Hmm... maybe not.

Well, the body I just picked up off Ebay really didn't do it for me. It's a '99 Standard Strat. I have long been a skeptic of Mexican Strats, call me bias, but the quality of the Japanese bodies and necks (or American) is far better. This one did nothing to change my mind in regards to the quality of some of these Mexican guitars.

The neck I installed, the Warmoth pictured on the red Strat on my blog, fit pretty well so no complaints there. I guess it was just the feel of the body...which felt, well, cheap. Maybe this one was a dud as Mexican made Fenders have always had a reputation for being hit or miss. The body seemed to be poorly shaped and contoured and just didn't feel right. Not the sort of feelings you want to have about the foundation of a new guitar project. I have no idea how many pieces of wood were glued together to make this thing but it was more than the 2-4 piece acceptable margin. Little pieces seemed glued here and there inside the pickup and trem cavities

Another reason this little beauty is back on Ebay is the finish. I thought I could just deal with the fact that the outer black ring of the sunburst finish extended down the whole tummy cut on the back. I really thought I'd be able to just get over it but it looks funny and wasn't fitting in with my '70's scheme... not to mention the belly cut itself was much too deep to mimic a '70's Strat. One final complaint about the finish is the color of the inner burst. It's very difficult to find a used or aftermarket body with that vibrant yellow center... most of the ones you find lean toward brown/orange, so again... it was plain to see this wasn't working.

So now what??? Well, I'm tinkering with the idea of a Warmoth body... swamp ash, vintage hardtail, and finished in vintage white. I'm still pretty hellbent on using the GFS '70's Greybottom pickups and I might wire in a blended control for something new. Of course, this plan of action will require a bit more money so it way be a longer term project than first intended...no surprise there I guess.

Pickguard Electronics In Depth

The Guts... this is a US '62 RI pickguard which I reliced using some pretty basic techniques. (Look for a future post on the relicing process).

As I've already mentioned, more than anything else, this is going to deternine the overall sound of your Strat. If you're not comfortable soldering you can easily find a fully wired or "loaded" pickguard from Acme Guitar Works, or if you're looking for a cheaper alternative, do a search on Ebay for "loaded pickguards". You'll still have to solder it to your output jack but hell, molten metal and toxic fumes are all part of the fun. However, if you're feeling adventurous, keep reading.

First decide on a pickup configuration and what pickups you want to use. Keep in mind that some pickups have a much higher output than others and for that reason it's nice to have them pretty closely related in terms of output. Next you'll want to find a good wiring schematic. The ones on the Fender home page are good but I prefer the ones provided for free at Acme. Figure out what you'll need and then have your pickguard, pots, pickup selector switch, and wire ready. I've used both the cloth and plastic coated...I can't tell the difference sonically. I usually order this stuff from Guitar Parts Resource. Their prices are good and they have a good selection. As far as what brand to get, don't skimp. The cheap-o version might save you (a very) little but CTS pots, and Switchcraft switches and jacks are the same ones used in nearly every high end Strat... just get the good ones. Make sure you get the right ones for the job as they carry replacement parts for Gibsons and other guitars as well. Follow your schematic and you'll be fine. I have had to add washers to get the volume and tone knobs to sit at the correct level on the pickguard so it's handy to have some of these before you start. I usually just go to the hardware store and get the nylon ones...they don't need to be metal and this eliminates the chance of funky sonic noise.
Again, basically take your time and follow the schematic and you should be fine. My first few attempts weren't without some complications but after re-checking my solder joints I found I had simply put something where it didn't go. You'll know if it's screwed up as soon as you plug it in. The downside of this process is that you'll have to mount it, string up your guitar, and plug in. If you've messed something up, you'll have to take it back off and start over.

I've wired up Strats with mini Seymour Duncan humbuckers, replaced the 5-way switch with 3, 3-way mini toggles, and added push pull pots to put pickups in and out of phase. I think that Strat has something like 30 different pickup setting options. I later found that I only liked a few of them but the point being the sky's the limit. These days I stick to a modern strat wiring option as it has all the sounds I like and offers a tone control for the bridge pickup. If you can't decide look at some of the options offered by Acme Guitar Works. Another cool looking product that i haven't used is the Toneshaper. Looks like a super cool way to explore a number of different wiring options without the hassle of re-wiring your guitar all the time.

Hardware and Electronics in Depth

Greetings... here's another of my creations. A '71 Strat clone featuring a 22 fret Warmoth neck with the large CBS style headstock and reproduction late 60's/early 70's headstock decal, a Mexican made 60's RI neck and again, a pickguard assembly wired up with GFS pickups and quality electronic components.

