Help me with my Superstrat (some decisions to make)

[JohnSykes]

K guys, im planning a new superstrat and this is what i have decided so far:


NECK


2pc Maple neck

12 radius

21 frets (jumbo)

Gotoh tuners

Brass nut (not sure)


BODY


Alder or Ash (not sure, my Charvel is alder)

HSS config

Bridge H : Duncan Holdsworth or BKP VH II (Since i already have these two, not sure which one to use)

Middle S : no idea, i guess something like a traditional Fender.

Neck S: DiMarzio FS-1 (my favorite single coil) or HS-3. I have both of these, but im not completely sure.

Gotoh vintage trem


What tone am i going for?

Well obviously EVH but i'd say more Warren DeMartini. I already have a 1Hum Charvel, so i wanted this one with 2 single coils in middle and neck (i love the combination of both for some blues playing).

 

[se7en]

I wouldn't rule out basswood with a maple top for the body. I believe it was EVH's choice of body wood. I have a superstrat with this combination and it is super versatile and well balanced.

 

[sytharnia1560]

for neck pick up I would go for a duncan quarter pound in an alder body for the demartini tone....what about a duncan RTM in the bridge????

 

[JohnSykes]

for neck pick up I would go for a duncan quarter pound in an alder body for the demartini tone....what about a duncan RTM in the bridge????

Id love the try the RTM, and i guess i COULD get one, but since i already have 2 great pickups (i like them a lot) id prefer to use those. BUT i never tried the Holdsworth with single coils, im not sure if it'd be too hot and unbalanced.

 

[Badronald]

for neck pick up I would go for a duncan quarter pound in an alder body for the demartini tone....what about a duncan RTM in the bridge????

I dig the QP.
Have it in at least two Strats.

 

[Chubtone]

Isn't the FS1 the single coil Yngwie used very early on before the HS3's? If so, I'd say that one. His early tone was killer.

 

[JohnSykes]

Isn't the FS1 the single coil Yngwie used very early on before the HS3's? If so, I'd say that one. His early tone was killer.

I think so. I loved his tone (and playing) when he was in Alcatrazz as well!

I believe Norum and Gary Moore (RIP) used the FS1 also.

 

[JohnSykes]

bump

 

[stratotone]

Go with 22 frets instead of 21.

 

[moronmountain]

I would go with a bone nut instead of brass. I wouldn't have said that years ago, but I finally had a luthier talk me into one when I needed a new nut on one of my V's, and I think it stays in tune better. Bone is hard, so the sustain is good, but it has a natural, almost slippery thing going on that seems to let the strings slide on it really well. Also, I tend to lean towards ash for strat style guitars as that's what my old/long gone ESP Mirage Custom was made from, and my buddies '56 Strat is also, and it's the only Strat I've ever liked.

 

[ChadVanHalen]

I wouldn't rule out basswood with a maple top for the body. I believe it was EVH's choice of body wood. I have a superstrat with this combination and it is super versatile and well balanced.

Nah man, swamp ash... The Ibanez RG's from the 80's were basswood so it's not a tonewood to sneeze at for super strat...

 

[stratotone]

I wouldn't rule out basswood with a maple top for the body. I believe it was EVH's choice of body wood. I have a superstrat with this combination and it is super versatile and well balanced.

Nah man, swamp ash... The Ibanez RG's from the 80's were basswood so it's not a tonewood to sneeze at for super strat...

Depends on the guitar. I have Tom Andersons made of basswood that sound great, every Ibanez I've owned made of basswood weren't very good sounding. It's more than just the wood, imho.

 

[JohnSykes]

I would go with a bone nut instead of brass. I wouldn't have said that years ago, but I finally had a luthier talk me into one when I needed a new nut on one of my V's, and I think it stays in tune better. Bone is hard, so the sustain is good, but it has a natural, almost slippery thing going on that seems to let the strings slide on it really well. Also, I tend to lean towards ash for strat style guitars as that's what my old/long gone ESP Mirage Custom was made from, and my buddies '56 Strat is also, and it's the only Strat I've ever liked.

Thats cool.

What do you guys think about Graphtech stuff?

 

[se7en]

I wouldn't rule out basswood with a maple top for the body. I believe it was EVH's choice of body wood. I have a superstrat with this combination and it is super versatile and well balanced.

Nah man, swamp ash... The Ibanez RG's from the 80's were basswood so it's not a tonewood to sneeze at for super strat...

The 80's basswood that Ibanez used was crap. John Suhr considers basswood with a maple top to be the holy grail in a super strat. Tom Anderson builds more guitars with this combination as well. It is a very balanced tone wood and the maple cap adds a little on top and bottom. John Suhr has said that this combination is closer to a Les Paul in tone than mahogany/maple is in a super strat. EVH, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Guthrie Govan love basswood as a tone wood and all have signature models composed of it.

 

[pstar]

marupa is the secret to resonant sweet tone, and can be harvested legally and is available now !

 

[EyesOfTheSouth]

+1 on the Duncan Quarter Pound......love that pup in both neck and bridge. It was all over many 80's hard rock/metal recordings.

 

[Ventura]

Go with 22 frets instead of 21.

+1

 

[moronmountain]

I would go with a bone nut instead of brass. I wouldn't have said that years ago, but I finally had a luthier talk me into one when I needed a new nut on one of my V's, and I think it stays in tune better. Bone is hard, so the sustain is good, but it has a natural, almost slippery thing going on that seems to let the strings slide on it really well. Also, I tend to lean towards ash for strat style guitars as that's what my old/long gone ESP Mirage Custom was made from, and my buddies '56 Strat is also, and it's the only Strat I've ever liked.

Thats cool.

What do you guys think about Graphtech stuff?

I just looked at their site, and I honestly don't know anything about them. Whatever you decide to use, just make sure the nut has some nice deep/wide cuts in it. All but one of my guitars now are Gibson, and every single one that has a non locking nut on it had to have a new one cut. Well 1 still needs it, but it's holding onto 10's for now at least, but there's no way it could take my 10-52's without have the A and E strings pop out. Gibson seems to use a really low profile nut with extremely light cuts in them. Heck I actually would call them more of a "score" than a cut. At any rate, I will most likely always use bone from here on out, and I'm not a very "cork sniffy" type. I prefer function every time, and bone functions good for me.

 

[moronmountain]

Go with 22 frets instead of 21.

+1

I like 21 fine on a regular strat, but not a super strat. Dunno why, but I guess I feel like a super strat was meant to be solo'd up the neck more. JMO of course though.

 

[Ventura]

Exactly. A "Strat" to me? 21 frets is gold.

Anything that's "super-fied" means "more". So, more output from the pups, more options for the controls, more radius of the fingerboard, more frets on the neck, more of a trem system....

Moar everything.