SX strat mod and Tonerider help

BluJu

So I bought an SX Vintage Series "custom handmade" (I'm not sure about that) strat In the hope of learning a little bit about mods. I'm getting a DiMarzio super distortion tomorrow to slap in the bridge but was
wondering what pups to get for the neck and middle. I was thinking of taking the pups out of my Highway strat and putting Toneriders in the highway.
How much better if any will those be (the SX with the highway) and which toneriders should I look at for my Strat.

City Limits seem to be a good compromise of hot and not so hot but people seem to love the Vintage ones. Anyone have any experience with this?
I'm doing the project in the hope of learning how to change pickups (and other components) and just get a better feel for the guts of guitars.
I don't have much experience in these things.

I'll post some pics along the way, just as soon as I find this camera. ?

StephenG

i got the toneriders vintage in my squier strat - and they phenomenal..!!!!!

HOWever, dont just assume you need to change those pups in the SX – their own SX pups are in a complete class of their own in budget guitars – definitely a cut above the rest.

guidothepimmp

Blu,

That SX must feel out of place next to all that great kit ?

They seem perfect for tinkering though. Le us know how that dimarzio sounds

VellaJ

From what I understand, you'll get SOME benefits from putting the Highway pups into the SX. However, your Strat is superior to the SX (unsurprisingly) in terms of the wood, etc. This means that you will notice more of a difference in the Strat by upgrading the pups, rather than the SX by putting in the Highway pups.

However, if you're looking for mods experience, I reckon this is great. Them Toneriders in the Strat will definitely make a heck of a difference ?

Norman86

VellaJ wrote: From what I understand, you'll get SOME benefits from putting the Highway pups into the SX. However, your Strat is superior to the SX (unsurprisingly) in terms of the wood, etc. This means that you will notice more of a difference in the Strat by upgrading the pups, rather than the SX by putting in the Highway pups.

However, if you're looking for mods experience, I reckon this is great. Them Toneriders in the Strat will definitely make a heck of a difference ?

How would the woods be better in the highway one??
For all we know, he could have picked up an American Alder series SX (alder wood), an Ash series SX (Ash) or a Vintage Plus SX (Alder)!

http://www.sxguitarspain.com/sx_american_alder.htm
http://www.sxguitarspain.com/sx_ash_guitars.htm
http://www.sxguitarspain.com/sx_vintage_plus1.htm

just saying ?

VellaJ

Norman86 wrote:
VellaJ wrote: From what I understand, you'll get SOME benefits from putting the Highway pups into the SX. However, your Strat is superior to the SX (unsurprisingly) in terms of the wood, etc. This means that you will notice more of a difference in the Strat by upgrading the pups, rather than the SX by putting in the Highway pups.

However, if you're looking for mods experience, I reckon this is great. Them Toneriders in the Strat will definitely make a heck of a difference ?
How would the woods be better in the highway one??
For all we know, he could have picked up an American Alder series SX (alder wood), an Ash series SX (Ash) or a Vintage Plus SX (Alder)!

http://www.sxguitarspain.com/sx_american_alder.htm
http://www.sxguitarspain.com/sx_ash_guitars.htm
http://www.sxguitarspain.com/sx_vintage_plus1.htm

just saying ?

I bow to the master ?

I'm not that familiar with the SX guitars, I knew that they were mostly entry-level guitars (again, open to correction I guess ?) and that their pickups were quite impressive for their class. I wasn't aware of the good-quality woods that some of them use.

Norman86

lol...
I have seen one of the SX Thinline Tele's, and there was a big sticker on the pick guard that said the ash used was American Swamp Ash!

And after checking the site, saw quite a few of the woods used was not just basswood or poplar or pine!
So ja, pups can always be replaced, but i think if the guit has a good tone from the body and a good neck...
Well, that should be good! i would like to get an SX Thinline Tele, even just to play around with!
The body might be a 3 piece, but the one i saw had a much better 3 piece body than other pics i have seen! it was nowhere near as obvious!
Just a pity i saw it at the shop where i will not set foot in again!

Keira-WitherKay

i was really bored this morning so cut a clip of my tele inspiration Jim Campilongo playing and original 52 telecaster thru a fender deluxe reverb....... and then added a clip of me playing a stock sx tele thru a laney cub 10 but with both Jim and i playing the same song ( mr sandman)

so listen to the short clip ( only 33 seconds) and hear a 52 tele and a stock sx back to back ........

so lets not kid ourselves that i'm posting this to say an sx tele is anywhere close to a Fender usa tele ............ and especially not this original 52 vintage one jim plays ........

but i'm posting this and the comparison of a stock sx tele just to show that they good enough to stand their ground and be used at a gig....

i'm playing the sx just thru the laney cub 10 and it gives a good enough tone and playability to handle a pro gig ( i'm playing here at the harlequins casino bar in sun city)

my impressions ..........well you all know i just bought a Fender American standard tele, so you should know by the fact that i spent into double figures for a real tele....says that the sx can't compete fully and definitely feels cheap..or i would have just modded that and been happy ..

as far as fix's to the stock tele ...... i had to cut the plastic nut and lubricate it with graphite to allow strings to pass smoothly , and a huge fix was the bridge pup did not line the pups pole pieces up with the strings so i had to reglue the pup on the plate in a new position...... so yes some flaws ... but the sx gutar here is stock and after a few fix's (no mods ) is more than playable , and the stock pups sound great with a nice bite.......and amazingly NO NOISE ... and the main thing is that the sx copy actually sounds a lot like a genuine tele.....even if it feels cheap in my hands ...

and thats what i wanted to show with the video ..that moving from Jim playing a god knows what priced original 52 tele thru a deluxe reverb amp( the ultimate vintage tele and amp) , to me playing a budget 1K tele thru a cub 10 and yes i can hear a sound difference , but to my ear both sound like authentic tele's and thats the proof of the pudding ....and where i think the sx is great that it is a convincing copy sound/tone wise....... it does not sound like a strat or any other single coil tone but distinctively like a tele......and i love that about the sx and of course the 52 is better by a mile but if you on a budget an sx tele is a good clone to get .......... and don't think it can't do the gigs....even stock . supurb value for money ...... and btw i speak only for the sx tele's i know nothing of their other models

StephenG

..and being one of the first on this site to admit to owning a SX Thinline tele...

I'll go on to say - that I got the schematics and parts numbers for the original Fender '69 Thinline - ordered the parts (except the tuners) and modded the SX with original Fender parts..

and what may come as a big surprize to some - I changed them all back to the original SX parts except the 3 way selector.. THATS how much better it sounded to me (and a few others) having the original SX parts in.

tonerider

BluJu wrote: So I bought an SX Vintage Series "custom handmade" (I'm not sure about that) strat In the hope of learning a little bit about mods. I'm getting a DiMarzio super distortion tomorrow to slap in the bridge but was
wondering what pups to get for the neck and middle. I was thinking of taking the pups out of my Highway strat and putting Toneriders in the highway.
How much better if any will those be (the SX with the highway) and which toneriders should I look at for my Strat.

City Limits seem to be a good compromise of hot and not so hot but people seem to love the Vintage ones. Anyone have any experience with this?
I'm doing the project in the hope of learning how to change pickups (and other components) and just get a better feel for the guts of guitars.
I don't have much experience in these things.

I'll post some pics along the way, just as soon as I find this camera. ?

If you're gonna use the DiMarzio in the bridge the only Toneriders that will keep up will be a City Limits "bridge" in the middle position and the City Limits "middle" in the neck position.