Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Philly Q on August 30, 2008, 04:39:22 PM
-
For a while now I've been wittering on about getting a maple-neck, big headstock Strat (mainly because I've become childishly obsessed with the look of the '70s Fender logo :oops: ).
I thought about getting an MIJ ST72, but you never see them anywhere and I had my doubts about the vintage radius and small frets. I was also quite keen on the Billy Corgan Signature, but I didn't really want the DiMarzio rails pickups and it seemed silly to buy a signature guitar then ditch the only unique feature.
In the end I decided to do what gwEm recently did and bought a Highway 1 neck, which is now sitting on my '99 American Standard:
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/IMGP2510.jpg)
Before After
What d'you think? Robin Trower meets Robert Cray meets EVH(?).
Are the black parts a bit much on the light coloured neck and body? Would white look better?
I may still put the '99 back as it was and get another body to go with the maple neck.
-
I like it.
It has a Ritchie Blackmore vibe to it with the black coil covers.
Strats, or any fender for that matter, have never looked right to me with a rosewood neck as opposed to a maple.
-
I think that looks pretty damn good!
-
I think it looks awesome!
-
Looking good Philly.
-
Thanks gents. :D
Nobody thinking I should go for white parts, then? I must say I've always liked the contrast of white parts on a dark-coloured plate and vice versa, that way you can see them from a distance!
-
Looks good, looks nice job how you swapped to the humbuckler too.
-
Noice. I also like 70s headstocks ... only few do though ..
What is gonna happen to the old neck?
-
Don't like the HSS configuration, beside it, it's gorgeous!
-
What is gonna happen to the old neck?
Nothing, for the moment!
It's still 50/50 whether I keep this as it is (but with a new bridge pickup), or get another body and build a whole new Strat. I'd quite like to have one Strat with a tremolo, even though I'm not that fond of them.
-
Philly - I love it. Going through a bit of a Fender phase at the moment and this has got my juices flowing. :o
-
It looks really good as is Philly :D
And that's saying a fair bit from me, considering the following:
I prefer the look of rosewood boards on strats
I much prefer the 60s headstock
I don't seem to like how Fender have added another fret, always looks odd to me (otherwise I would have bought a Highway myself last year)
HSS is not my cup of tea at all!
Given all that, this one looks kinda right - and definitely not white parts with that scratchplate.
But I've just got this feeling that you're not wholly convinced, and that you will end up putting it back as was and get the new body! :wink:
-
I love the before and after equally as much. Both look really, really good.
-
But I've just got this feeling that you're not wholly convinced, and that you will end up putting it back as was and get the new body! :wink:
Hmmm, you know me too well Andy! :lol:
I just have a feeling that this neck and HSS scratchplate would look even better on a black body. And I do fancy a tremolo, maybe one of the Gotoh vintage/modern ones like John Suhr uses. And I'm feeling sort of guilty about dumping the rosewood neck after nearly 10 years of service.
On the other hand, the look is growing on me, and it does sound good - acoustically, that is, none of the electronics are even wired up at the moment....
But thanks for the favourable comments, despite all the features you wouldn't normally like! :) :lol:
I've always preferred 22 frets and maple boards (though I do like rosewood almost as much).
The big headstock is just a current obsession, I've totally gone off the '50s/'60s shape at the moment for some reason (but I have these phases with guitars - e.g. sometimes I like vintage hardware but other times I like more high-tech modern stuff).
As for the HSS setup, I normally don't like mixing HBs and SCs but again, it just felt right to make this one a bit more modern, versatile and "functional".
I love the before and after equally as much. Both look really, really good.
Cheers Sam! :D
-
i think i prefer the rosewood one, but (as usual) i'm not certain. :lol:
-
i think i prefer the rosewood one, but (as usual) i'm not certain. :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
No one can accuse you of inconsistency Dave! :drink:
-
very cool.... hardtail, HSS pickups, 22 fret maple neck, CBS headstock. all the right features
i'm really enjoying my USA highway 1 neck, attached as it is to a squier plywood body. its one of my favourite necks at the moment.
regarding the look, the maple board is gorgeous, might look even better on a different colour body. the rosewood definately works look wise with the body. and the maple works equally as well, but i think it could look *even better* with maybe a vintage white colour? or perhaps something else, black maybe, or or or! ;) :) ;)
-
and the maple works equally as well, but i think it could look *even better* with maybe a vintage white colour? or perhaps something else, black maybe, or or or! ;) :) ;)
Yeah, I'm thinking black or a dark colour - gunmetal blue, charcoal frost... then I'd have light neck and scratchplate, dark parts and body. It would just balance out nicely, I think.
They are nice necks, aren't they - slimmer than I would normally choose, but enough bulk to be comfortable and the big frets add to the playability. They're pretty much the same as the "modern C" shape on a post-2000 American/American Standard.
My rosewood neck is about the same depth but feels a tiny bit more D shaped in cross-section. It's quite an interesting guitar, actually, sort of "transitional" between the old American Standard and the 2000 American Series. It has the HSH routing (instead of the "swimming pool" rout) they weren't supposed to have introduced until 2000. It still has the not-quite-right American Standard headstock shape, but the neck shape is much closer to the "modern C" than all the earlier '80s/'90s Strats I owned, which were thinner with sharp/squared-off edges.
Enough rambling... :oops:
-
i think i prefer the rosewood one, but (as usual) i'm not certain. :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
No one can accuse you of inconsistency Dave! :drink:
:lol:
:drink: