If you want an authentic VHR Fender neck you are absolutely right. You could always save some bucks by getting a Warmoth body and neck and adding the pups, HW etc.

For me, $1700 plus loaded PG just seems like a fortune for a project guitar..

_________________
'78 Fender Stratocaster
Epi USA Texan '64 RI signed by Paul McCartney
'73 Fender Mustang
Gibson LP Deluxe RI '69
Fender Active Jazz Bass
Guild GADm20e Acoustic Guitar
Epi Casino RI
Gretsch Pro Jet w/Bigsby
And My Frankenstein-O-Caster

When I got my 1st 57 VHR I keep an eye out for sales through MF, and was able to get mine for 15% off ($1445.00) so if I bide my time, wait for a sale, who knows maybe I can get the guitar and pups for the basic asking price of $1700.
Like I originally posted this is not a huge rush for me. I have one 57 VHR,
and my Les Paul, so this is more of a want to do, then HAVE TO DO. But this is all up in the air right now, not a rush, so I can pick my time to pull the trigger on my final decision.

But any and all input is greatly appreciated.

_________________

All this...for tone? Sorry...had to.

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

The Gilmour guitar is awesome but when I looked at the price I literarly fell off the chair. The features do apeak for themselves, so it's understandable wanting one of those. But can't they make that guitar available for less than the cost of a true vintage instument?

I digress -- your idea sounds like the best course of action. Looking forward to what you come up with

_________________
'78 Fender Stratocaster
Epi USA Texan '64 RI signed by Paul McCartney
'73 Fender Mustang
Gibson LP Deluxe RI '69
Fender Active Jazz Bass
Guild GADm20e Acoustic Guitar
Epi Casino RI
Gretsch Pro Jet w/Bigsby
And My Frankenstein-O-Caster

Well - indeed!

What's worse, the neck tone pot seems to have conclusively gone T/U. The usual treatments have failed to revive it. I have a drawer full of replacement pots of the right type - but every time I think about doing the job the idea of all that soldering makes me think I have higher priorities in my day. Like cleaning the gutters or some such...

And what's even worse; after spending years telling people on this Forum that I think the S1 is fairly unnecessary tonewise - I've recently come to like some of the options it offers more than I did before. So that spikey little gizmo has to stay. Rats!

- C

I was fortunate as a kid and someone in the family was in the musical instrument biz. My first Strat was an older used one and only had a 3 position switch.

I remember the "discovery" of the Hendrix trick of finding the in between spots to get the different tone and was so excited..that I installed a 5 position switch in it.

To this day although I majored in Electrical Engineering and love tinkering and soldering, which I do almost every day at my job with 12v automotive electrical systems, I do not know if I would have the patience to deal with a pick guard like that..I would just use some effects pedals instead.

But, other then the pain in the neck it must be to change a pot...I bet it is fun to play with so I can't really knock it.

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Hee-hee - I have a lot of sympathy with what you say. The S1 switch came as an unlooked for bonus on that particular Strat, so I thought, "why not?" It's an HSS and I do quite like the "all pups full on" option the S1 gives, but apart from that I've never used it for most of the time I've owned it.

However, recently to my complete surprise I've found myself using the series connections the S1 offers and beginning to like them after all. So I may be turning into a reluctant convert to that silly little widget. How embarrassing!

Now. I must pull myself together and change that busted tone pot sometime. I'll let you know how that goes...

Cheers - C

Thanks Ceri, I see I can learn a lot from you. I was always curious about series pup wiring. I imagine it would have a very high output.

Is there a way to describe the tonal characteristics in general regarding series wiring pups..and it's effects regarding hum/noise?

I may experiment around one day. Have you ever heard a strat using all 3 pups at once wired in series? It wouldn't be too difficult to figure out how to do this with switches..but the wiring to give it unlimited series/parallel choices with 3 pups will be a bit intimidating to the eye. Now imagine doing this with 3 side by side humbuckers and adding coil taps?...I dread the thought..haha, but talk about tone choices..I would need a calculator to figure out the possibilities.

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Well now, that's a challenging question. And to answer it I've just spent a happy hour playing that S1 HSS Strat and thinking carefully about all the positions - so thank you for that!

For starters, here's the switching diagram. Hate to set out like this is a college seminar, but the thing is so non-intuitive it's very hard to get it without seeing it on paper. (One of the things I have against the S1 is that I can never quite remember the whole thing without the diagram... )

http://support.fender.com/diagrams/stra ... 02APg4.pdf

And to save clicking:



Far as the parallel/series aspect goes we really only need to think about three of those positions. With the switch up it behaves like a normal Strat, so position two gives neck+middle joined in parallel with the tonal result you'd expect.

If we go to position one with the switch down you will see it is the same thing but now with a series connection. What that sounds like is if anything more quacky and also sort of richer and fuller. It's somehow as if we turned all the EQ controls on the amp up a bit - which as far as I understand the theory of what series connection does to the signal is not quite what we ought to be hearing... so go figure.

