I’m sorry I have been very busy at work these past few days and it hasn’t left me much time to dedicate to my blog. Therefore, I had to take a few days off and regroup for myself, but now I’m back and I hope without any disruptions for a while.
Well, if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that recently I purchased my first Fender Stratocaster, and basically I love it. However, it has become quite obvious to me already, since I’ve been playing it non-stop from the day I got it in my hands, that it has some irritating features that I didn’t notice because I loved the way the guitar played and felt in my hands. It has a very sweet neck that plays very quick and that sold me on the guitar.
However, with that being said, when I hooked my Strat up and played it through my effects boards (POD xt LIVE and my Pedaltrain with several individual effects pedals) it created an inordinate amount of hum in the 1st, 3rd and 5th position of the 5 position pick-up switch. When the switch was on position 2 or 4, the hum was nearly imperceptible. I then hooked up my Gibson Les Paul and as I remembered, there was no hum whatsoever. So, that’s what started me on my hunt for new pick-ups for my Strat.
The following are the various models that Fender offers but after conversations with guitarists that I know and sales reps at Sweetwater, Musicians Friend and the Guitar Center, I’ve decided to go with the “Fender Hot Noiseless Strat Pickups”. I’ve talked with my contact at Musicians Friend and they’ve given me the best deal on that set of pickups, so I’ll be purchasing them shortly.
Fender Hot Noiseless Strat Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Designed Exclusively for Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck wanted a bigger sound and better tonal dynamics than a standard single-coil pickup could deliver, and he got exactly what he was after in the new hotter Noiseless design. Warm and punchy neck pickup tone with a bluesy feel, and a bridge pickup that screams at high gain. The clean tone is clear and very full. These pickups deliver the best definition and sensitivity that has ever graced the Strat.
Features:
- Designed for Jeff Beck
- No 60-cycle hum
- Hot, edgy single-coil sound
Fender Vintage "Noiseless" Stratocaster Pickups . . . . . . . . . . .
Fender Custom '54 Stratocaster Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fender Texas Special Stratocaster Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fender Custom Shop '69 Strat Pickups . . . . . . . . . . .
Fender Fat 50’s Strat Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fender Stratocaster Lace Sensor Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The next modification that I plan to move forward with is the addition of the Vintage 62’ Reissue Fender Tremolo Bridge Set per the photo below. I’m not an experienced whammy bar user but the only way to get there is to go there and going there with the proper equipment is the way to go.
I also plan to add the Fender Schaller Locking Tuners because I’ve noticed that this guitar does require tuning more often than my Gibson Les Paul or my Gibson B.B. King “Lucille”. Therefore, it must be in the tuners so making this change should eliminate that problem for me.
Brushed-finish Fender Schaller Locking Tuners provide solid tuning stability by clamping the cut end of the string with a hand-tightened lock screw. There's no play in the string and you tune normally. A great way around locking nut systems that don't allow tuning on the fly. Highest quality manufacture, Schaller Locking Tuners are the same tuners used on Fender American Deluxe Series guitars.
Features:
- Brushed Finish
- Super High Quality
- Great Tuning Stability
- Tune on the Fly
- Same as on Fender’s American Deluxe Series
The last modification will be adding the Fender Strap Locks and Buttons Set:
I’ve used many of the other brands in the past and they all seem to do the job well as long as you install them properly. I know I hate to use a larger screw with the new strap lock set, no matter which brand is used. However, if you’re able to match the screw size with your new strap lock set, it’ll make it much easier to install and cause you less stress by not enlarging those screw holes.
Well for the most part, these are the most popular modifications that are done to the Fender Stratocaster guitars. Of course companies such as DiMarzio, Seymour-Duncan and others manufacture pickups that are made specifically for the Fender Strat and those that are designed to eliminate the hum that I talked about earlier. They also have humbucker style pickups that fit in the cutout of the standard single coil pickup design where they stack the coils in lieu of lying them side-by-side which creates a standard humbucker style pickup design.
I can’t wait to order the pickups so I can begin the modification process to my Strat. She’ll be one hell of a axe when I’m through with her. Time to end this post and start practicing for the night. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do because of the past few days of work overload. Have a great evening and don’t forget to give your kids a hug. Until next time.
Bob
