Upgraded my Strat's stock 1987 electronics....

Riaan

...with this kit (in white, not black) from Overdrive Custom Guitar Works:

http://www.stratcat.biz/4035.shtml

Boy oh boy....what a difference! It's all there, every sound a Strat is known for. Just installed and did a quick setup and couldn't stop playing! The pickups are very responsive, even my vibrato now sounds quite nice! The output is much higher than the stock pickups, had to make a lot of adjustments on my pedalboard and some of the parameters that didn't seem to make much difference with the old electronics is now noticable.

I can highly recommend this shop. The service was excellent - they even threw in some freebies, a nice Fender coffee mug and a Pink Floyd T-shirt with the DSOTM picture, and a set of GHS Bloomers (DG signature). Even e-mailed me to find out what size T-shirt I wear. Best of all, I ordered it online on 6th July, and it arrived in Jo'burg six days later. It actually took longer to get to through customs and to our post office than it did to arrive from the US.

My favourite sound for now...clean Strat with a bit of compression, spring reverb and pickups on position four and five. Sweet! This upgrade was worth every cent! And also the closest I'll ever come to owning a DG signature strat!

aubs1

? Hey Riaan, congratulations on your newly upgraded Strat..........that feeling explains my excitement and enthusiasm when I up-graded "Miss Candy Kinman" ..........hahhahahaha.........names??...........

Andrew Bryson and Stratisfear were also quite impressed with the tone, feel and awesome playability........

Riaan wrote Boy oh boy....what a difference! It's all there, every sound a Strat is known for. Just installed and did a quick setup and couldn't stop playing! The pickups are very responsive, even my vibrato now sounds quite nice! The output is much higher than the stock pickups, had to make a lot of adjustments on my pedalboard and some of the parameters that didn't seem to make much difference with the old electronics is now noticable.

Man, I am so happy for you. Just shows, I will never buy a "custom" guitar again.......so much better when you DIY.

Riaan wrote Sweet! This upgrade was worth every cent! And also the closest I'll ever come to owning a DG signature strat!

Absolutely..........it could even be better than owning a DG Strat, (for me at least)...... :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Awesome all those "freebies" they sent you........

You must post pics, I'd love to see what it looks like now........

Riaan wrote My favourite sound for now..

.........FOR NOW!!!!!!! hahahahaha.........

Squonk

Must show us some pics

I am sure you will be able to play the solo from "Comfortably Numb", err quite comfortably now ?

Attila

Hi Rian ... Congrats.

Tell us if you dont mind what was the landed cost for your rig was

AlanRatcliffe

Riaan wrote ...with this kit (in white, not black) from Overdrive Custom Guitar Works:

Did you reverse the colours (i.e. white guard, black pickups & knobs) or just change the pickguard colour?

Also, what was your choice of pickups?

It actually took longer to get to through customs and to our post office than it did to arrive from the US.

I know that one! But six days via post is surprising.

[deleted]

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Also, what was your choice of pickups?

This is the bit that confuses me... If they're claiming it's a DG set...why do they let you choose?

I know he used various pickups through a very long career, but with that sort of broadly differing choice, isn't it just a matter of buying pickups and a pickguard?

Riaan

I am sure you will be able to play the solo from "Comfortably Numb", err quite comfortably now

Haha...Uncomfortably Numb is my version of it, and describes my fingers afterwards....working on that one!

Did you reverse the colours (i.e. white guard, black pickups & knobs) or just change the pickguard colour?

I wanted to stay with my strat's original look which I like - you may remember it's a greenish metallic body and rosewood neck, so I chose a white pickguard and white pickups. So the appearance is the same as the original.

I went for the Seamour Duncan SSL-5 (bridge), Fender Custom 69 (middle) and Fender Custom 50 (neck) and the mini toggle switch which enables use of the neck pickup with the standard 5 way switching - quite a new sound to me, this one. Bridge pickup tone control and the treble bypass filter also. As far as I know that's the current pickups and setup of the DG signature black strat as they're sold today, but I'm sure DG chops and changes his setups all the time.

My aim wasn't really to have an exact replica of a DG black strat, it was more to upgrade the electronics to something new and of good quality, so yes it is basically just getting a loaded pickguard. The old set had some scratchy pots and selector switch, but the plan is (and there always is a plan... ?) is to use this pickguard and some of the parts for a Partscaster/own build sometime in future. My version of a Frankenstrat...

Total landing cost: approximately R3790 including tax and shipping.

[deleted]

Sorry, Riaan - I didn't mean to cast aspersions on what you bought! :-[ It sounds like a pretty good setup to me, regardless of whether it's true DG or not.

Riaan

Sorry, Riaan - I didn't mean to cast aspersions on what you bought!

No worries, I didn't see it like that at all! I was actually fairly certain I would go for Kinman's until recently, when I discovered the guys selling this particular setup and realised that apart from it being a nice set, it's also the better option for me at the moment, because I'm sure to screw something up if I did all the wiring myself, no doubt about that!

I'm actually not a huge fan of signature model guitars, mainly because I can't afford them... ? But also because I think the better guitar will in all likelihood be the one that I customized according to my likes or dislikes rather than one that's been customized for someone else.

I'm wondering if a graphtec piezo set will be compatable with this setup? That's the next anticipated mod... 8) Then I'll be have what I want in this Strat, and start on my project partscaster.