Mission nearly accomplished: New Voodoo Strat in The House!

Sebber

I bought my Number 1 MIA Voodoo Hendrix Strat, black with maple fretboard, new back in January '98 and it's been my go-to guitar ever since, so much so that over recent years I've been GASsing heavily for more Voodoo Hendrix Strats... there's just something about the way they play and sound that sets them apart from other MIA strats...

The problem is Fender only made the Voodoo Hendrix Strat series guitars for a short period '97-'98, and because they were such fine quality instruments and only made in limited numbers, they can now be rather difficult to get hold of: they come up regularly in eBay but the bidding often forces the price up over $3000... not bad for an instrument whose new list price back in the late '90s was £1300... even if you're prepared to drop that kind of money on a non-Custom Shop guitar, you're invariably pipped in the last minute of the auction by someone who evidently wants it just that little bit more than you...

Well? I finally got one, sunburst with rosewood board, found it on eBay but the seller didn't describe it quite right so it appears I'm the only Voodoo Strat fanatic who found this one, and was thus the only bidder. $2100 plus $160 shipping to the UK. It arrived here in Joburg yesterday, and here she is!

The Three Amigos:

And The Two Voodoos:

The new sunburst one will be modified with Graph Tech saddles, Tusq nut, SD pickups and a 3-ply black-white-black pickguard, but that's going to happen in the new year.

Mission is nearly accomplished: I want to get a white voodoo strat with a maple board to complete the range. The Voodoo Strats only came in black, white and sunburst, all available with either maple or rosewood boards... I must have one of each!

guidothepimmp

Sebber, excellent stuff..

Question, and you'll be ablke to answer as you're the only one I've seen with one, I'm having a custom build with a reverse strat head and no locking nut, how does it affect the tension on the top e string?

singemonkey

Beautiful set of Stratocasters.

Sebber

guidothepimmp wrote: Sebber, excellent stuff..

Question, and you'll be ablke to answer as you're the only one I've seen with one, I'm having a custom build with a reverse strat head and no locking nut, how does it affect the tension on the top e string?

Very nicely indeed: there's no doubt that the shorter string length for the top E gives it a looser feel, facilitating easier big bends and vibrato, while the bottom E, being the longest along its entire string length is tighter, than you'd find on a regular six-a-side Fender-style headstock/tuning machine layout. The increased pitch of the higher strings from the nut to the tuning post might also contribute to the overall feel of reverse six-a-side headstocks... but, on the whole, the bottom E and A strings are a bit firmer feeling than regular strats, and the B and top E strings looser.

IceCreamMan

Nice ..jeepers ...they are nice.

Been looking around for one in lefty config for a long long time and never seen em .... i have seen a dvd of a roger waters concert where one was used but have never actually seen one ..been thinking of building my own using a left handed body and right handed neck..

do you know if fender ever made the left handed voodoo ones?

Norman86

Very nice ?

What sets the voodoo strat apart from an american standard strat though??
Other than the reversed headstock?

chris77

Bridge pup angled the 'wrong way'.
Very nice collection btw!

IceCreamMan

IceCreamMan wrote: Nice ..jeepers ...they are nice.

Been looking around for one in lefty config for a long long time and never seen em .... i have seen a dvd of a roger waters concert where one was used but have never actually seen one ..been thinking of building my own using a left handed body and right handed neck..

do you know if fender ever made the left handed voodoo ones?

Edit: Of course after thinking about it over a beer or 3 the eureka moment hit me , a right handed neck on a left handed body would not work ....i get clever when i have had a couple of beers i must say ?

Sebber

IceCreamMan wrote:
IceCreamMan wrote: Nice ..jeepers ...they are nice.

Been looking around for one in lefty config for a long long time and never seen em .... i have seen a dvd of a roger waters concert where one was used but have never actually seen one ..been thinking of building my own using a left handed body and right handed neck..

do you know if fender ever made the left handed voodoo ones?

Edit: Of course after thinking about it over a beer or 3 the eureka moment hit me , a right handed neck on a left handed body would not work ....i get clever when i have had a couple of beers i must say ?

Lol, I don't think they ever made 'em for south paws, but I'm not sure why a left-handed body with a right-handed neck wouldn't work: after all, my voodoos are right-handed bodies with left-handed necks.

AlanRatcliffe

Congrats Sebber! Nice - well regarded and quite the collectors piece.

@ ICM - I don't think they made lefties - they were for dexters to get a Hendrix-style thing going. You can use a right handed neck on a Left handed body (I know a few guys who have done just that) - the only thing is the upside-down logo and you have to replace the nut and reposition the string trees.

IceCreamMan

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Congrats Sebber! Nice - well regarded and quite the collectors piece.

@ ICM - I don't think they made lefties - they were for dexters to get a Hendrix-style thing going. You can use a right handed neck on a Left handed body (I know a few guys who have done just that) - the only thing is the upside-down logo and you have to replace the nut and reposition the string trees.

Aha .... maybe beer does not make me clever then .... ?

the voodoo has mirror image logo as i recall so upside down just adds to the mystique i reckon...will investigate this a bit more i reckon...nothing wrong with having something unique....thanks

Sebber

IceCreamMan wrote: the voodoo has mirror image logo as i recall so upside down just adds to the mystique i reckon...will investigate this a bit more i reckon...nothing wrong with having something unique....thanks

Actually there was another Hendrix Tribute Strat that they did at the same time as they made the Voodoo Hendrix Strats (which don't have a mirror image logos, it's the standard gold '68 logo) which was a left-handed Strat but reversed, entirely, for right-handers: that one only came in Olympic White with maple fretboard, and had the mirror image Fender logo on it.

Trubore

Wow, I am in love! This would be very nice to add to my collection. How do you explain to girlfriend that you NEED more than one guitar?

Sebber

Trubore wrote: Wow, I am in love! This would be very nice to add to my collection. How do you explain to girlfriend that you NEED more than one guitar?

If you have to explain it's time to ditch her...