Modifications to my old MIM Strat

[groverj3]

I've owned this old strat for quite a while, it was my first electric. Lately it doesn't get played, mostly because my Jackson soloist is pretty much my dream guitar (have yet to find something better feeling). However, it is my first electric and I don't want to sell it. I've been contemplating some pretty heavy modifications to it to make it something I would play more often. What I'm dreaming up is something with an HSH pickup combo, or HSS (with a stacked humbucker in the neck, so I guess thats technically still HSH...). Also, I would like to either add a Floyd or a Kahler bridge. I'm contemplating the Kahler because it requires less routing, but I believe you can top mount a floyd and shim the neck to achieve good action, just won't allow lots of pullup room on the bar.

I'm looking for pickups that will allow me to have some versatility. Something I can shred on, but still has good clean and bluesy tones, not necessaily looking for lots of distortion, thats why I have the jacksons :D. I was thinking about a duncan Cool Rails (stacked humbucker in a single coil size) in the neck and a Pearly Gates in the bridge.

Anyone out there modified anything this heavily? If so, are there any people who have added Floyds or Kahlers to strats that could advise on how much of a pain this will be? Also, good pickups combos would be appreciated as well.:AOK

[marnold]

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to add a Floyd or Kahler (even though I like Floyds). It's going to require a lot of routing. Pickups are easily changed. What kind of route is under the pickguard? I don't know if they use an HSH or "swimming pool" route or what.

[Commodore 64]

Sounds like you are trying to make the Strat into the Jackson. You already have the Jackson...Might make sense to keep the MiM relatively uncut, in case (someday) you might find yourself playing another type of music. Things you might consider now:

1. Get the action as low as possible, especially if you wanna shred on it. Fret level it (with some fall-away on the upper frets), maybe cut a new nut, maybe add a little shim to the neck. Get that action low.

2. Consider a pup set like DiMarzio HS-2 or HS-3. They are all stacked humbuckers. You can get nice squealage and hair metal shreddage with them.

3. Drop a full size trem block in there. I'm not sold on the effects of this, but it's easy and relatively cheap if you get a block from GFS.

Here's a song a dude over at Strat-Talk put together. He used a CV50s strat (stock) for everything.

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/mymusic-forum/78538-45-skull.html

[groverj3]

I will most definitely post updates when I get ready to do anything kind of modifications. Just brainstorming for right now, but it makes no sense to me have an axe and not play it, better to tinker with it than have it sit unused.

I checked last night and it is indeed a swimming pool rout. If I could get a prewired pickguard that would save me lots of hassle with it but I'm not in a hurry with anything. Like I said, you can top mount a floyd and not rout anything (or so I hear) as long as you shim the neck. I just prefer the feel, guess I've just gotten used to it. If nothing else though, pickups will be changing soon!

[marnold]

FWIW, I saw in Premier Guitar that Floyd Rose has a new trem out for converting hard tails into Floyds that requires no routing. That might be an option. I don't know what you'd do for the locking nut, though, since there isn't any shelf.

[groverj3]

FWIW, I saw in Premier Guitar that Floyd Rose has a new trem out for converting hard tails into Floyds that requires no routing. That might be an option. I don't know what you'd do for the locking nut, though, since there isn't any shelf.

I would be very interested in that. As far as the locking nut, I could make a shelf for it... or maybe just buy a new neck. All things to think about.

[Katastrophe]

I'd do what C64 recommends... By the way, Strats are great for shredding:

eK0rvReE-4c


No trem modifications needed! :rockya Good luck with the mods, and post a pic when you're done!

[Duffy]

Fender locking tuners could eliminate the need for a locking nut. A super good player I know has an Ibanez premier with a ZR trem and he took off the top of the locking nut and put on locking tuners. He really is happy not to have to deal with the locking nut. I'd leave the stock trem on and loosen the six bridge screws a little, having the outside two screws just snug. That should loosen it up and smooth it out. The new pickups and locking tuners will make it real nice. You might try something like Seymour Duncan cool rail neck single coil size, little 59 single coil sized, and JB Jr single sized, all humbucking single coil sized pickups for strats that sound real good. No new pickguard needed unless you want to get a real nice looking new one. You could turn this into something awesome without removing the trem. Messing with the trem could hold some unforseen problems resulting in a lot of being stressed out, etc. Plus leaving the stock trem on or replacing it with a direct replacement would retain a lot of the traditional strat look, and disguise its true hot rodded nature. A little tremolo can go a long ways.

[deeaa]

So, ultimately you'd end up with a new neck, new pups and what's left? Assorted hardware and the lump of wood called the body?

I would not call that modding a guitar any more; that's building a new guitar and scavenging some parts from the old one you have, and that to me seems just wasting a good base guitar to mod into something entirely different and the hard way.

Put in a 100 bucks more and get all the new parts, build an all new guitar and keep the one you have as is, and just give it a fret job etc. to make it a better player. Or, even better, buy a used, battered Jackson that's a bit like the one you have, and mod that to your heart's content.

[groverj3]

We'll see what happens when I scrounge up some money, haha. I'm fine with scavenging the parts to essentially build an all new guitar. I'm not really a fan of fenders in general, so changing the entire feel of the instrument isn't a problem for me.

Quite aware that Yngwie shreds on a strat :rockya. This is all just a brainstorming thread right now, this won't be happening until after I graduate in May regardless. Class tends to get in the way of rocking :rotflmao:

[Duffy]

Grover, believe it or not, someday you might wish you had a regular Fender strat. They are unique and very versitile and have a place all their own. You'd be surprised at how much a set of good single coil sized humbuckers could change up that sound. You could surprise more than a few people with a guitar like that.

[groverj3]

True enough, we'll see how things shake out. At bare minimum I'm swapping out for some humbuckers or noise cancelling pickups of some sort. The hum bothers me. Maybe I'll strip the body and do some EVH stripes on it :socool

[deeaa]

Now those sound like very sensible upgrades...not too pricey and likely to lift the instrument to a whole new level!

[Katastrophe]

Quite aware that Yngwie shreds on a strat :rockya. This is all just a brainstorming thread right now, this won't be happening until after I graduate in May regardless. Class tends to get in the way of rocking :rotflmao:

Ain't that the truth! Anyway, switching to humbuckers and the sort are reversible, and give you the option of changing it back to a more traditional Strat if you so choose at a later date. With a proper setup, with fret levelling, et cetera, it'll be shredtastic. Deeaa has a habit of modifying his Strats with a bandsaw... You might want to do a search on his older threads for further inspiration, although his mods are the nonreversible type. ;)

[groverj3]

I've decided on adding some locking tuners and putting in new pickups. I'm going with a pickguard from warmoth thats a HS combination. Humbucker in the bridge and singlecoil in the neck. I specifically do not want a middle pickup, gets in the way of picking for me, and lowering it will make the volume drop off. I may do something paint related in the future.

I was leaning toward a SD George Lynch Screamin' Demon in the bridge with a Vintage Rails in the neck. However, I have very little experience with Dimarzios and have heard good things about the Tone Zone pickup from them, and maybe an Air Norton S for the neck. I'm looking to get a good crunch, but not super distorted sound from the bridge and something with a very smooth tone in the neck. Any ideas?

Edit: Scored a pickguard on Ebay that was exactly what I was looking for, about a quarter of the price of warmoth.

[groverj3]

No pickup ideas?

Kind of leaning toward the tonezone and air norton S combo though. If anyone thinks this will be a bad combination steer me in a better direction before I pull the trigger, haha.

[mrmudcat]

]How much coin ya wanna drop on pups?? That dimarz combo sounds good but if you wanna get the grail check out.........


http://bareknucklepickups.com

[groverj3]

I've heard good things about those. No local stores carry them though, I'd probably have to go online to get them. I believe they're a little pricey too. It'd be cool to try them out first to get a feel for the tone as my old mexi strat is pretty lacking in low end and I'm looking for pickups to compensate. Although, the lack of low end might just be due to the current pickups.

I'll look into it though!

[Jimi G]

Grover,

I agree with several of the above posts. Skip the Floyd, go with locking tuners and Tusc nut, get frets dressed and action where you want it. As for pups, about 20 years ago I built an EVH Frankenstrat replica. I went to Dimarzio and they built me a custom pickup based off the bridge pup they made for the Music Man EVH signature model. At that time, they said that the pup they were sending me would be coming out within a year or so. You guessed it... the Tone Zone. IMO, you can't beat one of these for awesome tone, sustain, and harmonics, period-dot.

As for the Air Norton. I too have read nothing but good stuff about this pup, and am planning on installing both it and the TZ (with gold covers) in my Epi LP Studio Deluxe later this year.

Good luck with your project

G

[groverj3]

Ok, after a short hiatus in which I moved to Kalamazoo, MI for a job I've finally started on this project. Parts I have since acquired.

Dimarzio ToneZone
Dimarzio Air Norton S
Pickguard with HS route, 1 volume control
5 way super switch for coil tapping
Fender locking tuners
LSR Roller Nut

Going to have to take it in to get the nut installed, I lack the tools. However, the rest I'm installing myself. I've never swapped pickups or done any wiring so I figured that going with only a volume with no tone control would be easier. Then I decided to do coil tapping... so I guess I'll figure it out. I'll be sure to post pictures and sound bytes once this is complete.

I'm worrying about paint once its working otherwise.

[groverj3]

Believe it or not, I did actually finish this. I'll post pics soon! Loving the TZ and Air Norton combo. Not running it through a tone pot gives it a really ballsy sound. Plus, I can still get classic strat single coil tones from the coil splitting super switch.

However, I am still not happy with the stock trem. It does stay in tune but the bar is very wobbly unless screwed in really far, and then it barely clears the top of the volume knob and hits the 5 way switch. So, I picked up a wilkinson trem to throw on there. We'll see when I get around to that. I'll see about getting pics up in the morning. Unless I forget for a couple months again haha.

[Duffy]

Grover, you might want to take your guitar to an auto "machine shop", show them the trem arm and how it barely clears the volume knob and ask them to bend it for you so you get the exact feel you want. That would be very easy for them and probably cost you next to nothing. Bring a couple towels to set the guitar on.

[groverj3]

Interesting idea there Duffy. Might've been a cheaper option, had I not already bought the wilkie trem. However, I really like the idea of replacing the wilkinson bar assembly with an extra floyd one I have lying around (apparently this can be done). I know I will probably get yelled at for modifying a strat and ruining it's resale value, etc... but honestly, it wasn't worth much anyway and so far it sounds great!