Strats see the light of day...Upgrade Suggestions

[cheer tunes]

After dedicating 6+ years exclusively to acoustic the strats have seen the light of day.

I have two American Strats,
2003 American Standard Sunburst
2014 FSR American Special - Hand rubbed lacquer finish.

Both really cool, both have the American Standard pups, that I like very much.

Can you suggest any quick easy mods that can improve the plugged in tone?

IMG_7262 Small.jpeg

[Chickee]

Is there something in particular you don’t like about their sound? That American Special with the big CBS era headstock has my name written all over it! Beautiful guitars, both!

[cheer tunes]

I always liked the American Standard factory pups, there are so many aftermarket options but I never tried any of them. That said I was reading recently about some simple volume or tone pot upgrades that can have a very noticeable improvement. I might try one of those mods on my older 2003. BTW, I'm in Atlanta if you want the FSR Natural strat, I'm looking for a tele and could use the funds...

[rokdog49]

Nope, just play ‘em.

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by cheer tunes

I always liked the American Standard factory pups, there are so many aftermarket options but I never tried any of them. That said I was reading recently about some simple volume or tone pot upgrades that can have a very noticeable improvement. I might try one of those mods on my older 2003. BTW, I'm in Atlanta if you want the FSR Natural strat, I'm looking for a tele and could use the funds...

Thank you for the open offer, CT, but I’m all Strat’ed up! I have two American Specials I adore. A ‘97 bone stock VooDoo Strat, and a 2016 hot-rodded to perfection. But if ever I’m down your way, I would love to play it a bit!
frank d.

[guitararmy]

You might try running your strats through a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster pedal. Adds some girth to single coil tones...

[Boneman]

There are a handful of mods to try, but is it really needed? Most often it is simply the amp you are playing through. What do you have? If not a Fender, I'd first suggest you get a nice Fender tube amp and play those through that. Get all the glorious cleans and that Strat quack, because Strats just love Fender amps. Made to go together and they pair well

[cheer tunes]

Originally Posted by Boneman

There are a handful of mods to try, but is it really needed? Most often it is simply the amp you are playing through. What do you have? If not a Fender, I'd first suggest you get a nice Fender tube amp and play those through that. Get all the glorious cleans and that Strat quack, because Strats just love Fender amps. Made to go together and they pair well

100% agree. I have a couple of fender tube amps, ‘65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue with a THD hot plate attenuator (so I can crank the amp) is the best tone I’ve personally ever achieved.

Read some folks swapping the volume pot?? My Strats have no load tone pot already. Also heard of someone pushing down the pole pieces under the G and D!!! Seems crazy but since I have two similar Strats I’m willing to experiment on the one that is dinged up.
Thanks

[FrankHudson]

Things that are reversable, inexpensive, and worth trying:

Nickel wrap strings.* DR Pure Blues is one formulation. They're also round core, so a little easier to bend vs. same diameter. Nickel wrap has a little less top end and volume, but with electric guitar you've got volume knobs, so moot point.


"Jimi Strings." For years Fender sold a set of strings with .010 top E running to a .038 lower E (so, regular light top end to extra light lower end set in modern parlance). Many folks used them back in the day (including Jimi Hendrix and me, which is the only time you'll see me validly compared to Hendrix) Fender currently sells these as "Hendrix Voodoo Child" strings, including the option for a nickel wrap set like these:

Sweetwater listing for one of these Jimi strings sets

There was test done by Rick Beato recently where he demonstrated that thinner low strings record better in many situations in his mind.


Pickup height. Fender single coils often show different timbres depending how far they are from the strings. It's not just not getting too close and getting duff overtones and less sustain, but a different sound. Lower pickups will put out less volume, but once again, you've got more than one volume knob with an electric guitar to deal with that.

Measure your original height so before making and trying a change in case you decide that you want to return to the way it was.


Blocking the trem or decking the trem, or not. Decking is just setting up the bridge so that it sits right down on the body (so no upbend possible) by adding tension to the existing springs or adding strings. The guitar will sound a bit different, and you'll likely not have issues with oblique bends, while you can still lower pitch with the whammy bar. Blocking is putting a block behind the trem block in the spring cavity to that it become entirely like a hardtail Strat. If you already do either of those things, consider setting one Strat up floating with the bridge back above the body. Yes, this has issues, but there are some neat sounds and feel there. I think every Strat owner should try all three ways to use the classic bridge. They all have their plusses and minuses.

Other than a minor setup to account for the slightly different saddle heights between floating or flat bridge plate, these are easy and of course reversable.

You may already know all these things, but I mention them in case others are reading this thread and have a Strat they want to try something different with.








*Not "nickel-plated" -- not enough nickel sound that different.

[cheer tunes]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

Things that are reversable, inexpensive, and worth trying:

Nickel wrap strings.* DR Pure Blues is one formulation. They're also round core, so a little easier to bend vs. same diameter. Nickel wrap has a little less top end and volume, but with electric guitar you've got volume knobs, so moot point.


