This isn't really what is meant to be happening here, but I managed to get hold of a nice old Strat body (bit battered around the edges) and a Squier neck that had been reshaped to look like a Suhr one, which appealed to me for some reason.
Anyway, they showed-up on Friday and I've been filling the hours trying to think what it would be best to do with them. Apart from fitting them together, that didn't take quite so long to work out.
Basically, I've always fancied a bit of a strange Strat, and this looks to be the chance to do it, so I'm thinking of the following:
1. I don't like the cream coloured body much and it is a bit tatty even if I did, which I don't, so instead I'm planning on doing it in a fetching shade of Paisley. OK, hardly original, Fender even sell Teles that are Paisley after all, but mine is going to be covered in Paisley cloth and not paint, which I figure will make a difference.
2. I'm not sure this is possible even (although I think it will work with a bit of woodwork), but I've decided that I don't want Strat pickups. I don't even want humbuckers or humbuckers that are the size of single coils. No. What I want is a single, P90 soapbar pickup in the bridge position, with a single volume pot to keep it company. I've even managed to get hold of a P90 soapbar pickup out of a PRS SE One, which will hopefully do a decent job (until at least, I decide whether I want a Bare Knuckle or a Bulldog, or maybe a Wizard.)
3. Bridge wise, I quite fancy putting a Jazzmaster one in, although I'm not sure that the Strat body is either big enough, or flat enough to be honest. If it isn't, or I can't find a way to cover the hole already routed for the trem/bridge bobbins, I might go for a hardtail one. I don't ever use trems so it seems pointless putting one on unless I have to/there is a good reason to do so.
4. As I'm going to wire the thing up (even I can work out one pickup and a volume pot), I'm thinking that it would be nice to add some other electronic gubbins. What I'm pondering is maybe a clean boost, an octaver and a fuzz. Or maybe just one of them, we'll see.
5. As far as the scratchplate goes, I can't make up my mind. It would be nice to get leary, but with a busy body design I'm reluctantly admitting that a plain black scratchplate is probably best. (Reluctantly, as it was my 'art director's' suggestion and well, there you go.) I might try and cover it with the same cloth though,see how it looks.
6. The only other thing that springs to mind (though there will no doubt be a 100 other things later on) is that although the neck is really nice, I would prefer it to be a bit darker, so I might Danish Oil it or something like that anyway.
And basically, that is the plan. I've got a hundred other things to do, but I'm aiming to have this together by Christmas (assuming I can source the parts). Be nice to give it a go anyway.
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