10 Easy Strat Mods to Improve Tone
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 bkief1 |
10 Easy Strat Mods to Improve Tone |
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Posts: 711 Thu, Jul 31, 2008 15:48:19 Contributing Palladium Member |
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weelie |
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Posts: 1673 Fri, Aug 1, 2008 10:18:00 Contributing Silver Member |
Well, I don't really agree with all that is listed there. The first suggestion: "Take care of all the screws on your guitar. They should be fastened
very tight for a better sound, but don't break them!" is already wrong by my book. I think the middle screws of the bridge ought to be loose.
But I guess it's a decent compilation of things anyway. Not that I would do even half of them, but people can try if they work for them. What are you top mods to a basic strat? I think I'd want to get the neck+bridge -pickup combination, if I had strat now.
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Ronnie Earl: 'Music is not a sport, there's no competition' |
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PeteMK1 |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 2093 Fri, Aug 1, 2008 12:09:58 Contributing Palladium Member
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"They can result in your own signature tone you always wanted."
Every time I read this EJ-smallest-things-biggest-difference stuff, I have to chuckle and think of the poor souls who start tinkering and kid theirselves into hearing a difference afterwards. The time can be spent for better things, e.g. for practising. I agree though that more or different pickup combinations can be a good mod on a basic Strat.
You can say you to
me.
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Johnnies |
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Posts: 1999 Fri, Aug 1, 2008 18:42:46 Contrib. Palladium Charter Member
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well, I am a bit unsure of some of the mods listed ... yet, shielding, chanigng the leadwires inside and shileding + mainly A PROPER SETUP by a guy who really
knew how to do that, made difference.
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bkief1 |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 716 Fri, Aug 1, 2008 22:20:16 Contributing Palladium Member |
Hey,
I just tightened the pickguard screws in my Strat...I'm nailing Stevie Ray's Vaughn's tone now!!!
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handsplayingbutterfly |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 215 Sat, Aug 2, 2008 12:45:13 Bronze Member |
I recommend everyone reads this for a good time
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ChristopherNickels |
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Posts: 3 Tue, Aug 5, 2008 17:14:33 |
Acoustic coupling is a very valid point. Tighten those screws!
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Stratified |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 355 Fri, Aug 8, 2008 21:07:35 Silver Member |
This is great stuff! I tried sanding off those nasty pencil marks off the neck heel of my 57 Strat. WOW! the tone really openned up. The ax (my dad bought for
me new after a Buddy Holly show) sat under the bed gathering dust for years; muddy tone, real disappointment, but now I can't put it down.
Anyone have any other valuable tips that might help me know another $15K off the value of this old, tired guitar? |
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jonasaberg |
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Posts: 2652 Sun, Aug 10, 2008 20:05:13 Contrib. Palladium Charter Member
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I remember tightening the screws to the pickguard once...it cracked.
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weelie |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 1675 Tue, Aug 12, 2008 12:49:07 Contributing Silver Member |
My Squier is still on its way to me. But it'll have a neck pickup blender and master tone. I liked that in my previous strat, and that's how I think
strats ought be setup. Your mileage and all that.
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Ronnie Earl: 'Music is not a sport, there's no competition' |
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weelie |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 1679 Fri, Aug 15, 2008 12:21:51 Contributing Silver Member |
Well, the said Squier in question is now here, and plays and sings great!
I am still very much a neck or neck+bridge player on the strat. Well, this one
with hi-oomph pickups will not sound Sultan's swing on the off-positions anyway.
A picture here: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2763652778_9e8015c23a.jpg
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Ronnie Earl: 'Music is not a sport, there's no competition' |
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nocaster |
#11 | |||
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Posts: 18930 Sat, Aug 16, 2008 05:21:14 The Big FIBer |
Is this one from Rob?
i feel the weight of the world on my shoulder; as i'm gettin
older ya'll people gets colder
most of us only care about money-makin; selfishness got us followin the wrong direction wrong information always shown by the media; negative images is the main criteria infecting the [people's] minds faster than bacteria; [peeps] wanna act like what they see in the cinema |
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weelie |
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Posts: 1680 Mon, Aug 18, 2008 10:29:24 Contributing Silver Member |
Yup, it is. GFS noiseless pickups.
