I have got fed up with my guitars, so I have decided to sell them and focus on just the one (for now). So, I have been assembling my keeper guitar. I decided on a vintage-style Strat for its looks, variety of tones, availability of parts and because most of my favourite blues guitarists use one.
From various sources, new and used. The neck, jack socket and strap buttons are from a Bullet Strat (neck seems pretty decent after a thorough dressing). An elder body in nitro sonic blue from Franchin Guitars in Italy (where I live). They are really beautiful, accurate and reasonably priced. Worth a look, and they have other styles.
Vintage-style tuners, Fender neck plate, Fender pickups from the early 90s at the neck and middle. Secondhand Texas Special at the bridge. Tremelo is from a MIM with five springs. Funky, gold-foil effect pickup covers are from some cheap humbuckers I had lying around. Action is set pretty high at the moment with thicker gauge strings, as I experiment with tone.
As the body was slightly aged, I have done the same with the rest but not too heavy. Boot polish and some acid to tone things down a little. All wired up with ToneShaper components and vintage cable.
I play through a Fender Excelsior pawn shop tube amp with upgraded tubes, a Hall of Fame Reverb, Cry Baby and Tube Screamer Mini. I can definitely hear the kind of tone I am seeking.
Tweed case was a daft price from gear4music.
Not quite there yet. I will continue to look for some better used parts and swap them out over time. It still needs some tweaking but I am enjoying the journey.
From various sources, new and used. The neck, jack socket and strap buttons are from a Bullet Strat (neck seems pretty decent after a thorough dressing). An elder body in nitro sonic blue from Franchin Guitars in Italy (where I live). They are really beautiful, accurate and reasonably priced. Worth a look, and they have other styles.
Vintage-style tuners, Fender neck plate, Fender pickups from the early 90s at the neck and middle. Secondhand Texas Special at the bridge. Tremelo is from a MIM with five springs. Funky, gold-foil effect pickup covers are from some cheap humbuckers I had lying around. Action is set pretty high at the moment with thicker gauge strings, as I experiment with tone.
As the body was slightly aged, I have done the same with the rest but not too heavy. Boot polish and some acid to tone things down a little. All wired up with ToneShaper components and vintage cable.
I play through a Fender Excelsior pawn shop tube amp with upgraded tubes, a Hall of Fame Reverb, Cry Baby and Tube Screamer Mini. I can definitely hear the kind of tone I am seeking.
Tweed case was a daft price from gear4music.
Not quite there yet. I will continue to look for some better used parts and swap them out over time. It still needs some tweaking but I am enjoying the journey.
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Looks really nice man!
