General Music Chat

Well I've always played Jacksons, Caparisons, Washburns, Ibanezs, BC Richs, ect. my whole life being that I'm a shredder, but now that I'm a little older and wiser I picked up a Fender Straight Six Strat (only 831 were made), modded it with a Seymour Duncan Distortion, and just like that I now have the best playing, best sounding axe that I've ever laid my hands on. As a result I've been selling off a lot of my axes to get more Strats. I also always hated Marshall Amps, but now I own a Marshall JVM410H half-stack and the damn thing is a MONSTER!!! No effects or pedals needed with this bad-boy. Funny how as you become a better player you start to realize where "REAL" tone comes from. Anyway this new found love of Fenders has made me put through a Custom Shop order. I forgot a few things, but I'm working with my local dealer on brushing up all the details that I missed like a 25 1/2" scale length (I hate the LP shorter scale length as the strings feel "loose" to me all the time) and a quartersawn neck rather than just a single cut, ect. Anyway here's the spec list that I sent and is on it's way to Fender with a few corrections:


Mike,

Here’s the idea behind the Fender Custom Shop Strat. If there’s anything that I miss or overlook, then just let me know…

1. Body – Select Alder (No pickguard), scallop upper and lower horns.
2. Neck – Modern “C” shape with 22 Jumbo frets and no position markers. Extra hard fret wire. Bolt-on neck with shaved-down heel joint.
3. Neck material – Bird’s eye maple neck and fretboard.
4. Black side dot markers on the top of the neck and the fancy Fender “F” (in Red Chrome) at the 12th fret overlaying to the 11th and 13th frets.
5. Headstock – Extra large reversed (bird’s eye maple) with Grover tuners. The “Fender” logo in Red Chrome.
6. Fully recessed original Floyd Rose with de-tuner for low “E”.
7. Tuned to “D” across the board with the ability to drop low “D” to “C”.
8. 10 gauge Elixir strings.
9. Seymour Duncan Distortion humbucker at the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 single coil in the neck position.
10. Only 1 volume and 1 3-way toggle installed down and out of the way in order to leave all the space open below the pickups and the trem. “Dome” type volume knob. No tone controls at all.
11. All hardware is to be black chrome including input jack plate.
12. Paint – Black base with Red Chrome marbleized over top.
13. Fender hard-shell case.
14. Action as low as you can go.
15. Standard strap buttons (black chrome).

Well I think that’s it man. Hopefully they won’t kill me with a ridiculous price. The metal spirit lives brother!!!

Thanks,
Dave Crowe



Well what do ya think??? This is the first of 3 designs that I've come up with and I'd like to have them all built, but it'll take some time. I've even got a cool idea for a Custom Stratosonic as well.

FENDER + MARSHALL= AWESOME/AMAZING/HEAD RIPPIN'/FACE MELTIN' METAL!!!

Sounds interesting, Shred. Good to have you back, btw.

I've always been a Fender guy.

Lol, someone call Malmsteen! That guitar is all metal'd out, but totally awesome nonetheless.

I was thinking of doing a custom guitar one day, many many years up the road when I am very good. I was thinking along the lines of something like this:

http://espguitars.com/images/second/ex.jpg

And yes, if I saw that one on sale I'd buy it immediately, Lol.

Peace, GuitarAnatomy.

Very cool. I myself have a '72 Strat with a maple neck. I had EMGs installed, along with a locking nut and a Kahler tremelo system. I killed the collector value but it's a player's guitar. But for my money you can't beat a Les Paul and a Marshall for metal. The stuff on myspace was recorded with the Strat, the stuff here on bandmix was recorded using the Les Paul.

Shred, you have a les paul?

Borrow one and try the same setup you use with your strat currently and run the les paul.

I am a strat guy myself, but a good les paul on a good marshall head with cab is some serious sh*t. (cab I find is irrevelant unless it's utter dirt)

It's even better if you have a good quality distortion channel on that marshall head with the les paul. It's like "instant Slash, no water needed"

Even better sounds can be dialed in with very little effort.

I find I have to do more with the strat to get quality sounds.

The les paul is better, little to no effects on a marshall distortion channel head

Hello Shred, I would get some strap locks for that sweet guitar, I put some on mine, there is something about the Fender Strap holders if you jump around alot one can come loose and if you don't have both hands on, it could go to the floor that happened to a freind of mine, he got lucky it didn't break but it did seriosly damage the finish. My favorite guitar that I have I bought about 10 years ago a Fender american standard strat. I put those planet wave self trimming tuning machines and a JB junior pickup and I love it there is just something about the feel of a strat neck in your hands that inspires you.

Yeah, some of the fastest players in the world are Strat guys. For a reason.
And it's the sexy woman of the guitar shape world.

Pauls do sound awesome through the right marshall, but would you play a log just because it sounded a little better?

My dream guitar was already made,

http://www.vintagekramer.com/pauldean.htm

The one in my sig is close to it, but the neck-thru and ebony fretboard gave the guitar monster tone and seriously sick natural sustain.


I was never a fan of fender, other than the body style. *shrug*