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Post subject: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 12:04 am
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Fenders are wonderfully suited for mods.
The very basic nature of what a Fender classic design is both useful and very mod-friendly.
The potential for much more is there as the basic nature of the Fender is that of very calculated factors that weigh heavily on creating at each step an ever-more refined series of design features that serve to create the ultimate in designs, products and an attitude of innovation second to none.

Observation is at the heart of what drives innovation, needs are also a factor in creating at the leading edge of an entire industry.
Theory is never set in stone as observations will quickly disprove what can only be described as formalized speculation that results in theories that are limited in scope.
Intonation and is subject to observed issues that re4sult in concessions such as adjustable bridges.
The wiring and switch design is such as they provide for the exploitation of what is the continued development of what Fenders provide in an almost limitless variety of ways.

Tinkering with basic, time-tested designs are at the forefront of new designs as such things as trems, wiring and even fretboard raduises are of a practical nature that are continually refined.
So, yes, tinker on, get the attention of a customer-friendly producer that will of course review and in some cases incorporate new ideas.


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 3:11 pm
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Yeah my two Strats are fine the way they are, but feel free to mod your Strat any way you want.
It's your guitar and you can do what you like with it. Or not.

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1983 Kramer Pacer Imperial
1996 Eric Clapton Strat Blackie
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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 3:53 pm
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I heard once brevity is the soul of wit,

Next time try a Haiku.

Fenders are special.
Mods are easy.
Strumming brings much joy. :)

8)

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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:27 am
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omar59 wrote:
I heard once brevity is the soul of wit,

Next time try a Haiku.

Fenders are special.
Mods are easy.
Strumming brings much joy. :)

8)

+1


Image

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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 8:33 am
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The new Deluxe Strat Plus is a step into the do it yourself mod world. I own a SSS, and I really enjoy being able to change out personnality cards to get various mods on the fly. Fender has already added several pickups, and according to the Fender Rep I talked with on the phone, will be introducing about 11 other new cards some time in June. Some Cards I'd like to see:
EC mid-range boost
Pickups in parallel or Series
Onboard effects like time delay and modulation

The current cards allow the user to have Treble/Bass cut (something I'm finding very useful) and using the neck and bridge pups together, and using all three pups together. These mods have been arpound for a bit, but it's nice to be able to have them all on one guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2015 12:51 pm
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Good to hear that.


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 7:14 am
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Is this right place to ask this?

If I were to block off the tremolo on my strat, does it matter if I upgrade the block or not?

It may seem like a dumb question, apologies for that :(


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:33 am
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Personally I love modding my guitars...particularly Strats. Whether it's new pickups, replacement trems/blocks, a neck swap here and there, a midi interface on one of them and even a refinish or two, all 10 of the Strats I currently own have been modded to one degree or another...and the only mod I didn't do personally was the lefty that's setup to play righty (I got her that way).

When Leo Fender developed those first Tele's and Strats, I doubt he had any real thought of "mods" in mind...beyond what he learned from guitar players he spoke with at least (and he was obviously a good listener). Leo seemed to have a simple, pragmatic approach to guitar design...space age as it might have been at the time...and to me at least, he was more of a problem solver than anything. That said, he also created instruments that can truly be tailored to suit a given individual.

Personally I think the singular greatest thing about modding is that it allows me to individualize each of my instruments. Obviously some folks are perfectly content with "off the rack"...I never was. I'm not like every other guitar player out there...I'm a unique individual, I have my own unique playing style and sound and I believe my guitars should be as individually unique as the guy who's playing them. What's more...and perhaps this is just the result of my liking so many different types of music (classic rock, blues, jazz, classical, flaminco, surf, older metal....)...is that I can tailor certain guitars to certain aspects of my personality and tastes. "The Rat" for example, a '93 MIM Fender "Squier Series" has been heavily modded and upgraded...now she really has that mid to late 60's surf tone (she's also A LOT of fun to play and being a lower end Strat, I'm not afraid to take her bumming around with me). "The $@!&*" on the other hand, a '99 Fat Strat, recently upgraded with "gold and pearl" cosmetics, leans more towards the heavier side of my personality...great for things like ZZ Top, Ozzie, Deep Purple, etc.. "Ol' Blue, my '96 MIM Standard is my "all arounder"...touches the bases across many genres, but particularly great for that Pink Floyd stuff I like so much...and her "older, somewhat abused, twin sister" (known locally as "Blue 2"), a nearly identical '95 (originally identical at least) is my current midi rigged instrument. Then there's "Blackie"...an '87 MIJ that just screams Clapton! Each instrument has it's own unique voice and character and each one has it's own uses.

