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tremoloman

tremoloman

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I'll kick this thread off with some pics of my MIM Limited edition "Flip-Flop" Stratocaster in blue/green sparkle. The pictures do not do this guitar justice at all since a camera cannot capture the flip-flop effect.

Upgrades include:
  • Complete gold Callaham hardware upgrade (bridge, saddles, tremolo arm, tremolo block, screws, springs, etc.)
  • Graph Tech nut
  • DiMarzio Tone Zone S bridge pickup
  • 500K volume pot
  • Gold American Fender string tree
  • Gold Schaller locking tuners
  • Gold locking straplocks
  • Upgraded bridge from MIM to vintage spacing
The last pic shows what the guitar looked like stock and does manage to capture the blue color when the flip-flops a little bit.
 
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Here's my custom "Marilyn" Stratocaster

This is my favorite guitar of all the ones I own. It was the first guitar I built from scratch. I learned everything there is to know about assembling a guitar from this project. This is my "80s" guitar I use for hard rock, metal, and jazz. It's obnoxious, but if you want to play the part you gotta live the part! :)

It consists of:
  • Fender Powerhouse Strat Body in Graffiti Yellow
  • Fender 60s Strat neck
  • LSR Rolling Nut
  • DiMarzio pickups [Bridge - Tone Zone 2] [Middle & Neck - Tone Zone S]
  • Callaham Bridge assembly (block, saddles, arm, etc.)
  • Gotoh vintage locking tuners
  • Custom Marilyn Monroe pickguard designed by me hack work in Photoshop
  • Elixir .010 strings
  • Modern Fender string tree
  • 500K tone pot
  • Bleeder circuit wiring (allows mixing of neck and bridge pickups to be played together)
 
That yellow color is really nice!

How is the hot rails pups when you play them clean? Still getting a strat vibe?
 
If I had to guess, based on your guitars, I would say that you're the shy, subtle type...:D

I'm not *usually* a fan of sparkle guitars, but there's something about the way the gold hardware plays off of the sparkle on the first one that makes it look really cool. I'll bet it looks great under stage lighting...

As for the yellow one, all I can say is WOW. It's one hell of an 80's look! I particularly like the "Boy Bands Suck" sticker.

Nice Strats, man!:R :DR
 
SuperSwede said:
That yellow color is really nice!

How is the hot rails pups when you play them clean? Still getting a strat vibe?
Click to expand...

Thank you... it's a discontinued color so it really stands out... sometimes too much!

To be honest this guitar doesn't retain the classic Strat sound at all. It's got a personality all its own. It's got more of a think and heavy tone. Clean, it's an awesome Jazz tone. Dirty, hard rock and metal are its forte. I use it on songs like 'Run To The Hills', 'Number of the Beast', 'Fade To Black', and 'The MXC Theme' if that helps give you an idea of the tones I'm referring to.
 
Katastrophe said:
If I had to guess, based on your guitars, I would say that you're the shy, subtle type...:D

I'm not *usually* a fan of sparkle guitars, but there's something about the way the gold hardware plays off of the sparkle on the first one that makes it look really cool. I'll bet it looks great under stage lighting...

As for the yellow one, all I can say is WOW. It's one hell of an 80's look! I particularly like the "Boy Bands Suck" sticker.

Nice Strats, man!:R :DR
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot Kat! Yeah... I'm real subtle!

Believe it or not I was super shy when I was a kid. Senior year soemthing happened and then the 11 years of keeping my mouth shut started pouring out all at once. Based on the length of my emails, you can see I'm still going on and on and on and ON... ;)

I'm just a very friendly and outgoing guy who just does what he likes to whether or not someone thinks it may be odd or strange. I don't like my guitasrs to look like anyone elses since I prefer to be a leader rather than a follower. If nobody follows my lead, that's fine.

As for the sticker, I found one that said "Hard rock boy bands suck" and then modified it to jus say "Boy Bands Suck". It gives a nice subtle touch with Marilyn looking like she's in full agreement.
 
Here's my '89 Strat Plus. Only two changes made--replaced the stock white pickguard with black pearloid, and recently swapped the stock Lace Sensor Gold p'ups for a set of CS Texas Specials, courtesy of Tone2thebone. She ain't so fancy as some, but Lawdy, I surely do love her!

UPDATED 9/29/06: Changed all the plastic "trim" (p'up covers, knobs, etc.)from white to black. Looks freakin' dangerous now!


strat_black.jpg
strat_black_body.jpg
 
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Man, I love basic black on a Strat, esp. with an all-maple neck. That's a nice axe there, DVM. I've heard numerous clips of her, too, so I already know she sounds sweet. That MOTO pickguard spices things up nicely. ;)
 
Very nice DVM... the neck is awesome looking and I love the pickguard you chose for your guitar. Sharp as a razor!
 
