Frendril Straconsaster

[tiscoat]

Host body is a b-stock used early 90s strat I’ve had since forever.

Warmoth roasted maple conversion neck.
1.75” nut
SS6115 frets
59 round back profile
M6 tuning machines nickel finish
Strung with 9.5, 13, 16.5, 26, 36, 50
Wudtone holy grail tremolo with steel block and 5&1/4” arm, 54mm string to string spacing, Highwood saddles, nickel finish.
Obsidian wire HSH/HSS kit with push pull split config, rail single rail

The scale of this neck, the 6115 frets slick/fast feel, and the string gauges are thee perfect combination together. Everything feels better. The little bit of extra space between strings due to the wider nut and bridge fits my hands and fingers. Can more accurately play things that felt too crowded or too stretched on the stock neck. Strings are tense enough to feel stable but very easy to bend. Neck is awesome.

Have some high spots above fret 15 on a few strings. The nut is conservatively cut high from Warmoth which felt strange the first two days, but the balance of everything else is so damn good that I’ve come around and am now considering leaving it as is.

Very pleased. This turned out better than I imagined and was easier than I thought it would be … first time working on a guitar. I’d not even attempted a basic a setup on an existing guitar before.

 

[teleme01]

What about this guitar makes it your favorite?

 

[tiscoat]

What about this guitar makes it your favorite?

Hahaha, great queation…it’s my only. And it’s my only that feels / plays better than it ever has and better than those I’ve fiddled with at shops off the wall for years. Also, that I had a hand in making so.

 

[tiscoat]

#1 Neck feel: texture, profile, scale. A raw roasted maple neck back is like its own dry lubricant. Dunno how the compound radius is factoring into the feel experience. I’m sure it is but I think the other physical differences are contributing more dramatically to the improvement in feel. At least that is my expectation, and therefore my bias.

Strat stock finished neck is so sticky feeling and too thin. The fingerboard and string spacing being narrow was often a hindrance. I could never get the extra 5th to sound playing A shaped chords. It’s supremely easy now.

With the 25.5 scale I always had trouble with getting all the notes to sound cleanly when playing things like C#m triad root 3 5 root shape and G#M triad.

#2 The Wudtone bridge has perfect stability combined with the locking tuners which are so smooth. Alway hated stock trem arms. They felt janky and extended too far into the picking area to be useful. I just left it out from day one a million years ago. Seeing that the Wudtone came with a shorter 5 1/4 option intrigued me and seemed more practical. It reaches to around the middle pickup area. In this location it feels natural to play finger style and operate the arm.

The Wudtone steel tone block with high wood saddles has increased the sustain. Despite being worried it was easy as heck to install. I appreciate that, like the neck, the bridge was thought out and manufactured so well that it was just a direct replacement. Screwed it right into the exiting post hole bushings.

#3 I have zero prior experience with locking tuners so I’m simply a bit dazzled there.

#4. Always sorta disliked the single coil strat bridge sound / wanted more power and less noise, particularly with distortion. The combo I have now still has some quack in the 2 and 4 positions but I’m kinda wanting a tiny bit more.

 

[JacobJames]

Awesome PG detail! Looks great.

 

[teleme01]

#1 neck, is where I 1st noticed the difference between a "kit" and a warmoth, no comparison...

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Nice choice! roasted maple looks great.

Barden’s bridge pickup should be brighter and more vintage. Did you find any issue with the Dimarzio Cruiser pickup in the neck position?

 

[tiscoat]

Nice choice! roasted maple looks great.

Barden’s bridge pickup should be brighter and more vintage. Did you find any issue with the Dimarzio Cruiser pickup in the neck position?

I like the dimarzio neck sound. I set it as close to the strings as is possible and lowered the middle about as far as it can go but that single coil is hot and a bit louder than the dimarzio still.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Looks great but your pickup covers are backwards.

 

[stratamania]

Looks great but your pickup covers are backwards.

Or the complete pickups are upside-down.

 

[tiscoat]

Or the complete pickups are upside-down.

I’ve been wondering why everything that I play sounds like are you experienced. Is this the cause?

 

[stratamania]

I’ve been wondering why everything that I play sounds like are you experienced. Is this the cause?

Probably not, wrong types of pickups

 

[tiscoat]

Probably not, wrong types of pickups

 

[tiscoat]

Couldn’t find a reverse sand castle melting into sea gif. James Hendershot, legendairy!