domhatch
Okay Forumites. Either I fix it up bit by bit (in which case I need your advice on the order in which I go about it), or I sell it. This is my first Strat, and I'm not in a position right now to dump it and search for something that does the complete Strat job. I have a PRS Std 22 which covers just about everything I want to get done, from folk/rock to pop and even a little blues now and then.
So what, you may be wondering, are the issues with the Strat. Well, I quite like the feel of the thing. But I simply hate the way it sounds. Too much high end no matter which position the selector is in. No tonal variety. Pickups? Body material? (Even worse - the player maybe?) The whole kit & caboodle? No way to fix everything for the same investment as saving up for the real deal. Dump it you say? I think I might agree with you there. Hey, what d'ya know. I just found my own answer. But I'd still be interested in hearing a point of view, if anyone would be willing to put one forward...
Thanks
dh
aubs1
I would start with the PUPs.......get a set of ToneRiders, they are quite impressive, or, if you wanna spend a bit more (you say you quite like the "feel" of the guitar), get Kinmans , (my first choice). That should give you an definite improvement in tone! I would'nt sell it, what the hell ....... you don't need to.
Just my take....... ?
MIKA-the-better-one
From what it sounds like... it seeeeeems you just dont ike the idea of a strat....... or the sound shall i say........
Np new pickups will change its nature it will just enhance what it already does.........
you could just throw a humbucker in the bridge :/ A big fat one for a les paul.... but if you stick woth strat pups it will be a treble god.....
what amp do you use?
Sean
What do other guitarists that you know think of the tone?
Would it be possible for you to record and post a clip of it?
Gearhead
Highway One Strats don't need fixing imho. They are well built in the USofA and the differences with higher end models are not worth the trouble and money of the upgrade. Sure, you can get better pups (I kinda like the idea of putting hand wounds in) and better hardware (stamped saddles, hard material nut, locking tuners etc.) but Mika is right, that wil just make it into more of a Strat.
Whatever you do decide to do, don't upgrade first and sell later since you're unlikely to recover the investment.
Tone
Hey man
I'd also say if you don't have to sell keep her and think about mods. I let an Epiphone LP go for next to nothing and now regret it because I could have just changed a few bits and pieces and still loved her! As mentioned earlier you can always stick a humbuggie in the bridge if your wanting more beef 8)
AlanRatcliffe
Yeah, a Strat is almost always still a Strat, regardless of what mods you do to it. So first make sure that you like Strats before spending money. The long scale length, bolt on neck and woods are set and, as Gearhead points out, most of the hardware on the Highways is pretty decent already.
Having said that, there is some wiggle room with pickups. If you are a humbucker fan, consider the 'bucker in the bridge others have mentioned. Also take a look at some of the rails-type pickups (DiMarzio Fast Tracks, Duncan Rails, etc.), which have hotter output, fatter tone and smoother, more humbucker-like attack. They are still more snappy and brighter than full-size humbuckers, but far less so than pure single-coils or stacked humbuckers. Using rails pickups (with or without a full size 'bucker in the bridge) can often bring a Strat into the kind of tonal range a humbucker fan will like while still retaining some Stratty characteristics (much like a humbucker sized P90 in the neck will often make a humbucker guitar more acceptable to a Strat fan).
Warren
I plan on modding my Highway 1 with some new PuPs and upgraded saddles, after that I reckon it will be killin'? Heck, it's already pretty damn cool!
I think it's a great platform for further mods. That said, it sounds nothing like my humbucker equipped guitar, so the guys have given good advice!
singemonkey
If you do follow MIKA's advice, just look out for LP style humbuckers with so-called "F-Spacing" for a Fender guitar. The pole-pieces will then be right under each string - whereas a hum built for a Gibson won't (am I right?).
I really rather like the idea of a Strat with two covered humbuckers.
domhatch
Well, thanks y'all. Isn't it fun to do all this stuff in your head without having to spend a cent? Firstly, I really appreciate the advice from all you guys. And here's what I'm thinking. I had a look at the SD website, and I feel like a shark in a feeding frenzy. So, I guess it's a bit of a drool fest ahead for me, trying out a few guitars here and there, listening for sweet sounds and generally keeping my bank balance in mind when I'm out on the mod road.
I think it'll be pups first, trem second, and hang on to this one for a while. Because I suddenly remembered that I, too, lost an Epi LP - a GoldTop no less - to sheer stupidity many moons ago, and I mourn her still.
I shall let you all know what transpires once my birthday's come and gone end Jan.
Rock on
dh
MIKA-the-better-one
singemonkey wrote:
I really rather like the idea of a Strat with two covered humbuckers.
you would because you own a les paul....... ? ? ?
hahahahahahahahaha
A friend of mine in a jhb band Press OK, put to gibson humbuckers in his strat......... and he plays the funk....... sounds great
