Don Mare and Raw vintage stratocaster

[billyz]

I recently built up a clone Strat. I used a set of Don Mare Rockin Robin Pickups and Raw vintage springs and saddles along with callaham block and screws.
This one came out great but I did need to fiddle with it a bit.
I found that backing off the rear spring tension really made a huge difference in the tone. It got fatter and more solid sounding , especially the high e which was bugging me before I backed them off. I still keep the bridge plate solid to the body. All 5 springs.

Those Pickups are great too. I wired it up with CTS 250ka, .02 vintage ajax, tone on the bridge and tone on the neck , no tone on the middle. I was never that big on the middle pickup but now I love it.

Don is really great to work with too. I might try his Junior Watson set next.

Other specs are: Musikraft rosewood fingerboard, V-C, 6105 frets. Gotoh vintage tuners, Fossil walrus nut. Very Light Weight Musikraft Swamp ash ,one piece body.

Z

[beasleybodyshop]

Cool setup BillyZ! I have this rule for setting up the tremolo block on all my strats - I shoot for being able to bend the bar up and be able to cleanly raise the pitch a half step I find that's the most comfortable setup. I usually dont run 5 springs, but I find some people actually like the stiffer response it gives. YMMV.

[ER]

His tappable tele bridge pickups look really cool too. I've been thinking of putting one of those in the bridge of my hardtail strat for a while. Wire it up with a master volume and tone and then a three way rotary. That could be cool. I wish he would make a brass bottom 5.5k/7k/10k tappable strat bridge pickup so I didn't have to cut up my guitar and/or pickguard.

[billyz]

Cool thing about the raw vintage springs is they are fatter but lower tension than current fender stuff. Much more like pre CBS . I much prefer the tuning stability and sweeter feel with the bridge plate all the way down to the body, not floating.

[vibratoking]

Billy, that sound's cool. I use the Don Mare Trick on my Tele to get the Nancy sound. I like it.

...I shoot for being able to bend the bar up and be able to cleanly raise the pitch a half step ...

A half step on what string? I like my Strat bridge floating too. I set mine up to raise a major 3rd on the third string.

[billyz]

Billy, that sound's cool. I use the Don Mare Trick on my Tele to get the Nancy sound. I like it.

...I shoot for being able to bend the bar up and be able to cleanly raise the pitch a half step ...

A half step on what string? I like my Strat bridge floating too. I set mine up to raise a major 3rd on the third string.

Ohhh? Whats the Don Mare trick to get the Nancy sound? I know he worked a lot to get those Nancy pickups right , especially the bridge. If I ever build another tele, I would probably go with his Nancy set. Isnt the bridge pickup kind of open? maybe just connected thru capacitance ?

[vibratoking]

I'll let him tell you:

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups ... p-mod.html

[Reeltarded]

Lovely! I got sidetracked on my strat thing a while back but the pickups should areive today. Glitzy but pedestrian by comparison to your's.

Bob is all on about Don Mare. I still haven't played any of his pickups but the examples online are great!

[billyz]

Lovely! I got sidetracked on my strat thing a while back but the pickups should areive today. Glitzy but pedestrian by comparison to your's.

Bob is all on about Don Mare. I still haven't played any of his pickups but the examples online are great!

Don's Pickups seem to go against what I always believed about strat tones. I always wanted lower impedance like 5.7 to no more than 6k. But his pickups sound great at slightly higher impedance like 7k or higher.
His pole pieces seem taller than stock. I have only used his Formvar 50's and this set of Rockin Robins. They are both stellar.

Let us see your glitzy guitar .

[Reeltarded]

Silver to go with Sparky. I found a gold hardware set for too cheap to pass on and my project strat split into two.

[billyz]

Ummmm, is that Sherwood green i see amongst the glamour queens?
Those are actually some pretty nice sparkle flakes. Probably put my eye out if the spots hit them right.

[Reeltarded]

Yah still looking for my box of electronics for the green one. :/

I decided on Dimarzio umm.. Solo bridge pickups for the sliver one. I put them in one I recently finished and it was pretty much as you'd want a strat to act.

Darned USPS...