If we now go to postion two with the switch still down we have the neck pup connected in series with the inner coil of the bridge humbucker, and all of that connected in parallel with the middle pickup (phew! Confused? You will be!!!). The net effect of that seems to be removing some of the signal from the previous setting, giving a final sound that is still quackier than conventional neck+middle, but perhaps a little thicker and woollier/muddier too. Oddly, it's better than you might think.

Does that make any sense at all?!?

As I say, my taste has only recently come round to these two switch-down settings; and rather to my surprise. The one that I liked from the beginning on this guitar was postion three with the S1 switch down. That gives us neck+middle connected in series, in turn joined in parallel to the full humbucker. This is great: it's sort of a bigger, richer, fuller sound than the humbucker on its own and I use it as somewhere different to go halfway through a solo for a bit of an extra oomphy step up, but more purity and less simple aggression than switching from middle to humbucker.

If you get what I mean.

I do realise this is all very complicated for anyone reading it. Ultimately, ya gotta go try it in a shop and see if you find it useful. My only piece of advice there is to print out that diagram and take it with you - cos you don't stand a snowflake's chance in hell of working out what the heck is going on with the guitar's controls just by ear!

And after all of that a part of me is now craving the simplicity of my '57RI - which I have nicely to hand.


Nope, I don't think I have. Unless someone is using it on recordings without telling us. For sure, I don't know a Strat that currently offers that option. In fact, it would take a stronger head than mine to even work out how to wire it all up!

...Don't know if this post has been of any use to anyone else. But it has certainly got one or two things a little clearer in my head, so - thank you!

- C

PS Oh, and in case there's some doubt, this is the real reason I bought this Strat. Come sit on daddy's knee, darlin':

Thanks again Ceri, you actually did a decent job describing the tone "flavors" I guess you can say.

That is one pretty looking ax. It is ash or alder? Looks ash and similar to an early 70's I once had (the grain, the one I had was a natural, no Sunburst), but it is an extraordinary looking Strat.

I have at least half a dozen projects on my plate, and have been working at one place FT, one place PT..and working with bands. But if I ever get time, I may have to experiment with a spare PG and try things out. I want to hear what neck/bridge would sound like in series vs parallel...and all three series vs parallel. If I get brave, I will try one with 3 HBs w/ coil taps, and see what it takes to give unlimited pup combinations..I may have to wait until I retire to find that kind of time..and hope my brain still works by then. Just sketching a diagram in my head is mind boggling.

I am not looking to reinvent anything, just curious. I will probably never like the sound and simplicity of a good standard Strat any less no matter what I try.

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Hello!

To add to Ceri's post regarding the S-1, this is how the switch works



It's a 4PDT (4 pole double throw switch)

Green contacts are always on and are connected to the pink contacts when the switch is off and the red contacts when the S-1 is engaged.

The S-1 with 3 single coils gives a nice selection of series combos and adds a cap to the bridge or neck pup in positions 2 & 4 which takes out some of the lower frequencies making the series connections a little brighter...which is nice.

http://support.fender.com/diagrams/stra ... 02APg4.pdf

I love to mod my guitars but right now the thought of trying to work out how to get three single coils all in series using the S-1 hurts my brain.

Hope this helps and keep us posted!

Andy

_________________
Pending Greatness

Yeah I think I would have to use additional switches and circuitry. A 4PDT won't be able to do all the possible combinations on its own..may need 2 of those...and some toggles for coil tapping if using all HBs.

Definitely a science project. With 3 HBs or even singles in series it would require caps as well or I would imagine the tone to be pure mud.

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Brainstorming...this would of course be unconventional as far as looks and operation for a Strat...but to simplify this for the sake of R&D...and childlike curiosity, I could use a toggle for each pup..this gives me unlimited pup position choices.

Then maybe I can use an S1 switch or another type to switch between series and parallel and use the caps for the series selections. May work. Then if I decide to try this with HBs, I can use additional toggles for those..the PG will look like some space porcupine..but it would simplify the whole mess.

Edit...well not quite that simple. In my head, I am seeing an issue with the series combinations...as once I turn off any pup..they all lose continuity. To have unlimited possibilities with series wiring will take a bit more brainstorming. Okay...save that for another day. It is possible no doubt..but not with conventional on/off toggles and an s1 alone..I would need toggles with more poles and throws.

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Something like this?

http://www.1728.com/guitar3.htm

Andy

_________________
Pending Greatness

Basically..the 94 sound wiring option is close (damn that's a lot when you think about it), but I may want to take this monstrosity a step further and use HB.s with coil taps.

It will be much more difficult to figure out and remember the positions of everything for a specific sound (you would essentially need a chart with you)... then it would be to wire it.

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.