After 9 years, got my No.1 guitar the way I like it + stopped my Strat from being shit.

Cirrus

Today is a special day. I've had my Explorer, my number 1, since summer 2008, and it's had Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pros in it since about 3 months after that. I prefer covered p'ups but it's always just been at the back of my mind.

Until last week, when I finally decided to do something about it.

So now this...



Looks like this;




And I'm pretty chuffed with it. Shame the polepieces are so rusty, but it is what it is. Feels finished.

And, putting some silicone down to stop the covers vibrating was the first time I've used a Caulk gun. So that was fun!


And yesterday I replaced the Trem on my Strat. bigger, heavier trem block, and going back to traditional strat saddles - 6 years ago I switched them out for the modern blockier ones. That wasn't so much a cosmetic change as a practical one - the old trem was so rusty it was hard to adjust the intonation, the screw thread was stripped for the trem arm, and the guitar mysteriously had two different tunings about 15 cents apart and you never quite knew when it was going to switch mid song. That turned out to be the trem block - it wasn't tight to the bridge plate so there was some play in it. Sounds and feels very different now, I think the saddles make it sound more spanky/ sharp on the attack and it sustains a lot better.

Gratuitous strat shot;

prowla

Have you tried the a little spring in the trem arm socket?

Sassafras

Amazing how much you can get done in a mere 9 years

57Deluxe

next project is a nice 'grown up' strap for your Strat...

Cirrus

Sassafras said:

Amazing how much you can get done in a mere 9 years

I feel like my achievement isn't being considered with the gravitas it deserves. Who knows what the next 9 years could bring?

57Deluxe said:

next project is a nice 'grown up' strap for your Strat...

Funny story there. It'd have one, except the one I ordered last week turned up and instead of being funky white leather, it was more of a... fleshy, pink colour. So it's gone back.

Funkfingers

Cirrus said:
instead of being funky white leather, it was more of a... fleshy, pink colour.

Considering how leather is prepared, it is a wonder that they can get it white at all. Smell the fleshy, pink-coloured glove.

strtdv

Wasn't aware silicone to a pickup cover was a thing. I'd be concerned about the acetic acid released during the curing process attacking solder joints/causing rust etc.

Gassage

Josh,

Loving that explorer!

Cirrus

strtdv said:

Wasn't aware silicone to a pickup cover was a thing. I'd be concerned about the acetic acid released during the curing process attacking solder joints/causing rust etc.

You only use a little, and I put it on top of a piece of tape over the non -screw polepieces. As long as the pup doesn't get more microphonic I think it's thumbs up, and I tried it yesterday at high volume and it didn't.

Cirrus

Cirrus

Gassage said:

Josh,

Loving that explorer!

My man!