OK its time for the c/card to come out. Your help needed.

[Jp.]

Ok I've been around here for year now and i fell like I'm free loading.

Its time for the credit card to come out.

Heres the scoop. My project strat is finally coming together and its time for the electronics. Its an Alder body, r/wood frett board neck.

Ok I'm into the range of music from 80's blue rockers ZZ top, rockabilly Stray Cats, Eagles "life in the fast lane" to a lot of the more subtle blues. Often (for fun) with a bit more drive I'll go for a bit of AC/DC vibe. I'm not into metal and I use o/drive more than distortion. I'm an old shool rocker.

More than likely most of you have seen the Pink Zebra striped fur coated strat. My ode to ZZ top. So heres an artists impression using the keseki site.



I added a bigsby to see what it would look like and but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get one.


After reading about the Mules I'm pretty sure Its an Alnico IV for the neck with 4 core wiring. This should allow me some interesting wiring options through the 5 way switch.

So heres what I'm asking.

What single coil to put in the bridge?
Should I go potted or unpotted for the mule?
Is ordering a Calibrated set just uneccassary?


I like the idea of the mule as its ability to roll of the volume and clean up the tone makes a great deal of sense for the style of music I'm into. I'd like a single coil that has some similar traits and that single coil definition.

Please any questions you might need to ask, feel free to, I really am in the dark about the singles tim does.

I really am looking for some definate answers as the credit card is hitting the table as soon as a decision can be reached. Tim please feel free to answer here :) . Being in OZ I cant just get on the phone.

Thanks Guys.

[deg0ey]

What site did you use to make those diagrams? I'm after getting a custom built (yes it will get BK's - Rebel Yells to be exact) and it would be good to "try on" some finishes :drink:

EDIT: Found it - good luck finding pickup info

[Searcher]

I'd go for a hotter pickup than the two real vintage ones (Apache and Mother's Milk) to balance with the Mule, especially since it's only a two-pickup guitar and the single is in the bridge position.  Maybe an Irish Tour?

[Tim]

A Mule neck is going to weigh in at DC7.3K so you want to be looking at an Irish Tour bridge coil at the very least.The IT bridge is DC7.5 so should hold up reasonably well................don't worry about the calibrated thing, it applies to like sets,ie a humbucker set or Strat set etc.In this case you're going for something quite unusual so we'll have to work hard to achieve a good balance.

[Philly Q]

How about a Tele pickup - Brown Sugar or The Boss?  You'll be getting a custom pickguard anyway.  It'd sound different without the metal bridge plate but it'd be a bit tougher and spankier than a Strat pickup - could work well with the neck humbucker.

[Jp.]

Irish tour is lookin like a go but should I go potted or unpotted on the mule????

[gingataff]

From your description of musical style, unpotted would be the one I reckon.

What kind of selector switch will you go for?

With a 5 way maybe you could get something like:
1 Bridge SC
2 Bridge SC + Neck split
3 Bridge SC + Neck series
4 Neck parallel
5 Neck series

Not sure if this is wirable but you can get some cool sounds that way.

[Jp.]

Bingo.... thats excatly what I was going to do with the 5 way.

By the way Tim. what is the difference between "nickel" and "chrome" finnish? I saw the two options in th eordering screen and to me they look the same. :roll:  :lol:

[Jp.]

Ok order is in .... Irish tour bridge and Mule neck.

My stomach is churning. I just did a coversion to Australian peso....Mahn this is gonna hurt

[plastercaster]

what did you use to get those pictures?

[PhilKing]

what did you use to get those pictures?

So heres an artists impression using the keseki site.

This lets you play with guitars within certain parameters

[gingataff]

Yeah, like the virtual Jem I've been playing with.


But I can't decide if it'd be better as a Jackson...


I made an awesome faded-reverse-lime-greenburst-relic-flamed-maple telecaster last night.

http://www.nymphusa.com/kisekae/kisekaeE1.asp

[ztevie]

Another build-your-virtual-guitar site is: http://www.jcfonline.com/resources/csgen/JCFCustomShop.htm

[Fourth Feline]

The difference between nickel and chrome is primarily that chrome has a slightly blue tint to it, whereas nickel looks slightly yellow. With a guitar like yours It looks like chrome would suit better IMHO.

Nickel also ages tastefully, but it ages. On the other hand I have some chrome pickups that still look 'new' after 30 years.

I would go unpotted for the Alnico IV Mule. I have got a set of calibrated potted (and they are excellent) - but if starting again would go unpotted, as Tim has got round the problem of 'unpotted pickup squeal'.

Tim's advice on the impedance of the Irish Tour Bridge was most informative, but I was VERY interested to read the recomendation of perhaps using a BKP Telecaster bridge pickup. Telecaster bridge pickups really can/do take on a humbucker. I say that as a Telecaster and Strat player.  I would ask Tim about that, they really kick and bite compared to a Strat bridge pickup.

Unfortunately, at this time only my Gibsons have BKP sets, my Strat and Tele are not weighing in with BKPs yet.

Regards,

Derek.

[Fourth Feline]

...As a p.s. to my previous post , I remembered another couple of reasons why a Telecaster bridge pickup might be a better power balance to your neck Alnico IV 'Mule'  than a Strat bridge p/u.

I find the various Tele bridge pickups sound best about 1/16" away from the strings, whereas the Strat type seem to sound harsh any closer than about 1/8" away from the string. At that setting the Tele bridge pickup is therefore picking up/pushing out more signal than it's Strat equivalent whilst still being in the 'sweet spot'.

I also bring to your attention the number of Telecaster 'specials' where a humbucker neck/ single coil bridge combo is deliberatley used to achieve a good balance .

just a thought ...     :)

Regards,

Derek.