After 30 Years, I'm Back To A 1987 Stratocaster:

You can hear the DiMarzio VV Solo in my 1987 Squire on THE SECOND recording (Posted Below) played through my old JTM30 Combo clean.

The song was written in 1977, by my Mom, about a real woman named Elizabeth (aka Crazy Lizzy) that she knew, growing up in Texas in the 1940's. We recorded it at Buck Owen's Chester Avenue Studio in Bakersfield in 1979. Buckaroo Terry Christopherson is heard on lead guitar, hired gun session drummer extraordinaire, the late Bobby Gallarrdo (The Strangers - Lefty Frizzell Band) and Buckaroo Doyle Curtsinger on bass. I didn't play on this track:


In 2011, I was in the studio working on tracks for my CD when my Mom stopped by. She expressed interest in recording a blues version of Crazy Lizzy, so we started fiddling around with some melodies and came up with a very simple arrangement. This is basically a rough demo that still needs final EQ-ing. Mom was 74 when she sang this and she did all her own backing vocals and her own vocal arrangement:

https://soundcloud.com/robert-h-herndon/crazy-lizzy-mp3

1987 Squire Stratocaster.jpg

For this genre, the single coil is entirely appropriate...(Sergio :-) )

Now I am not a keyboardist or a drummer, but I played all the instruments on this track. The keyboard was an old Yamaha that used (4) D-cell batteries, plugged directly into the console. We keep saying that we need to do a final EQ and mixdown on it....
 
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It's no use, eSGEe. Our guy has made up his mind.

I, however, am considering taking on a project with this. I floated the idea yesterday to my wife that I wanted to build a guitar. I want to build a Strat and see what I can do with it. She liked the idea and thought it would be a good father/son project. So, I'm mildly on the hunt for Strat bodies and necks, right now.

We'll see about what kind of fatness we can get out of a Strat!

Crazy to think I still have my original pickguard. I dragged it out and discovered it's wired with Alpha 3/8 SAE (USA) Pots and a big, ceramic disk tone capacitor. I have a DiMarzio HS3 in the middle, which was originally my bridge pickup. It's dated 1981 and I installed it in 1987. It's now in the middle position. I have a YJM in the neck which I installed in 1995 and a 10.8k Virtual Vintage Solo (DP404) I installed in 1998 in the bridge position, when they first came out.

Crazy to think these pickups are super old nowadays!!!!
IMG_20170124_31208.jpg IMG_20170124_43443.jpg IMG_20170124_54183.jpg
 
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You can also here the DiMarzio VV-Solo(in my 1987 Squire) in this old 4 track demo from 1996, played through my old Marshall JTM-30 combo....

https://soundcloud.com/robert-h-her...my-mind-cover-the-robert-herndon-project-1996

Here is the track information for this song:

"Recorded on 4-track cassette in 1996, this song was simply a demo that never made it to our album. The rhythm guitar was a 1970 Hohner 400N Acoustic. The lead guitar is a 1987 Stratocaster equipped with a DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo in the bridge position (played on the bridge pickup only) through an all-tube Marshall JTM30 Combo. Only a reverb pedal was used. This track was lost for over 20 years and the old cassette was recently found in a shoe box. It appears here with all faults, as originally recorded in 1996..."
 
It's no use, eSGEe. Our guy has made up his mind.

I, however, am considering taking on a project with this. I floated the idea yesterday to my wife that I wanted to build a guitar. I want to build a Strat and see what I can do with it. She liked the idea and thought it would be a good father/son project. So, I'm mildly on the hunt for Strat bodies and necks, right now.

We'll see about what kind of fatness we can get out of a Strat!

I posted a couple of tunes recorded on the 1987 Squire when it had singles in it...
 
Guys....

Been thinking of going back to my DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo/HS3/YJM for a special Rory Gallagher music project.

I dug out an old pickguard ive had at least 10 years and never used because I thought it was too funky.

What's your take???IMG_20170219_11288.jpg
 
I prefer the white pickguard on that body color.

Ya, all white just looks so plain to my eye...

Here is the "Red Australian tortoise shell" pickguard (according to the label) with a set of black knobs I found...the receipt shows the pickguard was purchased in March of 2009...

Just looking at the stuff I have laying around...

Guitar small 2.jpg Red Pickguard.jpg
 
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