Thanks Norm. I'm thinking of dropping an area 61 in the bridge. The price is right and they get good reviews. I assume it will chime better than the texas special. Do you like the sound of the 61 for surf?

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fenderfan wrote:

I haven't done the bridge/middle wiring swap in a long time, so I just did it on my Strat, and was reminded how nice the sound of the Strat neck/bridge pickups in combination can be, especially on certain songs.

It's a great sound for some surf songs. Some just don't sound good to my ear on a Strat without bridge/neck. I avoided surfing with a Strat for a long time before I figured this out.

Keep it Drippy Brothers and Sisters!

stratdancer wrote:

Thanks Norm. I'm thinking of dropping an area 61 in the bridge. The price is right and they get good reviews. I assume it will chime better than the texas special. Do you like the sound of the 61 for surf?

Yes, I sure do. I really like the Fender 57/62 at the neck. But it does not cut it at the bridge. The Area 61 works great there and makes a nice compliment to the 57/62. On the Strats that I have the configuration, I have not wired them to play both together. I cannot speak to a neck/bridge combo played together. However, I suspect it will sound fine. I need to wire up one of the Strats to try that.

Blend pots just aren't my cup of tea. I sense a slight loss of "spank" in the guitar with a blend pot in circuit. This is why I run a push pull pot with a switch to connect the bridge and neck. I place it in the bottom tone pot position in the pickguard. With this system the guitar feels normal to me and I lose no pickup switching positions. The Strat works just like a normal 5 position with the switch off and when I pull up on my push pull in 1 or 5 position I get bridge and neck. Selecting 2 or 4 with the switch engaged gives you all 3 pickups, interesting to say the least. I add another dimension to the guitar without losing a thing.

Keep it Drippy Brothers and Sisters!

RaistMagus wrote:

After trying the CS69, 2003 American standard set and the 57/62s, I kept the 57/62s. (Here's the comparison http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltIV4Jkh2wA)

Thanks very much for that well-documented demo. I like the sound of the 57/62's as well. I'm gonna be loading up a pickguard to drop in my (currently HH) Strat; those are very nice & within reach of my wallet as well. The SD Alnico II's give some nice things on a super switch but I miss the clarity of single-coils throughout the range & this is a surf guitar first.

Wonderful thing these search engines.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

stratdancer wrote:

Been reading some great reviews on this set from Rose. $75.00

http://www.rosepickups.com/apps/webstore/products/show/3862773

Thanks for the lead; I shot them a question. I've been looking at loaded pickguards because the arthritis crops up at the most inconvenient times & I'm not as steady with an iron as I used to be, but these do seem quite affordable.

Edit: Ken shot me back a note right away with some nice impressions based on what I'm looking for. Now that's someone who is managing their biz. Maybe I will go thru the kluge of assembling the bits & parts & doing it myself. (Mariposa Alnico-V's or Heritage Alnico-II's recommended, with his descriptions of each based on what I'm trying to get.) More rumination...

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Last edited: Mar 02, 2014 12:33:55

stratdancer wrote:

What are you trying to get tone wise?

Pretty much a traditional early -60's Strat, nothing real spectacular or niche-like; I suspect that Alnico V would give me some of that. Only a couple pedals in line; tank in its place before the amp. Pretty good versatility tone-wise on the amp. Not looking for anything in a particular pickup position to necessarily over-power the other.

I seem to recall from a really nice '62 reissue I had years ago that the bridge pickup seemed a tiny bit thin (a switch on the amp can kinda boot that in the butt if needed so no big deal). Just, well, a Strat; not Gilmour's, or EJ's, or SRV's - just a Strat I can surf with. I hate comparing to someone else's tone because it's always more than just the guitar; if I did, I'd have to mention Martin Cilia's sound or Frankie & The Poolboys. I can get all kinds of jangle & go to a different place with the JM if more is needed. (And as I've learned from recording some stuff, you can dial back highs but you can't make 'em if they ain't there to begin with.) Clarity of the traditional Strat single-coil package.

Tone; 'tis a puzzlement.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Really nice collection, Stratdancer. I recently picked up an 80's Japanese HSS that looks similar (black on black, maple neck) to your black on black Strat in the photo (different headstock style). How do you like that humbucker? What kind of pickups are those? I'm thinking about swapping mine out. Thanks.

Thanks! That strat belonged to Micheal Stanley and is a 1978. It has the original pups and a dimmarzio that MS had installed before I bought it in 84. It is coil tapped but it doesn't surf. It's a my hard rock guitar.

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Stratdancer, did you do all these changes to your guitar? (saddles, nut, etc). If so, how do you like it now? Did you notice a big improvement?

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https://www.dirtyfuse.com

Best strat setup for surf: Sell it and buy a Jazzmaster