NGD:'87 E-Series Squire Strat!

[El Reclusa]

So I just got my first Strat in a really, really, really long time today, an '87 E-Series MIJ Squier from a good friend. I'll post pics later- it was his first guitar and had been sitting unused for a long time and it's pretty...well, it needs to be cleaned. To say the least. It's in good shape but there's a lot of sticker gunk, etc, left to be cleaned off.

Anyway, it's black with a rosewood board. Nice feeling, substantial-but-not-too-thick neck. The only hitch is, it's incomplete. No pickguard, pickups, or electronics, no jack cup. Everything else is there and original. In the meantime, I have a complete no-name MOP pg/pups/cup etc for slapping on and trying out, but I'm gonna wanna new guard and pickups...and I don't even know where to start on Strat pups after dorking out on Teles for so long. Any recommendations?

[Telenut62]

Hi, E series MIJ were only compromised by the electrics, so you have a blank canvas so to speak, it depends what tone your after....Vintage, Hendrix, Stevie Ray.....prob a set of 69's wouldn't be a bad start

[El Reclusa]

Cool, thanks! I'm not sure, really, what I'm after yet. Been so far removed from Strat land for so long and all. I dunno. I know, generally speaking, I like what Jim Campilongo refers to as "the second voice" in pickups- that slight microphony that equals 3-D and "alive" to me. Was even thinking about putting Tele (or at least, for the bridge, a baseplated) pups in, but I really should go for Stratty for diversity if nothing else.

Now that I think about it, Johnny Dowd's been using a '70s (or RI) Strat lately that sounds nice to me, maybe something like that?

In any event, it seems like a nice guitar. Pleasantly surprised by how solid and nice it feels so far. Probably nicer than a comparable era MIA. Definitely more "vintagey".

[Telenut62]

I have a set of 70's orig pups in my A series and they are what a Strat sound is all about

[Zmatko]

Originally Posted by El Reclusa

I'll post pics later-

No hurry, i'll just sit down here and wait, maybe roast some marshmallows.

[El Reclusa]

Originally Posted by Zmatko

No hurry, i'll just sit down here and wait, maybe roast some marshmallows.

Ha! That reminds me...how do you post pics here without them being hosted somewhere else?

[Telenut62]

Not sure on that one... I set up a photobucket account, dead easy to do...... then you copy and paste the IMG link for that pic in the thread

[El Reclusa]

Mostly cleaned up...but not quite done. Looking forward to finding some great pups and getting this thing going!

[Post Toastie]

I believe that Strat had a 1 ply pickguard stock but you can do anything you want now.

[El Reclusa]

Originally Posted by Post Toastie

I believe that Strat had a 1 ply pickguard stock but you can do anything you want now.

Think you may be right...the tremolo cavity cover is one ply. Probably go with one-ply parchment or three-ply mint, think that'd look "right" on this one. Curious about the Bill & Becky Keystones for Strats. I hear lots of good things about their Tele pickups, and the price seems more than right.

That reminds me...thinking about wiring schemes, and I think I'd like to not use an S-1 switch but be able to get neck and bridge together. Maybe do a two-volume, one tone control layout, maybe have the neck and middle wired to one volume pot and the bridge on its own to allow blending. Anybody tried such a thing?

[giginthesky]

Originally Posted by Post Toastie

I believe that Strat had a 1 ply pickguard stock but you can do anything you want now.

nah, i've got 3 of these and they all have 3 ply.
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/guitar-ow...-mij-club.html

[1962guitargeek]

Very nice!

I picked one up by chance in the late 90's. The pups were dead, so I wound up putting in some EMG SA's...the humble beginnings of my tone quest...!

It wound up being my test mule for years. I've had all manner of S-D's, some Fralin's, Wildegates, Lace's, some SCN's, ...geez, I hope my Darling Bride doesn't read this

I find a set I want to keep and assemble guitars around them. Ironically, I put the EMG's back in it last week. They sound good, but they just don't do it for me anymore. Just got done playing a bit, just "not there" anymore. I'm putting my Wilde (Bill L.) L-280's back in.

I love my ol' Squire, it's actually my #1 Strat.

[El Reclusa]

Originally Posted by 1962guitargeek

Very nice!

I picked one up by chance in the late 90's. The pups were dead, so I wound up putting in some EMG SA's...the humble beginnings of my tone quest...!

