I finally got my Strat body back from the car painter this week. It's not a bad job, but there's a lot of orange peel. Fortunately, you only notice it when you're looking for it.
Anyway, the result is pretty good. It's crazy-light, 3.1 kilos, which is 6 lb 14 oz. The body is basswood, the neck is roasted maple with an ebony fretboard.
This is my first Strat. I had my eye on a Classic Player 60s. I loved the colour, and the rosewood neck, the two-point trem and the flat, modern fretboard radius. But I also wanted a nitro finish, because I like the way they wear, and locking tuners.
I decided to make my own. Body and neck are Warmoth. The pickguard and CS69 pickups came whole from a donor Squier Strat I found on local eBay. The tuners are Hipshot, and the bridge is a Wilkinson. I finished the neck with gunstock oil and wax, Music Man style.
The paint is a little annoying, but I don't really care. It looks fantastic even from playing distance. It still needs a little work. The neck needs a quick rub with some fine sandpaper, and re-oiling -- it's a little rough. The frets need a polish, and there's something weird about the way the strings sound played on the hight frets.
The nut may also need a little work.
But the guitar feels good, sounds good unplugged, and is really lively. It vibrates a ton. I also love how light it is. Here are some photos:
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Another one.
How do you get along without string trees?