Fixin' to overhaul my Strat

[benjammin420]

I have a Classic Player 60 Strat, in 3 tone sunburst (pictures are on their way ) Do to a daunting neck/truss rod/relief problem, and the arrival of my LP last year, I havent played the Strat much. Recently though I've come back it with a renewed vigor.

The first mod I did was last January, I installed a set of Hot Noiseless pickups, and had the middle tone control converted to a push/pull pot to activate the neck pickup (opening up N/B and N/M/B combos ) The pickups are great, but I started to become unhappy with the controls (specifically the tones) This is partially what caused the falling out we had. Im pretty sure now its the caps (value and/or quality) that is that problem. I was also advised to try out some other pot values as well.

So today I started up a back-n-forth with our good pal Jonesy, and order pairs of 250k, 300k and 500k pots, and also one .015, .022 and .033 caps. I also ordered a Deaf Eddie Jersey Mod switch FAT-O Custom Schemes - the Memphis Mods

[benjammin420]

And to aid me in my quest for a new neck, Blues4U/PJ is hooking me up with a MIM maple board neck to try out. And while I've got all these changes taking place, I've decided also to strip the poly finish off the body, and im most likely going to leave it raw

I also need to clear some wood out of the pickup cavities to allow for the HN pickups to be lowered enough for me liking.

And as I said, I'll start putting up pictures, but I just ordered all those parts today and decided to start this thread to document it all

[benjammin420]

Im probably going to end up custom ordering a neck, and still havent made up my mind as to which headstock would be coolest, any opinions?

[benjammin420]

I think I wanna get one of these suckers too i thinkVillex passive rotary booster Since the Deaf Eddie switch takes the place of one of the controls already, getting an active mid-boost is out of the question

[Gunner]

Have you decided on a headstock yet?

[benjammin420]

Originally Posted by Gunner

Have you decided on a headstock yet?

nope, for some perverse reason the Jazzmaster calls out to me. what do you think, is that too controversial?

[Gunner]

Originally Posted by benjammin420

nope, for some perverse reason the Jazzmaster calls out to me. what do you think, is that too controversial?

Go for it! I'm really diggin the Jazzmaster. It looks distinctive.

[benjammin420]

i can picture people scratching their heads trying to figure out if its a big strat headstock or a small strat headstock

[Nicole Rose]

i like the small strat headstocks myself. they are really pretty

[benjammin420]

Originally Posted by Nicole Rose

i like the small strat headstocks myself. they are really pretty

I like them too, they have that "classic"-ness. I also have a thing for the CBS headstock, its got a special vibe to me. The smallest detail on the guitar seems to be the hardest time to figure out

[Slickster]

The Jazzmaster option is pretty cool idea if you can get hold of one

[benjammin420]

Im gonna get a neck custom made. I havent decided which fretboard material, but one site, Musikraft.com, has a bunch of nice options, what im thinking is:

-22 medium jumbo frets
-abalone inlays
-7.25-9.5 compound neck radius
-thin D shape

if I go with a rosewood board, Im gonna get a veneer (right)

[Slickster]

$$$$$$$$$$$$?

[benjammin420]

$195 and up, with all the special stuff it want it wouldnt cost more than 300, which is comparable to buying a Fender neck of ebay

[Slickster]

Not a bad deal then

[benjammin420]

these are Fender licensed, relic'd and a pretty good price too
STRATOCASTER NECK RELIC WORKS AGED FENDER STRAT RPLCMNT - eBay (item 330400356276 end time Mar-01-10 12:10:58 PST)

[benjammin420]

this is the guitar in question, Ill take some more pictures when I remember to. Id like to overhaul that red 335 copy one day too

[Blues4U]

Ben,

You need to get the V put back together--

[Blues4U]

Originally Posted by benjammin420

these are Fender licensed, relic'd and a pretty good price too
STRATOCASTER NECK RELIC WORKS AGED FENDER STRAT RPLCMNT - eBay (item 330400356276 end time Mar-01-10 12:10:58 PST)

