Fireburst Strat build

[drewfx]

I actually finished this at the end of last year, but just got around to taking some pictures (sue me, I'm lazy):

Chambered ash showcase body, quilted maple top, fireburst finish with drop top natural masked binding.

The (showcase) neck is birdseye maple, with pau ferro fb, gloss finish. LSR nut (I had one lying around), locking tuners, Wolfgang contour (probably not what I would have chosen, but I fell in love with the wood, and it worked out fine), (EDIT forgot this) SS 6105 frets:

Fender American Standard trem + Hipshot Tremsetter.
Neck=Dimarzio Area '58, Middle=Area '61, Bridge=Virtual Vinatage 54 Pro, aged white finish
Master Volume, Neck Tone (TN), Bridge Tone (TB), no tone on middle in position 3 ('cause I like it that way).
Standard 5-way Strat switch + on/on/on mini switch with the following options:
                                 On/On/On
    Up                    Center              Down
    "Parallel"          "Normal"          "Series"
5   N+B (TN)          N (TN)              N (TN)
4   N+M+B (TN)     N+M (TN)         N+M (TN)
3   M                     M                     M
2   M+B (TN)         M+B (TB)         M+ N->B (TB)
1   B (TN)              B (TB)              N->B (TB)

drewfx

 

[whyachi]

I thought fireburst had more yellow in it? Either way that's a hot Strat!

 

[erogenousjones17]

Nice Strat! Looks really swanky!  :icon_thumright:

How do you feel about the tremsetter? Is it worth getting?

 

[drewfx]

Personally, I love the tremsetter, but I'm not much of a trem-freak, so YMMV.

If set up properly, it works 100% as advertised - when I bend strings the trem arm doesn't move and 'fight" the bend, and if you bend one string while another is ringing, the other string doesn't drop in pitch like a normal trem would - it's pretty much just like playing a hardtail - until you grab the arm.

However, I think it may affect the trem feel, and maybe requires a more "deliberate" touch when you actually use the trem. I'm not sure, but I think it adds some resistance around the zero position, and if you want the bar to flutter around like a madman, I don't know...

Of course it's also some extra work to install it and get it set up correctly, but the video on the Hipshot site walks you through it:
http://www.hipshotproducts.com/faqs/view/66

And it really needs to be set up and adjusted properly to work right, but once you get it, you're good to go.

For me, I wouldn't put a trem in a guitar without one, because, as I said, it's pretty much just like playing a hardtail until you grab the bar. But again, I'm not a trem-freak, so any downside in trem use/feel doesn't bother me compared to the advantages. A Floyd Rose equipped shredder who's constantly tapping on the bar might feel differently. You'd have to ask them, if that's your kind of thing.