Hey I'm looking into sometime in the unknown future buying a custom shop fender stratocaster. I'm not sure about this but this is what I want to do in the sense of hardware

Neck Pickup: Fernandes Sustainer
Middle Pickup: Seymour Duncan Hot Rails
Bride Pickup: Seymour Duncan Hot Rails(mini humbucker)
Tremelo: Floyd Rose

First off can I get this when getting a custom shop stratocaster? Secondly, would this be a good hardware setup for a fender stratocaster? I already have the seymour duncan pickups and I will be getting the sustainer next. If I don't put them on my future stratocaster, I will put them on my current StratSquire by Fender.

I play a lot of alternative rock, classical rock mix, and a lot of stuff. I want a guitar that can be very versatile in playing and sound. Would I get that with the setup?

I would appreciate any help possible.

I wouldn't buy it without paperwork.

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1975 Sunburst Stratocaster rosewood finger board
1979 Stratocaster with roseowood finder board
2001 Candy Green Clapton Stratocaster
2007 Andy Summers Inspired Telecaster
2007 '51 P-Bass
2012 Taylor 110
2015 Mystic Ice Blue Deluxe Stratocaster Plus

Hi fireline! There are some true heavy-hitters around here. I hope you can catch their attention.
For my part, I think it is exciting to modify guitars, in search of our art. Now, the reason I finally aquired a Custom Shop Stratocaster was so that I wouldn´t have to do ANY changes. The custom shop pickups are so well balanced... I am convinced that any modification would substract from the original. When I´ve tried doctored guitars with a combination of pickups, I have noticed too much of a change when flipping the selector, an abyss between pickup sounds. I currently enjoy flipping the switch a lot as I go through phrases, it is subtle and efficient. Diverging pickup timbres would imply, at least for me, that I would use only one configuration for a specific tune, excluding the other 2 pickups entirely. So one for jazz, one for distortion, and so forth. I love having the palette of the 3 pickups at any given time throughout the tune.

I will probably still modify other guitars, 1000 dollar guitars. But my CS will remain intact. The intonation, height, etc are absoutely superb!
Good luck!
M

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FIGHT!

I completely understand not modifying a custom shop guitar. I failed to mention in my original post that I would have them install these specific pickups as the originals. Even if I did that, do you still think it would take away from the guitar than if I just had them install their pickups? Also, I've been playing guitar anywhere from 2 to 3 years but I haven't been to involved with the guitar community. What does heavy-hitters mean?

Also, thank you for your input. I would be fine with putting my duncans and a sustainer on my current guitar and later get a totally custom shop strat

Welcome to the Forum buddy. What I meant was there are phenomenal guys with a lot of expertise that visit the forum regularly. You will get top advice on everything relating to your music activity. People love pictures around here, and uploading pics will help you attract their attention! These very same guys taught me to upload via photobucket.com. Once you have your pictures on an album there, you paiste them onto your Forum post by selecting the fourth format that appears when you select a picture. There are four options, choose the last one and paiste.

I understand that requesting the Custom Shop for a specific instrument, that meets your pickup requirements and other details can be a long-drawn affair. I bought my Custom Shop through a fine Custom Shop dealer, wildwood guitars. Check them out, contact them about your interest.

I would humbly suggest that if you can afford the instrument, and you can establish contact with a good guitar tech, then you could purchase an existing guitar without having to get on a waiting list, and then proceed to install your selected pickups. You could always restore the original pickups. Assuming your tech is reliable, your CS guitar would not lose its value for experimenting with pickups. I am a bit doubtful about installing a new bridge, just because the calibration the guitar comes with is so outstanding. I am hoping to retain these settings for as long as I can! The intonation on my CS is absolutely remarkable.
All the best man. M

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FIGHT!

Thanks very much Mike. I appreciate your input

Looking over your "druthers", I think you'd be better off assembling this guitar on your own (or with the assistance of a skilled luthier). Start with a FR-equipped Strat such as the HM model then wire up a pickguard with your intended pickups and have the body routed as necessary to accommodate it. Choose your neck to suit based on fretboard radius and the size and number of frets you need. How it will perform its intended task will be determined solely by you and how well you've planned the instrument out based on the music you prefer to play.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY