That is going be one amazing strat. Really got a think for big headstock strats.
I've been secretly think of getting another strat, maybe hardtail style. Would you say that the kits works out a lot better in regards to choosing spec/colours etc vs cost?
Another MJT Build - a Strat this time.
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Progrockabuse
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So, when I built my tele last year, I fully intended to document the process, with photos and handy tips for you all to use. Then I codged it all together in one night and didn't think to trouble my camera.
I've done exactly the same this time.
Now, I was a little daunted by wiring in the pickups and switching (more complex than a tele) and fitting and setting up a strat trem from scratch. Both of these jobs went swimmingly. Special mention must go to this series of videos on Youtube:
[youtube][/youtube]
... will be messaging the fella to say thank you - have watched them all a few times and they've been invaluable.
Anyhow, yesterday evening began with me fitting the pots and switch to the scratch plate (I'd fitted the pickups last week - bolted the neck on then too, to check posing in the mirror potential). Typically, the first job I did was the one I fucked up, and discovered right at the end of the build process: the CTS pots sat too tall in the scratch plate - had to take it off and use a nut as a spacer on each one. Axesrus had supplied enough nuts for this eventuality. Once the kids were put to bed, I started the great wiring mission. I was working to this layout, so that the second tone control also worked on the bridge. Controversially, I used a .047 cap for a darker sound with the tone rolled off. My pickup set is non-reverse wound in the middle, because I love hum and hate quack.
The wiring went fine, and unbelievably, worked first time. That never happens to me. However:
PROTIP: If I had my time again, I'd wire up the pots and switch first, then wire in the pickups last of all. It would make neatening up the wiring loads easier.
Also, I didn't trim the pickup wires to the right length, I just folded them up instead. It looks a bit messy in there, and because the CTS pots are big, it was a bit snug fitting the scratchplate. The only other soldering swine was the earth lead coming off the trem claw: you have to get the claw hot as fuck - the first time I managed to do it, I'd cooked the wire to the point of being beyond brittle, and it fell apart when I fitted the trem springs, meaning I had to do it all over again.
This took me up to about 10.30PM. Flushed with success at it working, I decided to blunder on. Used a bradawl to sink the scratchplate and jacksocket screws, and like a pro applied a little rub of soap to each screw so as not to split the wood. All fine. Then put my big boy pants on and fitted the trem. Which took about two minutes.
ASIDE IN WHICH I SUBTLY ALIGN MYSELF WITH LEO FENDER: Interestingly*, having put together two teles and a strat now, you start to spot how clever the designs are from a manufacturing point of view - I was surprised how much easier a strat was to make than a tele, for instance, like he'd learned from the shortcomings of putting a tele together. The strat is much more modular in approach - you effectively bring three bits together (neck, body, electrics) and join the interfaces. You can tell it was designed with easy mass-production in mind. WELL DONE LEO, HAVE A GOLD STAR.
My last job was to fit the string trees (I went for two, as per a 70s strat, although mine is loosely a copy of a '68 strat, purely because of the Can album Delay 1968). Now this is a job I get quite uptight about; the headstock is a really pivotal part of the guitar for me, almost like its face, and I'd be heartbroken to fuck up the positioning or fitting of a string tree. For this reason, I've come up with the following ingenious method:
PROTIP: string the relevant positions (ie. in my case the D, G, B and E strings) with cotton. That way you can see where the trees need to go without having to faff around with regular strings. Loop the cotton through the bridge so that one length equals two strings.
And that was it†: strung it up, had a bot of back and forth with the trem claw tension, which will take a while to settle in anyway, but it's playing lovely without me even having to tweak the bridge or anything. I like to set strat trems up so that there's a semitone upbend at the fifth fret of the treble E string. This is working fine at the mo. All I need to do now is fit the strap pins and put the trem cavity cover on. The latter job I'll do once the trem and springs (three, incidentally, arranged in a triangular formation) are good and settled in.
* very possibly not interestingly.
†in my gripping narrative I've mentioned but glossed over the moment the earth wire came off the trem claw (this was when I was just about to string it) and when I had to remove the scratchplate to refit the pots (this was just after I fixed the trem claw)
I've done exactly the same this time.
Now, I was a little daunted by wiring in the pickups and switching (more complex than a tele) and fitting and setting up a strat trem from scratch. Both of these jobs went swimmingly. Special mention must go to this series of videos on Youtube:
[youtube][/youtube]
... will be messaging the fella to say thank you - have watched them all a few times and they've been invaluable.
