{"id":84,"date":"2008-07-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-07-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digitaldin.com\/?p=84"},"modified":"2008-07-18T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2008-07-18T12:00:00","slug":"the-frankenstrat-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.digitaldin.com\/?p=84","title":{"rendered":"The FrankenStrat (part II)"},"content":{"rendered":"

(continued from yesterday’s post)<\/em>
\"\"<\/a>The Electronics<\/strong>
So, now that I had the beginnings of a cool guitar, I needed to outfit it with some pickups. I knew that a red tortoiseshell pickguard would look super cool against the pale yellow body, so I ordered a loaded pickguard from Carvin. The pickups actually sound really good, with a vintage vibe but not a lot of noise. They’re three single coils, classic Strat-style. However, they also add a special “7-way” switch to allow you to add the neck pickup to any other pickup combination; so, in addition to the typical five-way switching of a standard Strat, you also can flip the switch to get the previously unattainable neck and bridge combination, as well as all three pickups simultaneously. <\/p>\n

Another thing trashpicked at GVOX was an old Fishman Strat-style bridge with piezo elements mounted in the saddles. Each of the tiny wires for the piezos had been severed, presumably for testing with pitch-to-midi systems, so I had to carefully re-attach them and wire it up as best I could. Once I did that, I got an active blending preamplifier from Bartolini to blend the piezo-electric elements with the magnetic pickups. I moved the “7-way” switch on the pickguard and installed the blend knob inline with the other two pickup knobs (vol\/tone), and drilled tiny holes in the pickguard to allow access to the gain micro-pots for each pickup channel.<\/p>\n

So electronically, the FrankenStrat exceeds the capabilities of most other Strats; allowing for 7-way pickup selection, “acoustic-like” piezo pickups in the bridge, an active blending preamp… it’s pretty awesome sounding.<\/p>\n

The Final Touches<\/strong>
All that was left were some final touches. I got a custom matching (well, almost) back plate cover made, put Grover locking tuning machines into it, and most recently, got a custom neck plate with a holographic laser-etched “Custom Shop” logo design on it. I sanded most of the finish off the back of the neck and protected it with Boiled Linseed Oil, which is one of my favorite techniques for a really comfortable and fast neck. Finally, I took it to a trusted guitar tech and had him fully set it up for action and intonation.<\/p>\n

While I’m not a great guitarist (I’m far better on bass) this guitar is like “going home” for me. It’s a little heavy, thanks to the Squier body, but it balances really well on a strap or on my knee. Perhaps it’s the special time and effort I put into it, but it just feels like “my” guitar and no one else’s. I’ll never get rid of it. If you’ve never dabbled with putting a guitar together with parts, no matter where the source, I highly recommend it. It’s a very rewarding experience!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(continued from yesterday’s post)The ElectronicsSo, now that I had the beginnings of a cool guitar, I needed to outfit it with some pickups. I knew that a red tortoiseshell pickguard would look super cool against…<\/p>\n

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