Maiming my strat.....or healing it :-)

[Multani]

Well, i will probably regret this in 30 years time when my metabolism has slowed down and i decide to play blues. But for now i am playing contempory metal/hard rock. And the strat aint playing. It has such a puny output it is rediculous, even with a tubescreamer. Great for jazz/blues, but anything demanding pinch harmonics and its no show.

At the mo' i have a mahogany washburn with a war pig and i love everything about it. The strat in concern is a made in japan model from 1994-95. It was my first electric 7 or so years ago but for the past 4 its just been sitting in a case. So i thought id renew its commitment to me by bar-stewardising it with some bareknuckles!

I couldnt tell you exactly what the body is but neck is definately maple. Body might be basswood. or maybe alder. im leaning to basswood for MIJ though.

So i guess i want a hot output humbucker (routing needed i know...) with not too much "hi'"s, seen as this seems to be a pretty twangy guitar in its own right. this is the sound im diggin right now-
 
www.myspace.com/heislegend

This would work alongisde my washburn. One would be in drop D/ E standard and the other in Drop C/ D standard territory. Cant really decide wich is which till i here 'em both.

Fire away lads :shock:

[FernandoDuarte]

You should look under the pickguard, most modern strats are route HSS from factory :D

[Modular1]

my fender usa came routed for HSH. i believe most are. could't say for a MIJ tho.

Stick a holy diver in it! you wont regret it!

[gingataff]

Or you could stick with singles and get an UberSinner.

[MrBump]

Or you could just accept your fate and play the blues...

I'd go Sinner.  Strats are meant for single coils.

Mark.

[AndyR]

I'm with Mark on this one. I'd suggest you think about and consider the hi-output singles first - doesn't mean it's not valid to go the humbucker route though :D

I messed around with an early 80s JV Squier (in the early 80s, and then again in the 90s), I kinda regret it now. I was trying to make it do something other than it was good at. It's still a cute guitar, but its not what it was, and its just not worth the time/effort/money to restore it properly.

I've not tried the higher output BKP singles myself, but if I wanted to push a strat to its limit now, I'd get the sinners with baseplates. Sooner or later you're going to want a strat that sounds like a strat as a contrast to the mahogany/warpig. Perhaps, think about whether it's this one or not... :)

[Philly Q]

Nah, put a humbucker on it. 

That's one of the great things about a Strat - you can always just swap the scratchplate in 30 years when you turn into Walter Trout.

[FernandoDuarte]

I would put a nailbomb, just because of the clip that Tim recorded with it...
A Ibanez is nothing else than a strat with humbuckers and floyd rose...

[Woogie]

Holdsworth prototype = win

[Philly Q]

Holdsworth prototype = win

Is that similar to any of the standard range?

[kellar]

Play the blues man. Just play the blues. :D

[Woogie]

Holdsworth prototype = win

Is that similar to any of the standard range?

hot rodded holydiver afaik!  8)

[Philly Q]

Cool, I was considering a HD for my Strat.  And/or a VHII.  :)

[Multani]

Cheers lads. I am well up for a humbucker. So sorry for the singlecoil fans!

I just realised that Devin Townsend (basically my idol!) recorded his newest album with an american strat with a Seymour duncan pearly gates stuck in the bridge.

Will the holy diver get me into that sorta territory? or nailbomb it>?

i guess it would be outta those two and the miracle man or painkiller.

[Modular1]

holy diver will get you nice cleans... and it will do metal too