I was at a jam last night and I saw about 20 or so Fender Strats, Teles and Basses but everyone I talked to between breaks told me of how they modified their instruments and they all sounded really fine.

The gig went very well and although I travelled almost an hour to get there, I met some really cool players with great gear. I don't think anything was stock except for one fretless Jazz Bass. I was told about certain aftermarket options that I'd never heard about before. I'm glad I made the gig and it was a great time by all.

Some really nice vintage tweed amps along with some very cool blackface Fenders. I played through a Vibrolux that I really liked the sound of and later played through a Tweed Champ clone that had tone out the wazoo.

I wish I had taken a camera just for gear pics - - some really nice and special Strat Plus, Nocaster, American Std, P & J Bass and Teles along with the amps. One of the Strat Plus models had a really nice custom finish in what it's owner called Pastelburst!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I have two guitars that are stock. An ESP LTD H-1000 deluxe that came stock with EMG 81's and a Fender Roadhouse that came with Texas specials.

I know a lot of strat players go away from fender pickups to fralin or the other strat pickup company that I can't think of the name of...then of course there is dimarzio and seymour duncan.

Personally I look at it this way, if stock fender pickups are good enough for buddy guy, srv, clapton, muddy waters, jeff beck, ritchie blackmore, kenny wayne shepherd and many other fender playing guitarists....why can't they be good enough for me or anyone else?

[edited] btw, what mods were discussed that you wouldn't have thought of doing?

Sounds like you had a good time, saw some great equipment, and made some new friends, but rest assured, there are plenty of folks who keep thier equipment stock...I have three strats and all are bone stock and sound great...I am not one to chase the unobtainable sound. If I like the guitars sounds and feel I buy it, I don't sit there and think well it will sound better if I put pickups x in it or maybe a new neck because I don't like the feel of this one...but to each his own.

FWIW

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

Cool, glad to hear you had a great time. I went once to the jam night where it seemed that mostly lawyers showed up and my then no1 (Am Std strat) looked like poor bastard compared to guitars these guys brought.

My current no1 (61 reissue) is stock, no mods and I am not planning to mod it. I am kinda getting all tired from working on the guitars. I just want to play them and do a necessary maintenance.

My Strat is stock, my Tele is not.

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When I`m looking for a new guitar I usually play different models until I find the tone / sound I want that comes with stock pups. This way I don`t have to start making any changes to it.

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+1

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2008 MIA Standard Strat 3-tone Sunburst
2007 Taylor 310 Acoustic
Fender Blues Junior NOS Amp
Digitech Bad Monkey OD pedal

My Candy Cola Strat is stock..... But that is because I have it only for 2 weeks

I'm getting a set of Texas Specials as soon as my credit cards balance is better...

The only thing that was stock in my former MIJ Strat were ......... the tuners
Everything else was modified, one way or another...

It's a disease, like gambling. If you start, there is no end to that

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Alexander
AMSTD Strat RW Candy Cola +Callaham + Texas Specials +Tortoise shell pickguard/Fender Blues Junior III SN FSR
Salonica-Greece


Macedonia IS GREECE the last 2500 years

My Am Standard has CS Texas Specials and a Callaham block added. My AVRI'57 is all original, but I plan to have the neck redone on it and put some Fat 50's or TS in it also. I'm still undecided about what type neck so it's all on hold for now. Waiting to find the one that grabs me then try and have mine made to the same specs.

I think most USA strats are fine when they are original. But we guitarists are very picky. At least I am. I may be too critical of my sound and my playing also. So some of us are always searching for that perfect tone and perfect strat. So we have to start modding. We notice alot more than our audience ever does in terms of tone and sound and what not.

I don't know alot about amps or mods that can be done to amps. I know I played a Twin Reverb at GC not long ago that had an amazing sound. And a Deluxe Reverb Reissue also. I can't see why either of those amps would need modding unless someone wanted more distortion.

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"Damn Right I Got the Blues"

This is sort of an Apple and Orange's question.

My 2001 MIM Player's Deluxe had some issues when I bought it 3 years ago. The vintage tuners were shot so I replaced them with Sperzel Locking. The push/push combo switch was for me a marginal item as well as the pups. I wanted a simpler set up, 5 way switch and SSS, so I installed 3 Samarium Cobalt Noiseless. Done....

The three pups I replaced, they just went into a complete rebuild which is posted on another thread in this strat section. Again fairly stock except for a change to TBX tone pots for all pickups and an upgrade from the 82k cap to a 220K cap.

The other rebuild is a fairly conventional rebuild, hardtail, HSS (Seymour Duncan HB) Am Std single coils, Master Volume and Master TBX Tone pots. The 22 fret neck on this rebuild (also on that thread ) was completely refinished, everything else fell into place as it should.

My stock strat is my Custom Shop 56 NOS Time Machine, no mods other than switching to the 5 way switch provided. It needs no modification as it is specific reproduction of a 1956 two color sunburst Stratocaster.
Best when matched up with either my vintage late 50's Magnatone or a Blues Junior Tweed.

I usually do not mod a guitar unless after a few weeks or even months, I need to get a sound or feel that I know I can acheive with minimal changes.
You would be surprised as to the tone changes from just upgrading to better pots or/and caps in the electronics section.
It is relatively inexpensive to perform, I do not really buy into the pick up voodoo misconception that this or that pup will get you that magic sound so many people are chasing like hamsters on the wheel
The amp is half the equation of sound and if one wants distortion with that compressed J.P.Page, Clapton, J. Beck, Blackmore, T. Bolin etc..etc.. you have to use a small enough tube amp that you can max out to acheive natural distortion.
All these pedals I see are irrelevant. If you have not cranked a 5 to 15 to 20-25 watt amp then you are missing that sound and tone discovery which only happens with a small amp overdriven. Then you run it thru the stage P.A. and

If anyone looks at the Clapton Crossroads DVD's, everyone is using small amps. That picture is all the explanation needed.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Yeah,but what kind of amps are they playing those guitars with stock pups in....way different than what most of us have onstage.
Clapton's signal chain is supposed to be a guarded secret and ZZDoc said the Soldano rig at the auction was very impressive...add to all the gear they have,the techs that fine tune their sound and bang! you have tone that everybody would kill to get.....or at least spend the cash if they had it.
I'm not totally disagreeing with what you posted but pickups only play a part of everyone's tone.
Besides I like changing pickups....because I can and tone changing is fun without buying new guitars ,not because they're not good enough for me.
ymmv

Hi Mike,
Sounds like you had a good time. All of my gear is stock... I am planing on changing the pups on my Gretsch to TV Jones... but thats about it

Bill

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

None of my guitars are modded in any way,if I'm not satisfied with the way a guitar sounds it stays in the store.I'm thinking that one day though I'd like to build my own Strat style guitar just for gits and shiggles.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Yes!! All my guitars are stock!! I know what I want before buying!

I think most really good guitarist, keep their gear stock.
Not that bad guitarist change pickups, but some players
Concentrate on the notes rather than the sound, but when
The Right notes are hit, the sound their after comes out.
I'm an ok player, I try looking for different tones to help
My playing better.
I hope I didn't offend anybody, I mean no disrespect.
When I have a really good tone my playing reflects dramatically.
I'm on the fence on changing the hr 57 pickups,
To something like bareknuckle sultans, apache, or mothers milk
But, ugggh. Loving it as is, but since i have a hot rails innmy
Am stdrd , my deluxe has scn's, my only strat with stratty
Pickups is my cp 60s I feel I need a single coil vibe.
But I would feel I would regret it.
Sorry mike, I inadvertantely hijacked this thread.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008