These are pretty nice necks--I have thought about getting one BUT, I like the Warmoth necks a lot better-

I thought about seeing how much some of these guys would charge me to relic a neck and body I sent to them-

eBay Store - mjtele aged guitar finishes: Bodies, Necks Hardware, relic

eBay Store - Blackpoole Relic Works: Relic Works Hardware Kits, Fender Licensed Strat Bodies, Fender Licensed Necks

Rock N' Roll Relics | vintage replicas

Welcome to Kemmery Custom Shop Guitars

Relic Deluxe - Vintage Relic Guitar Parts and 50s Pinups for Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, and Gibson Les Paul, SG, and ES-335 330 Guitars

[benjammin420]

Originally Posted by Blues4U

Ben,

You need to get the V put back together--

All that V really needs is the bridge pickup to be reconnected. I dont have any interest in it though, its like a can of dog food next to a t-bone steak (my LP) I would sell it but I dont think its worth very much. I offered it to a MLP member for free if he would pay for the shipping, never panned put though. im more interested in the semi-hollow

[benjammin420]

Originally Posted by Blues4U

These are pretty nice necks--I have thought about getting one BUT, I like the Warmoth necks a lot better-

I thought about seeing how much some of these guys would charge me to relic a neck and body I sent to them-

eBay Store - mjtele aged guitar finishes: Bodies, Necks Hardware, relic

eBay Store - Blackpoole Relic Works: Relic Works Hardware Kits, Fender Licensed Strat Bodies, Fender Licensed Necks

Rock N' Roll Relics | vintage replicas

Welcome to Kemmery Custom Shop Guitars

Relic Deluxe - Vintage Relic Guitar Parts and 50s Pinups for Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, and Gibson Les Paul, SG, and ES-335 330 Guitars

Im still more interested in Warmoth or Musikraft, but I saw those in a thread somewhere and it got me thinking. I think theyre just Allparts/Mighty Mite necks that they relic, i wasnt too impressed with the options offered by Allparts/MM. I saw they offered the bodys and necks together, maybe one day ill try my hand at a relic project

[05jrock]

Originally Posted by benjammin420

All that V really needs is the bridge pickup to be reconnected. I dont have any interest in it though, its like a can of dog food next to a t-bone steak (my LP) I would sell it but I dont think its worth very much. I offered it to a MLP member for free if he would pay for the shipping, never panned put though. im more interested in the semi-hollow

Someone didn't want a free V?

[benjammin420]

i forget what happened exactly, this was back before Xmas, i remembering quoting him a shipping price and asking if he wanted to pay thru paypal or a check, maybe he never replied

[benjammin420]

All my electronics are in the mail, dont know when theyll get here, Canadian Customs is terrible (not to mention the olympics going on here now ) I was at the store the other day playing around with various guitars, getting a feel for what kind of neck I want. Im thinking maple board, 7.25 radius, 22 frets, jumbo frets. I dont want one thats too slim, the highway 1 was borderline. There was a 70s Strat with U neck that was probably my favorite, similar to the neck on my CP now, which is what I want. Its all coming together

[benjammin420]

The Deaf Eddie switch came in today just waitin on the Mojo

[benjammin420]

I couldnt wait, so I put the Deaf Eddie in yesterday. It was suprisingly easy, they include a very detailed manual with helpful pics it took me a while (i was watching Goodfellas on tv at the same time) so by the time I got the guitar reassembled and strung up, it was 11:30 and i couldnt really play, just a enough to check that the wiring is all good. Im stuck at work for a long shift today, but i have tomorrow and tuesday off to jam.

I also have all my taxes paperwork together as well, and thanks to MoneyMart I can get my refund the same day i file, which I will do Mon or Tues. Depending on that refund, i may use that to get my neck from Musikraft