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gtrwrks
October 22nd, 2008, 10:27 PM
Classic Player 60s with a Motor City Pickups' Torque model in the bridge position. I've had it about 6 weeks now... something like that. Here it is:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/gtrwrks/PICT0069.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/gtrwrks/PICT0066.jpg

sunvalleylaw
October 22nd, 2008, 10:31 PM
Wow that looks awesome. Nice!

gtrwrks
October 22nd, 2008, 10:45 PM
Thanks; plays like a dream. I had the fingerboard PLEK'd too; very happy with this guitar.

SuperSwede
October 23rd, 2008, 02:26 AM
Sweet guitar! Whats up with the middle knob?

Jipes
October 23rd, 2008, 02:34 AM
Looks wonderful :AOK: how does this bridge pickup sounds like, I'm curious about it

Jimi75
October 23rd, 2008, 04:09 AM
That is one beautiful guitar!

stingx
October 23rd, 2008, 06:22 AM
I wish I could see the picture. Stupid proxy server at work stripped it :(

Robert
October 23rd, 2008, 07:08 AM
Nice Todd, how does it sound compared to your other strats? I'm fishing for a good strat myself.

gtrwrks
October 23rd, 2008, 10:03 AM
Thanks to everyone for the kind comments.

The middle knob is temporary - it's from Stew-Mac and is an 'ivroid Tele'-type knob. I didn't care for the more golden/yellow/tan ones that came on it stock, but I didn't have a matching set in parchment, etc. I have a set coming.

The Torque humbucker is incredible - it's in Wade's quasi-vintage line (from his site's descriptors), but is a pretty high output unit. Really well ballanced from lows to highs with fat bass tones; round, full mids (but not honky at all); very sweet highs - zero ice-pick, but still with great highs. Very even and full sounding pickup with lots of output - yet, it actually mixes very well with the middle single coil and still has great (not 100%, but darned good) quack in the bridge/middle switch position.

I strongly disliked the stock pickups as well as the tone circuit. I removed the 0.1uF capacitor and replaced it with a 0.01uF cap - much, much less 'conjested' sound (even with the tone on '10', the sound was... cloudy and the output felt restricted). At this time I took the middle pickup out of the tone circuit and moved it to the bridge pickup position - of course it still works fine with the bridge/middle on together. I also installed a DiMarzio 500K-A pot for the volume control (my longtime/all time fave for guitar pots - great quality).

The neck and middle pickups are some non-descript singles that I already had - I'm soon replacing these with Duncan Classic Stack Plus models - I have one of these in the middle postion of my other Strat and really like them - I like them in the neck pos too, but my other Strat has a Lil '59 there. This new axe will be set up a little more like a trad Strat - with faux-Hendrix tones avail from the neck position - which I haven't had for a long time (many yrs).

Robert, this guitar is diff in a few ways from my other - I was attracted to this model as I dig the 60's vibe/look, etc, but was wanting a flatter fingerboard and larger frets. Several yrs ago, I went 'vintage' in this respect and until I got this one, all my gtrs had 7.25" radius'd fingerboards and small, vintage-Fender sized fret wire... which I love, but I just wanted something a little more modern and... I completed forgot how much easier it is to pull off certain things on the neck of a more modernly appointed guitar.

I played Warmoth Strats that I put together for yrs and yrs. In '99 I bought an '83 '62 RI and fell back in love with the 'vintage Fender' thing, playing that style/type only 'til a few weeks ago when I bought this.

Alder body, rosewood fingerboard - my fave combo for Teles and Strats. Funny thing - my '62 RI Strat feels so strange and different to me now, but my Tele (with the same vintage radius and fret size) feels totally normal and I can switch back and forth on stage between the new Strat and my Tele with zero issues - my poor ol' sunburst hasn't been getting any play at all.

The Motor City Pickups aren't cheap - and I'm not normally very extravagant in my gear spending, but they're very high quality, hand made units - I'm very, very happy with mine; plus, I totally dig the worn, Ni cover.

M29
October 23rd, 2008, 01:22 PM
That is one sweet guitar gtrwrks. I love mint pickguards.:D

M

stingx
October 23rd, 2008, 05:17 PM
I can see it! Beautiful guitar and one of my favorite Strat colors! Love the fact it has a humbucker in it to. :AOK: :AOK: :AOK:

gtrwrks
October 23rd, 2008, 08:15 PM
Thanks, All.

I'd been telling myself that my next new guitar (before having bought this one) was going to be an archtop... but... this will actually see much more stage time than a 335-type would have. It's typically a few-several yrs between guitar purchases, so I guess a semi-hollow is on the far back burner for me.

SuperSwede
October 24th, 2008, 03:06 AM
You gotta let us hear how it sounds! Clips please :)