Am Dlx vs. Lite Ash + Laces + mods + cash

[cross]

so what would you prefer:

I guess I'll drop some Lace Sensors in the Lite Ash(n:blue m:silver b:red). maybe locking tuners, maybe different trem. possibly some push push pots for switching stuff... AND I will still have some money left.

what do you think about the craftmanship and the wood of the lite ash model compared to the Dlx?
okay, it's SELECTED wood nice craftmanship. but do the lite ashes have a lot of dogs or are they still really nice guitars? is the difference worth the(whole lotta) extra money?

versatility? I guess with up to three pp-pots I'll do some more tricks then the S-1 system if that's important at all... n if I like a lot of distortion at some times, will the laces or the samarian ones?

what can you tell me about the LAce sound(red especially) with 500k pots and the 333k tone mod?

soundwise: Billy Corgan, John Frusciante, really like SRV n Hendrix(sure)... n all those older strat fellas as well.

so what's your vote?

[Marcondo]

.

[stratcat62]

Mostly agree, the neck is first. My number one is an American Deluxe largely due to the neck. Premium woods and better hardware is a nice touch. I wasn't crazy about the SCN's and S1 Switch so I now use Kinman Woodstocks or Blues (I have both and have switched between them but I believe I'll be sticking with the Woodstocks) and Kinman's harness which uses a master tone and blender pot. The combination plays and sounds the way I want.

I have other strats, all are different but all sound and play great but the Dlx is just a bit better. Play the guitar unplugged. If the neck is right and the unplugged guitar is resonent with pleasant tonal quality buy it. Everything else is easy to fix.

[JAM]

Cross,

I have a Strat Ultra that came with n:blue m:gold and b:dual red. I was never really pleased with the sound. (TBX for the bridge pickups) It's not that it sounded bad, it just didnt have a "Strat" sound to it. I replaced the pickguard with a standard 3 pup one and went with n:silver m:gold b:silver, it get's more of a Strat sound now. IMHO the blue and red Laces dont have much of a single coil sound to them, of course maybe that's what you're looking for.

[cross]

no doubt. feel n playability is #1 for me as well...
that's why I trade my pre-factory PRS CE24 in for a Strat cos I fell in love with Fender necks as I played a Am Tele of my 'future' father in law...

I like the sound of the PRS(but it can't handle my modded SG at the moment) but the neck is just way too thin for me cos I need some beefier necks...

the deluxe has about the same neck specs like the standard... so I might as well get one of those n do some mods to my favor...
something like that with locking tuners:



that would be almost as pricey as a Deluxe but it's kind of customized n I got a favor for that in a way...
what about your experiences with the Highway Series? heard of bad paint jobs n that they're not worth the extra $ compared to MIMs, right? or is the dog percentage just higher in those price categories?

So according to what you're saying I can expect that I won't achieve 'classic' strat sounds with the b/s/r combo?!
the point is that I love what Billy Corgan n Johny Greenwood(Radiohead) ok those guys use a lot of FXs but the laces are supposed to do that well...

If you'd be so nice n help me how I might get the 'modern' Laces sound and the 'classic' strat sound together with the b/s/r set if you'd set up my loaded pickguard from that link(maybe with some TBXs or something):
http://www.aampselectricguitarstore....pickguard.html

I'd really appreciate it.

[Julian]

IMO, first of all, you won't sound like those guys, they use a ridiculous number of effects, stuff only the studios have in some cases (siamerse dream layered 60 guitars in some parts). I don't think you should focus so much on what your favorite artists use. The artists you like don't sound the way they do simply because of their pickups and they also don't try to sound like anyone else, so why should you try to sound like them? Greenwood is specifically the type of person who doesn't obsess over gear at all.


Second of all, I don't see how you can get a modern sound and still get the sound of a classic strat without sacrifices. One lace that will give you a classic strat sound is the lace gold. I love the sound of the lace gold, but it's not for everyone, its a little nasal sounding, listen to clapton to get an idea, he switched to vintage noiseless later on though. You might want to try a clapton strat, it can get a good classic strat sound and with the midboost on it can get some humbucker tones. Here's a clip of me playing in a forum jam with the clapton strat and lace golds, I suck but it will give you an idea: http://home.comcast.net/~jules301h/eminor_boogieJ.mp3

Of all the pickups lace has, I've heard the best about the alumitones. Never tried them though. Might want to try those out.

I would take everyone else's advice and find a guitar you like and if you must, enjoy experimenting with pickups on it until you find a sound you like. If you don't like a set, throw em on ebay and try again. Should be sound clips online you can find though, try searching some more.

[cross]

I know that I shouldn't try to sound like them... it's just the best way to tell people via net what I like soundwise etc...

I know as well that the pups will sound different with my gear and that I just will get to know how they sound until I've got them in MY Strat with MY gear.

I just can choose from certain characteristics of pups that I can choose from n that is what I'm trying to find out. Don't be afraid I'm pretty good at getting different sounds from my equipment. I just have to find out what's the right base for that... most vintage pups can't handle effects good or distortion and many more modern pups can't do clean stuff as good as more vintage pups can. That's about it... I just need the help of guys who have more experience with all that stuff and I appreciate that a lot. thank you.