Project 1: Partscaster

AlanRatcliffe · 2007-11-24T20:59:05+00:00

This is going to be my thread for my partscaster: a Strat/Tele Hybrid. I'm going to give details of all the parts and explain why I've made the choices I have. I'll give progress reports and pics as I go. The only thing I can't going into detail of is the actual assembly as this is for a chapter of my hotrod book. Otherwise feel free to chip in, comment, ask questions, exclaim in wonder and awe or even laugh - whatever. The more feedback I get and the more questions I have to answer, the better thought out that chapter will be when I write it. CONCEPT: Unlike the "Nashville" Strat and Tele models from Fender, this is a little different: instead of a Tele with a Strat middle pickup or a Strat with a Tele neck pickup - this is a Strat with a Tele bridge and bridge pickup. The reason for this unusual combo is this: I love the Strat neck and middle pickup tones, but the Tele has an edge with the bridge pickup - it's more percussive, punchier and doesn't have as much tendency to being shrill when used by itself. The original "ashtray" bridge of a Tele adds a very "acoustic" quality to the voice of the guitar, it's thinner and lighter and the pickup being mounted from the steel baseplate is one of the factors behind the Tele bridge pickup sound. As an added bonus for me, I love the way an ashtray bridge lets me rest my right hand pinkie while fingerpicking. With a Strat bridge, if you anchor, you end up picking very close to the bridge and the tone becomes quite brittle. A Tele bridge lets me anchor further forward, and lets me pick right over where the middle pickup would be.

cain

Yeah both my strats are quite bright especially the japanese strat. I didnt know you could get different caps that would make it sound different tho.

AlanRatcliffe

Hundreds of different values, although many are not suitable, being outside audible range in this application. However, there's a whole lot of usable ones that guitarists don't try. They are (as a rule) a conservative bunch and stick to the same two values that Fender and Gibson used.

cain

Cool, good to know ?

Mr-M

Hey Alan, I know it's a good 9 months down the line, but just wondering if you did any of the other mods to this guitar (GHOST saddles, different pups etc.) as you mentioned here or if you left it as is?

Also considering a Seymour Duncan Twang Banger (Tele type tone for a Strat Bridge position) for my Ibanez Blazer. Are you still enjoying the Tele bridge/Strat neck+middle combination and would you recommend it?

AlanRatcliffe

I'm still loving it. I was playing it through the Vox yesterday and it gets the right balance of tone types (three Strat tones and two Tele). One Strat and one Tele tone are a bit of a "compromise" when compared to the real deal, but still good tones and well in the ballpark that most people couldn't tell the difference.

The pickups are still as built for now and I really like the Kinman Broadcaster bridge pickup - that's staying regardless. Andrew Bryson is taking my set of Kinman Traditionals from me next week and the money is financing a pair of Kinman Blues for the neck and middle to replace the Woodstocks, which will give me brighter, more vintage Strat type tones instead of the hotter versions I'm getting now. They are good tones as they stand, but I'm chasing more of an overall vintage bright tone with this guitar and want a more even tonal change between bridge and the other two positions.

I've fitted the ebony knobs and switch tip. It's also ended up with a birdseye boat neck that seems to better complement the body tone as well as being a better cosmetic fit. I may still upgrade the neck though - it's a Mighty Mite that I'm not wild about.

I've decided against the piezos for now - I still have two guitars with piezos fitted and really want to keep the ashtray bridge. I'll fit a Glendale stainless bridge in the next few months, but not yet - other priorities.

I don't have good pics as it stands now, but took a quick one yesterday. Not the best lighting, but it'll do:

Mr-M

Regardless it's a beautiful and fairly unique Strat.........er......Tele.......uh.......Strele?

Any particular reason you changed the neck? Didn't it have an Earvana nut?

AlanRatcliffe

Mr M wrote Regardless it's a beautiful and fairly unique Strat.........er......Tele.......uh.......Strele?

I don't know what to call it either. "Tele/Strat Hybrid" is the best I can come up with or "The Ratocaster".

Any particular reason you changed the neck? Didn't it have an Earvana nut?

To balance out the tone of two guitars. This one was a bit too dark with the original neck and my other "Strat" was too bright with the maple neck. Swapped them and it worked wonders for both - in fact, the other guitar worked out so well it's taken over from my Cort). The Maple Mighty Mite is a bit "dead", it's bright, but kills some of the liveliness of the guitar (which the ultralight body of the Ratocaster makes up for in spades). Cosmetically it's a good match for both guitars too.

Yes. I'm missing the Earvana nut on this guitar (especially as I gave the compensated saddles to Andrew on the Baja Tele). It's on my "to do" list (along with everything else). I'll probably get a better neck at the same time too and fit an LSR sized Earvana (or make a Graph Tech clone).

JoeyBones

"Ratocaster" that's priceless ?

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