Of course...some days I just wake up and "feel like playing the red one", LOL!!!


Anyways.....


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 10:41 am
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Quiksilver wrote:
Is this right place to ask this?

If I were to block off the tremolo on my strat, does it matter if I upgrade the block or not?

It may seem like a dumb question, apologies for that :(


Actually, not a dumb question and yes...depending on what you have in there now, it matters. Most MIM's and Squiers (not to mention a lot of knock offs) tend to have a zinc block...what many refer to as "pot metal"...and many of them have a half sized zinc block. Even if you block it, it's still a zinc block and it's going to have an adverse affect on your tone and sustain....blocking might improve this a degree, however you still have that nasty piece of pot metal screwed to the bottom of your bridge plate. A proper steel block will make a huge difference in your tone and sustain, regardless of whether you block it or not. In fact, I might go so far as to say that if you get a good quality trem block, you may even decide you don't need to block it...I had my '96 Standard blocked for quite a while, but after upgrading to the Callaham trem block, I took the extra chunks of wood out of the trem cavity because I simply didn't need them any more.


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:06 pm
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lomitus wrote:
Quiksilver wrote:
Is this right place to ask this?

If I were to block off the tremolo on my strat, does it matter if I upgrade the block or not?

It may seem like a dumb question, apologies for that :(


Actually, not a dumb question and yes...depending on what you have in there now, it matters. Most MIM's and Squiers (not to mention a lot of knock offs) tend to have a zinc block...what many refer to as "pot metal"...and many of them have a half sized zinc block. Even if you block it, it's still a zinc block and it's going to have an adverse affect on your tone and sustain....blocking might improve this a degree, however you still have that nasty piece of pot metal screwed to the bottom of your bridge plate. A proper steel block will make a huge difference in your tone and sustain, regardless of whether you block it or not. In fact, I might go so far as to say that if you get a good quality trem block, you may even decide you don't need to block it...I had my '96 Standard blocked for quite a while, but after upgrading to the Callaham trem block, I took the extra chunks of wood out of the trem cavity because I simply didn't need them any more.

+1 That's a good point lomitus...a good trem block makes a difference...very noticeable vs "pot metal" :lol:

I replaced the Trem Block in a Hwy One w/ a Callaham...immediate improvement in tone and sustain...they are pretty pricey

The stock Trem Block in my Fender Vintage Hot Rod 50's body is every bit as good as the Callaham to my ear...

...I'm happy with it decked... ought to try it with the Trem blocked...no biggie :D

Playing unplugged a few minutes ago...makes listening to "just the guitar" easier...

...like its natural sustain & the bright harmonic "jangle" in the Trem even a fret buzz...

...and paying attention to the feeling of it vibrating through the Neck & Body

That's a Lot of feedback you might not notice with the Gain up & the Amp on 11! :D

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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 5:43 am
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lomitus wrote:
Quiksilver wrote:
Is this right place to ask this?

If I were to block off the tremolo on my strat, does it matter if I upgrade the block or not?

It may seem like a dumb question, apologies for that :(


Actually, not a dumb question and yes...depending on what you have in there now, it matters. Most MIM's and Squiers (not to mention a lot of knock offs) tend to have a zinc block...what many refer to as "pot metal"...and many of them have a half sized zinc block. Even if you block it, it's still a zinc block and it's going to have an adverse affect on your tone and sustain....blocking might improve this a degree, however you still have that nasty piece of pot metal screwed to the bottom of your bridge plate. A proper steel block will make a huge difference in your tone and sustain, regardless of whether you block it or not. In fact, I might go so far as to say that if you get a good quality trem block, you may even decide you don't need to block it...I had my '96 Standard blocked for quite a while, but after upgrading to the Callaham trem block, I took the extra chunks of wood out of the trem cavity because I simply didn't need them any more.


