What should I do with this guitar?

monquixote

I've had this guitar for years: 

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/monquixote/IMAG0066_zps234ef8a0.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/monquixote/IMAG0069_zps82355b5d.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/monquixote/IMAG0070_zps33047816.jpg

I got it in 1996 and for ten years it was my only electric. I've gigged the crap out it and it's the only inanimate object that I have any emotional attachment to. 

It's a 1980 "Strat". It was Fenders attempt to make a high end no expense spared guitar. (Apparently John Lennon was a big fan). I got it for £200 because it was bashed up (there was no concept of relics back then)

When I got it the frets were fucked, and it had a horrible hot rails thing and a kahler fitted so since I've had it I've put a Wilkinson, a Lil 59 and a couple of Texas Locos in it and refretted it. 

The finish is very weird. I think it was lake placid blue. I don't know if it was a bad attempt at nitro or the poly has been removed by the previous owner, but it seems to develop this dark gunk which then comes off along with the finish. You can sort of see it here:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/monquixote/IMAG0068_zps77b9496b.jpg

Though I dearly love it with my other Strat and my Asat it doesn't get much play and the Wilkinson has got a bit graunchy and fucked. 

So the question is what should I do with it?

I'd quite like to turn it into a dual humbucker rock monster, but that would require routing which is a bit beyond me.

viz

Sell it to meee! Greg howe plays one.

gilby

Strip it and oil/wax ? Blackmore style no mid pickup and three way selector ?
Could do that with a neck 59 installed.

Fretwired

Keep it as it is .. it looks cool and you'll no doubt have fond memories of gigging it. And it may become collectable ... :-)

Lixarto

I love it just as it is - have a Wow

monquixote

viz said:

Sell it to meee! Greg howe plays one.

I didn't know that. 

I've seen John Lennon with one and the bloke from Madness played one, but hadn't seen many others. 

It's never getting sold!

monquixote

Fretwired said:

Keep it as it is .. it looks cool and you'll no doubt have fond memories of gigging it. And it may become collectable ... :-)

I think if they aren't fucked like mine they are worth quite a bit, I've seen one on Denmark St for £2k

Adam_MD

I think it looks pretty cool. It's almost a cross between a fender and a g&l.

timhulio

Well if it's similar to your other guitars... lace sensors! Silver - Blue - Red like a Strat Plus. You'd have the high output bridge pickup and a different sound.

Hertz32

Without a doubt, the most awesome strat I have ever seen! that is how a strat should be! How a WOW on me too! 
Keep it as is, and if you ever want to sell it in the future, you know where I am!

monquixote

I'm glad it's not just me that likes it

It's funny, but when I bought it I got it cheap because they assumed I'd want to refinish it

I don't think I'd strip the finish because I like the bashed up look so much (I'd like to know why it is the way it is though) 

I would like to strip and oil finish the neck though as unlike a relic it has a shit load of knocks and dings that I'd like to sand out.

I'll also need to replace the Wilkinson because it's fucked. If I'm feeling flush I'll probably swap it out for a blade runner like on my other strat. 

The real puzzle is what to do with the pickups. If I just put a regular strat set on it I probably won't play it much, but I'm not a huge fan of single coil sized HBs. 

Fretwired

monquixote said:

Fretwired said:

Keep it as it is .. it looks cool and you'll no doubt have fond memories of gigging it. And it may become collectable ... :-)

I think if they aren't fucked like mine they are worth quite a bit, I've seen one on Denmark St for £2k

But your guitar is relic'd .. makes it worth £4K ... :-)

Bellycaster

Keeper for definite or the only person to sell it to would be Scott Grove for an inordinate price ;-) (Only Kidding).

I'll wager there are not too many about and the colour is a beauty.

What's the toggle switch do, MQ?

DrBob

Stick a Sustainer in it and block off the trem...

FX_Munkee

I had a Lil 59 in the bridge of my Strat when I got it, it was truly horrible. Swapped out the Lil 59 and the 2 remaining US Std. single coils for a set of Mr GuitarWeasel's Triple Blues and it's now so wonderfully "straty", and I find myself using it more and more. And I've historically been a Humbucker guy...
No affiliation BTW, just my honest experience.
Personally I'd just deck the trem instead of replacing but I don't use them much. Other than that it's just about right as it is I'd say

monquixote

Bellycaster said:

Keeper for definite or the only person to sell it to would be Scott Grove for an inordinate price ;-) (Only Kidding).

I'll wager there are not too many about and the colour is a beauty.

What's the toggle switch do, MQ?

It's a coil tap for the bridge. 

They originally had master tone and a rotary switch which added some extra combinations like bridge and neck and all on, but I stupidly took it out and replaced it with a "black ice" distortion booster which sounds poo. 

I should also add the thing is one of the famous "boat anchor" strats that weighs about as much as a les paul!

As a result it doesn't have a lot of top end for a strat, but that does make it rock like a bad boy. 

I think it's also one of the Dan Smith ones. 

This is what a mint one looks like:

http://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/thumbs3/fender-the-quot-strat-quot-1980-463001.jpg

monquixote

FX_Munkee said:

I had a Lil 59 in the bridge of my Strat when I got it, it was truly horrible. Swapped out the Lil 59 and the 2 remaining US Std. single coils for a set of Mr GuitarWeasel's Triple Blues and it's now so wonderfully "straty", and I find myself using it more and more. And I've historically been a Humbucker guy...
No affiliation BTW, just my honest experience.
Personally I'd just deck the trem instead of replacing but I don't use them much. Other than that it's just about right as it is I'd say

I'm a pretty heavy trem user so I need something I can use (though Super Vees are stupid expensive)

@TheGuitarWeasel pickups feature in my other strat so I know how insanely good they are. I would be interested to know what he would recomend.

Bucket

I heard the reason that the headstock on those was a slightly different shape was because once they ditched the CBS headstock, no-one could find the original 60s template Looks cool though, maybe just change the trem and make it properly playable again?

You could just put another Little 59 at the neck and make it into an HSH configuration? Would probably work pretty well.

Cool guitar btw, don't see many of those models around!

monquixote

Bucket said:

I heard the reason that headstock on those was a slightly different shape was because once they ditched the CBS headstock, no-one could find the original 60s template Looks cool though, maybe just change the trem and make it properly playable again?

Yeah it's kind of Gimpy. 

They tried to make them with the old 60's machinery, but it was all out of spec and they came out the wrong shape

ICBM

monquixote said:

So the question is what should I do with it?

Nothing. It's absolutely fine as it is.

Well, if it was me I'd put the trem springs straight first , then get rid of the Wilkinson (yuck), fit a US Std bridge and I'd dump the Lil 59 (which I hate) in favour of a Lil Screamin' Demon (which I love) but that's about it.

stickyfiddle

If it was mine:

Bardens
Callaham trem
Rothwell Hot Little Knob

And that's about it.