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  #16  
Old 12-10-2018, 05:36 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Originally Posted by maxtheaxe View Post
I've seen some really nice ones at Warmoth, and they have a lot of custom configurations available...they are expensive, though. I'll keep an eye on Mighty Mite as well...the neck I put on the Roadhouse was a blow-out deal from them...under $100.00, with ebony compound board, MOP dots, even a bit of bonus birds-eye. I had to strip & redo the finish, and the nut supplied was laughable, but some nitrocellulose in a rattle-can & graphite trem-nut from Graph-tech...Bob's yer uncle!

I wonder about the Les Paul scale conversions for Strat. Seems like that might not work with the intonation unless you're starting with a raw body & custom bridge rout to compensate for the shorter scale...? Am I missing something?
A Strat/Les Paul "conversion" neck is one made with a 24 3/4" scale length that fits a 25.5" strat. No changes needed other than replace the neck.

Here's what the Warmoth website states: "Conversion necks are a Warmoth innovation that allow you to easily change the scale length of your 25-1/2" bolt-on guitar to either 24-3/4" (Gibson® length) or 28-5/8" (Baritone length). They work by lengthening or shortening the distance between the bridge saddles and the string nut. Moving the bridge is not necessary."


Source: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/...sionNecks.aspx
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  #17  
Old 12-10-2018, 05:42 PM
polarred21 polarred21 is offline
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Congrats on your new strat...looks great!
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  #18  
Old 12-10-2018, 10:28 PM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
A Strat/Les Paul "conversion" neck is one made with a 24 3/4" scale length that fits a 25.5" strat. No changes needed other than replace the neck.

Here's what the Warmoth website states: "Conversion necks are a Warmoth innovation that allow you to easily change the scale length of your 25-1/2" bolt-on guitar to either 24-3/4" (Gibson® length) or 28-5/8" (Baritone length). They work by lengthening or shortening the distance between the bridge saddles and the string nut. Moving the bridge is not necessary."


Source: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/...sionNecks.aspx
Ah...I wondered about that but I never followed up on it...so I guess I was 'missing something'. Leave it to Warmoth to come up with a way to do this.
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  #19  
Old 12-11-2018, 05:09 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Ah...I wondered about that but I never followed up on it...so I guess I was 'missing something'. Leave it to Warmoth to come up with a way to do this.
Yep, Best Guitar Parts and USACG also do conversion necks. I don't think Mighty Mite does.

Back to the important thing - your new Strat! Looking forward to seeing your review on your new Wilkinson and revamped Strat when it's done.
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  #20  
Old 12-11-2018, 07:26 AM
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PTony PTony is offline
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Some nice upgrades in mind indeed...BUT...

Don’t forget new CTS pots, quality caps, vintage pushback wire, and a switch craft jack and 5 way. Wiring plays a large part in tone, and is usually the weak spot in many guitars. Believe it or not, these upgrades will have a major impact in improving your Strats tone.

I’ve owned dozens of Strats and I have always started with quality wiring, a nut swap, and trem/saddle/block replacement.

I have swapped pickups out as well, but not always. Often times these changes, paired with a good setup and proper pickup height, create killer Strats. Even with the stock pickups.

Happy upgrading!

Last edited by PTony; 12-11-2018 at 07:35 AM.
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  #21  
Old 12-11-2018, 02:11 PM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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Originally Posted by PTony View Post
Some nice upgrades in mind indeed...BUT...

Don’t forget new CTS pots, quality caps, vintage pushback wire, and a switch craft jack and 5 way. Wiring plays a large part in tone, and is usually the weak spot in many guitars. Believe it or not, these upgrades will have a major impact in improving your Strats tone.

I’ve owned dozens of Strats and I have always started with quality wiring, a nut swap, and trem/saddle/block replacement.

I have swapped pickups out as well, but not always. Often times these changes, paired with a good setup and proper pickup height, create killer Strats. Even with the stock pickups.

Happy upgrading!
Yup! I ordered this from 920D/Sigler Music, who specializes in loaded pickguards and they do indeed include those details in their builds. Nice build quality through & through, and they also included a 'Pure Tone' output jack, which incorporates 2 connectors each for the T/S, rather than the standard single contact point.

Still waiting on the new Wilkinson bridge to complete this but so far, so good.
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  #22  
Old 12-16-2018, 06:27 PM
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Congrats on picking up the best electric guitar design ever (the Strat) and the best Strat /electric guitar value on planet earth.

Last edited by Guest 429; 04-01-2019 at 06:04 PM.
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  #23  
Old 12-16-2018, 11:37 PM
Jerry D Jerry D is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PTony View Post
Some nice upgrades in mind indeed...BUT...

Don’t forget new CTS pots, quality caps, vintage pushback wire, and a switch craft jack and 5 way. Wiring plays a large part in tone, and is usually the weak spot in many guitars. Believe it or not, these upgrades will have a major impact in improving your Strats tone.

I’ve owned dozens of Strats and I have always started with quality wiring, a nut swap, and trem/saddle/block replacement.

I have swapped pickups out as well, but not always. Often times these changes, paired with a good setup and proper pickup height, create killer Strats. Even with the stock pickups.

