Best inexpensive strat to mod from??

sunvalleylaw said:
Yeah, I will look at the vintage modifieds, or a deluxe for $250 or under. I know I like the deluxes, and they come in Olympic white, which is along the the line looks I would be going for. Put a tort guard on it, with the zebra Dimarzio, figure out something for the neck, change out the pot for the humbucker, either remove or ignore the middle pup, and call it good. But a vintage modified HSS would probably have the electrics done well enough for me already, so should look at that too, if the neck would be similar in quality.
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If can swing around $250, you can get a nice Classic Vibe for that if you look patiently. I've bought two Classic Vibes 60s Strats off of ebay, a sunburst for around $240 and a Lake Placid Blue for like $265. I just kept looking and in both cases stumbled across relatively new auctions, and the sellers accepted my offers.
 
On the other end of the spectrum, there is the G&L Fallout Tribute. Seems like I would be paying more for one of those to mess with, but the controls are a little more versatile than the Squier '51 and it has a P90 in the neck which would go nicely with the PAF. Hmm.



They appear to be near $400 even used unless a guy got lucky.

Well, in thinking about this, I see I really want two pickups. A humbucker in the bridge, and P90 or similar sounding pickup in the neck. I also would like a tone control. This kind of gets back to my previous GAS for a Reverend Double Agent. I don't really care about a coil tap. I do not think I would use it. It would be like using the knob that turns off the suspension on my mountain bike. I just don't use it. And, I have guitars with single coils in the bridge.

so, the options are, in terms of expense I would think:

Get a Squier VM, Deluxe, or similar, strat, and swap out the pickups to what I want, either removing, or just ignoring the middle pickup. Probably cheapest. and most of the controls are already there. Just would lose coil tapping, that I don't care about.

Get a Squire '51, and find a way to put a tone control on. EDIT: can get a used one from GC for $149.00, picked up in the store.
And here is how to add a tone pot. http://65.23.158.135/forum.html?db=ngvbozikhoufuq&topic_number=792035

Looking like another good cheap way to go.

Buck up to the G&L Fallout and use my PAF pickup in there. Not likely. More money than I want to throw at it.
 
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^^^ Keep in mind also that the Squier '51 bodies, just like the Affinity and Bullet bodies, are roughly 3/16" thinner than the Standard bodies.
 
CBHScott said:
^^^ Keep in mind also that the Squier '51 bodies, just like the Affinity and Bullet bodies, are roughly 3/16" thinner than the Standard bodies.
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Never had such a guitar, but not sure that would bug me that much. What is the practical effect in your mind that I might be missing?
 
sunvalleylaw said:
On the other end of the spectrum, there is the G&L Fallout Tribute. Seems like I would be paying more for one of those to mess with, but the controls are a little more versatile than the Squier '51 and it has a P90 in the neck which would go nicely with the PAF. Hmm.



They appear to be near $400 even used unless a guy got lucky.

Well, in thinking about this, I see I really want two pickups. A humbucker in the bridge, and P90 or similar sounding pickup in the neck. I also would like a tone control. This kind of gets back to my previous GAS for a Reverend Double Agent. I don't really care about a coil tap. I do not think I would use it. It would be like using the knob that turns off the suspension on my mountain bike. I just don't use it. And, I have guitars with single coils in the bridge.

so, the options are, in terms of expense I would think:

Get a Squier VM strat, and swap out the pickups to what I want, either removing, or just ignoring the middle pickup. Probably cheapest. and most of the controls are already there. Just would lose coil tapping, that I don't care about.

Get a Squire '51, and find a way to put a tone control on. EDIT: can get a used one from GC for $149.00, picked up in the store.
And here is how to add a tone pot. http://65.23.158.135/forum.html?db=ngvbozikhoufuq&topic_number=792035

Looking like another good cheap way to go.

Buck up to the G&L Fallout and use my PAF pickup in there. Not likely. More money than I want to throw at it.
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Don't forget the new Yamaha Pacificas.
 
Y'know -- that's one of the weird things about Internet truisms; oftimes they don't pan out. For years, the wisdom was: If you buy a G&L, it will have little resale value compared to a Fender". IMO, that's bullshit. I see Fender MIMs going for about $350 every day on Reverb and CL, but rarely see a G&L tribute for under $400.
 
sunvalleylaw said:
Never had such a guitar, but not sure that would bug me that much. What is the practical effect in your mind that I might be missing?
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Uh... :shrug: - manly girth?







