It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 1:33 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Looking to modify my Strat...advise is needed!!
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:49 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:49 pm
Posts: 17
I have a MIM standard strat brown sunburst – maple neck…everything is stock. I am ready to start making modifications and need some advice in several different areas.

Pickups – They have stock ceramics. I am not crazy about these pickups because they are just WAY to thin for my taste. I love the Hendrix/Gilmore sound just like millions of others, but also would like NOT to have to crank the bass up on my amp to get some depth. I need pickups with some balls yet full of tone when I play clean. I am unfamiliar with single coils and am not sure where to go. I checked out the Cool Rails and Hot rails from Duncan, and the fender custom 69’s. If you have any advise on pickups, please help me out.

Tuners/Saddles – Like I said – everything is stock. Is there anything really wrong with the stock tuners and saddles? I have never replaced either on my LP’s and wonder if there are any advantages to after market parts in that respect.

Nut – Has anyone ever replaced the stock nut on their strat?

Any help you guys can offer would be great….


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:59 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:52 am
Posts: 745
Location: Florida
You might try a Seymour Duncan JBjr in the bridge... (its a high output humbucker) You can wire its 4 wire config so that u are tapping only one of the coils when selected in combination with the other single coils... (getting some of those strat pickup combinations but allowing you to have the humbucker in the bridge for balls when you want it). Put the coil tap on when you lift or pop up your tone knob and bam the humbucker is a single coil giving u access to those strat tones...
Rails are humbuckers not single coils also...
Can anyone back me up on this? lol

_________________
explorationx


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:27 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 10:33 am
Posts: 669
Location: souderton pa.
seymoure duncan JB JR'S and DUCKBUCKERS.
for the pickups.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 12:00 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:07 pm
Posts: 427
If you are going for Hendrix, then look at the Dimarzio Area 61 (or Area 67). They give you that single coil sound without hum. They also can vary in sound based on how close you get them to the strings (they have less pull so you can get them very close if you want) so you can tweak your sound quite a bit.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:27 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:51 pm
Posts: 2503
Location: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA
Hello Paul0801,

I've done nut replacements it's
not difficult but you'll need correct
tools to do a great job,
these files are expensive.
You must also be able to measure
and hold very tight tolerances to do
a nice job.

Maybe this is a job for an experianced
guitar tech.

Best of luck.

Cheers.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Looking to modify my Strat...advise is needed!!
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:31 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:52 am
Posts: 3840
Location: Colorado Springs
Paul0801 wrote:
Tuners/Saddles – everything is stock. Is there anything really wrong with the stock tuners and saddles? I have never replaced either on my LP’s and wonder if there are any advantages to after market parts in that respect.

What is the answer to this?


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:39 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:57 am
Posts: 13164
Location: Peckham: where the snow leopards roam
I just get the sensation that the OP is modding for the sake of modding.

"Is there anything really wrong with the stock tuners and saddles?" No, there is not. You seem to be asking the Forum why you should be modding, which prompts the same question in return: yes, why?

People change stuff when they feel they have a problem. Got a problem with your bridge and tuners? No? Then leave 'em alone.

This goes double for nuts, because you can really eff things up if you get it wrong. And it takes some knowledge and application to do nuts right (and, as Mr Bill says, some expensive tools). Did your guitar come with a badly cut nut? Unlikely, but if so, take it back to the store and have them sort it out.

Now I know what you are thinking. You are secretly contemplating putting a roller nut or even a locker in there, aren't you? Look back over recent pages of this Forum at posts where people are asking how to put a normal nut back in place of a roller (answer, essentially, you can't) and then leave your nuts well alone.

As to pickups; you like a Gilmour/Hendrix sound. To most of us those are two very different sounds. But both are achieved with single coil pickups (mostly). If yours ain't giving you the ballsy sound you require, try some with higher output, such as Lace Sensor Blues or Reds, or many other similar, before you go looking at humbuckers. I don't at all have a down on humbuckers in Strats, but if you've a job to do you need to use the correct tool, which in this case sounds like singles.

Sounding very stern, ain't I? No unkind intentions: just want you to spend your time playing that guitar, rather than footling with it, if there's no good reason. Music comes from your head and your fingers, not from your gear.

Good luck! - C


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:52 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:52 am
Posts: 3840
Location: Colorado Springs
Ceri wrote:
I just get the sensation that the OP is modding for the sake of modding.

"Is there anything really wrong with the stock tuners and saddles?" No, there is not. You seem to be asking the Forum why you should be modding, which prompts the same question in return: yes, why?

No, it is not like that. It is all about learning from the vast wealth of Strat wisdom in this forum (that includes you as part of the wisdom pool, btw).

For example ... I recently changed out my 05 tailpiece block for a larger one because I found out -- through this forum -- that the blocks were much larger from 06+. This was a cheap and easy mod that noticably improved my guitar. If it were not because of this forum I never would have even known. That is clearly not modding for modding's sake.

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:06 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:57 am
Posts: 13164
Location: Peckham: where the snow leopards roam
01GT eibach wrote:
That is clearly not modding for modding's sake.


Exactly, sir. That's modding for a reason.

Which is all I'm getting at. Purposeful modding is half the point of Strats! (Well, we can argue fractions, but...)

Cheers - C


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 5:26 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:47 am
Posts: 15336
Location: In a galaxy far far away
the best mod i ever made to my strat was to install a callham trem block. the sustains unreal and the natural tone is downright spooky, all because of this

http://guitar-xperience.com/onlinestore/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=28&category_id=135&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=38

it really bought the guitar out of its shell with increased body and sustain.

_________________
No no and no


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: