Post by Leftee on Jan 13, 2023 9:16:24 GMT -5
Over my extended holiday break I dug out parts from my seemingly extensive (aka slightly out of control) inventory with the goal of building guitars to sell and move some of this stale inventory. I found enough stuff for 2. This is the first across the finish line.
I had to purchase the trem (GFS full-size), but all other parts were on-hand and new. The body is paint-grade alder which was given to me by the gent who supplies my bodies. I found it in my last shipment with a note saying that it was a project for his niece and he just lost steam. The forearm contour is a bit abrupt and I chose to leave it that way. It's also got a small double knot in the neck pocket. The knots are stable.
I stained the face vintage amber and the back purple. I sanded back the back a bit and went over it in blue to give it a subtle two-tone. Then clear shellac/clear pearl/clear shellac/clear gloss lacquer.
The pickups are StewMac Strat-sized Lipstick A5s. I bought these a few years ago and they've been hanging around for quite a while. They're a pretty low wind - ohming out at 4k. I utiliazed a 250k volume pot and a 500k pull/push tone. The guitar is wired '50s style with the .022 tone cap coupling the volume and tone. The pull/push switch is to add the bridge pickup in to the 5-way so that all 3 pickups or the bridge and neck pickup combinations can be achieved. The pickup leads are also shielded and I added copper tape to the cavities and pickguard. Even in single coil modes this guitar idles quiet when playing into high gain. I don't know if it will chug, but I wouldn't be surprised. 
I bought the neck over a year ago for the granddaughter project. I bought this for her guitar but decided to go with a different neck. It's an Allparts/Japan, vintage 21 frets (teenie weenie), vintage tuner holes, 7.25" radius. I installed a lefty bone nut.
The guitar came together quite well with minimal hassles.
Here's the only problem. I very-much do not want to sell it. It's been years since I've had a guitar with this neck profile and I'd forgotten how much I like it. And these pickups are astoundingly good. Really nice, full tones, both clean and OD. The guitar will jangle and roar. In fact, it has quickly proven to be my favorite Start (S/S/S) OD tones. I only have one other Strat (clone) - a Warmoth build with Fat '50s. I love that guitar, as well. Every other SSS guitar I've owned I've moved on. I think I'm going to have to have two, now.
