Strat bodies - how light is too light? (Update!)

[Philly Q]

Well, I've got a Fender backplate, HSS scratchplate and SSS scratchplate in white pearloid; and a backplate and HSS scratchplate in torty.  And a black parts kit and a white parts kit (and aged white, and parchment... I'm a bit of a hoarder, if you hadn't realised  :oops: ).  So plenty of scope to experiment!  :D

Now, decisions decisions...

[Philly Q]

C'mon Phill, resistence is futile... You know you want and will do both of them... :D
(hope I'm not putting you into bank troubles :lol:)

You knew it, didn't you?!  I bought 'em both....  :oops: :oops: :oops:

No bank troubles, but I'm supposed to be selling guitars and saving up for boring things like kitchens and double glazing (and an HD TV  ).


Oh well, I'll put the purple one together first then take my time over the natural one... should keep GAS at bay for a few months.

[_tom_]

I only really like black/white/black guards on natural guitars, it just looks right to me. White/pearloid looks cheap to me and I've never liked tortoiseshell, also looks tacky.

[Philly Q]

I only really like black/white/black guards on natural guitars, it just looks right to me. White/pearloid looks cheap to me and I've never liked tortoiseshell, also looks tacky.

We'll have to agree to disagree there Tom! 

I know pearloid stopped being fashionable in about 1997 but I love the look.  Tortoiseshell too.  :)

[FernandoDuarte]

Ohhhh I'm feeling guilty  :oops:

Hope they come nice!!!  :D
The tortoise is going in which one?

[Philly Q]

Don't feel guilty Fernando, I pulled the trigger! :lol:

The tortoise is probably going in the natural finish, but I'll see how it all looks when I get the bodies.

[WezV]

i really like tortoise on natural bodies.. preferably oiled rather than shiny though... i think you need a 3rd body ;)

[kevincurtis]

Those look like 2 very nice purchases Mr P, I would favour the purps one myself, I'm with Wez that the gloss looks a little too shiny on natural wood, but thats just MHO - will be interesting to see how they turn out :)

[hunter]

Tortoise on black is killer IMO

[mikeluke]

In that case you'd hate the red/maroon tortoiseshell pickguard on my Shell Pink 54 Reissue Jap Strat....

[Philly Q]

Thanks guys for assuaging my guilt.

I did consider getting an unfinished body and oiling it, but I liked that particular natural finish body so much... and I agree that tortoise looks great on black (or white), but once I decided on swamp ash I couldn't go for a solid colour, the grain is just too pretty.

[Kilby]

I know it's nothing to do with me (not my money) but I would hold out for another Mary Kay style finish as theyre seriously stylish and unusual.

Always interested to hear your opinion, though, Rob!

I like the Mary Kay, but I think it looks best with a 50s style neck (I have a gold anodised scratchplate which would've looked great).  I don't think it would work with my big headstock Highway 1 neck.

I love that purple one (and the natural one too so )

The natural one reminds me of all the strats I letched after but could never afford when I first discovered guitars back in 1981, I think that would look great with the large headstock. and maple fingerboard.

So whats the plan for them (apart from the Highway 1 neck and scratchplate biz ?)

[Philly Q]

So whats the plan for them (apart from the Highway 1 neck and scratchplate biz ?)

Well I only really had one planned - which will be the purple one now - and that's going to have an all maple neck, vintage style trem (Gotoh probably), VHII(?) and the original neck and middle pickups from my '99 Am Std Strat (at least for the time being).  It'll be wired like a Fender Lone Star Strat.

Not sure about the natural one.  I'll probably get another Highway 1 neck - maple again most likely, but maybe rosewood this time.  Definitely big headstock.  And it could be HSS again, or I might go SSS (possibly with the Fender Eric Clapton mid-boost electronics I've had hanging around for years and never used).

I already had most of the parts to build one, but I'll need to get parts for the second one pretty much from scratch - I'm going to try to take my time and accumulate the bits slowly to spread the cost.  We'll see...  :roll:   

[AndyR]

Sorry, I'm a bit late to this one Philly - but all I would have done was joined in on egging you on to getting both!! (with possibly a "who wants light?!" thrown in for good measure) :lol:

Funnily enough, I'm with Kilby, love the purple, but then the natural reminds me of what I was lusting over when I was young...

But, sorry, I HAVE to pull you up on this little gem:

should keep GAS at bay for a few months.

:D

[Philly Q]

Sorry, I'm a bit late to this one Philly - but all I would have done was joined in on egging you on to getting both!! (with possibly a "who wants light?!" thrown in for good measure) :lol:

Funnily enough, I'm with Kilby, love the purple, but then the natural reminds me of what I was lusting over when I was young...

But, sorry, I HAVE to pull you up on this little gem:

should keep GAS at bay for a few months.

:D

Yeah, I know.... but I can dream can't I?  :oops:

I'm trying to convince myself that buying a second Strat body I didn't need was some kind of mature and responsible decision....


 :|


All three of us must have had very similar teenage "guitar awareness" moments - around 1980 a guy in my school turned up with a real Fender Stratocaster and a little Fender practice amp and started playing "Alternative Ulster" before he was ordered to stop by a passing teacher.  Roger Hopkins was his name.  The Strat was natural ash with a big-headstock maple neck and a black scratchplate.

Later that year I got a no-name LP copy.   What I really wanted was a black-on-black maple neck Strat, but in fact I ended up buying a Hamer Special.  And so it all began....  :roll: