Candy Red Strat - COMPLETE!

[fdesalvo]

Some progress.

Noise Canceling Backplate system installed.  Decided to fab up a bracket and drill through-holes, so I could access hum pots with pickguard in place. Rocketfire 60's pickups installed.  Standard switching otherwise.  Oh, Gotoh bridge, which I'm chuffed, and I mean absolutely CHUFFED about.

P/G looks off center next to bridge, but it's just the angle.

LINT!

The wait for the neck continues...gah!  Tempted to rip the one-piece maple 59 carve off of BBQ Floyd's body.  Ha!  That's my burst strat.

 

[rgand]

This is really a cool build. It just screams 'FUN'. I can hardly wait to see the whole thing done. And in the GOM spot in the banner!

 

[Kublai]

This is looking sharp.

 

[fdesalvo]

Thanks, gents!

Robert, this HAS been an incredibly fun build. It’s also been a slow one haha. When you have a 1 year old, personal tasks that take the unbridled man 15 minutes can take a month! Can’t say I haven’t fought the good fight!

Looking fw to updating with more pics as the neck rolls in.

 

[stratamania]

Looks good. The Gotoh now being offered as a standard offering I think is a great move.

Do you think you will need to adjust the backplate hum trim things very often?

Anyway interested to hear what you think of the system.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Frank, you never disappoint!

 

[fdesalvo]

TFS: thank you sir!

Stratamania: I had a few reasons for drilling the through-holes and mounting the board. They all relate to some type of psychosis!

The wiring harness has quite a bit of wire and a circuit board to stuff below the PG and I wanted the shortest possible leads below deck. The instructions state that the system reduces hum/buzz as the pots are turned and at the end of tuning, the board is stuffed into the control cavity.

I don’t like that!  There are accessible solder connections below the circuit board, and while I doubt it would shift much once stuffed, my luck would have the thing shorting against a pot body. I’m nearly confident this is something you just adjust once, but in the prior scenario and in one where a particular venue’s noise could be dialed out, I thought it would be best to have easy access as opposed to having to remove the pickguard in a pinch.

I should be able to test it now, come to think of it.  I’ll report back.

Cheers!

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I like the Brian May approach to having that control assembly accessible below the surface without a mess of screws holding it to the pickguard.

I've been reading the Brian May book: The Red Special, and it's easy to take for granted just how innovative he and his father were from 1961-1963 in light of how guitars were produced.

 

[fdesalvo]

I like the Brian May approach to having that control assembly accessible below the surface without a mess of screws holding it to the pickguard.

I've been reading the Brian May book: The Red Special, and it's easy to take for granted just how innovative he and his father were from 1961-1963 in light of how guitars were produced.

Yessss.  Those dudes were pioneers - totally taken for granted.

UPDATE:

I had to reverse two wires per the diagram and these single coils' noise have been reduced by 95%!!  It's just a touch - and I mean a touch - noisier than the Dimarzio Areas on my other Strat.  The single coils on this one are actually just as quiet, if not quieter than the humbuckers on my other guitars. I AM IMPRESSED.  Really cool to hear the noise being swept as the pots are turned.  There's definitely a sweet spot, as neither is at full CCW/CW.  I love how this system requires no batteries, as the EBMM system does.  No loss of high end noted by tapping the mags with my screw driver's tip and it's been said there is no change in tone, as well.

 

[rgand]

Thanks for the report on the way it works. It sounds like the hot ticket for single coils.

 

[fdesalvo]

Seems like it from this end

A bit holographic

 

[rgand]

Matching neck plate, too.  :icon_thumright:

 

[stratamania]

Thanks for the update, Frank.

 

[fdesalvo]

My pleasure- (Don't forget to get that Red Bishop arm for your NFT Floyd!).

Man, I've got a RW/Birdseye/CBS neck en route for this body, but after superimposing the Birdseye/Birdseye neck from the other Strat on this body...gotta say it looks amazing, as well.  Torn!  Maybe the raunchy big headstock neck can go on the burst Strat and this one can have the maple one piece.  Damn, I'm seriously torn!

 

[stratamania]

My pleasure- (Don't forget to get that Red Bishop arm for your NFT Floyd!).

Man, I've got a RW/Birdseye/CBS neck en route for this body, but after superimposing the Birdseye/Birdseye neck from the other Strat on this body...gotta say it looks amazing, as well.  Torn!  Maybe the raunchy big headstock neck can go on the burst Strat and this one can have the maple one piece.  Damn, I'm seriously torn!

You need that CBS style neck on the Valley of Creation if you ask me.

The Red Bishop arm is on the list of parts to acquire. Some surprises in store for the NFT build. Timeframe Easter.

 

[fdesalvo]

My pleasure- (Don't forget to get that Red Bishop arm for your NFT Floyd!).

Man, I've got a RW/Birdseye/CBS neck en route for this body, but after superimposing the Birdseye/Birdseye neck from the other Strat on this body...gotta say it looks amazing, as well.  Torn!  Maybe the raunchy big headstock neck can go on the burst Strat and this one can have the maple one piece.  Damn, I'm seriously torn!

You need that CBS style neck on the Valley of Creation if you ask me.

The Red Bishop arm is on the list of parts to acquire. Some surprises in store for the NFT build. Timeframe Easter.

Great minds!  Stoked to see what you come up with.

 

[stratamania]

My pleasure- (Don't forget to get that Red Bishop arm for your NFT Floyd!).

Man, I've got a RW/Birdseye/CBS neck en route for this body, but after superimposing the Birdseye/Birdseye neck from the other Strat on this body...gotta say it looks amazing, as well.  Torn!  Maybe the raunchy big headstock neck can go on the burst Strat and this one can have the maple one piece.  Damn, I'm seriously torn!

You need that CBS style neck on the Valley of Creation if you ask me.

The Red Bishop arm is on the list of parts to acquire. Some surprises in store for the NFT build. Timeframe Easter.

Great minds!  Stoked to see what you come up with.

Me too

 

[MikeW]

Nice. Likin' it so far.

I'd be interested to hear a sound clip of the noise sweep you're talking about. I keep toying with a pickguard that has SD Custom single coils on it, but it's so damn noisy anytime I get it out in the wild, that I keep shying away from putting it in something I actually use.

 

[fdesalvo]

Nice. Likin' it so far.

I'd be interested to hear a sound clip of the noise sweep you're talking about. I keep toying with a pickguard that has SD Custom single coils on it, but it's so damn noisy anytime I get it out in the wild, that I keep shying away from putting it in something I actually use.

I’ll see if I can whip up a clip when I get back in town. It’s like this - imagine having your guitar’s volume full CW with all that glorious buzz and hum blaring. Now, take your volume and roll it back until you can all but barely hear any noise. Once you pass the sweet spot, the noise starts rolling back in.

UPDATE: Quantum view for the neck!!

I’ve got a “spare” pickguard with the same graphics on it. I may repurpose part of it to adorn the peghead.

 

[fdesalvo]

Will start burying the decal tomorrow.  Using tru oil.