Well, I finally finished my first Strat mod project - my version of a surf guitar. Here are a couple of pictures -- not great pictures but the best I could do for now...





Actually, I’ll be adding locking tuners as soon as my order arrives but, other than that, its done. I started with a MIM 2010 FSR Standard Strat, finished in Sunfire Orange Flake. The flake finishes are popular in the surf guitar world, maybe because Dick Dale (the “King of Surf Guitar”) played a gold flake Strat. Actually, many of the guitars used by surf guitarists are “over the top”, finish-wise. For an example, check out the Dipinto Galaxie IV’s used by the guitarists in Los Straitjackets.

I removed the original HSS pickguard, leaving all the electronics attached and replaced it with an aged white pearl pickguard loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups, aged white pickup covers and knobs, and a Fender 5-way super switch.

Taking Martian’s advice, I went with the same setup he used in the “Fratocaster” – SSL-2 (Neck), SSL-6 (Middle), and SSL-3 (Bridge). I also followed the “Fratocaster” wiring diagram which gives the following options (and adds tone control for the bridge pickup):

Position 1: Neck
Position 2: Neck + Bridge
Position 3: Middle
Position 4: Middle + Bridge
Position 5: Bridge

While Martian can describe these pickups and combinations better than I, let me just say that this combination is AMAZING, even to this rank amateur! The SSL-2 (neck) produces the “bell-like” tones of a vintage Strat, sounding very much like my CP 50’s (Fender 57/62’s). And, when the neck pickup is combined with the bridge pickup (position 4), it is amazingly Tele sounding.

The SSL-6 is a higher output pickup than the SSL-2 and it sounds great to me. SD says its “perfect for Texas blues rock, classic rock, and heavy rock”. I gotta agree. The SSL-3 in the bridge position seems to take it one step further output-wise.

One thing I immediately noticed and was kinda surprised by, was the increase in sustain compared to the stock guitar I started with. I really thought sustain was more based on the physical characteristics of the guitar but evidently pickups make a HUGE difference. With the SD’s, notes and chords seem to sustain way more than with the original pickups. I also noticed a significant increase in volume.

In addition to upgrading the electronics, I did a bit of finishing work on the neck. I didn’t like the way the fretboard was finished (sanding scratches visible, giving it an almost milky looking haze) so I used some swirl remover compound and a small amount of wax to get a smooth, glossy finish on the fretboard. It turned out just like I wanted – it has a medium gloss to it without looking like it was dipped in polyurethane clear. The finishing also seemed to make the tint on the neck more noticeable, which I really like. I left the satin finish on the back on the neck as-is.

My total outlay for this project was $685 (including the locking tuners that are on order) and I can say I’m very satisfied with the result – definitely not a traditional Strat appearance-wise but exactly what I was hoping for, both appearance- and performance-wise. Sound-wise, its much better than I expected.

My thanks to the board members here who offered advice and suggestions for this project, particularly Martian for this advice on the electronics and Ceri for his advice on finishing the neck.

Oh, almost forgot – I just got tickets to see Dick Dale in concert in July. If all goes well, I’ll get his signature on the back of the headstock..

Bravo! Well done, indeed!!

I'm glad you are as happy with my pickup combination/wiring as I am. Like I said, "Balls, bells and everything in between."

And of course, you're quite welcome.

Enjoy that guitar for many years to come!!!

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Hey, thanks Martian. I also took your advice about only restringing one string, then checking that everything worked. When I first tested it, the middle pickup wasn't working. A quick check of the super switch wiring revealed one misplaced jumper. I fixed that and everything worked fine.

Now, I'm contemplating starting another project...

You're quite welcome!

Definitely do start another project!!

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Whoa, sa-WEET!

Interesting switch/pickup config, too.
That's gotta sound cool.

hmm, neck and bridge.. Never thought about that. Not sure if the SSL's are noiseless, but in the 2nd position, there is no hum cancellation...

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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None of the positions are hum cancelling. However, if this is an issue, a calibrated dummy coil can be installed from the Super Switch to the volume pot.

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Really nice guitar.

Hum doesn't seem to be an issue at all, although I know that's dependent on the environment. I pretty much play guitar in the same room in the house whenever I play and, in there, I've never really had any issues with hum..

Oh man, that's just great! I love the orange flake and pearl pickguard together: nice combo!

And if it sounds anything like this -

- then what's not to like?

Congrats! Way to go, oldguy.

Cheers - C

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Oh, by the way:

Yup. Once you start you can't stop.

Cheers - C

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Very nice!

I'm looking for a MIM myself, hopefully from 2008/2009 on that model year ( the neck is so nice ) . At least the Maple is. I'm hoping a Rosewood will be too.

What I'd like to do is a custom paint (actually stain) job on it.

Craigslist entries get gobbled up very quick for that model year with Rosewood neck.

Nice to see someone else having fun with customizing...

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield