A Strat-o-Stang?

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solfege
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A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Sun Mar 21, 2021 6:25 am

So I have this unsanded Musikraft Strat body that I picked up when they were on sale a few months ago, thinking I'd finally make myself a Strat just to see what the fuss was about. It's been sitting in a closet because I've been busy as hell.

Then finboy listed this ADH conversion neck and it was impossible to say no to. I contemplated for a minute buying another body and reusing a bunch of orphaned offset parts to make Jazzguar but...

Then I had a little talk with Tim from Sunday Handwound about mustang pickups...

So I think the plan (still mulling this over a little) is to make a 24" scale strat with 3 mustang pickups and figure out a way to get mustang out of phase options added to some version of strat-style switching. That last bit is part of what I'm puzzling over. (The path of least resistance seems like it's push-pull pots for both tones to let me take either neck or middle out of phase as need be, and a six-way switch so I can have neck-bridge OOP too.)

This is going to be super-slow, but if people have fun ideas for crazy wiring schemes / totally different directions to take this in which I haven't considered, by all means pipe up.

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Norrin Radd
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by Norrin Radd » Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:16 am

I'm not good on, wiring but I do know that since push/push pots became a thing, I stopped using push pull - so much easier to use. Just a thought. I like the project idea though - sounds cool! 8)

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Bradley-Jazz
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by Bradley-Jazz » Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:23 am

Sounds fun. If you are keeping two tone knobs, the G&L style PTB tone circuit is well worth a try.
All the cheeses....

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solfege
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:30 am

Norrin Radd wrote:
Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:16 am
I'm not good on, wiring but I do know that since push/push pots became a thing, I stopped using push pull - so much easier to use. Just a thought. I like the project idea though - sounds cool! 8)
Push Push pots? I have not been enlightened yet...

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solfege
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:30 am

Bradley-Jazz wrote:
Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:23 am
Sounds fun. If you are keeping two tone knobs, the G&L style PTB tone circuit is well worth a try.
Ooo. That is another idea for sure.

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AcrylicSuperman
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by AcrylicSuperman » Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:30 am

solfege wrote:
Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:30 am
Norrin Radd wrote:
Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:16 am
I'm not good on, wiring but I do know that since push/push pots became a thing, I stopped using push pull - so much easier to use. Just a thought. I like the project idea though - sounds cool! 8)
Push Push pots? I have not been enlightened yet...
They work the same way, push it in, it pops up, push it down, locks in place.

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solfege
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:57 am

Progress! Of a sort. The ADH neck from finboy has finally negotiated the US-Canada border and (more challenging, these days) the USPS and made its way to me.

So time for a little mockup.

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I'm starting to feel like this could work.

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HarlowTheFish
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by HarlowTheFish » Fri Apr 09, 2021 1:43 pm

Here's a thought -- if you already have the Strat trem routing on the back, what about using slightly longer springs and using the trem claw for them? You get a bit more tension adjustability on there so it's easier to balance without having to compromise like a standard Mustang trem. Might need some longer claw screws, but it should work okay.

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solfege
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:19 pm

HarlowTheFish wrote:
Fri Apr 09, 2021 1:43 pm
Here's a thought -- if you already have the Strat trem routing on the back, what about using slightly longer springs and using the trem claw for them? You get a bit more tension adjustability on there so it's easier to balance without having to compromise like a standard Mustang trem. Might need some longer claw screws, but it should work okay.
I had basically been planning on just using a strat bridge/trem, since the body's set up for that. At this point, the 'mustang' elements are going to be pickups, the 24" scale, and some sort of phase switching wiring solution that I have yet to figure out.

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solfege
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Sun Sep 12, 2021 5:45 pm

Progress!

I'd been waiting for parts of various sorts, including pickups from Tim, and all that arrived awhile ago, but I've had a bunch of other things going on this summer, so it's all sat in boxes in my closet.

Today I got the body out and sanded it to 320.

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Next step: shellac.

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Sweetfinger
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by Sweetfinger » Sun Sep 12, 2021 11:45 pm

The difference between Strat pickups and a Mustang pickup is essentially, the cover, and the Mustang, like a modern Strat pickup, will have a flat pole radius.
It'll sound more like a Strat unless you put the pickups in the positions where they would be on a Mustang.
As far as out-of-phase options, you only need switching on two pickups. Push/pull or Push/push pots will work. The more adventurous person (with a router) might put a couple two position slide switches in the upper part of the guard, kinda like a Mustang, in between the three pickups and have those do the phase switching.
You could also hog a Jaguar hex plate in and use two of the switches for phase and one to bring the neck pickup in when on the bridge pickup, for all seven possible combinations.

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guitalias
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by guitalias » Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:08 am

I've thought of doing similar. Won't your bridge have to move 3/4 inch toward the headstock to intonate?

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solfege
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:30 am

guitalias wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:08 am
I've thought of doing similar. Won't your bridge have to move 3/4 inch toward the headstock to intonate?
It’s a conversion neck. So nope!

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solfege
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by solfege » Mon Sep 13, 2021 4:06 am

Sweetfinger wrote:
Sun Sep 12, 2021 11:45 pm
The difference between Strat pickups and a Mustang pickup is essentially, the cover, and the Mustang, like a modern Strat pickup, will have a flat pole radius.
It'll sound more like a Strat unless you put the pickups in the positions where they would be on a Mustang.
As far as out-of-phase options, you only need switching on two pickups. Push/pull or Push/push pots will work. The more adventurous person (with a router) might put a couple two position slide switches in the upper part of the guard, kinda like a Mustang, in between the three pickups and have those do the phase switching.
You could also hog a Jaguar hex plate in and use two of the switches for phase and one to bring the neck pickup in when on the bridge pickup, for all seven possible combinations.
There are some other differences with pole pieces, etc. Similar for sure, but not the same as a traditional strat pickup.

In any case, this project started as a conventional strat, since that's the thing I don't have, but then the neck became available and I like 24" scale guitars. So I figured why not give it a try with mustang pickups and some approximation of the phase switching.

If I don't love the neck, I'll just put a standard strat neck on it and have a strat with a couple extra tone options. I'm sure the pickups will be great b/c Tim.

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guitalias
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Re: A Strat-o-Stang?

Post by guitalias » Tue Sep 14, 2021 1:07 am

solfege wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:30 am
guitalias wrote:
Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:08 am
I've thought of doing similar. Won't your bridge have to move 3/4 inch toward the headstock to intonate?
It’s a conversion neck. So nope!
I see. Is the conversion achieved with a fretboard overhang? Noticed how close the heel of the kneck is to the pickup.

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