It wound up being my test mule for years. I've had all manner of S-D's, some Fralin's, Wildegates, Lace's, some SCN's, ...geez, I hope my Darling Bride doesn't read this

I find a set I want to keep and assemble guitars around them. Ironically, I put the EMG's back in it last week. They sound good, but they just don't do it for me anymore. Just got done playing a bit, just "not there" anymore. I'm putting my Wilde (Bill L.) L-280's back in.

I love my ol' Squire, it's actually my #1 Strat.

The L-280s are pretty nice then? I like the idea of Bill Lawrence pickups, they seem like the kinda nice people I like to support. Their prices are great, too!

[1962guitargeek]

Originally Posted by El Reclusa

The L-280s are pretty nice then? I like the idea of Bill Lawrence pickups, they seem like the kinda nice people I like to support. Their prices are great, too!

Oh yes!

I always wind up going back to them.....

Forum member Gonzo has posted has posted some sound clips of his l-280's over at the Strat talk forum linky

[e-merlin]

Man, that brings back memories of my last Strat! MIJ, probably mid 90s, beautiful just barely flame maple with rosewood board.

If you can find a set of Chandler Super 60s, you'll be in Strat tone heaven. If not, a set of 57-62s is a wonderful set of Fender pickups that's somewhat underrated.

[Zmatko]

Definitively a player, will certainly be nice with the setup and all, bluesy kinda.

[caliban335]

That's a cool looking guitar. I think it needs a tort pick guard and a set of Lollar Blondes. As far as wiring options, I opted to go a different route in order to get the neck and bridge pickup selection. Callaham offers a blender pot. With the blender installed the Strat has a master volume, a master tone, then the blender. With the blender turned on 10, the guitar is normal strat switch set-up. With the blender on 0, the neck and bridge pickups are engaged in switch positions 5 and 1 and all three pickups are selected in positions 2 and 4. The two extra tones are very cool and I prefer having a master tone control.

[El Reclusa]

Originally Posted by caliban335

That's a cool looking guitar. I think it needs a tort pick guard and a set of Lollar Blondes. As far as wiring options, I opted to go a different route in order to get the neck and bridge pickup selection. Callaham offers a blender pot. With the blender installed the Strat has a master volume, a master tone, then the blender. With the blender turned on 10, the guitar is normal strat switch set-up. With the blender on 0, the neck and bridge pickups are engaged in switch positions 5 and 1 and all three pickups are selected in positions 2 and 4. The two extra tones are very cool and I prefer having a master tone control.

Ha! Oddly enough, I was thinking about ALL of these things earlier today after reading a lengthy TGP thread on "best Strat pickups". I rather like tortoise on black, and the blender seems like a cool idea. Still thinking about pickups...Suhr has some stuff that looks promising that I've heard and liked in one of my friend Dave's builds, Lollars seem like a perennial favorite of most people who've tried 'em...lots of good heard about Don Mare's Josies and CS '54s. I think, ideally, what I'm probably going for is lower output, more complex and "3D", which "hot" pickups often seem to lack...so far everything I've seen and heard about the Keystones is great, too, and they're super-affordable...decisions, decisions...

[El Reclusa]

Hmmm...any suggestions in the trying-to-keep-it-under-$150-for-a-set range? Right now I'm leaning towards Keystones or '54s...

[El Reclusa]

So...a few months post NGD, and here's the almost-finished product!

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]


Mostly thanks to a couple of fellow TDPRIers, the always awesome Dave Seuferling of Seuf's, Acme Guitar and...I dunno who else. Did the whole shebang myself, of course, but that's where the parts came from.

Ended up going with an aged mint guard, two Wilkinson alnicos for the neck and middle, a CS '54 bridge pickup, a nice Switchcraft switch and jack, CTS 250K master volume and tone, a CTS blend pot from Acme, a .022pF cap with the Fezz Parka mod, an Allparts jackplate, some old knobs I had floating around (all three are "tone", heh!), and a switchtip and wang bar from GFS, though I think I actually need a 5mm arm, the "American" sized one is a little too small, 6mm a little too big...

Anyway, aside from needing some fret dressing (and maybe trying a steel GFS trem block), it's pretty much done for now at least. I'm kinda surprised by how much twang I get from it...normally, I'm not much of a "Strat guy" but I really dig this one!