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Post subject: Turning a 2002 MIM 60's Strat into a quality 59ri
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 4:06 pm
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Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:26 pm
Posts: 272
Location: iowa
Hello all been awhile since I've posted around here, been busy working on my custom pickup/guitar business. Anyway on to the real story. I have only ever bought 1 guitar brand new guitar from a shop ( I have lots ), this 2002 mim 60's reissue strat with a super resonate beautiful alder body. As you will see in the pics she has a stunning 3TSB, at least imo :). Stock she sounded ok with the machine wound mim Alnico 5 pups but the tone was dull and lacked sustain so the 1st upgrades were a bone nut and a set of 59ri handwound pups off ebay, I left the pots and 5-way alone since they were already USA parts.. That helped get some better vintage tone. The next upgrade was a reproduction paper and beeswax .1 "phone book" capacitor, that brought out a little more buck and woody sound out of the guitar. The final stages of upgrades- After much research and winding my own pups for a while I came up with a very nice late 50's / early 60's spec set of handwound strat pups that I installed in her that improved the overall chime and "bell tones" of the guitar without getting rid of that vintage bucky/woody tone that I like so much from a stock 59 Strat. Since the set of pups I wound were straight up North polarity I put a 62ri aluminum full pickguard shield in which helped cut down hum but didn't hurt the tone at all. The last upgrade left is to replace the stock Zinc block with a new Callaham steel block later this week. After all is said and done I have an Awesome sounding main gig strat that has tone about as close to a real 59 as you can get without the real thing for less than $1,200 US dollars. After I install the steel block I am going to take this guitar over to my buddies house and make a side by side comparison video comparing this guitar with his 1964 Stratocaster with the stock pickups. Take a listen and see what you think if you'd like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kuxnAq5sDc

Chris

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Post subject: Re: Turning a 2002 MIM 60's Strat into a quality 59ri
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 4:37 pm
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Hobbyist
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Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:37 pm
Posts: 95
Location: England
I really like the sound of my 1999 MIJ 62 reissue with the stock pickups, and the only thing I have changed is the bridge block to a CeltaRocker steel one.
I have, however, changed the pickups on my MIJ 54 and 62 to the Fender Vintage 54 and 57/62, and they sound great too.
I could easily afford to fit Fender 57/62 pickups to it also, but I just don't find the need. Lovely guitar.

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Post subject: Re: Turning a 2002 MIM 60's Strat into a quality 59ri
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:11 pm
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Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:26 pm
Posts: 272
Location: iowa
I'm a big fan of the MIJ reissue strats too, I have a red 62ri Foto Flame. I've tried the Fender 57/62 pups but they are machine wound and to my ears hand wound pups have better "vintage" tone. That's not to say that the Fender 57/62 pups don't sound good though, I just prefer the hand wound pickup sound.

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Post subject: Re: Turning a 2002 MIM 60's Strat into a quality 59ri
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:44 pm
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Amateur
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 6:19 am
Posts: 108
Adding a Callaham steel block is going to change your tone. It's going to be brighter sounding. I tried the same thing your doing with a set of 57/62's. That block made mine way to tinny sounding. I put back the old one I had.


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Post subject: Re: Turning a 2002 MIM 60's Strat into a quality 59ri
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 7:54 pm
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Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:11 pm
Posts: 11
Hand winding your own pups. I am impressed. I don't have those skills.
But I just changed the stock pups in my 96 MIM Strat with a fat 50's loaded pickguard with upgraded pots and wiring. Only one thing to say,,,,OMG. I loved my strat before but now,,,i want to marry it! LOL.
Amazing what $170 can do. Had a MIA a few years back and my MIM always played better so I sold the MIA because I was offered more than I paid. Now the MIM sounds every bit as good as well. I now have a total of $360 in this super strat and that is way better than $1200 off the rack.

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96 FEnder MIM Strat ; 2011 MIM Tele ; 2013 Gibson Les Paul Studio
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