NGD

[Slartibartfarst42]

I've been dithering for a while about whether to check out the Yamaha THR100HD or buy a Strat and fate has forced my hand. There's always been something about a white Stratocaster with a maple neck that really appeals to me and I was wanting something for a lighter feel and Bluesier stuff that I'm playing more of now. As a third guitar I didn't want to spend a fortune so a MiM Standard seemed a good option at Ł440 but this one came up 4 months old and in mint condition for Ł300 so it seemed too good to turn down. I'm thinking Slowhands might be nice for it as a versatile and Bluesy set.

[richard]

Nice one Slarti. There's something so cool about white guitars. I've always wanted a white SG. Now start saving for the Yamaha amp.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Again, the decision may be taken out of my hands. I'm in no rush at all to change the amp so I can bide my time but I've applied for a job that would entail moving to The Falklands so if I get it I won't be playing in a band any more and I'm not taking the Orange all that way just to play in the house. If I move, I'm getting the Yamaha.

[Kiichi]

Not surprised that we continue to share tastes. Lovely axe. Want a strat badly myself. Congrats mate!

For maple the SH could easily be very nice and probably right down your usual alley.

My personal perfect strat right now would be a Pat Pend Mayer style strat though. After that SH or IT...or mix.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Everyone seems to expect me to put a humbucker in the bridge as I'm very much a humbucker man but I seriously want this guitar to be different, partly because I already have a couple of humbucker guitars and partly because recently my playing has become more varied and gravitated to a more melodic and Bluesy style. I suspect this is going to suit me very well and if by some chance I want a bit more balls in the bridge, I found a company that will make me a Strat-sized P90. That should be fun but initially I want to keep it all single coils and I suspect that the Slowhands will keep enough of the traditional Fender feel while being thick enough and smooth enough to not be too much of a shock to my humbucker constitution.

[Kiichi]

With a baseplate on the bridge and series parallel switching for 2 and 4 I recon you should get comfortable sounds, enjoying classic strat tones with added beef and size as options.

[gwEm]

I like the strat single coil bridge tone alot. A baseplate will beef it up and keep the character as Kiichi says.

[dave_mc]

very nice

[AndyR]

Excellent geetar - I can see exactly why you went that route

I was in the lucky position of "get both the guitar and the amp". I bought the SG with the funds assigned to me to balance her holiday abroad next year ... so I'm a bit, er, ahead of myself on that front. She bought the amp for my birthday in a couple of weeks (I took delivery yesterday, had to "test it was working" obviously, but now it's back in its box).

If I'd had to choose - it would have been the SG. Guitar first, every time, for me!

Pickups - if you're completely new to strats and single coils, I'd suggest exploring this guitar and its stock pups for as long as possible. The distance between the stock pups and BKP singles is about the same as decent stock hums and BKP hums. Try pushing the stock ones as far as you can (height adjustment, amp settings, pedals, and also right- and left- hand technique - those will change very slightly). You might find out some other stuff about what a stock strat can do for you, stuff that might get hidden by jumping straight in to Slowhands with base-plates.

Incidentally, I do suspect Slowhands with base-plates is what you'll want need 

Unless you get into "vintage strat", that is.

I'd put Apaches in this one, all the way, no base-plates. And I'd also probably change the 5 way switch to a 3 way. I've found Apaches in my Roadworn 50s (maple board) are wonderful thick, spanky pickups. They do rock, blues, etc, effortlessly with a certain amount of ballsy-ness that I really wasn't expecting when ordered them. In fact, that geetar stands up to telecaster bridge comparisons on my amp settings far better than my IT'd Roadworn 60s does. And it sounds so good in positions 1, 3 and 5 that I don't actually use the 2 and 4 in-between sounds (only strat I own where I don't) - hence my "lose the 5 way". I do love the clucky strat sound, but on this guitar with Apaches it seems utterly superfluous.

Anyhoo, cool guitar, very cool guitar

[Kiichi]

Way I know Slarti IŽd actually strongly suggest an IT over an Apache. Classic with a little extra. Come to think of it, IŽd say give them a second look to begin with as a Slowhand alternative, depending on how the guitar sounds. If it is very high end heavy and perhaps a tad scooped almost, sure the Slowhand should fully deliver. If it however has gotten some balance and warmth from the body the IT might just suffice for true strat sound made in your flavor.

The middleground, which you seem to want to hit in a way, is, as you also mentioned, the P90. Thing is, I would not be surprised if in the end youŽd be happier keeping the strat a strat and later getting another guitar for P90s. I know you are not a many guitar man, but I could picture you enjoying the holy trinity of a SC, a P90, and a HB axe, with all being roughly variations on the same flavor.

[38thBeatle]

Lovely looking guitar. I think I'd be tempted to go with Apaches myself but I am pretty biased.

[AndyR]

Lovely looking guitar. I think I'd be tempted to go with Apaches myself but I am pretty biased.

^ Listen to this man

I spent a year or two on here going "Irish Tours" watching 38th go "Apaches".

One day I bought me some Apaches. I can see why he's biased (btw 38th, I might be about to get some Country Boys!!)

I understand Apaches are (or were) Tim's favourite strat singles too (that was a few years back, though ... before the PAT Pend series existed, so who knows?).

I've got Apaches, Sultans, and ITs (So I've not personally played PAT Pend, Mothers Milk, nor Slowhands), and of the Vintage/Vintage Hot ranges I was surprised to find that Apaches seem the most versatile - mess with the amp settings and they'll do the job of the others. And for me I found Apaches the most pleasing "straight-out-of-the-box-into-the-guitar" pickups. When I first put ITs or Sultans in a guitar, it was "Oooh yeah, like it". With Apaches it was "WOW!!! Why didn't I do this before??!" (mine have been in two strats, same effect both times).


Having said ALL that, though - I do suspect that Slowhands with baseplates (certainly on the bridge) is where you wanna be.

There's a BKP youtube vid demonstrating the effect of baseplates on a PAT Pending 59 set (I'm at work, can't get to youtube). I personally don't like the effect, so I don't use them, but I can see why folks do.

Last thing - one of the reasons I don't even need/want a baseplate on the bridge is because all my strats have tone control on the bridge pickup. You can do it all sorts of ways, but I go for turning one of the tones into a Master Tone and just disconnecting the other one (another option is adding the bridge to one of two tone controls - there's diagrams on the web). Suddenly any strat bridge pickup becomes more usable to our modern ears if you can roll off the tone to make it fatter and more punchy - I'd recommend trying that on your stock pickups asap. And once you've got fatter and punchy, the option for the sharp and biting of the fully open bridge pickup becomes a bit more useful and attractive.

[gwEm]

I think one of the great things about strats is the way they welcome changes and experimentation with the wiring.

Agree with AndyR about adding a tone control to the bridge pickup. You can patch the middle tone to the bridge, or have it do middle *and* bridge. Or you can wire for a master volume and tone on the whole shebang.

I also like a three way switch. But I usually lose the middle pickup and have the switch middle position give neck and bridge, which is a really nice tone clean or slightly dirty. Pure Fender.

[Telerocker]

Sorry, late response, but that's a nice strat. They always look good in white.