I’ve been in New York City over the past few days on business and I’m a bit behind on my posts so please excuse me and please be patient with me as I try to catch-up and get back in the swing of things.
Since I reconnected with my good friend, Kevin Bort, of our band JORDAN from back in the mid to late 70’s, he’s turned me on to playing Fender Stratocaster’s. Over the years, I’ve always played Gibson guitars and specifically Les Paul’s, ES-335’s or SG’s. In the past, I’ve owned a Fender Mustang and a couple Fender Telecasters but never a Fender Stratocaster, which is by far the icon of the entire Fender guitar product line.
As we know, many of the Top 100 Guitarists of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 List favor the Fender Stratocaster in their own guitar collection. In my collection, I’m doing my best to stick with Fenders (American Made) product line, such as the American Standard, American Deluxe, American Vintage or Highway One Series.
I currently own three Fender Stratocasters and two of them have been reconditioned, including new pickups installed in both. The first is a 2007 Highway One model that has an Alder body with a Rosewood Fretboard and a satin nitrocellulose lacquer ‘Neutral’ finish with a white pickguard that has been upgraded with Fender’s Hot Noiseless pickups and Graph-Tech string-saver saddles and nut. I still plan to add either the Fender Deluxe Locking Machine Heads or the Fender Schaller Locking Tuners. Both are used on the Fender American Deluxe Models.
My second Strat is a 1990 American Standard Model with an ash body and a Rosewood Fretboard in an Aged White Finish with a matching pickguard and new Seymour Duncan pickups. I used the SD STK-S4n model for the neck, an STK-S4m model for the middle (Classic Stack Plus Pickups) and a SD JB Jr Humbucker at the bridge just like Jeff Beck’s setup on his classic white Stratocaster. I left the original saddles and nut as they were but still plan to change the machine heads to the Fender Schaller Locking Tuners that come standard on the Fender American Deluxe Models.
My newest Strat is an American Standard version with a Rosewood Fretboard in 3-Color Sunburst finish. I’m having the Graph-Tech string-saver saddles and nut installed along with Joe Barden Pickups; the S-Deluxe Strat 3-Pickup Set.
Absolutely Strat in character, with expanded fidelity and frequency response.
The Joe Barden S-Deluxe Strat 3-Pickup Set models are the Strat equivalent to their dual blade Danny Gatton Tele pickups. Two models are available; one for the bridge position and the other for the neck and middle positions.
The tone of the S-Deluxe is absolutely Strat in character, but with greatly expanded fidelity and a balanced frequency response. Of course, hum and noise are completely eliminated. These pickups are incredibly sensitive, giving you a wide range of tones and output levels simply by adjusting the distance of the pickup from the strings.
With S-Deluxe pickups, the "in-between" positions are wonderfully hollow, and the bridge pickup has the strength, snap, and twang typically experienced only in Telecasters. The unique staggered double blade design of the bridge pickup, common to all Joe Barden single-coil sized bridge pickups, eliminates drop-outs on the outer strings.
GC GARAGE
Of course my good friend Nik Kosmas of the GC Garage handles all of my guitar restorations, modifications and upgrades. I wouldn't have anyone else touch my guitars but him. If you have a guitar that you’d like to reinvent, give Nik a call at The Guitar Center in Glen Burnie and tell him that I told you to call. His shop is located right inside that facility.
I hope you enjoyed this post and use some of my ideas on your own guitars. I’ll be back soon with another. Remember to take care of your kids and give them a big hug to show them that you love them.
Until next time;
Musician By Night . . .
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