Happy upgrading!
This is exactly why I opted for an American strat rather than MIM.
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  #24  
Old 12-17-2018, 12:57 AM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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Default NGD White Strat redux...B4 & after

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Originally Posted by maxtheaxe View Post
I ran across this MIM Strat on Reverb and pulled the trigger. I've been thinking of getting one of these as a platform to customize and this one called to me. It's a 2015 model in almost pristine condition...virtually zero fret wear, no chips, couple tiny scratches, even the satin finish on back of the neck has not buffed out from playing.

It's not too surprising that this didn't get played much because the set-up was all but unusable. All the saddles were set in a perfectly straight line, the six trem-plate screws were cranked right down and the claw was driven way in to the guitar, like they tried to make it "tight" or something.

I was surprised how good it sounded once I got it set up, though. Sounds like a Stratocaster, plays like a Strat. I wouldn't be ashamed to gig with it...actually used it one night at rehearsal & it sounded fine, if lacking a bit in richness, hardware quality. All these things will be addressed, though. I've had a hankering for a white Strat...just something about them, yeah?






"Whitey"...meet 'The Boys'.


BTW, the seller is doing a thing called "Guitars4Cancer", which is a legit charity...they help rural cancer patients with transportation to & from their treatments, since they are usually too sick to make it on their own. The guy actually offered to give me a better price, but I figured the extra $50.00, or whatever, I saved would make a bigger difference where it was going than it made to me...I just paid him his asking price, which was a fair price for the guitar to begin with...it's all good.
OK...it's pretty much done. I really love it when a plan works out. To recap, I took the stock MIM Strat, a really nice ax to begin with, BTW, & did the following:
* Loaded pickguard with fender CS 'Jeff Beck Hot Noiseless', pearl white.
* Wilkinson Trem bridge in gold; this is an SB version (steel block) & has stainless steel saddles. The six mounting holes are beveled & elongated to avoid any binding and the bridge just pivots on the two outside screws, pretty much feels & operates just like a two-point bridge. The neck is a 9.5" radius & I've set the saddle radius at 12".
* Hipshot Locking tuners (also in gold); these have plates one can use that allows mounting without drilling extra holes for set-screws; it has tabs on it that hold the tuners straight.
* Gold jack plate...just because. I love the look of gold over white.

The tone I'm getting out of this is quintessential Stratocaster...just more emphatic. Gorgeous clean tones, overdrives like a beast and I can see why this is the setup used by 'The Guvnor'...boatloads of presence & sustain. I couldn't put this down long enough to compare with my American Deluxe Strat (SCN Noiseless pups) & my USA Roadhouse (Texas Specials) but first impression is that this one blows the other two away.









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  #25  
Old 12-17-2018, 04:45 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Looks like you did an amazing job. Why did you set the bridge radius different than the neck radius (12" vs 9.5")? Won't that leave the middle strings with slightly higher action?
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  #26  
Old 12-17-2018, 05:08 PM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Looks like you did an amazing job. Why did you set the bridge radius different than the neck radius (12" vs 9.5")? Won't that leave the middle strings with slightly higher action?
Thanks, Dru! Actually, the 12" radius is a little flatter than the 9.5 neck radius; I was still able to set the individual saddles for action at just a shade under 2mm at the 12th fret, with the outside strings just a tad higher in relation to the middle ones. Plays perfectly, zero buzz even on big bends, nice clean notes even above the 12th, and a sort of compound radius of the strings, if not the neck itself...works like a charm!
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  #27  
Old 12-22-2018, 10:37 AM
marty bradbury marty bradbury is offline
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Beautiful guitar and great charity. Enjoy!
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  #28  
Old 12-22-2018, 10:55 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maxtheaxe View Post
Thanks, Dru! Actually, the 12" radius is a little flatter than the 9.5 neck radius; I was still able to set the individual saddles for action at just a shade under 2mm at the 12th fret, with the outside strings just a tad higher in relation to the middle ones. Plays perfectly, zero buzz even on big bends, nice clean notes even above the 12th, and a sort of compound radius of the strings, if not the neck itself...works like a charm!
I got that backwards, it would be the outside strings that would be higher. Sounds like you have it setup and playing great. Enjoy!
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  #29  
Old 12-27-2018, 02:04 PM
chistrummer chistrummer is offline
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Sweet. MIM strats are totally under rated. Congrats!
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  #30  
Old 01-01-2019, 07:54 AM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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Sweet. MIM strats are totally under rated. Congrats!
Totally agree...especially at used prices. There is nothing about a MIM Strat that would make it inappropriate to play at a gig. They sound, play and operate just fine, once set up properly...it is a 'real' Stratocaster.

However...they are also wonderful platforms for customization. I figure that, all in, I paid less than half the cost I would have paid for a MIA Strat with comparable features, once I added the upgraded hardware and pups, and I got something that was exactly what I wanted.

Apart from the cost, it was a matter of my time spent...not an issue, since I enjoy doing this stuff...it really isn't that hard to do.

For example, apart from the hardware and pickup upgrades, I found that the nut was pinching a bit, so ordered a Graph-tech trem nut & installed it. This guitar has a radiused nut-slot in the neck so it was a matter of grinding off the little tab (they make these to fit either radius or flat slots), seating the base of it and finishing the string slots, using a combination of old strings and properly gauged files.

I just finished a New Years Eve gig with this guitar and it sings...got a lot of complements on it. I'm not sure where I am with my MIA Strats now, because this one is better...
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