Strat upgrade

I am considering a new upgrade to my '94 Southern Cross Strat.

It has Fat 50s pickups, and a complete Emerson Custom strat blender prewired kit: Oak Grigsby switch, Emerson Custom 250k pots and PIO cap.

Yet it sounds duller and weaker than my all stock American Standard, which has the same pickups and the orginal CTS 250k pots and the standard polyester cap.

The Brazilian strat does sound good unplugged and through a clean amp, but as the amp begins to break, the guitar no longer gives me the mouthwatering gain-laden palette of colors that the American one does. I can get a very decent overdriven rock lead tone with the American Standard without even having to use a clean boost or buffer, especially with my current 15w 1x12" amp.

By the way, using a smaller, yet powerful tube amp was definitely an ear opener for what my guitars have to them. The US standard sounds even more killer than through bigger amps and lots of effects, whereas this other one (which I used to actually like) sounds like a piece of crap.

I wonder if I should try hotter single coils or try a less treble stealing cap.

never know, it could be as simple as a different cap. I'd start there. Then I'd go with the pots. How does it compare acoustically to the all american strat? If they're really similar and you've got the same pickups then I'd think it would be the wiring differences.

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Originally Posted by Sérgio

I am considering a new upgrade to my '94 Southern Cross Strat.

It has Fat 50s pickups, and a complete Emerson Custom strat blender prewired kit: Oak Grigsby switch, Emerson Custom 250k pots and PIO cap.

Yet it sounds duller and weaker than my all stock American Standard, which has the same pickups and the orginal CTS 250k pots and the standard polyester cap.

The Brazilian strat does sound good unplugged and through a clean amp, but as the amp begins to break, the guitar no longer gives me the mouthwatering gain-laden palette of colors that the American one does. I can get a very decent overdriven rock lead tone with the American Standard without even having to use a clean boost or buffer, especially with my current 15w 1x12" amp.

By the way, using a smaller, yet powerful tube amp was definitely an ear opener for what my guitars have to them. The US standard sounds even more killer than through bigger amps and lots of effects, whereas this other one (which I used to actually like) sounds like a piece of crap.

I wonder if I should try hotter single coils or try a less treble stealing cap.

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I would check the wires and solder joints before changing anything. A cold solder joint or partially grounded wire could produce the "duller and weaker" symptoms you're experiencing.