Vintage Strat - Call for design advice

jjclore

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Hi All,

I'm in the *very* early planning stages to build my own strat.  It's a fun sounding project and I can't wait to get started!  Having said that, I'm hoping to reach out to the community for advice/feedback on the design before I "pull the trigger" on an order and begin assembly.  Currently, as a foundation, I am looking at some vintage body/neck in stock at warmoth.com.


http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseItem.aspx?Body=2&Shape=1&Type=81&Paint=0&Path=Stratocaster,Vintage,Unfinished&sort=price&i=S6309

http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseNeck.aspx?Body=1&Shape=1&Type=5&Paint=0&Path=Strat,Total%20Vintage,Unfinished&i=VS1094

Your first question may be, hey Jeremy what sound are you looking for?  I'd love a classic strat sound (Think Hendrix "Wind Cries Mary", "Red House" etc). I know the amplifier will be a topic at some point as what I currently have will not work for this, but for now I want to focus on the guitar design ;)

So, 1st question, am I on the right track with the foundational pieces (body/neck)?

2nd question, what are you all thinking for pickups based on what I'm shooting for?

Thanks,

Jeremy
 
1. Yes, although personally I would go for a normal Strat body and use the 2-point American Standard trem, upgraded with Callaham block and perhaps String Saver Classics saddles. It won't affect the sound hardly at all, but it'll give you a level of tuning stability that's difficult to achieve with the standard 6-hole trem. However, if vintage accuracy is more important to you than this, then go with the 6-hole trem and be prepared to have it set up non-floating.

2. Fender CS69 set is instant Hendrix. Perhaps a slightly hotter pickup in the bridge position if you fancy a bit more oomph for lead work - in which case I'd recommend the Seymour Duncan SSL-5, which still sounds vintage and stratty, but cuts out the ice pick and gives enough volume to not sound weedy next to the neck and middle pickups. Use 250K pots. Optionally, consider using a super switch to avoid the problem of certain switch positions activating two tone controls at the same time.
 
Jumble, Thanks!!!  I am definitely going to make these adjustments to the design :D

Is it any issue that the CS69 set middle pickup is not reverse wound?  Would you suggest using a reverse wound pickup in that position instead?
 
It's not really a huge issue - it just means that in the 2 and 4 positions you have the same hum as you do in the 1, 3 and 5 positions. Personally I almost prefer that, as that way you never hear the hum start or stop, which is when you notice it most.

If you did decide you wanted a RWRP middle pickup, then a good choice would be a Duncan SSL-1. It's not quite as 60s-sounding as the CS69, but it's a vintage style Strat pickup (more 50s) and it's RWRP if you get a middle one.

If you're willing to depart from vintage design a little more, I'd also consider going for a 22-fret neck. I like it because you can bend right up to a two-octave top note. The "vintage modern" design is a good compromise between the two here - a traditional truss rod and looks, vintage weight, but the advantage that you can have that extra fret, and more importantly perhaps you can go for a flatter fingerboard radius. 7.25" is very curved and it's not great for big bends above the 12th fret.

This one, again, would be a compromise. It's pretty much the same as the neck you were looking at, but a straight 9.5" radius, which is what you see on an American Standard strat these days. It'll still feel mostly like a vintage strat, and definitely sound like one, but bending will be a bit easier without choking.

Two other things that will make the guitar a bit "better" without sacrificing vintage feel or sound are locking tuners and stainless steel frets. Both give you big practical advantages.
 
Hey, Jeremy, welcome to the addiction and welcome to the forum.  We're a decent bunch, if cranky at times.


I don't really have anything to add to what Jumble2 had to offer, but I agree with all of it insofar as I know what he's talking about.  I'm not as familiar with the various pickups as he is but as far as construction materials go for the axe, I'm right on board with him.  Stainless frets are a good call - they reduce friction on string bends and it's a surprising enhancement to the guitar if you've never played them before.  Likewise, the two-point trem and the locking tuners do nothing bad to your tone, and everything good for tuning stability.


What kind of finish do you have in mind?  If you've never done one before, I'd recommend letting Warmoth do it for you if you want it done right.  If you're okay with sacrificing your first body to your learning curve, that's cool, too - I've had a blast learning about wood finishing on my guitars.  But a high quality finish is not an accident - it's the result of experience making lots of mistakes and learning from them.
 
If you want late sixties Hendrix tones the CS69 are cool as Jumble suggested, but if you want something without noise you must consider Kinman Woodstocks or woodstock plus which has a hotter bridge pickup.

Highly recommended...
 
As usual, I gotta plug Ken's pickups.  I could not be happier with my Strat pickups.  I actually sent him a clip of Red House and said "this is what I want".  He made me a Fatboy/Special hybrid set, and they are totally killer.  Message TroubledTreble or check out the pickups here: www.roadhousepickups.com
 
You all ROCK! Thanks for the feedback.  As I pin down more details regarding the design I am sure I'll have a couple more questions along the way. Thank you all for such a warm welcome and for being a part of this journey with me.  I will be excited to share pics when I turn this vision into reality  :guitarplayer2:

Key thoughts/takeaway's

1) Definitely ok with venturing away from true vintage for good practical reasons (tone/tunability/playability/etc)

2) LOVE the 22 fret idea, definitely including that (Jumble)

3) Leaning toward the CS69 pickups, going to research the options Stratamania & Hannaugh suggested as well. I have a feeling any of these would lead to an awesome axe

4) The 9.5" radius, 2-point American Standard trem,250K pots., locking tuners and stainless steel frets are all going into the design (Jumble)

5) Bagman67 - I have a crazy idea of leaving it unfinished at first, letting my kid/friends/etc draw on it, sign it, whatever and then getting a pro to put some sort of clearcoat finish over that. I know it sounds crazy as hell, but there wouldn't be any other like it. For me I could care less about looks *for this project* as long as I've got the sound. This is purely for fun and love of music!  :headbang1:  Although, for playability I should get some sort of finish on the neck lol.  I might not do this idea though and may get a professional finish, it's just a fun idea I had.
 
Look forward to seeing pics, the choices you can go through is part of the fun of it all. I still have a few left over for another few guitars, one things for sure you can't fit it all onto one axe.

 
I like the idea for the finish, but one thing I would say is that you should get some kind of sealer (say, shellac) on to the wood immediately, or it'll pick up loads of dirt from the first minute, and the resulting grubbiness diminish the effect. Even better, if you don't mind the idea of it, get a coat of white on there as a background, it'll make the colours pop more from whatever your kids decide to do.
 
Only aside to the vintage body you linked is they're only available with a 6 point vintage trem and you have to be careful what pups you put in it because the route is shallower.
Accessible trussrods are also handy things, which you'll find on Vintage-Modern & Warmoth Pro necks (but not Total Vintage).

While we're talking upgrades with minimal appearance change: locking tuners & stainless steel frets. These are pretty nice options to consider.
 
Yes good point on the body rout. If you go for Kinman pickups they just fit in the normal body so I doubt you would fit them in the vintage.
 
Jumble Jumble said:
Two other things that will make the guitar a bit "better" without sacrificing vintage feel or sound are locking tuners and stainless steel frets. Both give you big practical advantages.
AutoBat said:
While we're talking upgrades with minimal appearance change: locking tuners & stainless steel frets. These are pretty nice options to consider.
I think there's an echo in here  :icon_biggrin:
 
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