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The Start...

NovasScootYa

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Below...The Start in Progress Update...Alder body arrived today Thursday June 12, 2025, 4 lbs 11.5 oz per requested heavier weight, has the contour heel option...couldn't be more pleased...waiting G conversion neck shipment.

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Below...June 26, 2025 update...

This build has the Warmoth Contour Heel option plus it has the Fender Contour Heel setup which removed an additional 5/32" from the now doweled W corner. It also has the single coil rout filled with shaped and JB bonded spruce plugs left over from my violin making days, I prefer the body is dedicated to the number and type of pickups used. Neck inserts and screw lengths cut and fitted, recess rout for a ProAttach Rail completed. A snap on loop attached to the strap helps conversion neck playing position. Reamed F buttons to use #8 x 1" screws. Ordered all paint supplies except the color which will probably be Cream as seen below, color won't be needed until all the playing bugs are eliminated.

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Below...Original The Start Build in Progress May 20, 2025...

I've had the idea for a special build since 2011 and now it is in progress. Back then I purchased a case, pickguard and all the metal. The now loaded pickguard awaits the unfinished Strat body ordered on May 16, 2025. My go to pickups are Van Zandts however they never got back on humbucker F spaced availibilty so I went with Tone Hatch which should suffice and besides the hand wound price was right. When completed this build will be a one of a kind Gibson Scale set up. As components ship progress will be updated.

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Below are a couple of many builds from days gone by and hint of what is to come.

This build has a Warmoth Canary 59 Roundback Modern Construction Neck, 6105 SS wire, vintage tuners, fancy dots. The Hardtail Body is Alder; cannot remember who made it. Pickups are Van Zandt Blues neck, middle, Rock bridge. Fender engine turned pickguard, etc.

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A ProAttach Kit was used to attach the Warmoth Pro/Modern construction side adjust neck.

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Below is another build from days gone by. This one was acquired off eBay and underwent a makeover. It has a Warmoth modern side adjust neck with Gibson size wire, Clapton profile, USA Fender vintage spaced trem, Fralin Blues pickups, etc. When received the overhang was somewhat pressurized against the thick pickguard however the previous owner did a nice job stripping the Fender SSS 4 bolt body and installing the decal, tuners and string tree The Gibson size wire on this neck actually to my surprise felt pretty good.

Before makeover...

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After makeover.

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Cover holes were filled, bore for the trem arm was filled and 5 springs installed, one way or another it was going to be a hardtail.

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Neck was attached using inserts, shallow rout is for the heel mounted ProAttach II Rail to occupy. Fender cut this pocket floor on the narrow side, still had ample room left for the rout.

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New owner initials at the pocket. It was a fun project that went to a good home.
 
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Tone Hatch makes great pickups. I have a few in my guitars.

FYI for the future, unless you are using a vintage Strat hardtail or trem with 2-7/32" E-e spacing, you do not need F spaced pickups.
 
Except that for Duncan pickups, the trembuckers sound worse than then standard spaced in my experience.

DiMarzio and others dont sound different for standard vs F space in my experience but something about Duncan's Trembucker recipe makes them sound not as good to me.
Well I don't know if it has anything to do with the sound, but Trembuckers have a higher DCR because the bobbins are wider, which means more wire is required to achieve the same number of winds as the standard size bobbins.
More length of wire equals more resistance (just as smaller gauge wire has more resistance). Dimarzio uses the same size bobbins for both standard and "F-spaced" pickups, and just changes the spacing of the screws & pole pieces.
The DCR is not what produces the output level. It's the number of winds around the magnet, as well as the size or strength of the magnet. The only time DCR has any real meaning is with "apples-to-apples" comparisons.
Think about it; The YJM pickups have over 25k DCR, and yet less than half the output of a 8k humbucker.
 
Well I don't know if it has anything to do with the sound, but Trembuckers have a higher DCR because the bobbins are wider, which means more wire is required to achieve the same number of winds as the standard size bobbins.
More length of wire equals more resistance (just as smaller gauge wire has more resistance). Dimarzio uses the same size bobbins for both standard and "F-spaced" pickups, and just changes the spacing of the screws & pole pieces.
The DCR is not what produces the output level. It's the number of winds around the magnet, as well as the size or strength of the magnet. The only time DCR has any real meaning is with "apples-to-apples" comparisons.
Think about it; The YJM pickups have over 25k DCR, and yet less than half the output of a 8k humbucker.
I wasnt really commenting on how pickups are made other than whatever SD decided to do to make trembuckers makes them sound worse than the standard spacing. I know it likely has something to do with the longer bobbins they use.

As an aside, even if the slightly longer bobbins make up the DCR difference while keeping the turn count the same, your theory doesnt hold up because they do sound different. This is not a problem with other brands I have tried.
 
I wasnt really commenting on how pickups are made other than whatever SD decided to do to make trembuckers makes them sound worse than the standard spacing. I know it likely has something to do with the longer bobbins they use.

As an aside, even if the slightly longer bobbins make up the DCR difference while keeping the turn count the same, your theory doesnt hold up because they do sound different. This is not a problem with other brands I have tried.
I know you weren't, but I did.
And I didn't give you a "theory", I stated a fact.
In any case, all my Trembuckers sound great. Whether or not the DCR affects sound or not; I really don't know.
 
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