Anyone built a guitar like this? I'm thinking about doing a project that has at least 1 humbucker in the bridge or maybe 1 bridge and 1 neck like a Gibson or Tele Deluxe. Photos and story please!
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Anyone built a guitar like this? I'm thinking about doing a project that has at least 1 humbucker in the bridge or maybe 1 bridge and 1 neck like a Gibson or Tele Deluxe. Photos and story please!
i've built some for other people, but i've always liked the p90 strats that i've built. i'm personally not an hb fan, and the p90's give me more of the "fat" i'm looking for, without the phase cancellation that hb's exhibit.
I have a couple...
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/62/ps4body3cv4.jpg
Or...
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/2059/92352404it4.jpg
Ok, just kidding.
But Charvel has a few very strat-like guitars that follow this idea...as well as Kramer and others. I like the Strat as it is, a strat.
The only way I would go HB in one is stacked, or noiseless SC.
My pepto Strat.
T-Tops from my 76 Les Paul Custom:
http://www.ewilkins.com/music/pinkstratincase.jpg
Damn, Wilko...I love that thing.
Under most circumstances...not.
But it looks so playable!
he he!
Totally "playable". There is another thread here about it with a few video links.
The neck is a very comfortable Japanese Squier slab board and "D" shape, that I bought new in about 1985. Still has original frets. Guitar is around 8 lbs with Warmoth Ash body.
Pickups are typical T-Tops with all the glassy shimmer that they provide and they are wired Volume, Tone, Tone. Switched Neck, Both, Bridge.
Tuners are Schaller Deluxe Kluson double-ring style.
That's very much along the lines of what I was picturing; simple PU switching with full tonal control and clean looking dual hums with covers. I'm planning to use an alder body with a slab board neck and a standard Strat fixed bridge. Does your setup allow you to get more of the midrange tone like a Gibson? I want something that handles and feels like a Strat, and with the same attack of a Strat but with warmer, smoother and more sustaining tones. Also where did you get your pickguard? Did you use 500K pots? The color, tuner knobs, and PU's certainly make this a one of a kind axe! I dig the case too!Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilko
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guitar Whiskey
Ah, the endless quest. Unfortunately ( or fortunately depending on how you look at it ) a Strat with HB's sounds like - a Strat with HB's. The way you get the Gibson sound is to play a Gibson. Trying to get a bolt-on 25.5" scale to sound like a set-neck short scale by changing pickups is like trying to change your muffler to make your V6 sound like a V8.
Might not be what you want to read, but it's important to understand how all this stuff works.
A lot more of a guitar's sound and sonic character is baked into it's basic design and construction than the snake oil salesmen selling pickups would like you to believe.
My guitar does get a warmer singing tone, but that's really just a function of the pickups being louder and driving the amp like only buckers can do. The overall strat spank and squawk is still intact.
This clip shows it pretty well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwNePO7Y4Q8
That case is just posing for the picture, that knuckle buster case (note the center latch) goes with 1960 strat.
As to OA's post:
The answer to what he asked is yes, you can. OA is exactly right that it won't sound like a Lester because that requires the mahogany body, the 24,75" scale and the bridge/tailpiece setup of a Lester.
But since you're not asking for something that sounds just like a Lester, but rather has Strat qualities and humbucking-guitar qualities, you can definitely have what you want.
http://www.petechimbidis.com/photos/...cRig2008sm.jpg
For the cover band I play in, I wanted exactly that--one guitar to bridge the gap. I've been using this at all my shows for over six months now and it does all that I need. We play between one and four times a week every week, and there's no getting around the comfort of a Strat for me. I'm also a huge Strat-neck-pickup junkie for all my rhythm playing and some of my soloing. Unlike some here, I'm also really enjoy playing some leads with the middle pickup alone--I love that hollow sound on certain tunes.
But for me, there's a certain vibe that only a humbucker can deliver, and you can have that vibe and sound in a Strat for sure. Les Paul sound/vibe? Not really. Humbucker sound/vibe? Absolutely.
Regarding Offshore & Wilco's posts; I know a humbucker Strat is not going to sound like a Les Paul or an ES-335; I've already got those. Don't get me wrong; I want the acoustic tone and sharp attack that is induced by a bolt on neck guitar with a 25-1/2" scale. The goal is to reduce the sharpness of the single coil voice and get rid on the hum. Don't forget I'm also going the fixed bridge route which also will effect the sound compared to a trem guitar. Yeah I recognized that as a vintage 60 case; probably worth more than the guitar. I'll check the YT clip tonight when I get home; looking forward to it.
I'm also wondering if the HSS configuration might cover a few more bases.
I love the setup of my pepto-strat.
It does exactly what it seems you are hoping for. That brittle top end is gone and the bottom of the tone is thick and warm. the acoustic tone is very strat-like.
This started as an effort to use up a lot of spare parts I had laying around:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j1...M/IMG_0990.jpg
Then evolved:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j1...M/IMG_2233.jpg
Then evolved again:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/BradKM/202.jpg
The original neck makes another appearance:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/BradKM/198.jpg
And finally, this is was the original home to that Jackson neck:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j195/BradKM/207.jpg
True enough. One will never sound exactly like another with a pickup swap. But you can cover a lot of ground and sound with a mod like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by pc
For myself at this point in my life, I find myself in moods for one or another specific type of sound, and not the middle ground, so it's not for me. But then again, I don't cover the range of stuff that you do.
Sorry for the de-rail...
Brad, those Jackson necks are hard to beat!
I wouldn't say any Charvel/Jackson captures anything like a good strat tone...but for the playability and bang for the buck, it's difficult to get much better.
I want a Jackson neck and I'm going to replace the name with a cloned decal that says "Jackass". It would work well for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cygnus X1
To each their own.Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Angler
(I kind of asked for it...I'll post my superstrats in the "other" section).
Yep.Quote:
Brad, those Jackson necks are hard to beat!
Whenever that one was removed from a body, I'd miss it.
I finally made a resolution to find a final home for it, and that's where it is now. Now all I have to do is settle on pickups...
Jackson J90C's.
OK...I really ought to start another thread.
Just finished this red one up yesterday for a friend. Older Gibsons Pups. Not sure what they are. Warmoth Body / weight 6.75 lbs. It's Candy Apple Red, but does not show very good in the pic. A couple of these have a TBX for the tone control...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/CARStrat.jpg
GFS Pickups...Ransom body - Musickraft neck - GFS Pickups...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/MVC-760S.jpg
Warmoth body (chambered) & neck - Ti trem block - Seth Lovers - 7 lbs even
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...wSBWarmoth.jpg
I have probably put about 50 or so of this type together w/ Humbucks in the last 15 years. Most of the Pics are lost in my comptr somewhere, so these are all I have now.
Through the right Amp, they sound great! The longer scale does take you away the the LP sound (esp in middle position), but in all...not bad sounding.
P-94's sound real good too!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...IMG_4401-1.jpg
Nice looking bunch of guitars. Just curious how the controls are set up; must be one volume and one tone right? Why wouldn't you want to have the volume in the standard position for pinky volume swells and two tone controls? Also, where did the pickguards come from? The eight screw arrangement looks fantasitc; nice and simple.
Most were made for a friend of mine that only wants a vol/tone config. He goes through a lot of guitars. I personally like the simplicity of 2 controls. Mounted where the usual tone/tone knobs are on a Strat. It's a visual thing for me...rather that having only 2 controls up closer by the pickup. Just looks better...imo. For swells -vol pedal...lol!Quote:
Originally Posted by Guitar Whiskey
Pickguards came from Warmoth (mounting hole options). I like simple! :sun