"Jimi Strings." For years Fender sold a set of strings with .010 top E running to a .038 lower E (so, regular light top end to extra light lower end set in modern parlance). Many folks used them back in the day (including Jimi Hendrix and me, which is the only time you'll see me validly compared to Hendrix) Fender currently sells these as "Hendrix Voodoo Child" strings, including the option for a nickel wrap set like these:

Sweetwater listing for one of these Jimi strings sets

There was test done by Rick Beato recently where he demonstrated that thinner low strings record better in many situations in his mind.


Pickup height. Fender single coils often show different timbres depending how far they are from the strings. It's not just not getting too close and getting duff overtones and less sustain, but a different sound. Lower pickups will put out less volume, but once again, you've got more than one volume knob with an electric guitar to deal with that.

Measure your original height so before making and trying a change in case you decide that you want to return to the way it was.


Blocking the trem or decking the trem, or not. Decking is just setting up the bridge so that it sits right down on the body (so no upbend possible) by adding tension to the existing springs or adding strings. The guitar will sound a bit different, and you'll likely not have issues with oblique bends, while you can still lower pitch with the whammy bar. Blocking is putting a block behind the trem block in the spring cavity to that it become entirely like a hardtail Strat. If you already do either of those things, consider setting one Strat up floating with the bridge back above the body. Yes, this has issues, but there are some neat sounds and feel there. I think every Strat owner should try all three ways to use the classic bridge. They all have their plusses and minuses.

Other than a minor setup to account for the slightly different saddle heights between floating or flat bridge plate, these are easy and of course reversable.

You may already know all these things, but I mention them in case others are reading this thread and have a Strat they want to try something different with.








*Not "nickel-plated" -- not enough nickel sound that different.

Yes!! I really believe strings and picks can have the most profound impact to tone. And I watched the Beato vid on advocating for lighter strings (I think he liked 8s best for tone). That is so counter from what most people think....a lot of people think you need 11 or 10 for a strat to sound good. Wrong. Do you use medium or lighter picks? I tend to go lighter on the pick as the string guage is lighter. For Martin flat tops with 13s i would need a heavy pick > 1mm.

[FrankHudson]

Originally Posted by cheer tunes

Yes!! I really believe strings and picks can have the most profound impact to tone. And I watched the Beato vid on advocating for lighter strings (I think he liked 8s best for tone). That is so counter from what most people think....a lot of people think you need 11 or 10 for a strat to sound good. Wrong. Do you use medium or lighter picks? I tend to go lighter on the pick as the string guage is lighter. For Martin flat tops with 13s i would need a heavy pick > 1mm.

On that Beato video I was surprised the "OG" guitar tech guy in their squad didn't know about the old Fender 150L set from the Seventies (the .010 to .038 set, that the Hendrix Voodoo strings reproduce). A .008 high E is just too thin and fragile for me, and Beato's theory was that it's the lower strings that really respond to being less thick. Hendrix even down-tuned with those strings, so no, not every player needs thicker strings on their Strat.*

The Elixir HD string set is a similar idea translated into an overall thicker 'cause it's for an acoustic guitar, but still lighter set lower, less-light top set of gauges.

I use a variety of picks (I'm nutty about picks). On electric I'm currently most likely to use a Fender Extra Heavy, A Fender TruShell, or this oddly overpriced but copacetic Dunlop pick that I somehow like more than a regular Dunlop Flow. Maybe that last pick's hologram has hypnotized me? But that's me and how I like to hit the strings.

I don't even know who Andy James is, but then I suppose there are folks how don't know who Les Paul was either



*And Steve DeRosa may be in shortly to suggest trying heavier and flat wound strings like Strats came with back in the Fifties. I've never done that with a Strat, but I have a Tele strung that way. Different sound and feel for sure, and not for everyone. But what's the use in having more than one electric guitar if they don't sound and feel different?

[Blackmore Fan]

Originally Posted by cheer tunes

After dedicating 6+ years exclusively to acoustic the strats have seen the light of day.

I have two American Strats,
2003 American Standard Sunburst
2014 FSR American Special - Hand rubbed lacquer finish.

Both really cool, both have the American Standard pups, that I like very much.

Can you suggest any quick easy mods that can improve the plugged in tone?

Attachment 71878

Those American Standard pickups to me are the modern "gold standard" of Strat pickups. They are RWRP, they handle vintage cleans well, and handle overdrive/distortion FAR better than they are given credit for. If Fender offered those new-in-the-box, I'd stash a set away just in case I acquired a Strat needing great tone.

I personally wouldn't change your Strats. I'd make sure I loved my pedals and amp(s).

[cheer tunes]

I echo that about the AM pups. They always sound good regardless of amp and def sound great with classic clean OR overdrive. In fact I think they do better with overdrive than my old '62 AVRI strat did.

[M Sarad]

https://alembic.stores.yahoo.net/blaster.html

[rmp]

Originally Posted by cheer tunes

Both really cool, both have the American Standard pups, that I like very much.

Can you suggest any quick easy mods that can improve the plugged in tone?

Attachment 71878

yea,,
just one.. regarding the strats.

if it aint broke

don't fix it.

if you like the pickups, let it be.

let's talk about your amp is that a blues jr I see off to the side, or something similar?

So yea.. what are you running it thru?
are you using any pedals? (compressors, over drive pedals, delays?)