OP
The Weak Must Die.....LOL
After 30 Years, I'm Back To A 1987 Stratocaster:
- Thread starter Inspector #20
- Start date
The Weak Must Die.....LOL
eSGEe
Ferengi Ambassador of Trade
48 bucks........use THIS to hack-a -thon, on
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131892422591?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131892422591?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Admittedly, the blue-burst one (blue into black) does look kinda cool.
Sérgio
Ambassador of CaliZilian Affairs
OP
I remember how noisy the stock single coils were in this guitar. I always ran it in position 2 to negate the hum. Then I discovered the DiMarzio hum cancelling single coils. I put a HS-3 in the bridge of the Stratocaster right away in 1988 and used it for many years. Eventually, I ended up installing a Virtual Vintage Solo in the bridge, the old HS-3 in the bridge and a YJM in the neck position. This is the best overall combination as far as single coil tones are concerned and these DiMarzios are DEAD QUIET. the problem is, the single coil, by design, just doesn't have any balls.
I used to play the Strat through a Traynor Bass Head and Amped 6X10" cabinet with my Boss GE-7 and cranking all the bass and mids to try and get some body into the tone. Between 1988 and 1992, I was doing a lot of studio work, and the guitar was pretty versatile, although I found it necessary to borrow a Gibson for some arrangements. I routed the bridge pocket in 2003 for a Humbucker and installed a Carvin H-S-S pickguard, but was really disappointed with the voicing of the humbucker, so I went back to the old pickguard with the DiMarzio's and bought a new Gibson SG Special, expressly to have a H-H guitar for recording projects. which turned out to be a total disaster. The Gibson had to be returned because of the SAME pickup squeal/hum/buzz/feedback issues I am having with my 2016. My 2004 email to Gibson reads almost verbatim with the email I sent them recently on this 2016 Gibson SG T Series.
From 2003 to 2004, I used a Hamer standard for all my recording work that needed an H-H instrument. Then, in 2005, I was blessed to discover Schechter through a friend who owned a guitar shop. I paid $1,149,00 for the Hellraiser brand new in 2005. I got rid of all the other guitars after that, because the Hellraiser was so versatile.
I gave a couple of guitars away to two of my guitar students who were struggling financially - a black 2004 Hamer Standard and a 1985 Atia Pro II RS Knight Warrior. I also gave away a 1991 Ibanez FGM-400 that I just didn't like. I had taken it into a music store in Fresno, California, to test out amps. I saw a young kid noodling around with a guitar and I offered him a few pointers. I remember him showing the guitar to his Mom and asking if he could have it, and Mom told him it wasn't financially feasible at the time.
I asked the Mom if he was getting private lessons. She said no. I gave her my card and offered them a year of frees lessons, 4 hours a week. As I was leaving, I thought about how much I really hated that Ibanez, so I the guitar and case to the kid and told him it was his early birthday present. I gave him free lessons for 2 years. The only guitar that I kept was this 1987 Squire. It sat virtually unplayed (except by students I was teaching) from 2005 until 2011 when I went into the studio to record my solo effort. It was then that I discovered GFS and bought a few pickups and pickguards from them and converted the Strat to the H-S-S configuration you see now. The single coils in the pickguard now are GFS Tru-Coil hum cancelling - a 10k in the middle and a 7k in the bridge. The neck humbucker is a GFS stamped, double-slug that measures 13.9k. It's very quiet, but lacks character. I think it's a super-distortion clone.
I think the beauty of this 1987 Korean made Stratocaster is, it was never worth anything in the first place, so you really can't hurt its value. I you study the photo I attached of the shielding, you will notice that I didn't "hack" the bridge pickup rout and, I mixed yellow and white paint to make it look nice. I routed that with a 1/2 wood burr in a 3/8 drill by eyeball.
The worst thing Fender did was not put the swimming pool rout on ALL their guitars, so you would have the freedom to alter the tone without routing.
H-H is the way to go...
