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electronics on partscaster, any ideas?

Selsaral

By Selsaral
in Electric Guitars

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Selsaral Newbie

Selsaral

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I am doing research on a custom guitar I want to build, probably USACG or some such.

 

It will be strat-style.

 

I really like a fairly normal HSS setup. I love the pickups and electronics on my MIM lonestar strat for example. I'd like to stay in that general ballpark.

 

I can buy a pre-wired pickguard with electronics and drop it in. I can even buy a Fender Lonestar assembly. I could build it from scratch myself with mix and match pickups. I could go SSS with a single-coil sized humbucker in the bridge. I could do crazy stuff with push-pull pots and coil splitting.

 

I see lots of boutique guys out there selling pre-wired pickguards and handmade pickups.

 

What would you do, and where would you buy it?

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Selsaral Newbie

Selsaral

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The decision is yours. I prefer to roll my own. It also depends on what you want. Vintage Clubber is doing them for people and I'm sure he'll check in here soon.

 

 

You wind your own? Holy crap. Skillz like that come off as magic to ppl like me.

 

I have to say that my low skill level makes me lean towards a pre-wired pickguard. My plan (who knows how it will work out) is to get my dream guitar, so I am willing to go the extra distance to get something very nice.

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vintage clubber Newbie

vintage clubber

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The decision is yours. I prefer to roll my own. It also depends on what you want. Vintage Clubber is doing them for people and I'm sure he'll check in here soon.

 

 

thank you for that plug, customtele.

 

Selsaral - since you already have a strat with the HSS set up, why not do something different on your custom build?

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Selsaral Newbie

Selsaral

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thank you for that plug, customtele.


Selsaral - since you already have a strat with the HSS set up, why not do something different on your custom build?

 

 

The thing about this guitar is that if it works out, it will replace my other guitars. I'll sell my other electric guitars. I don't like swapping guitars unless I am doing alternate tunings. I love a versatile guitar that does everything I want.

 

My band does originals and covers. I'd hate to lose the traditional bluesy spank that I get out the single coil in the neck, and I have never been happy with a traditional strat single coil in the bridge, while humbuckers have always gotten me what I needed. Though I am completely open to a single-coil sized bucker in the bridge...I just have no experience with them.

 

I rarely use the 2/4 positions on my strats, but it's a standard setup and I don't see why I wouldn't want to have it around.

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cratz2 Newbie

cratz2

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If I were building an H/S/S strat pickguard, I'd personally want the following: 5 way switch that auto splits the HB when in the bridge+middle position, full HB in the bridge position, then I'd want the ability to split the HB when in the bridge position and I'd want the ability to run the HB split and the neck pickup at the same time.

 

I'd probably go with a Master Volume, Master Tone and a blend pot that was push/pull to split the HB.

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Belva Newbie

Belva

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You wind your own? Holy crap. Skillz like that come off as magic to ppl like me.


I have to say that my low skill level makes me lean towards a pre-wired pickguard. My plan (who knows how it will work out) is to get my dream guitar, so I am willing to go the extra distance to get something very nice.

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I do my own wiring. no I don't wind my own pups.

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Selsaral Newbie

Selsaral

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If I were building an H/S/S strat pickguard, I'd personally want the following: 5 way switch that auto splits the HB when in the bridge+middle position, full HB in the bridge position, then I'd want the ability to split the HB when in the bridge position and I'd want the ability to run the HB split and the neck pickup at the same time.


I'd probably go with a Master Volume, Master Tone and a blend pot that was push/pull to split the HB.

 

 

Awesome, this sounds like just what I am looking for. One thing I miss on my strats is the tele middle position, and this config gives you the strat version of this.

 

Any pickups you'd recommend with this setup? Can you recommend someone to hire to wire this up for newbies like me?

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Belva Newbie

Belva

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Awesome, this sounds like just what I am looking for. One thing I miss on my strats is the tele middle position, and this config gives you the strat version of this.