:grin: - it's just that a lot of Stratters like the thicker bodies, and the newer '51s are really, really lightweight - almost to the point of feeling less than substantial.

TBH, the Affinity Teles have the thinner bodies, too, but that didn't bother me when I had it :embarrassed:.
 
I am going back to the idea of a squier strat. Either the VM, or if I am going to mod the whole electrical set up, the Deluxe. I like the deluxe in that it is either in pale blue or olympic white and that is kind of the look I want. Also, starting to go away from the idea of a p90 in the neck, and thinking a humbucker, so basically a two humbucker strat with a 5 way switch to consider wiring options. Kinda going for an early rivers cuomo-esque sound here. The PAF I have and something like the Dimarzio humbucker from hell could get that done and be fun to mess with. Also, it will be very different from anything I have.
 
I might do an olympic white Squier Deluxe hot rails. Can get one shipped to boise to pick up there for $175.00. "Great" condition. Should have sufficient pots with the hot rails, and it is olympic white with RW board, which I want. Has a large "60's" headstock but I bet I can learn to get along with that. The rest will be a work in progress. though the 4 way control tele deluxe is tempting, I think I want to do this with a strat body.

stratRails.jpg



Or just go to town on this "fair" condition sunburst standard for $125. But then I would have to change out pots and stuff and so probably it is worth the extra $50 to get the hotrails one.

sunburst.jpg
 
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Do you know what kind of routing is on those Squiers? Just wondering if you can put a humbucker in the bridge spot without routing space.
 
Chad said:
Do you know what kind of routing is on those Squiers? Just wondering if you can put a humbucker in the bridge spot without routing space.
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I really don't know for sure. But I think I can. I think the routing is HSS. Will try to find out more. This project will take a while to get off the ground. If I want it to be HH, I will have to do some woodworking. No rush.
 
sunvalleylaw said:
I really don't know for sure. But I think I can. I think the routing is HSS. Will try to find out more. This project will take a while to get off the ground. If I want it to be HH, I will have to do some woodworking. No rush.
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Yeah, when you are using a guitar with a pickguard, your woodworking doesn't have to be the best.
 
Just did a little looking and it appears that Standards and Deluxes are routed HSH. (Strat-talk forum). Or have been. I would guess you don't know for sure until you look under the hood.
 
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sunvalleylaw said:
Just did a little looking and it appears that Standards and Deluxes are routed HSH. (Strat-talk forum). Or have been. I would guess you don't know for sure until you look under the hood.
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I bet they are. They are the low end of the line, so it would be easier to have one standard route for all of them.
 
So, if that is the case, my preference (if I am going to do the work and do this) is to use either the Deluxe with Hotrails (olympic white, with the larger "60's) headstock pictured above. Or the SSS deluxe in either Olympic White, or maybe preferably in Daphne Blue. The SSS Deluxe's come with maple boards and the smaller headstock. My buddy Spudman (various forums, doesn't hang here much) in Pocatello has had two since like 2007 or 08, and they both are really nice with nice necks. I kinda wanted a rosewood board on this guitar, and the pots on the hotrails one might be a little beefier to handle the hotrails pickups. But I don't love the larger headstock (I can get over it I bet), and would like the Daphne blue. Also, I don't know how nice those necks are as compared to the maple ones on the SSS deluxe's. The risk of going Daphne Blue is of being a little too Cuomo-ish. The olympic white in that model with the maple board would be nice too.

Hmm. Any thoughts or votes?


Deluxe, Daphne Blue.

750-StratDSMDBL_front.jpg


As I said, the Olympic White Deluxe with hotrails and RW board is a couple posts up, and is available used for $175 from GC. I think I want to stay away from sunburst on this guitar, and stick with white or blue if possible.
 
So I checked into it at fender, and that Deluxe Hot Rails does have 500k pots already, so it seems the sensible way to go. And Darn It! I had a 20% off coupon with GC and know of a used one in Reno. I have an email into the store manager who offered me the coupon (twice before) so hopefully an opportunity can be made.
 
And here is a guitar that some dude made that is providing some inspiration for where I want to go with this guitar. His has a Seymour Duncan Trembucker '59 which I think will be similar to my Dimarzio PAF. He started with a Blacktop Fender. I plan on mine being cheaper, and less of a full tribute guitar.

 
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