Anyhow, yesterday evening began with me fitting the pots and switch to the scratch plate (I'd fitted the pickups last week - bolted the neck on then too, to check posing in the mirror potential). Typically, the first job I did was the one I fucked up, and discovered right at the end of the build process: the CTS pots sat too tall in the scratch plate - had to take it off and use a nut as a spacer on each one. Axesrus had supplied enough nuts for this eventuality. Once the kids were put to bed, I started the great wiring mission. I was working to this layout, so that the second tone control also worked on the bridge. Controversially, I used a .047 cap for a darker sound with the tone rolled off. My pickup set is non-reverse wound in the middle, because I love hum and hate quack.
The wiring went fine, and unbelievably, worked first time. That never happens to me. However:
PROTIP: If I had my time again, I'd wire up the pots and switch first, then wire in the pickups last of all. It would make neatening up the wiring loads easier.
Also, I didn't trim the pickup wires to the right length, I just folded them up instead. It looks a bit messy in there, and because the CTS pots are big, it was a bit snug fitting the scratchplate. The only other soldering swine was the earth lead coming off the trem claw: you have to get the claw hot as fuck - the first time I managed to do it, I'd cooked the wire to the point of being beyond brittle, and it fell apart when I fitted the trem springs, meaning I had to do it all over again.
This took me up to about 10.30PM. Flushed with success at it working, I decided to blunder on. Used a bradawl to sink the scratchplate and jacksocket screws, and like a pro applied a little rub of soap to each screw so as not to split the wood. All fine. Then put my big boy pants on and fitted the trem. Which took about two minutes.
ASIDE IN WHICH I SUBTLY ALIGN MYSELF WITH LEO FENDER: Interestingly*, having put together two teles and a strat now, you start to spot how clever the designs are from a manufacturing point of view - I was surprised how much easier a strat was to make than a tele, for instance, like he'd learned from the shortcomings of putting a tele together. The strat is much more modular in approach - you effectively bring three bits together (neck, body, electrics) and join the interfaces. You can tell it was designed with easy mass-production in mind. WELL DONE LEO, HAVE A GOLD STAR.
My last job was to fit the string trees (I went for two, as per a 70s strat, although mine is loosely a copy of a '68 strat, purely because of the Can album Delay 1968). Now this is a job I get quite uptight about; the headstock is a really pivotal part of the guitar for me, almost like its face, and I'd be heartbroken to fuck up the positioning or fitting of a string tree. For this reason, I've come up with the following ingenious method:
PROTIP: string the relevant positions (ie. in my case the D, G, B and E strings) with cotton. That way you can see where the trees need to go without having to faff around with regular strings. Loop the cotton through the bridge so that one length equals two strings.
And that was it†: strung it up, had a bot of back and forth with the trem claw tension, which will take a while to settle in anyway, but it's playing lovely without me even having to tweak the bridge or anything. I like to set strat trems up so that there's a semitone upbend at the fifth fret of the treble E string. This is working fine at the mo. All I need to do now is fit the strap pins and put the trem cavity cover on. The latter job I'll do once the trem and springs (three, incidentally, arranged in a triangular formation) are good and settled in.
* very possibly not interestingly.
†in my gripping narrative I've mentioned but glossed over the moment the earth wire came off the trem claw (this was when I was just about to string it) and when I had to remove the scratchplate to refit the pots (this was just after I fixed the trem claw)
Last edited by benecol on Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
BUMPING MY OWN THREAD BUMP: a clever sausage over at another forum questioned the position of my low-E saddle (as did I countless times, and kept rechecking it - my Jazzmaster used to do this too), and suggested that maybe the pickups being high were dragging it out. And you know what? He was right. Have cranked the pickups down much closer to the fretboard, and it now intonates in a much more sensible looking way. I had always assumed that string-pull was m@j@ feathers bullshit in the past, but apparently: no.
Somehow missed your posts last week Tim...probably as was in the midst of sleep deprived paternity leave...
Anyway, the guitar looks great. Glad it was pretty straight forward to assemble. Excellent narrative post, would read again.
Am sure this info is already in the thread and I have forgotten, but what pickups have you got in it?
Anyway, the guitar looks great. Glad it was pretty straight forward to assemble. Excellent narrative post, would read again.
Am sure this info is already in the thread and I have forgotten, but what pickups have you got in it?
These - very impressed with them too.