 

Any pickups you'd recommend with this setup? Can you recommend someone to hire to wire this up for newbies like me?[/QUOTE]

I already plugged vc. I can't personally vouch for his work, but others say he's pretty good. Give him a pm.

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Invader.CC Newbie

Invader.CC

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I also really like the H.S.S Strats and have two of them and also 2 standard single coil strats..Even though i hardly use it i like having the option available to split the humbucker into single coil with a push pull or a mini toggle..

 

One thing you may want to take a look at is the wiring specs for a H.S.S Strat ultra..I own a Ultra H.S.S and a heavily modded H.S.S Strat when i built the modded Strat i went with standard H.S.S wiring..That was the one mistake i made i should have done the Ultra style of wiring..

 

Suggestions for pickups..My Ultra has Lace sensors with the Blue in the neck silver in the middle and the Red double on the bridge..It has a nice 60's PAF tone in the neck position and the 4 and 5 position is a thicker more modern sound.I have found this pickup configuration the most versatile of any guitar i have ever played..

 

My Modded Strat uses John Suhr vintage 60's low peak or what they LP's in the neck with a reverse wound Vintage 60LP in the Middle position..I than use a Pearly gate in the humbucker position..This is one of the best combination's for dirty blues i have come across..Think Robin Trower Bridge of Sighs tones ..Then with the Pearly gate in the bridge it hammers out long sustain with power..

 

Next two those two my other favorite you already have with the two Texas specials and the Pearl Gate on the bridge that comes with the Lonestar Strat..For Blues that is a real hard combination to beat.

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cratz2 Newbie

cratz2

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Pickup recommendations are pretty personal... Maybe a certain pickup tickles my fancy into a Tweed Fender but the same pickup sounds dull and lifeless run into a Blackface Fender to another person's ears.

 

I really like the Fender Custom Shop 54s and the Duncan Alnico II Antiquity set. They are my two favorite current production sets I've ever heard.

 

For humbuckers... I don't play with a lot of gain but I think with an H/S/S strat, I'd still go for a potted pickup in the bridge in case I did want to play with gain. Based on the pickups I've played, a Seth Lover would be pretty high on my list as would a Gibson 57 Classic or a Gibson Burstbucker. The 57 is potted, the Burstbuckers and the Seth Lovers are not, but you can get the Seth Lovers potted through the Custom Shop. It I were actually building the guitar for myself, I'd get a potted Seth Lover or a potted Alnico II Antiquity if they offer that as an option.

 

A more economic choice that would still cover a lot of ground and maybe sound a bit more modern, but still able to cop a vintage-flavored vibe would be a Duncan Custom 5 or Custom Custom and Duncan SSL2s.

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Verne Andru Newbie

Verne Andru

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Everybody has their personal faves, me included. It took me quite a while to get a strat to the point where I can truly call it awesome, but I finally did it. Goes like this:

 

SSS pickguard config

Neck and Middle - Mojotone Custom Wounds - 50's spec with Alnico magnets and flat pole pieces

Bridge - Seymour Duncan Lil 59'er single coil humbucker.

 

Master volume, master tone and bridge volume on 3 pots push-pulls that, when down, yield the normal strat tones. That means the SD is split to a single coil by default and it does a very good job of copping a vintage strat bridge tone - just a tad bit hotter, but in a good way.

 

The push-pulls do the following:

 

Master volume - switches Neck/Mid from parallel to series

Master tone - switches bridge bucker from single-coil to humbucker

Bridge volume - toggles bridge pup to always on.

 

Plus I have a mini-toggle that causes the signal to bypass all the pots and caps so it goes directly from the selected pups to the output jack. Gives about a 10db boost in volume and treble.

 

You need to use a super 5-way to make it work. All positions are usable, the guitar sounds fantastic and covers most tonal basis you'll encounter short of metal.

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