So where are all the futzed-with strats?

[grandturk]

So when people were getting away from hot rodded guitars in the early 90's and going back to vintage or vintage-inspired strats and LP's and SG's, you used to read about these horror stories of people who had their 50's strat routed out for Floyds and humbuckers - and basically "destroyed a piece of history."

So, my question is, where are all these old guitars that were modded and f'd with in the 70's and 80's? You never see that many around. Some of the ones I know about:

- 3 Strats that Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) used in the 80's - a 57, a 60's and white 70's - routed for humbuckers and at least one routed for a Kahler

- David Gilmour's strat - obviously - neck, humbucker, routed for Kahler

- Jake E Lee's 70's strat that was turned into a Charvel, basically


So what else is out there. Toss up some pics if you've got them.

[chuckocaster]

i think a lot of those have either disappeared (for the better) or have been refurbished.

somehow brad gillis continues to carry that torch.

[Erock_Germany]

Refurbished, painted up, plugged, several of same year type screwed together etc.......

And then in many cases sold as original unmolested guitars to some sucker for huge cash.

Thank god most of the really battered ones I have seen were 1970s Strats but I did see some carnal sins in the 80s....like chopped up 60s Strats.

By the time I was around I think most of the good 50s Strats had found their good home already.....thank god.

[Wilko]

Here's mine (not so pretty under the guard):

[NeoFauve]

Putting it in the case the wrong way like that is an unusually subtle move.
You rebel.

[elicross]

He can't live by your rules, man!

[NeoFauve]

Ry Cooder's got a pretty unique old Strat.
A '67 with an original bound neck. He had a P90 in the bridge spot years ago, but he's made some changes since then.
(see caption)

[curtisstetka]

Who's going to tell Ry Cooder he's wrong?

[ch willie]

Wry Cooter sure has a strange Strat.

[grandturk]

Refurbished, painted up, plugged, several of same year type screwed together etc.......

And then in many cases sold as original unmolested guitars to some sucker for huge cash.

That's what I'm thinking - a lot of them were probably bought up cheap and parted out or mutted.

Its just interesting to me because as opposed to the 90's, a lot of people are coming out playing hot-rodded strats again. The Music Zoo, for instance has a run of relic'd strats with Floyds and buckers - made to look like you chopped up Grampa's "old guitar" back in the day...

[gtk]

Hi folks.

I stumbled across this forum last week while googling strats.

Found this thread but no time with work & all to post to it till today.

So, here is/was my "futzed with strat" 1958 Serial number 29xxx

Pictures taken around 1987'ish.

1'st pic. This is what it looked like stripped down, neck & hardware not bolted on, just laying there. Note the route behind the bridge.



Here it is after I got it back from the restore. For whatever reason, (I don't recall) the top part of the logo was not put on. I went to put it on (reissiue logo) I messed up and destroyed it. So was just left with the Fender name (pardon the stain on the photo, pictures are from around 1987)



One with it with my (sold) Boogie



Those picture above are from around 1987. The next picture I took around 4 years ago with my digital cam. Aged nicely. You can kind of see the area where the route was beginning to show through.



And may as well throw this in too. Left is my 1'st guitar, washburn, given to me, and have since given it away to a friend. (regret that, he broke the headstock off. strat in middle (obviously lol), and my Grit Laskin acoustic.




So as for the futzed with info. It had been routed to put a locking tremolo on it, as well as drilling the peg hole larger in the headstock to fit the new tuners. And the whammy bar on the original bridge had been broken off, and it had to be drilled out. The guy who restored it painted it white, a sunburst would have shown the route. Extra screws in the pickguard as well. All parts original.

and if anyone intersted, better pics of the grit.

[Don]

I had a '57, serial #-22191 that had a replaced neck, bridge and pickups and was re-sprayed candy apple red. It appeared that the body had not been messed with under the re-spray and the neck was a Schecter that Michael Stevens finished and installed in Austin, TX in the early '80s.