software

My buddy Mark Meyer, a terrific guitarist here in the Boulder/Denver area, brought me his '75 Fender Strat to see if it could be improved. This is a hardtail Strat, no vibrato, and made from very HEAVY alder. The stock '75 Strat pickups from this period are a little weak, and were very bright and thin sounding in this particular guitar.

I replaced everything: New 5 way switch, 250K volume pot amp; tone pot and added a Fralin Blender pot. I went with a .02 Mallory 150 tone cap and replaced all of the plastic covered wire with new cloth covered black and white wire.

I wanted humcancelling when the neck and bridge pickups are combined with the Fralin Blender pot, and also humcancelling when the neck and middle pickups are combined, so I installed the RW/RP SSL-1 in the neck and regular SSL-1 in the middle position this time.

So how does it sound? Great of course! The SSL-1's are my favorite stock Duncan Strat single coils and are very similar to the Antiquity Surfers...though not quite as throaty and complex.

The Twangbanger is the big surprise: in this particular Strat, which is HEAVY, especially for an alder bodied guitar, the Twangbanger sounds brighter than I've ever heard one sound. It's the guitar that's making it sound so bright, because the Twangbanger usually sounds much warmer, middier and pluckier.

Really goes to show me how differant the same pickup can sound in differant guitars...it almost doesn't sound like a Twangbanger.

Of course the guitar sounds tons better now. Much richer and ballsier and livlier. The SSL-1's have a lot of personality, strong/deep bass and bright, lively, glassy highs. Very Hendrixy.

And the Twangbanger sounds like the bridge pickup in a Tele...full and throaty but bright. Like I said, brighter than I've ever heard one in a Strat.

I've always thought alder was a brighter sounding wood than lightweight swamp ash, but in this hard tail Strat with the heavy 70's alder body, the Twangbanger really sounds as bright and twangy as the bridge pickup in some Teles.

Lew

Sounds cool Lew. I'm curious though, is there a reason that you'ld use cloth-covered wire in this Strat? (Rather than quot;modernquot; wire.) Would a '75 have had cloth wire originaly?

Thanks;
Artie


Originally Posted by ArtieTooSounds cool Lew. I'm curious though, is there a reason that you'ld use cloth-covered wire in this Strat? (Rather than quot;modernquot; wire.) Would a '75 have had cloth wire originaly?

Thanks;
Artie

Just looks! And it's a bigger gauge wire so maybe it sounds better...maybe. I've always thought the wiring in those 70's Strats looked cheap...I like the look of the 50's and 60's era cloth covered wire better. Lew

Ah . . . thanks. I've always wondered why folks used cloth-covered wire. That makes sense. I mean, I understand if you're restoring a '50s axe, but other than that, didn't know.

So, how long did you have to quot;testquot; it, before he got it back?

Artie

Thanks for the quot;Lew Reviewquot;.

One of these days I'm going to get some SSL-1's or APS-1's for my Strat.

I use this set in my California Series Strat, and it really sounds very nice. The SSL-1's are a best buy to be sure, and the Twangbanger beefs things up at the bridge without going over board.

BTW, I find that the cloth covered wire is much easier to work with than the common plastic covered wire -- no problem with stripping off the covering to find that you also took out some of the wire with it.

When I gutted and SC'ed my strat I used cloth covered wire, it looks very neat, and is easy to work with. I also rewired my tele with it last month.

Luke