1989 Warmouth Build

[DGrav]

Hello! I'm new to the forum, and planning out my next Warmoth build so I decided to post my last one.

I put this together in 1989/90 when I was 17 years old.

Body: Maple or Ash (it has been a while)

Neck: Maple with Rosewood fretboard. Reverse headstock (interesting note, there are side markers on the top and bottom)

Paint: I asked a friend of mine who was a talented artist to paint it. He had never used an airbrush before and the only directions I gave him were I like green, the pyramid on the back of a dollar bill, and the guy from the cover of Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.

Pickups: All Seymour Duncans. Neck: '59 Middle: Hot Stack (originally a Hot Rail but the sound was too redundant with the other pickups so I traded it for a hot stock that gave a bit more of a single coil sound) Bridge: Full Shred

Wiring: Guitar Dan Armstrongs Super Strat Wiring from Player Magazine August 1987 Strat Mania

This guitar was used in high school with the marching, jazz, and concert bands. After graduation, it played many bar gigs, weddings, recordings, teaching, etc. It was my main guitar until around '94 when I started using a Steinberger M Series which was replaced in '99 with a Parker Fly Classic which was my main guitar until I semi-retired from music in '04. The green Warmoth is back to being my main guitar since my son started playing drums a few years ago......... Now I have the itch to build another one!

 

[u.9]

Nice backstory and awesome looking guitar (phenomenal airbrush work by your friend)! Any thoughts as to what you might build next? I wonder if the shop just grabbed an existing neck and redrilled side dots for the reverse config? Cool little special feature though, especially if you ever spun the guitar around to play it inverted in 80's style

 

[DGrav]

Nice backstory Any thoughts as to what you might build next?

I've never owned a straight 3 single coil Strat despite always enjoying playing them......

So far my rough build list:

Maple Neck, Rosewood Fret Board, Stainless steel frets (a feature I love on the Parker Fly), Reverse Headstock

Adler Strat body in Goblin Green Satin

Tortoiseshell pickguard with Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surfer vintage Stratocaster pickups

Standard 5 way Stat wiring with a blend knob

Traditional Strat tremolo

 

[teleme01]

I put this together in 1989/90 when I was 17 years old.

What took so long to do another? Life ?

 

[DGrav]

What took so long to do another? Life ?

Yep! Life and there have been other non-Warmoth Builds.

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum. Cool paint job on the green one. I assume the middle pickup is a hot stack rather than a hot stock?

Wiring: Guitar Dan Armstrongs Super Strat Wiring from Player Magazine August 1987 Strat Mania

Can you say more about the wiring?

I may have a copy of that magazine somewhere in my moving boxes. Will see if I can find it.

 

[DGrav]

I assume the middle pickup is a hot stack rather than a hot stock?

You are correct. (Fixed in the OP)

Can you say more about the wiring?

It uses 2x DPDT on/on switch for the Neck and Middle along with a DP3T on/on/on switch for the bridge. This allows for any combo of pickups in either series or parallel, all three pickups in series/parallel, and any individual pickup.

The red guitar in the other picture has the same wiring with the addition of two more DP3T on/on/on for the neck and middle to have their coils spilt and put in series or parallel.

I may have a copy of that magazine somewhere in my moving boxes. Will see if I can find it.

I still have my original worn copy. I also found scans of it online.

 

[teleme01]

The hot stack looks like a Charlie christian , probably a dumb question but does it compare,

 

[stratamania]

The hot stack looks like a Charlie christian , probably a dumb question but does it compare,

Only from the point of view of a single blade in the middle of it. For the rest, drastically different.

@DGrav thanks for the extra info and posting the article. I am certain I still have that magazine in one of my moving boxes. If I recall, it has a red Strat on the cover.

 

[DGrav]

The hot stack looks like a Charlie christian , probably a dumb question but does it compare,

The hot stack has a beefy strat tone with a nice sparkle plus no noise. I used it when playing with horn sections to cut through the mix without adding volume.

I’ve never used a Charlie Christian so I do not have any thoughts on a comparison of the two.