
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:15 pm
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Heres some pics.
I built this myself because..
I can, and saw no reason why not.

Has great tone and I also
installed a coil tap in the event
I want a lower output single
coil tone..so you can say
it has the best of both
worlds and 7 different pup
selections. Reliced the body and
it is using a maple 91 MIM neck
which is mint. There's more info
on it on L.A. craigs. Shouldn't be too
hard to find as I don't think another one
exists.

If anyone knows of another HHH Strat
please post a link or pic,
I am curious. Thanks.
Image
Image
Image

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:39 pm
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I don't see any pictures...

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:46 pm
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ace_eleven wrote:
I don't see any pictures...


The pics are fine on my PC. I'll post another
here see if it works...

Does anyone else not see the pic(s). If not what is there?

Image

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:01 pm
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Congrats! Nice work! I like it! And the sound? :wink:

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:52 pm
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Well it sounds like a fat strat only with more tonal
versatility to put it best. I think the combination of
the light body, maple neck/grapite nut really give
the ax a natual "bell"..and the higher output hums
fatten it up just right. It has great harmincs and
eternal sustain. I just wish I could afford new strings
(broke and jobless at the moment) since the strings
on that one are old as moses and have been "pre-used"
3 times. I imagine it would sound even better
with new strings.

Oh and not to mention it is "humless", well
shielded/grounded and I used better wire
for it. I get a little hum when I tap the coil
but of course it is essentially a single coil
when I do that. But it's nice to have the choice
if I desire a more conventional strat tone.

My roomate who is also a pro guitar player has
dubbed it "the monstrosity".

And it does look rather menecing I would agree. I couldn't
love it more.

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 2:02 pm
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Hi man. Interesting: I'm studying the wiring in your photo but I'm too stupid to quite read the wires as they emerge from the ends of the shrink sheaths coming from the pickups. How's the coil split working - it's not on all three pickups, is it? You say seven pickup options. Can you take us though them, please?

Can you describe your circuit to us - or point as at your wiring diagram if you used one from the net?

Must say, a funny little corner of my brain has sometimes wondered what three humbuckers wired Strat style would sound like. As we know, Les Paul Black Beauties and such are wired for simpler configurations.

Fascinating job - be glad to hear more about it.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 2:23 pm
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Ok..first off don't try to wire the fender pickup like that pic shows. I had to change it a bit since I was using the color code from a seymore duncan. It didn't sound right so I did more research and found the fender pup wiring is a little different. The black and white wires are used for tap..other side of tap to ground (or "earth' if from the UK). The red and green are the "in/out". Shield to ground of course.

The wiring is indentical to a standard SSS strat since the bridge and middle pup are simple 2 wire pups. The neck pup wires like any 4 conductor (plus the shield to ground) with a tap switch. Very basic if you know strat wiring and since I have been replacing pups on strats for years..can do this in my sleep.

I know some "purists" my think this is not good to do..but if humbuckers were so bad for fenders..how come fender uses them? And how come fender came out with a triple hum tele? There must be a reason.

I have an electrical engineering background..and am a musician/craftsman so i can't leave things alone..there is always a way to make something better in my book. Now those who think a humbuck kills the strat tone..that is complete nonsense. All a pickup is , is a coil of wire wrapped around a magnet..I don't care where it's made..or who wrapped it where...it is what it is. Most of the tone comes from the neck and body (and where the pups are placed)..the pickups depending on the windings have more effect on the output level..which yes can effect tone..but if you choose the pickup wisely to suit your taste in sound..I see no problem. And i proved it,
this ax sounds like a strat should in every sense..but i have more output, more tonal possibilities and no hum. AND..I can tap it to a single coil if I were to so desire which would render any aurgument has moot.

I get technically 7 pup settings as such with the 5 way switch and tap.

Bridge, bridge middle, middle, middle neck tapped,middle neck untapped, neck tapped, neck untapped.

Of course if some so desired there are many more options that could be added..like putting in 2 more 4 conductor pups..with taps..and then getting into series/parallel circuits..well its almost endless. But I like my stuff simple to use and to achieve tone. I perfer the neck pup for clean solos so I only saw fit to tap that one only. I use the bridge for heavy stuff/distortion so I really have everything I need in one simple versatile package..and I made it look the way I like using the neck I like..shes an all out custom one of a kind for sure.

