Top 10 Strat Mods

[markb]

Courtesy of Premier Guitar.

Link

 

[Robert]

Let your guitar breathe? :whatever:

Some of the tips seem kinda nerdy?

 

[markb]

I find some of them a bit iffy too.

 

[Tibernius]

Some of the tips seem kinda nerdy?

And some completely contradictory:

Uninstall the neck and check the cavity; it should be absolutely free of any paint, dirt and other things. Over the years I've found a lot of funny things there -- credit cards, paper, cardboard, etc.

If you feel that the neck does not fit the cavity because the cavity is too wide or too low, get your guitar to an experienced luthier who will "shim" it.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Quite a bit of good info there (and some stuff that I'm skeptical about, too), but there is very little mentioned that I would consider to be legitimate Strat "mods"! Keeping your screws tightened is a mod??? C'mon--we're talking basic guitar set-up and ongoing maintenance with something like that.

To me, a "mod" would be something like installing a different trem block or a push/pull pot to put your bridge pickup in series with either of the other two. Pretty weak effort by Mr. Wacker, IMO....

 

[Robert]

Well, a mod I do to vintage bridges is to loosen all screws but the outer ones. So the 4 screws in the middle I unscrew halfway, and then I loosen the outer ones just enough so that they function as a pivot. That way I can set the bridge to float and it stays in tune.

 

[Spudman]

One good one that was left out is to re-seat the neck heel more firmly against the body.

To do this loosen the strings a little bit (not totally slack but with some tension so that clear notes will sound - maybe 1 step down) then loosen the 4 screws that mount the neck about 1 turn at most. Then re-tighten. The string tension will pull the neck heel tight against the body and thus improving vibration transfer.

 

[just strum]

One of the simple ones that is quickly reversible - what is the reason for the sound change?

2. A Stratocaster typically has a rear-routed tremolo cavity that is covered with a plastic cover and some screws. Take the cover away. It's amazing how the overall sound of a guitar can change by simply taking away this cover. I know it sounds like voodoo, but it's true -- give it a try and hear the difference yourself.

 

[thearabianmage]

One of the simple ones that is quickly reversible - what is the reason for the sound change?

2. A Stratocaster typically has a rear-routed tremolo cavity that is covered with a plastic cover and some screws. Take the cover away. It's amazing how the overall sound of a guitar can change by simply taking away this cover. I know it sounds like voodoo, but it's true -- give it a try and hear the difference yourself.

It's the same sort of physics as close-back/half-back/open-back amps. It's just the way the sound reverberates in the cavity and, in my opinion, is more subjective than anything else. . .

 

[just strum]

It's the same sort of physics as close-back/half-back/open-back amps. It's just the way the sound reverberates in the cavity and, in my opinion, is more subjective than anything else. . .

So depending on your taste or preference, it's only good or bad based on the individual. Well, simple to do, I'll give it a try to see if these battered ears can hear a difference.

I'll have to give Spud's suggestion a try too.

 

[marnold]

There was a follow-up letter that said that the back cover made a difference acoustically, but not when plugged-in. YMMV. I leave mine off just for convenience's sake, but I always have this fear that the claw will give way and disembowel me. It's be a pretty funny way to go!

 

[just strum]

... It's be a pretty funny way to go!

Sort of rock star-ish

 

[markb]

There was a follow-up letter that said that the back cover made a difference acoustically, but not when plugged-in. YMMV. I leave mine off just for convenience's sake, but I always have this fear that the claw will give way and disembowel me. It's be a pretty funny way to go!

Very Spinal Tap

If you take off the spring cover the springs get damped by contact with your body. I prefer the natural chorus effect of leaving the cover on myself but I'll admit it's very subtle.

 

[thearabianmage]

Very Spinal Tap

If you take off the spring cover the springs get damped by contact with your body.

When I took my BC Rich to a luthier to have it fixed, he said that leaving the back cover off exposes the springs etc. to excess moisture which can lead them to rust. Since then, I've always just kept mine on. . .

 

[Robert]

In order to get great tone, I gently brush off all dust from guitar with a swiffer duster.

 

[thearabianmage]

In order to get great tone, I gently brush off all dust from guitar with a swiffer duster.

:rotflmao:

I feed my guitar pizza and whiskey, does the job every time, although every now and again, the whammy bar goes a bit wobbly. . .

 

[Robert]

I order to get great jazz tone from my axe, I wrap it in soft blankets and I read a good book to it. Mellows it right down.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

In order to get great tone, I gently brush off all dust from guitar with a swiffer duster.

Hmm, that's old skool. I use compressed air! :rockon:

 

[thearabianmage]

Whenever I want to play metal, I slap my guitar around a little bit, call it names, and tell it that it's worthless. . . But I have to watch it, because it could start whining and get all country on me if I do it too much. . .

 

[sunvalleylaw]

LOL!! That one is good! Stand by your metal man!

 

[Jimi75]

Well folks, I think there are so many so called experts out there on the internet and on forums and everyone of them has another advice how you can mod or improve your instrument. Eric Johnson is a sound freak. Remember the thread about fuzzes? Eric Johnson exchanges the screws of his fuzz to improve the sound! So what are we talking about here? Removing the lacquer underneath the tremoloblock, underneath the pus?

Please make sure you really want to do this to your instrument before acting in a rush. I believe that you will not hear a difference. Please bear in mind that people with a superior capability of hearing like Eric Johnson are few out there and they hear things we might never hear.

Buy an instrument that you love from the first moment on. Don't buy something where you feel the need that you have to mod this and that! Most of the time when you play on stage with a full band you don't hear such subtle changes.

Fixing the tremolo block is cool, if you don't use the tremolo. Exchanging pus is also something one can do, but that's about what I did to my instruments.

Plug in and play!

 

[slow&alive]

Sound advice, Jimi75 (no pun intended).

On removing the back cavity cover, I read that Eric Johnson does this on all his guitars because he liked what it did to the sound, so I thought, what the hay, I'll give it a try--can't hurt, and if I don't like it, I can always put the cover back on.

I did this years ago and the cover is still off (noticed a distinct sound improvement immediately, but Y-ear-MMV).

 

[Mymindsok]

Most of the mods that EJ does are really common sense.

The "removing the rear cavity cover" trick has been around since at least the 70's. Dunno how it works but it does.

Removing the paint under the trem plate lets the bridge transfer the strings vibrational energy directly to the guitar's body.

Removing the paint under the pick guard lets the guitar vibrate more easily.

Cleaning up the neck cavity makes the sounds travel to/through the neck more easily.

Bone nuts are a proven item.

Etc, etc, etc.

I'm currently doing all of the mods to my EJ Strat but I started out by installing a Callaham trem assy. Thats another item that I was warned, would yield no results. WRONG!!! The hi-zoot trem makes for a much better sounding/playing instrument.

I really had my eyes opened when my dealer loaned me his personal 60th Anniversary Strat and it turned out to be the best instrument that I've ever played. He cherry picked the best Strat that came through the shop and then did the usuall mods,. added a titanium trem assy and ended up with an amazing guitar and some of the botique instriments are very fine too and don't cost any more mullah.