Here's a pic of my whole stable of string instruments. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3030/2764977253_bce5c4c3c5.jpg
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Ronnie Earl: 'Music is not a sport, there's no competition' |
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nocaster |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 18938 Tue, Aug 19, 2008 03:04:19 The Big FIBer |
I'd love a Little Martin like yours.
i feel the weight of the world on my shoulder; as i'm gettin
older ya'll people gets colder
most of us only care about money-makin; selfishness got us followin the wrong direction wrong information always shown by the media; negative images is the main criteria infecting the [people's] minds faster than bacteria; [peeps] wanna act like what they see in the cinema |
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n3elz |
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Posts: 13 Tue, Aug 19, 2008 19:00:31 |
weelie wrote: What? No basses????!!!! Heretic! ;-)
John Griggs
1997 Carvin LB75F (updated 501B preamp, pending BL J-45 in bridge) 2001 Dean Edge 5 Fretless (all original) 1973 Fender Telecaster Deluxe (modified electronics) 1990 Westone Villain Pro (all original) 198x Alvarez Dreadnought Acoustic w/piezo |
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nocaster |
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Posts: 18943 Wed, Aug 20, 2008 07:36:51 The Big FIBer |
> "What? No basses????!!!! Heretic! ;-)
Seriously though, nice collection of acoustic stuff for sure." But he hasn't got an acoustic bass either! 
i feel the weight of the world on my shoulder; as i'm gettin
older ya'll people gets colder
most of us only care about money-makin; selfishness got us followin the wrong direction wrong information always shown by the media; negative images is the main criteria infecting the [people's] minds faster than bacteria; [peeps] wanna act like what they see in the cinema |
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weelie |
#16 | |||
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Posts: 1681 Wed, Aug 20, 2008 09:35:54 Contributing Silver Member |
I will get a bass guitar at some point. For recording. Also might get a Cajon for persussion. Then I still need a singer!
I'd like my Little Martin to have the pickup as well, but it's difficult to find one with a pickup at the right price. Lately I've been playing the A&L Ami more, though. It is a completely differnt kind of guitar, real alive for fingerpicking, while the Martin is a bit stiff for that use, but is great with a pick.
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Ronnie Earl: 'Music is not a sport, there's no competition' |
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n3elz |
#17 | |||
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Posts: 14 Wed, Aug 20, 2008 20:28:59 |
nocaster wrote:Tru' dat! (but then again, I don't have one either...[looks in wallet speculatively]...well, so much for that idea...) 
John Griggs
1997 Carvin LB75F (updated 501B preamp, pending BL J-45 in bridge) 2001 Dean Edge 5 Fretless (all original) 1973 Fender Telecaster Deluxe (modified electronics) 1990 Westone Villain Pro (all original) 198x Alvarez Dreadnought Acoustic w/piezo |
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Stager |
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Posts: 2 Fri, Oct 31, 2008 19:01:22 |
I 've had the "seven tone" mod on my Strat clone for years, but with the SPST switch on the bridge pickup.
The neck and middle pickups are the BL-designed Fender SCN's (samarium cobalt noiseless) and the bridge pup is an L500XL, wired through a second which makes it Series/Parallel. I rarely put this guitar through any effects other than a good, natural sounding reverb and I like a crystal clear, undistorted sound. I really cringe at the sound of guitars sounding like dentist drills. I use 13's at all times and it (and on all my guitars) and there it is a beautiful buzz-free, bell-like tone when it is played unamplified. This combination of switches and pups gives me nice range of tones. I use the neck/bridge combination most often, switching the bridge pup between S and P for subtle changes in the highs, passing to the amplifier or DI the sweet, chimey tone that I hear unplugged. |
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rrrajo.ampworkshop |
#19 | |||
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Posts: 3 Tue, Oct 20, 2009 21:36:08 |
weelie wrote: I agree. I had an EJ Strat and the Screws were Socked down so hard that an impression was dug into the body. I loosened them up and the resonance was much better! |
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