So I bought a Classic 50's strat a couple years ago and I totally love it. Slapped a sexy pearly pickguard on there and she looks amazing.

Now, this may seem disrespectful to some, but I love it so much that I'm going to bring it OUT of the 50's and up to my standards.


Upgrades are as follows.
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Pickups:
Neck - DiMarzio Area '58
Mid - DiMarzio Area '58
Brid - DiMarzio '54

***I know its ironic to want to bring her out of the 50's and yet I'm installing pickups that are modeled after the 50's, but the sound DiM delivers, there can be no substitute.

Next:
.01 Capacitor on the volume pot to keep the highs when I roll off the volume.

Next: Sperzel locking tuners (my luthier B. Hefner Company pushes these really hard)

Next: Modern saddles for a not so modern bridge. May block the bridge to make it a hard-tail as well.

Then of course the intonation setup again but with .10's instead of .09's.
(you know, maintenance stuff)

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Anyone else have some things in the works? Love to hear some of your ideas for yours, or suggestions for mine.

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-Kc
"Payin' dues."

To be honest, my 1999 USA Standard Strat has been a work in progress ever since I got it new for my 21st birthday.

It is Aquamarine Metallic with a maple neck and the mods are as follows:

White pearl scratch plate
Hot Noiseless Pickups
S1 switching system
Aged white knobs etc (to match the Noiseless pickup covers)
Callalam tremolo block
Stainless, tipless trem arm (specially made for me by Callaham)
Now set up for .10 gauge strings and tuned down to Eb. Bridge sits just of the body (might raise a semitone).

Think thats about it so far, a possible future upgrade would be Fender locking tuners.

It is a fantastic guitar to play, I bought a new Gibson Les Paul earlier in the year and it just doesn't compare to the Strat. I really want to love it but picking up the Strat after playing the Gibson just feels so right and fit like a glove!

Russ

Forgot to add, I also have a 1980's '57 American Vintage reissue in Surf Green.

This guitar is kept totally standard.

It seems kind of pointless and against the idea of the whole reissue thing to upgrade that.

That's just my opinion anyway!

Russ

Please post a pic or a link to one. I loved that color.

Russ

So nice!!

THat is pretty sexy, I wish Fender made something like this stock...

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SG.
"Walls" video from Zero in the Sun by Villains of Yesterday

A guitar is really not yours until you "make it" your own. Changing pickups, saddles, pickguards, etc... its all about what you want. Great ideas. So far I love my Lonestar strat, but I'm starting the itch all over again to make it a SSS configuration, bone nut, and locking tuners....

I feel that guitars are made to be changed\modded\upgraded, etc. Hell my 2 Strats aren't even close to being Traditional anymore.


Click here for my complete gear list with all the mods I've made.
http://s427.photobucket.com/albums/pp356/slayer828/

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2 Customized Strats w\DiMarzio's
07 SG
Modded DSL50 w\Mercury OT,PT & Choke
Carvin 2x12 V30's
Pitch Black Tuner-EH LPB-1,TS-808
Mxr 108 EQ-Modded Phase90
Carbon Copy
George L cables-Voodoo Power 2 Plus
Pedaltrain Board

nice strats ronbeeglejr and Tube Screamer!

Tubescreamer, I used to have an aquamarine metallic with a maple neck and i always wanted to put a white pearloid pickgard on it.Now I know how it would have looked.I have a texas special in chrome silver and it has a pearl pickgard .I love the way it looks.Much nicer than white IMO.I have a charcoal frost metallic and am thinking of swapping it with a white pearloid one.