MIM Strat - '92 - '93

[pchilson]

Hey guys,
I just scored a MIM strat off Criagslist. Good price and in very good condition.
It needs cleaning, setup and some new strings. I only noticed once I got it home and was checking it out closer that it has a coil tap on the second tone control. I wasn't aware of this when buying it nor did the owner mention it.
I have no way to know if this feature was stock or added by a previous owner.
Can anyone tell anything by the serial # if this is anything other than a standard MIM strat?
I haven't opened it up yet but am heading to the workbench to have a closer look now.

Thanks

[Loco]

Nice buy - what a really beautiful blue that Strat is! It certainly looks like a Standard and that coil tap looks factory fitted? However, I've never seen one on a Standard model before (don't recall ever seeing one in that colour either!). Maybe a special edition?

[pchilson]

Ok, I've had this thing apart and cleaned. Did a bit of fret leveling and put it back together again. Did truss rod, action, pickup height and intonation. She plays good.
I still don't know what the push/pull switch occupying Tone 2 is supposed to do. I looked around and saw a couple different applications but don't know which one applies to this strat. While I had it apart I snapped some pics of the controls. One of the lugs on the push/pull switch had been soldered but is not now, no wire or cap attachedl. It appears to be the same situation on a lug on the other Tone control but there is no way of knowing what was attached to either one of these lugs either to each other or elsewhere. It looks as though previous owners have been inside soldering as some of the work looks sloppy. At any rate, the push/pull doesn't do anything so I believe someone has "disabled" it. I don't even know if the pickguard is original or not. You can see in the pics a sticker on the backside of the pg showing "Chandler Industries".
Hopefully somebody here recognizes something or can share some info on what I might have here. Either a special edition or just some modded MIM standard strat.

Thanks

Edit: Click on the 2 bottom pics to read the text on them.

[Loco]

Actually I started thinking afterwards, why put a coil tap in a guitar that isn't actually a Fat Strat? Looks like a Standard with a replaced guard and pickups - ceramics are standard fare in those.

[pchilson]

Originally Posted by Loco

Actually I started thinking afterwards, why put a coil tap in a guitar that isn't actually a Fat Strat? Looks like a Standard with a replaced guard and pickups - ceramics are standard fare in those.

I'm with you on the coil tap.
What makes you think these aren't ceramics?

[Dauntless]

Standard ceramic pickups have the magnets as bars at the base, under the steel posts.
No magnetic bars at the base and I'd bet the SD in the pickup # stands for Seymore Duncan.
Odds are pretty good that the tap switch was set up for phase or series/parallel, ala Baha.

[pchilson]

Thanks Dauntless,
I just posted this pic on the Seymour Duncan forum to see if I can get an ID on it. Anyone here recognize it?

[pchilson]

Now that I have had more of a chance to play this one I have found the push/pull on Tone 2 does change the tone of the bridge pup only, it "fattens" the tone when pulled and "thins" the tone when pushed. I can't hear any change in switch position 2.

What does this suggest as the intended use of the push/pull? Is that like a TBX control?

[pchilson]

Well, after getting a bit of help Identifying the pups from the Seymour Duncan forum, it has been determined with a fair amout of certainty that this thing is loaded with a Seymour Duncan SSL-1 Vintage Staggered Strat "California 50's" calibrated pickup set.
Need to bag a few more pieces/parts for this thing and she will be ready to roll.

[pchilson]

Ok, have this strat playing the way it should. Now that I've had some time with it and side by siding it with my Hwy 1 these SD SSL-1's are not really kickin it for me. They are not good with mucho distortion, they are clearly at their best with clean and heading upto a bit of hair but beyond that they are very indistinct.
Anyone have anything good to say on the SSL-1's defense before I part them out?
I really like my Hwy 1 pups but would like something different for obvious reasons. Any suggestions on pups that can handle the grind but shine on clean as well?

[pchilson]

This evening I shimmed the nut on this standard, the strings were about on the first fret when fretting at the 2nd.
About the SSL-1 pickups, when I play this on my Digitech RP150 through headphones it sounds fantastic no matter what the setting on the RP is. When I play it straight through the amp with out the RP the sound is not so similiar and not as good. My other guitars sound good straight through the amp and also through the RP.

This thing sounds really sweet through the RP but not so sweet otherwise.

What do you suppose it is about these SSL-1's that makes it this way?