Here's mine. This is my first guitar I ever had. MIM '96 Strat. Bought it about 10 years ago. Since then I've modded it. Grover tuners, better string T, Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups, USA electronics including TBX tone controls, and wired so I can turn the tone down on the bridge pup, pearloid pickguard, and that's about it. She's a player and got some mojo from the 10 years of beating on her....in a good way of course! ;)

StratOutside3.JPG


StratOutside4.JPG


-Peace
-Nate
 
Riley said:
Here's mine. This is my first guitar I ever had. MIM '96 Strat. Bought it about 10 years ago.
Click to expand...


Very nice guitar. What about fretwear? Some say the MIM frets are not so durable as the more expensive models? What's your experience?
 
Guitar-Chris said:
Very nice guitar. What about fretwear? Some say the MIM frets are not so durable as the more expensive models? What's your experience?
Click to expand...

Yup at the 6 year mark the frets were worn pretty bad(play exclusively).....but after being recrowned it's been ok. They are very low now.....so I'd say a refret with some taller wider frets will be in order down the road. They are much softer than say the US models...at least back then. Now my MIM Muddy Tele frets are nice and much better.

-Peace
-Nate
 
Nice guitar aeolian, but your little thinger is missing.:rolleyes:

I had an ash natural from 1976 and it was a hard tail, three bolt too. I really liked that guitar, but I wore it out on the road and traded it. Waaaaaaaa! (tear drop falling from eye) annnnd, cut scene.
 
"How can one man be so lucky?" you ask. Well, I'm not sure I really know myself. Here's the line-up:

1.) 1987 MIJ Squier Stratocaster - My very first Strat. It's bone stock with the exception of the white moto pickguard. Fantastic maple neck, lovely aquamarine hue (someone here once told me what the actual name of the Fender color was, but I have since forgotten), great tone - just a beautiful, classic Strat.

2.) 2005 MIM Classic 60's Stratocaster - Wanted another Strat more in line with a SRV-type guitar. This beauty has the trademark 3TS finish, an aftermarket creme moto pickguard, aged plastic controls, and a vintage-style maple / rosewood neck that plays like a dream. About (3) months ago, I dropped in a set of Custom Shop '69 pickups and a Callaham trem block, and this thing sounds about as good as a Strat can sound. Or, at least in my opinion it does. I'm planning on having this one around for a long time, so let the natural relic'ing process begin.

3.) 1987 MIK Squier Stratocaster - This little gem recently came to me via Ebay, and I must say for $129, it was a total steal. Gorgeous candy-apple red, with a smooth-playing maple / rosewood neck, and great-sounding stock p'ups. I'm entertaining the idea of dropping a Seymour Duncan Lil' '59 single-coil sized humbucker in the bridge (for the "Fat Strat" effect), but for now, I'll just keep 'er stock, and enjoy it.

I keep telling myself that I'm done buying Strats. Wishful thinking indeed. ;)
 
Nelskie said:
I keep telling myself that I'm done buying Strats. Wishful thinking indeed. ;)
Click to expand...
Nice collection!

I keep teeling myself I'm done also... it doesn't work. GAS is a disease for which there is no cure but more guitars!
 
Nelskie said:
I keep telling myself that I'm done buying Strats. Wishful thinking indeed. ;)
Click to expand...
Three beauties there, Nelsk! I especially like the sunburst MIM.

I'm surprised an LP devotee such as yourself hasn't picked up an H/S/S/ "Fat Strat" model yet! No GAS for one of those??
 
Nelskie, that japan squier strat looks awesome. I love blue strats with maple necks!
 
tremoloman said:
GAS is a disease for which there is no cure but more guitars!
Click to expand...
More guitars in NOT a cure. GAS = diabetes; Guitars = insulin. Needed for survival and to keep from going into shock :D

Appologies to diabetics (including my dear sister), not my intention to belittle a serious condition or disease. We are just SO polite here at TheFret!
 
Thanks for the nice comments, guys.

DVM - Like I said in my post, I'm considering putting a Seymour Duncan Lil' '59 in the bridge in my MIK (red) Strat. The Lil '59 is a single-coil sized humbucker that pretty much drops in the regular slot, with no modifications needed. Not sure if you can split it or not, but that's not really a concern at this point - I'd be totally happy running it as a HB full-time. So, yes, there is a possibility of a "Fat Strat" down the road for me - and I wouldn't even need to buy a new guitar to do it!!

Swede - Yeah, the blue MIJ Strat is super-cherry. Up until buying it in 2003, I'd never owned any piece of Fender gear. Then the floodgates opened . . . thanks to that guitar! I've been on a rampaging gear-buying spree ever since.
 
Nelskie, I thought until recently that the only true happiness was to be found in dual humbucker guitars! :D So I can understand you...
 
My strats. The 'burst one is a 2003 American Series and the White is a 2004 American Series. All stock except for the pickguards.
 

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