Jazz Superstrat

[Simonejazz]

Hello,

First of all I'd like to thank all the users on this forum, this is the first time I post but I came here so many times and learned so much stuff thank to all of you.

I'm a professional and my only guitar is a Gibson ES-125 t from 1959. As a teen, I was into hard rock and heavy metal and I recently felt the urge to get a superstrat as a "toy".

I've found an Ibanez S 540 from '95 which is now on its way to my home. Is a very thin bodied solid guitar with a mahogany body and maple top, maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, Ibanez Floyd Rose and h-s-h Ibanez quantum pickups. 25,5 scale.

Now, I have no intention to play any rock music with it and would like to use it as a couch guitar and as an instrument to bring with me when I travel around and I don't need a traditional looking instrument. So the challenge is to turn it into a jazz guitar!

I would to kindly ask for some help from the community membres based on their experiences. The first thing I'd like to do is to enhance the acoustic volume of the instrument, to do so I thought about: 1) adding a brass fu-tone block to the bridge, 2) blocking the bridge with a tremol-no, 3) putting on some 10-46 strings with a wound g keeping action quite on the high side (I use 11's with this setup on the Gibson).

The other aspect is electronics of course, where's the fun if you don't swap the pickups! What I care about the most is clarity and dynamic response.

I don't want the classic "strat" tone or a "fat" humbucker sound but something that could come closer to P90s. I thought of different possibilities like based on stuff I've red around and samples I've listened to like: Duncan phat cat n/b, dimarzio air classic, ej custom, bluesbucker or humbucker from hell n/b and I'm looking for a single for the mid position that could match well with the neck and bridge pups and give nice tones in the 2 and 4 position without volume losses.

I don't know if it might be a good idea to change the volume/tone pots in case. I'd prefer to stick to Duncan or dimarzio to be able to resell more easily in case I change my mind.

Well, that's it! I know it sounds a bit crazy but that's the project

I want to thank in advance whoever will help me in this quest!

Simone

[Cunamara]

For pickups, the ones in the guitar already might just be fine. Won't know until you try. If you want to replace them, I would suggest Wilde L90 in the 2.8H and 4.0H or the 4.0H and 6.0H combinations for the humbuckers. They are very clear and neutral sounding, not as dark or compressed as a Gibson PAF style. They will sound like your guitar being played by you. The H stands for Henries, A measure of inductance for the pickup. You can find out far more than you want to know about that out on the Interwebs.

L90 – Bill and Becky Wilde Pickups

For the single coil slot, the middle position Strat L280 or L45. Either of those ought to balance well against the humbuckers.

Noisefree Strat – Bill and Becky Wilde Pickups

L45 Strat – Bill and Becky Wilde Pickups

I think that Becky and Shannon are winding some of the very best pickups available on the market and have them in all of my solid body guitars. Wilde was Bill Lawrence's last pickup company.

[jazzshrink]

Nothing to offer except

[gitman]

The guitar can certainly be dialed in for a "Jazz" sound but IMHO the FEEL is of much greater importance : a set of med. flat-wound strings will feel and sound VERY different and much more typical and I would also opt for a blocked trem-bridge.

[Average Joe]

I had one of those. Imho you should play it in stock form for a while. As far as I remember, the stock pickups could get a nice, full sound with a bit of EQing at the amp end.

Tens is as high as I'd go one that one, and personally I liked an unwound G on mine. The S series is designed to be the race cars, shredders, of the guitar world. Effortless action is what they're build for. I bet you can set it up to play harder, but I'm not sure it's the best platform for it.

I eventually sold it cause I found the double locking trem a pain to change strings on, but then I kept mine floating. Might be easier when it's blocked

[lammie200]

For pickups, the ones in the guitar already might just be fine. Won't know until you try. If you want to replace them, I would suggest Wilde L90 in the 2.8H and 4.0H or the 4.0H and 6.0H combinations for the humbuckers. They are very clear and neutral sounding, not as dark or compressed as a Gibson PAF style. They will sound like your guitar being played by you. The H stands for Henries, A measure of inductance for the pickup. You can find out far more than you want to know about that out on the Interwebs.

L90 – Bill and Becky Wilde Pickups

For the single coil slot, the middle position Strat L280 or L45. Either of those ought to balance well against the humbuckers.

Noisefree Strat – Bill and Becky Wilde Pickups

L45 Strat – Bill and Becky Wilde Pickups

I think that Becky and Shannon are winding some of the very best pickups available on the market and have them in all of my solid body guitars. Wilde was Bill Lawrence's last pickup company.

I will second the Wilde/Laurence pickups. They are a great bang for the buck, and clear as a bell with excellent build quality. For a HB I suggest Duncan Seth Lovers. I am mostly convinced that all other HB's just accentuate a deficiency, or several deficiencies, from Seth Lovers to get their signature sounds.