Personally I like it but understand it's not for everyone..or perhaps anyone since I have not seen another. But I would have to think someone did this before, especially in the 70's and 80's when mods were the thing. I hope someone can post a pic of another like this, that would be cool.

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:10 pm
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ebaysux wrote:
Ok..first off don't try to wire the fender pickup like that pic shows. I had to change it a bit since I was using the color code from a seymore duncan. It didn't sound right so I did more research and found the fender pup wiring is a little different. The black and white wires are used for tap..other side of tap to ground (or "earth' if from the UK). The red and green are the "in/out". Shield to ground of course.

The wiring is indentical to a standard SSS strat since the bridge and middle pup are simple 2 wire pups. The neck pup wires like any 4 conductor (plus the shield to ground) with a tap switch. Very basic if you know strat wiring and since I have been replacing pups on strats for years..can do this in my sleep.


Excellent, that explains what I was getting confused about. Looking at the photo there didn't seem to be enough wires and I couldn't see how you could be splitting all the pickups. Answer, the split is on the neck pickup alone.

Thanks for the clarifications. The only thing I want to know now is what bridge+middle sounds like with two full humbuckers in those positions? Since they're set up the same as on a regular Strat then they are in parallel, right? I'm trying to imagine what sound you end up with - big and fat but with some hollowed mids, would that be it? Hmm: it would be easier if you just tell us!

Very interesting thread.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:24 pm
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Yeah you pretty much nailed it. The difference in output actually when using middle and neck full humbuck...vs neck alone full humbuck is not that different since they are parallel..so basically you have half the output...double # of pickups..so pretty much it equals out.

As far as the tone to best decribe it..a little muddier using both..but just barely..overall the guitar is very bright and rich and has a great strat "twang". It's hard to really describe the strat sound, perhaps I lack the vocabulary...but if you have a good ear and have played a good strat clean..you just recognize it's unmistakable signature.

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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:01 pm
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Very cool project, and I can totally appreciate and applaud all that work. Another I appreciate is the worn look you like. I HATE too-pretty guitars, that are owned for year and still look like they came off the rack.

You've essentially turned your strat, not into a fat strat, but into a grossly obese strat. Very nice! Or even, a "Strut"?

I'd love to hear some sound clips from it if and when you lay those down. That guitar on a great tube amp might be dead sexy!


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Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:46 pm
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Sorry man, I can see the pics on my home pc, I was browsing the forum on my schools computers earlier and couldn't see them. I think they block images or something, but sweet guitar man, I wish I had an HHH. I just have an HSS, I always leave it in bridge position :D

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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:48 am
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dgonz wrote:
Very cool project, and I can totally appreciate and applaud all that work. Another I appreciate is the worn look you like. I HATE too-pretty guitars, that are owned for year and still look like they came off the rack.

You've essentially turned your strat, not into a fat strat, but into a grossly obese strat. Very nice! Or even, a "Strut"?

I'd love to hear some sound clips from it if and when you lay those down. That guitar on a great tube amp might be dead sexy!


Thanks. Yeah wish you could hear this thing on my roomates triple rectifier and vintage marshall 4x12 cab. It's quite wicked. I was thinking about youtubing a clip of it but unfortunatly I have to sell it, I am flat broke busted, jobless and rent is due.

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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:28 am
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ebaysux wrote:
ace_eleven wrote:
I don't see any pictures...


The pics are fine on my PC. I'll post another
here see if it works...

Does anyone else not see the pic(s). If not what is there?

Image

sweet guitar
i like the relic job,
right now that it doesnt have strings, should try relicing the fretboard.
that just look awesome. there are some websites that show you how.
just my opinion.


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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 11:36 am
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I actually agree with you. If I
didn't need to sell this and was keeping
it for myself I probably would relic the fretboard,
neck and even the chrome.

The thing is to keep this more or less a "players"
guitar and not a museum piece or wall art, I decided
to leave the neck alone since it is EXTREMELY rare
to find a mint 91 maple like that.

Maybe on my next build I will do a more "conventional"
relic, this one just came together so nice..other then setting
the height for the graphite nut..I didn't have to
touch the intonation, truss rod, or saddle heights.
It just worked "as-is" too perfect to mess with. They usually
don't go together that easily, it just works.

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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 12:09 pm
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I see the pic. Always wondered what an HHH Fender would sound like.


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