[pchilson]

What tuning pegs are "Made in Germany"? Would that be Sperzel or Schaller or both?
I hadn't noticed before but this has had tuning pegs changed.
Looks like some previous owner, not the one I bought from, had done a lot of mods to this one.
I would still like to know the term for the push/pull type setup described in a post above and what other wiring mods I could do with that switch.

[Yman]

whoa mystery strat. sweet thread.

[pchilson]

Originally Posted by pchilson

Now that I have had more of a chance to play this one I have found the push/pull on Tone 2 does change the tone of the bridge pup only, it "fattens" the tone when pulled and "thins" the tone when pushed. I can't hear any change in switch position 2.

What does this suggest as the intended use of the push/pull? Is that like a TBX control?

After my session with the RP150 on headphones I can clearly say that the push/pull is active on both positions 1 and 2. The middle pickup is not controlled by either tone control.

My best attempts at a perfect setup and I still get a bit of buzz on strings 4, 5 and 6 from about the 10th fret and up.

Neck relief at the 8th fret is at .011
After shimming the nut the clearance at the first fret while fretting the 2nd is .010
Action at the 17 fret is set to 5/64 bass and treble sides.

I keep raising the buzzing strings a quarter of a turn at a time then retuning but it has no appreciable effect. Buzzing does not come through the amp but you can clearly hear it. Nothing appears to be loose but it is hard to tell if one of the saddles could be vibrating or not.

I am torn between keeping and tweaking this one up or selling it off on CraigsList.

[incaowns]

thats an amazing color.

[pchilson]

I have replaced all the screws with stainless steel. The existing screws were tarnished with age and some of them the phillips heads were a bit stripped out. Next up will be to remove the neck again and possibly place a shim in the rear position. When I had it off befor there was a shim at that location but it was not a clean "install". I removed it so as to get a feel without. When I got the guitar the saddles were at the maximum height adjustments, action was just a bit high but not much. I will just see what putting the shim back in does now. I'm just experimenting here and having to learn this stuff as I go.

Feel like I'm talking to myself in here...

[djinn1973]

definitely try a setup with the shim back in place, maybe you will be able to dial out that buzz. Also maybe you will like the sound of the pickups with out the push/pull pot in it.
Setup Guides
Strat Upgrade Electrical Component Kit

[ashtray]

Could the push/pull possibly be for turning on/off the neck pickup? Similar to the Deluxe Player's strat with the button that turns on/off the bridge pickup, for a possible 7 pickup combinations? That would be my guess, as it doesn't appear to be wired into anything except to the 5 way switch.

Made In Germany could be Schaller tuners.

Setup, well... that's a feel thing, but is the neck straight? Twisted? Double humped? Do you have a level/straight edge to put along the neck?

Once you determine if the WOOD is straight, then take a look at the frets - depending on how it was played, it could need a leveling and recrown - or as much as a refret, depending on the condition. I had one neck so bad it needed to be planed (the wood) and refretted. That neck ended up being replaced for much cheaper than being repaired.

Once the neck is in order, attaching it to the body and adjusting the shim angle and bridge saddles should be pretty straight forward. so, if you're having problems, I'm thinking your neck might need some attention.

That all being said, I think it's a cool guitar - looks great. I'm not a fan of the pickups in there, as I had a pair in a USA Hamer that I absolutely hated (very low output on mine) - but the pickguard looks nice, and it's a body color you don't see all that often. Personally, I like the early 90's MIM's... they have a nice solid feel to me.

[pchilson]

Thanks for the replies guys.

djinn1973, I hadn't thought about just changing out the electronics, might be a good idea as there is some crackling from those pieces. Probably induced by the same conditions causing the tarnish on the hardware. Might just get that set its a good price. Are Alpha pots OK? What about that PCB switch?

ashtray, I think the push-pull in this application is just switching in and out the capicator in the bridge, bridge/mid positions as all I can hear for a difference is just that. The push-pull has been rewired as there is solder on the lugs on one side that are no longer in use. I don't know what the original intent was. I ran across a wiring diagram on DiMarzio's site that I may try this weekend.
I will give the neck a good examination when I pull it looking for signs of it not being right. I haven't noticed anything so far. I need to replace the shim just to satisfy my curiousity.

Hey we all have to start somewhere and not rely on everyone else to give us all the answers. Just a few tips and pointers is all.

Thanks

[djinn1973]

The parts in the link are pretty good, I got them for a buddy of mine. Every thing on his strat was making that dirty crackling noise, after he replaced the electronics with the stuff with the kit, it sounded (to my ears) nice.
He did change the caps from ceramic to tantalum, I didn't have the heart to tell him I didn't hear a difference...