The Red Strat Build

[NotImpressedBro]

After about 12 yrs of acoustic guitar playing, I decided to go try electric for the first time since my High School Garage Band days.  The past decade had been a high-pace US Army lifestyle, with little time for dedication to the stringed instruments.  Alas, along came a new baby, and with it a new outlook on life.  It was time for me to transition to the civilian world in the homeland.  I have been blessed to transition smoothly, to a career that allows for more family time; and perhaps more time for my passion of guitar playing.

I initially purchased an American Professional Stratocaster from an online retailer, but after 2 months I received a refund an an apology for it never arriving.  So I took in my Taylor T5z to a local shop and traded it for an American Elite Telecaster.  I fell in love with my guitar and dove into the country genre, but I couldn't shake the want to play the tones of Eric Johnson and Andy Timmons.  Finally, with a solid grasp of what I wanted to feel in my hands and hear in my ears, I opted to construct my dream guitar.

I have just completed (again) this build that I began in the Fall of 2020.  I have been posting progress in other threads, but it has been brought to my attention that this is the proper place for such a topic.  This guitar is a living product of my progression as a player, and it will likely continue to adapt along with me.  Here are the current specs I have landed on.

Body:
Stratocaster style
Top Route
Alder, 2-piece
Finish - MY favorite red from a good old rattle can
SprayMax 2k Polyurethane (4 coats)
*A LOT of hand Buffing*

Neck:
Warmoth Modern Construction
Scale - 25.5
Wood - Roasted Maple
Fretboard - Roasted Maple
Nut Width - 1.650"
Frets - 22 - SS6150
Nut - Graph Tech TUSQ XL
Radius - Compound 10-16"
Finish - Satin Nitro

Pickups:
Bridge - Dimarzio Cruiser Bridge
Middle - Dimarzio Area 67
Neck - Dimarzio Injector Neck
Wiring:
Cloth, American Standard Stratocaster wiring
Switch - 5 way
Potentiometers - All 3 500K - tone pots are fender TBX - Volume is Dimarzio with high-pass filter
Pickguard - White Pearly 3 Ply
Knobs - Fender White


Hardware:
Tremolo - Gotoh 510TS-FE1 Black
Tuners - Fender Locking

Strings:
ALWAYS D'Addario XT 9-46

 

[NotImpressedBro]

I landed on this pickup combo after first trying Fender 57-62 vintage single coils.  Then moving to Fender Custom Shop Texas Specials.  The 57-62 pickups have their character but I needed more output as I play into a '76 Fender Twin Reverb and it's so clean that it begs for more output.  The Texas Specials were noisy beasts, and they got real muddy under any amount of gain.  I have a 1 yr old so much practice is done straight into my computer with headphones, so the noise was unbearable with any amount of gain and or compression.  The current setup is clean, "stratty", chimier in the cleans, and clear in the gristle.

I get the sensation that playing on my old neck was akin to running with a weight vest.  Whenever I'd switch to my Fender Elite Tele, I was considerably cleaner and faster in my playing.  I'm excited to have the marriage of my favorite tones and playability.

Here's a couple pics of this guitar's progression.

 

[stratamania]

Glad you ended up with an instrument you are enjoying...

For ease of viewing...

 

[DieterDeux]

looking good, though I'd say you can back that jack out a bit.  :headbang:

 

[NotImpressedBro]

@DieterDeux thanks, I will next time I change strings. It’s comments like that I posted this for. I’ve been making them play nice for years, but the builder details are still new to me.

 

[DieterDeux]

I mean, it’s not hurting anything, but as a convenience thing it’s harder to plug in this way. You’ll probably need another nut on the inside to keep it in place if you don’t already have one.