Thank you for the answer.

I was actually quite curious about the Callaham parts. You see, I'm a lefty and things for us are hard to come by. Another stumbling block is that I am on the other side of the pond (Czech Republic) and that double-punch of Europe and left handed, I am virtually left scrambling for parts all over the place :)

I do have a MIM Strat and contacted Callaham who makes limited lefty blocks. Aside from the block, is it also necessary to replace the entire thing? like the bridge plate and saddles? or will the block be enough? is there a difference between the MIM Strat parts and Callaham (keeping the block aside)? both seem metal to me.

Lastly, do other parts suffice? I think I saw a lefty brass block at AllParts UK for quite the decent price.

Thank you guys for all your advice.


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 8:47 am
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Its good to hear that there are others who like to do mods.
I like to do it if there's no other way to get what I want from a guitar.
Today's products are so varied, you can with very few exceptions get what you need within practically every budget.
Now if you're cheap like me, you do it yourself.


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 3:12 am
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Quiksilver wrote:
I do have a MIM Strat and contacted Callaham who makes limited lefty blocks. Aside from the block, is it also necessary to replace the entire thing? like the bridge plate and saddles? or will the block be enough? is there a difference between the MIM Strat parts and Callaham (keeping the block aside)? both seem metal to me.

Lastly, do other parts suffice? I think I saw a lefty brass block at AllParts UK for quite the decent price.

Thank you guys for all your advice.


Ok...this is all a bit subjective as I have never tried their actual bridges, I have only tried the Callaham blocks. That said...

The my ear, there does seem to be a definite difference in quality between the Callaham blocks and others I've tried. I honestly don't know what's so different about this "cold rolled steel" process that Callaham uses (I've never comparatively weighed them, so there may be a density difference or something), however for the price, the Callahams are better. Now, I have to equally add that I have Guitar Fetish blocks in a couple of my Strats as well and they are pretty decent considering the difference in cost...the GF blocks are only $22 (although they don't seem to have one listed for lefties...sorry). When replacing one of those stock zinc blocks with steel, chances are you'll notice a significant improvement with tone and sustain, regardless of whether you use Callaham or another brand. On that issue alone, my advice would be that if the Allparts (or other) replacement block is over $40 (U.S.), then just go with the Callaham instead.

As far as the bridge and saddles go, again let me say I haven't tried them so I honestly don't know for sure, however, if their blocks sound that much better than other brands (for whatever reason), logic should suggest the bridge plates and saddles would likely be an improvement as well. How much better however...is it enough to justify the cost...is a different matter entirely. On my '96 Standard with the Callaham block, she still has her original plate and saddles and to be totally honest, I'm perfectly happy with her like this. Except for my '93 Fender "Squier Series", which had low end hardware to begin with and my '99 Standard Fat Strat, which just got upgraded to Gold Chrome (with a Guitar Fetish bridge), the other 3 genuine Fenders all have stock bridge plates and saddles and I really can't complain about them at all. If we're talking a Squier or other brand however, it could be well worth upgrading the bridge too. I'm not knocking Squier at all, however the bridge plates on most Squiers do tend to be a tad thinner than Mexican or MIJ's and a lot of Squiers (although not all) also use pot metal saddles. Except for my '08 CIC Squier Standard, I've replaced the bridge plates (and blocks of course) on most of the Squiers I've ever owned.

Okies...hope that helps.


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 5:28 pm
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@lomitus Thanks a lot, your posts helped quite a lot...


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Post subject: Re: Mods. potential and observation.
Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 9:41 am
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rdclmn7 wrote:
Its good to hear that there are others who like to do mods.
I like to do it if there's no other way to get what I want from a guitar.
Today's products are so varied, you can with very few exceptions get what you need within practically every budget.
Now if you're cheap like me, you do it yourself.


Modifications are relatively easy and inexpensive.
The ironic thing is that I usually end up putting them back the way they left the factory.

Although I must say, locking tuners and strap locks are an automatic mod for me.


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