So lets talk hardware first... compatibility is the big issue here, but it doesn't have to be. As a general rule, Mexican made hardware fits Mexican bodies and the vintage US and Japan parts are interchangeable. 99% of the time this rule holds true but every once in a while screw holes don't exactly match up. For something like the pickguard, it's no biggie. I've never cared if I had to drill an extra hole or two to install the pickguard. Sometimes aftermarket pickguards present problems with fitting too snug around the bridge plate though this is easily solved by sanding them down. The biggest hang up with hardware is the bridge. The screw spacing is critical unless you want to "fill & drill". The slightest mistake will leave you tearing your hair out. Tuning and intonation will suffer if not done perfectly which is why I stick to what fits.

String spacing is also something to keep in mind and can create headaches if not taken into consideration. The narrower spacing (Mexican made bridges as well as those on the HWY 1 Strats) are perfect for taller frets or if you're planning on installing a humbucker in the bridge position. With "standard" spacing you're strings will ride closer to the edge of the fretboard and hence, be apt to slide off the edge which drives me nuts. The spacing of the pole pieces on humbucking pickups also tends to be narrower than that of standard Strat single coils and hence, line up better with the narrower string spread. Callaham offers some great products for upgrading your bridge to help remedy these (and other) problems associated with Fender bridges.

A quick word about the quality of Fender bridges... frankly they suck, and if you want to build a really quality instrument you should consider replacing it with one from Callaham. That being said, you can get by fine with a Fender bridge but if you have an extra $100 or so, buck up and replace it...it makes a significant difference in tone and sustain.

As far as the neck hardware goes, there's very little to consider except your choice of tuners. Someplace like Warmoth will drill the tuner holes to fit whatever tuners you want to use. Most all tuners have different diameter posts and different screw hole patterns so beware... try to avoid the "drill and fill" scenario. I installed Kluson brand tuners on the sunburst Strat pictured in my previous post and while they were supposed to fit, they were a little loose. My fix? A little wood glue which did the trick and I haven't had any problems. If you're drilling holes for the tuner screws (as I had to do on the red Strat pictured) make sure you line them up correctly. Warmoth necks don't come with holes drilled for tuner trees or tuners. In the excitement of assembly, I didn't do a perfect job and as a result my tuning pegs are ever so slightly pitched to one direction. Not a huge deal, the tuners work fine and I seriously doubt anyone but me would notice but proceed with caution.

As far as the pickguard assembly goes, I think I'm going to save that for another post. Hope all this has been helpful so far...

Parts-o-caster 101

Well, first of all thanks for visting. Pictured is one of my Strats built from spare parts. An early 60's clone...basically comprised of a '62 MIJ RI body, a USA '62 RI Neck, and pickguard assembly wired with top notch electronics and GFS pickups. But before we explore all that lets talk about tone.

Oh, where to begin... lets start with wood. With an acoustic guitar wood choice more or less is going to determine the overall tone of the instrument. With an electric guitar, it's still important but perhaps not as much so as your choice of electronics. A great explanation of the various tonal characteristics of body woods can be found on the Warmoth page. Towards the bottom of the menu on the left click on the "body woods" link and you'll be able to explore your options. Fender historically has used alder and ash for Strats though other body woods have been used from time to time. (Less expensive and import models are sometimes made of basswood for instance.)

As far as neck woods go... you're basic options are all maple or maple with a rosewood fretboard. In a nutshell, the rosewood board will have a softer feel and slightly more mellow tone. The maple, a little harder feel and slightly brighter tone. You can also read all about neck woods on the Warmoth site as well. (This time towards the top of the menu on the left under "neck woods".)

I've played both basswood and alder bodies and both rosewood and maple boards and really prefer the alder body/rosewood board combo. I like the look of it and it's a pretty tried and true recipe.

The next big thing to consider is pickups. As far as I'm concerned, this more than anything is going to decide the "flavor" of your Strat. From metal to old school Fender twang, your pickup choice should match your musical tastes. Some pickups can handle lots of styles with relative ease and some lean towards one extreme or the other. You can go the cheap route or spend a fortune on boutique options...that's for you to decide. Of course, there are traditional single coils, noiseless pickups, humbuckers...the list goes on and on but lets focus on single coils right now. The Fender '57/'62 is a great vintage toned option, and pretty affordable. I've been using GFS pickups which are WAY cheaper but I've had great success with them. GFS pickups also come with a great wiring diagram so if you're new at soldering it helpful. I'll post some great links for wiring diagrams soon. I've always wanted to experiment with Lindy Fralin's but haven't really wanted to pony up the cash...maybe someday. For a partial list of pickups and descriptions check out Acme Guitars Works' site.

So, and again this is my opinion, these three factors (body & neck wood, and pickups) are going to be the basic ingredients of your Strats tone. In my next blog I will discuss your hardware options as well as electronics in depth... this is where things can get interesting!