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Call it a midlife crisis thing...my first guitar was a Strat copy...
So my Jazzmaster is living with a friend possibly for good, as I didn't really play it, and he's actually using it in a surf band. Before I gave it to him though, I took the Warmoth neck I had made for it off and put the original on...so I have this lovely neck that'll fit a JM or a Strat...and I'm thinking...why not buy a loaded Strat body and see what happens.
Anyway, I thought I'd share...I'm starting to look for bodies, but I'm going to wait to find something cool at a decent price. The neck is maple with an ebony board, and the headstock is painted black, so I'm thinking a black strat with a black pickguard...
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09-13-2022 01:16 PM
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Jeff, I have owned many Strats and while my latest Tele has my current affections, I still very much like the look and feel of a Strat. My experience is that the hardtail Strats have a different sound, but blocking the Tremelo can get you most of the way to that sound. I also like the tone of the American Standard body with the so called "Swimming pool" rout. That gives you lots of choices for pickup configuration and a bit of a semy-hollow tone, which is great for jazz.
HTH
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Jeff:
I've put together a boatload of plankcasters over the past few years - great fun, but I am largely finished with it. I have several loose loaded/unloaded strat bodies. Here are some of the plankcasters I've put together (with a couple of Hansens lurking in there):Last edited by Hammertone; 09-13-2022 at 08:53 PM.
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I think I want to go unblocked trem actually...maybe I'll use that whammy bar a bit.
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Definitely want to go traditional three single coil pickups...it's the in-between sounds that are luring me right now.
Actually, it's this particular song--the perfect little guitar parts and solo--that have me thinking about how I could use an in-between sound and some subtle whammy use in a jazz context.
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Welcome to the dark side .... bwa ha ha! Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Lol, I've been a tele player so long it feels a little dirty. Originally Posted by John A.
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You can bathe away that dirty feeling in your new bathtub-routed Stratocaster (and don't forget to wash behind your ears. It looks like you could grow potatoes there.) Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Strats are very fine for Jazz... comfort, feedback suppression, and with some time spent experimenting with amp and guitar settings you can get authentic Jazz tones. Seriously, I can make this one sound like an L5.
I'm considering a partscaster project myself. I have this pink monstrosity with an absolutely superb neck (the finger board dots are pink). I may look for a pawn shop guitar to get a Strat body, then buy a pick guard with everything already mounted and wired.
What body colors might look good bolted to maple with pink dots?
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Black. Goes with everything.
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Originally Posted by pauln
Strats are very fine for Jazz... comfort, feedback suppression, and with some time spent experimenting with amp and guitar settings you can get authentic Jazz tones. Seriously, I can make this one sound like an L5.
I'm considering a partscaster project myself. I have this pink monstrosity with an absolutely superb neck (the finger board dots are pink). I may look for a pawn shop guitar to get a Strat body, then buy a pick guard with everything already mounted and wired.
What body colors might look good bolted to maple with pink dots?
That green strat is a real beauty.
As for the pink, I love a shell pink strat...couple that with a mint green pickguard...whoa.
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Thanks, I've thought so for the last 34 years. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
As my one and only stage guitar, we've 12K
hours of live performance, never's failed me.
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I have a nice black hardtail body with a bridge and string through ferrules if you are interested. It is fairly light at about 3.5 lbs. Not any scratches or anything too weird going on with the black paint finish. It's a Warmoth. Let me know. I won't want much money for it. Maybe just cover shipping and a sandwich type of thing. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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Thanks for the offer, but I definitely want to go with a trem. Originally Posted by lammie200
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No problem. Someone else may be interested. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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I assume you're aware of the different types of trems (e.g., 6-point vintage style, 2-point modern Fender style, with variation and spacing by brand and origin)? The mounting holes are drilled differently for each, so you have watch out for that factor when you buy a body and bridge separately. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
As with Teles, there are also whole rabbit holes for types of metal and the way they're made for the bridge components. I took the coward's way out and bought an entire Stratocastor, brand new, actually made by Fender. 33 years later, sloth and fear have kept me out of the rabbit holes.
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Yes, with the many more variables I'm looking out for a loaded, ready to go body. My hope is 4 screws, a few beers, a set of strings and a setup, I'll have a Strat. Originally Posted by John A.
Teles are a lot easier for the generally unhandy to put together, I've done two now.
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I know at least 2 guys who put white EMG 81s in those Hello Kitty guitars and play them in their metal bands Originally Posted by pauln
I'm considering a partscaster project myself. I have this pink monstrosity with an absolutely superb neck (the finger board dots are pink). I may look for a pawn shop guitar to get a Strat body, then buy a pick guard with everything already mounted and wired.
What body colors might look good bolted to maple with pink dots?
Those guitars fetch much higher prices now then when they came out, because so many guys have done that!
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Go with the 2 point trem, it's just all around better IMHO. You should be able to find what you are looking for here:
https://reverb.com/shop/the-stratosphere?product_type=parts&category=guitar-bodies
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That sounds like a good plan. There's a lot on Reverb. My vote is for 2-point mount, but I'm not religious about it (as some people seem to be). Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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A friend of mine has a strat with a 2 point, definitely seems to allow for a wider range of movement. Originally Posted by John A.
My old strat copy I had when I was 12 was six screws...Never noticed much in the way of issues, so I think it'll come down to deal, and somewhat superficially, color.
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My first Strat was given to me by a friend who decided to stop playing guitar. I wound up giving it back. It was an early 70s with a 6-screw bridge and 3-bolt neck. Every defect that CBS Fender was notorious for this guitar had in spades. If that had been my only guitar, I would have quit playing, too. That's my main point of comparison to my 89 American Standard's 2-point mount, but for sure the trem works much more smoothly, and it stays in tune very well. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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6 screw trems work more smoothly after you remove the 2 middle screws as well. Andy Timmons (Danger Danger) trick.
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Speaking of color... there was a book called Styles of the Studio by Leon White that had a natural wood strat and maple neck. It was the early days of me taking up guitar, around 1976. This 1975 strat looks just like what I remember and lusted for:
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Be careful, you could be like John Mclaughlin and realize the trem is an amazingly expressive tool for jazz guitar phrasing and not be able to play a guitar without it again....and start putting bigsbys on your archtops
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A shop on Reverb called The Stratosphere is selling pine American Professional II Strat bodies with varying degrees of hardware for between $499 and $799. Low end of the price range gets you just the body, high end gets you fully-loaded with pickups and hardware, and the mid appears to give you bridge and socket. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I bought the pine Tele from this series here on this forum and love it. Best Tele I’ve owned.
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