Single pickup strat (middle or neck). Crazy idea?

Funkfingers

For a fun project, I would stick with the Squier Affinity woodwork. Maybe, invest in a few replacement pickguards. Assemble different pickups and controls onto each.

Creed_Clicks

@Funkfingers already ordered a pickguard, and will look at a better bridge than stock. Good idea about assembling different pickups on to each. I already have the H only Must say the Iron Gear Tesla Shark that's in the bridge is a decent pickup for what it cost. Hence me thinking of another Iron Gear, but the Lace Sensor is in the mix....
Will keep an eye out for necks. Like a fool, I sold the affinity neck ages ago....

BluesLover

Do you mind me asking where you're getting the custom pickguards from? I fancy turning my Stratocaster into a minimalist one, with just a neck pickup and a single volume control that's tucked out of the way. Thanks.

Creed_Clicks

BluesLover said:

Do you mind me asking where you're getting the custom pickguards from? I fancy turning my Stratocaster into a minimalist one, with just a neck pickup and a single volume control that's tucked out of the way. Thanks.

Can't remember where I got my H only one from a few years back, but there's a guy called earpilanz on ebay who does them. He's based in Glasgow. I came across him on the Basschat website. 

BluesLover

Thanks! I'll go have a look.

DrBob

BluesLover said:

Do you mind me asking where you're getting the custom pickguards from? I fancy turning my Stratocaster into a minimalist one, with just a neck pickup and a single volume control that's tucked out of the way. Thanks.

EarlPilanz is great, if you want something custom he’ll do it for a very reasonable fee. Not sure if he does full custom or starts with the closest thing he has in stock but it’s good 

Creed_Clicks

@DrBob he’s doing up one for me for this though I suppose it’s not custom as such , it’s just missing some holes !

lovestrat74

Like a full-sized musicmaster! Reckon the neck would be even more gorgeous without the pull of the middle and bridge pups 

ICBM

I used an actual Musicmaster (II, 1965) when I played in a proper rock’n’roll band - the previous guitarist had used a Strat, only ever on the neck pickup, so I thought why bother with any more...

With the 22.5” scale I put 12s on it and it played like a Strat with 10s, but sounded absolutely huge. (I do have very small hands, so I appreciate this might not work for everyone!)

Creed_Clicks

Funkfingers said:

Changing tunings will affect the string tension load on a fulcrum vibrato bridge. The only surefire way to prevent shifting is to physically block off the vibrato with a piece of wood shaped to fit.

Replica hardtail Stratocaster bodies seem to have been on the increase this year. Check the clearance section web pages of online sellers for bargains. Many of these will be unfinished. This gives you the option to alter the routed cavities and choose where some of the screw holes will be drilled.

The Affinity guitar body is "bottom of the line" in the sense that it is manufactured, in bulk quantities, in a factory with lower than average overheads. Personally, I would rather have a skinny Affinity STRAT body made from a mystery Asian wood than anything full thickness made from poplar. 

In your position, I would stick with the Squier Affinity body but modify it for either through body stringing or some front-mounted vibrato. (Kahler, Washburn, Wigsby et cetera.)

I wasn't aware of the Wigsby before. Hmmm, this could look cool on a strat.. or not....

Creed_Clicks

Resurrecting my own thread. Going to also plough on with this as i’ve realised I have nearly all the parts lying around.
So a single middle pickup (body is routed for 3 but I’ll go single middle first) to start with.
I am thinking of a lipstick or a single could P90.
Should I buy a bridge pickup for the middle or a neck one? Not sure what would be best option.
Guitar will be tuned standard D.
If I decide to put 3 pickups eventually I’ll put in 3 lipsticks:)

Funkfingers

For the middle position, the received wisdom is to use a regular or neck position pickup. 

Using a bridge position pickup from a calibrated set would oblige you to fit something of even greater output in the bridge position.

Creed_Clicks

@Funkfingers ok thanks. I’ll experiment with the 1 pickup first and will eventually go to a 3 lipstick strat

flyingv

DrBob said:

Wasn’t one of the Strats SRV got from Charley Wirz wired with a single neck pickup ?

Yep! Known simply as ‘Yellow’ I built one years ago, whilst  going through my SRV craze  mine’s  on the left - Steve’s to the right.
one of those you regret selling  
https://i.imgur.com/RkDLjQ1.jpg

paulnb57

I went single neck on my Bullet Mustang, I think in retrospect, single middle might have been better…

Creed_Clicks

paulnb57 said:

I went single neck on my Bullet Mustang, I think in retrospect, single middle might have been better…

I did the same thing with a Bullet Mustang, but am thinking of converting it to a slide with one of those temporary nuts.
It has an Iron Gear overwound neck pickup, which I am thinking of transferring to the strat, or else stick in a middle strat p90 or humbucker and add some kind of switching to it...