I used to play the Strat through a Traynor Bass Head and Amped 6X10" cabinet with my Boss GE-7 and cranking all the bass and mids to try and get some body into the tone. Between 1988 and 1992, I was doing a lot of studio work, and the guitar was pretty versatile, although I found it necessary to borrow a Gibson for some arrangements. I routed the bridge pocket in 2003 for a Humbucker and installed a Carvin H-S-S pickguard, but was really disappointed with the voicing of the humbucker, so I went back to the old pickguard with the DiMarzio's and bought a new Gibson SG Special, expressly to have a H-H guitar for recording projects. which turned out to be a total disaster. The Gibson had to be returned because of the SAME pickup squeal/hum/buzz/feedback issues I am having with my 2016. My 2004 email to Gibson reads almost verbatim with the email I sent them recently on this 2016 Gibson SG T Series.
From 2003 to 2004, I used a Hamer standard for all my recording work that needed an H-H instrument. Then, in 2005, I was blessed to discover Schechter through a friend who owned a guitar shop. I paid $1,149,00 for the Hellraiser brand new in 2005. I got rid of all the other guitars after that, because the Hellraiser was so versatile.
I gave a couple of guitars away to two of my guitar students who were struggling financially - a black 2004 Hamer Standard and a 1985 Atia Pro II RS Knight Warrior. I also gave away a 1991 Ibanez FGM-400 that I just didn't like. I had taken it into a music store in Fresno, California, to test out amps. I saw a young kid noodling around with a guitar and I offered him a few pointers. I remember him showing the guitar to his Mom and asking if he could have it, and Mom told him it wasn't financially feasible at the time.
I asked the Mom if he was getting private lessons. She said no. I gave her my card and offered them a year of frees lessons, 4 hours a week. As I was leaving, I thought about how much I really hated that Ibanez, so I the guitar and case to the kid and told him it was his early birthday present. I gave him free lessons for 2 years. The only guitar that I kept was this 1987 Squire. It sat virtually unplayed (except by students I was teaching) from 2005 until 2011 when I went into the studio to record my solo effort. It was then that I discovered GFS and bought a few pickups and pickguards from them and converted the Strat to the H-S-S configuration you see now. The single coils in the pickguard now are GFS Tru-Coil hum cancelling - a 10k in the middle and a 7k in the bridge. The neck humbucker is a GFS stamped, double-slug that measures 13.9k. It's very quiet, but lacks character. I think it's a super-distortion clone.
I think the beauty of this 1987 Korean made Stratocaster is, it was never worth anything in the first place, so you really can't hurt its value. I you study the photo I attached of the shielding, you will notice that I didn't "hack" the bridge pickup rout and, I mixed yellow and white paint to make it look nice. I routed that with a 1/2 wood burr in a 3/8 drill by eyeball.
The worst thing Fender did was not put the swimming pool rout on ALL their guitars, so you would have the freedom to alter the tone without routing.
H-H is the way to go...
OP
Here's eulogy outline:
"Today, we do not mourn the loss of single coils, as they will live forever with country music artists. Indeed they will buzz and hum for generations to come, and people will continue to make excuses for the buzzing, saying things like "vintage" and "it's Leo's will." Today we celebrate the building of the guitar Leo Fender should have built, except he had no balls..."
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Okay. I admit it. That was kind of funny!
OP
All in good fun...they say Leo fender was nearly deaf!!!!
OP
Still waiting on the brown tortoise shell H-H squared-hole pickguard and the new intonation screws...
OP
Tell you something....I have big hands...I wear a XXL glove, and when I am palm muting, I constantly strike the middle pickup. I have literally worn a groove in the middle pickup cover on my Strat before. Having it gone will get rid of the "rooster pecking" sound I sometimes hear on tracks...
OP
Goofing around on the 1987 Squire....
gasket
Ambassador of the Guitarded
What, like this one?
Big wink
to "He who can't be named" or you'd know I was talking about Adrian.I think the post to the US would exceed it's worth.
OP
That's a beauty......mine will only have an upper and lower control pot hole....no middle pot...
Okay, Robert. I get your point about modding your Squire. Just bustin' your chops!
But, you realize what you've started? Now, I find myself wanting to build a high-gain Strat with single coils just to prove the point!
Alas, I really don't need to put more money toward guitars, right now...
Decisions...decisions...
But, you realize what you've started? Now, I find myself wanting to build a high-gain Strat with single coils just to prove the point!
Alas, I really don't need to put more money toward guitars, right now...
Decisions...decisions...
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
In the drawing, what is that thing to the left of the pickups?
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
I was thinking so, but then what is that place where the wires go to 3 little circles between it and the volume pot?