my first Strat.

[Jim1970]

Sweet Strat Glen!!
I have been thinking about getting one
and the one you have is the one I would have got
The color and the ebony neck.
Since I use a Les Paul Standard the Rosewood and Ebony necks is what I like.
Have fun with your new axe!!
JiM

[Glenn Mitchell]

I rigged up the trem and put on new strings and I'm in heaven!.
The wife is getting a bit ignored I'm afraid.
I put my new guitar synth on my old ax (Jazzmaster with gibson hummers) just so it wouldn't feel ignored.
So much potential so little time. Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!

[inshallah]

Its a beauty Glen cant wait to hear it, Im sure you'll enjoy....

[The Reverend 48]

Glen I think you did the right thing going for 3 single coils
IMO that gives you the full true strat palette of sounds
I have no problem with Fat Strats but to get the versatility you loose that delicious thin tone on position 4 and 5.........Horses for courses I guess

[fenderbender]

agree with you there 48
a strat is a straight forward 3 single coil guitar -after more than 50 years its still THE guitar--no mods or cons --any change in pickups to me, makes it a hybrid and no longer a strat=

enjoy it Glenn --

[Sprocket]

There is some hum at my place on switch positions 1,3 & 5 tho it is location specific (Probably the computer nearby?) and I generally prefer the 2 & 4 position sounds which are dead quiet.
I'm told that is due to the individual PUPs being reversed poles or something so when you use a combo of 1&2 (Position 2) or 2&3 (Position 4) they cancel out the hum.

The 2 and 4 positions are hum canceling.
And there are things you can do to reduce the 60 cycle hum.
One is simply just turning away from the source...I have a swivel type office chair I play in alot, if my strat starts to hum I just turn a lil til its gone.
And I dont know how handy you are, but StewMac sells some copper foil tape that has worked wonders for me(Ive shielded 5 Strats since). I find it reduces the hum and gives the pups a lil more clarity.

[Davo]

Sprocket is there any soldering involved in shielding the cavities like that?    I have a vintage styled strat that does not have humbucking capability in the 2/4 position  and Id like to shield it.

Tangentially-Glen tell me about your Jazzie with gibson humbuckers, Im thinking of doing  something similar.

[danieldesete]

I always wondered why they don't sell the guitars with copper already inside. 

[Davo]

I always wondered why they don't sell the guitars with copper already inside. 

Cause that 15 minutes of human labor dont come cheap. 

[Glenn Mitchell]

Thanks sprocket, I'm going to do that copper lining. It does cancel if you rotate to the right direction but that seems a bit odd during gigs and when playing with others.

I got the Jazz already modified back in the late 70's. It had seen better days and was very worn.  It came from San Francisco I believe.
I got it and the amp in trade for $400 worth of carpentry work from a deceased friend's wife.
I did the unthinkable and stripped off the badly worn sunburst and repainted it.
An old black blues player looked at it and said "What did you DO to that guitar!!" Lol. He didn't actually add "you idiot" but it was implied. 
I figured the value had been compromised by the PUP and pickguard mods anyway.
I'm obviously not a collector. That old distressed shopworn look is sold new now.
I understand it's a late 50's model so the PUPs would probably have been from back in the 60's after the surf sound popularity died off.
They are a bit weak for my liking but everyone likes the sound.
I just added the synth to it yesterday because, tho I will probably use my new Strat for gigs and jams for the next while, I still love to play it. An amazing fretboard.