Fender Classic Series 50's USA Spec Stratocaster Project, 2010, Hundreds of pounds of Upgrades

Where to Start on this one??? So many Upgrades!!

There is No other product that symbolises Rock n Roll like a 1950's Fender Strat. Now over 60 years old, the original design is still much loved & authentic 50's Strats change hands for a small fortune. Due to this interest Fender created the Classic 50's Stratocaster, a guitar that looks and feels very much like a vintage Strat, but is built using modern manufacturing techniques, which improves consistency and dramatically reduces the price. The Build quality and Finish on these guitars is some of the best that have ever come from the Ensenada Plant in Mexico which is why it was chosen for this project. 

THIS GUITAR HAS BEEN BUILT TO EMULATE A CUSTOM SHOP FENDER VINTAGE 50s STRAT WITH NO EXPENSE SPARED.

BEFORE YOU SAY WELL.. IT'S ONLY A MEXICAN GUITAR.. STOP...READ ON...

IT IS NOW SIMPLY SUPERIOR IN PLAYABILTY AND FEEL AND VINTAGE TONE TO MOST USA BUILT STRATS THAT WE'VE HAD IN, TO PLAY IT IS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH IT.!

This Guitar originally arrived with a Modern Gloss Polyurethene finish. At considerable expense, that finish was taken back to bare wood and the Body re finished in a Nitro Cellulose paint finish.

This paint job was £320.00

This finish became a popular choice for Fender and Gibson in the ’50s and ’60s, who used it almost exclusively for their electric guitars. Fender also experimented with acrylic during this period, but nitrocellulose was generally favoured for finishing guitars as it could form a nicer gloss.

Regarding its content, nitrocellulose lacquer is mostly solvent-based and comprised of plant-based substances like cotton, mixed nitric and sulfuric acids. The nitrocellulose element serves as a binding agent, which is then mixed with solvent to enable a conventional spray finish. The solvent used is acetone; a highly-flammable substance that ultimately forms the shiny lacquer.

A nitrocellulose guitar finish is applied multiple times over several days, with each coat essentially melting into the previous one. This process eliminates the need to sand between layers. After full application, the solvent chemicals are left to fully dissolve; leaving a dry resin-like texture. This is then hand-buffed and sanded until a glossy finish is achieved.

Nitrocellulose is considered to be more porous than polyester or polyurethane, with a thin, smooth and somewhat slippery texture that isn’t quite as solid or constrictive. Many purists and luthiers therefore believe that a nitro finish allows a guitar’s wood to breathe, yielding a more open organic tone and greater sustain.

Next, the original scratchplate has been replaced by a genuine Fender 11 hole, 3 Ply Tortoise Shell plate.... this was £39.99

The new Plate proudly harbours Three Bareknuckle 'Slow Hand' Single coil replacement Boutique Pickups wound by hand in the UK.

This pickup set was £250 :

The Slow Hand set are a higher output vintage Strat set with a modern edge to the voicing for a more driven tone and increased mid-range presence over vintage spec pickups.

The Slow Hand set of calibrated single coils use hand bevelled Alnico V magnets and modern polysol wire for stronger, darker mids and a fatter tone. Scatter-winding maintains clarity throughout all frequency ranges while the higher DC resistance extends the bass and produces a more controlled high-end. Taking the spirit of the Irish Tour coils one step further, the Slow Hand coils have a definite British blues rock voice capable of pushing an amp into that wonderful 'just breaking up' tone. High notes get fatter as amp volume is increased and more preamp gain produces a lovely natural sustain with excellent crunch tones. Extremely well suited to maple board Strats, the Slow Hand set also cleans up nicely when the volume is rolled back.

The new pickups have been Professionally Rewired into the loom using a Bareknuckle Jenson Capacitor £16.99 .... For over 60 years Jensen have been making high-end capacitors. Today, they are made using a special purified mineral oil and the unique production process ensures not only a high quality capacitor, but a long-lasting one. Furthermore, Jensen have their own soldering process which provides minimum inductance and excellent internal electrical connection. Strats and Teles have had a variety of different pot and cap combinations. However, we find that the majority of players prefer the roll-off with a 0.022μF cap

New USA Spec CTS 250 K ohm Volume and Tone Pots (012446) and a Replacement 5 way USA Spec Switch (51993 1031) have been added. The Body Pickup and Pot cavities have been lined with Copper and an extra ground point fitted through the copper for Greater Noise reduction.

All in all this Guitar has been stripped Back and Revamped and Upgraded to be as close to a £4000 Custom Shop Built 50's Strat as you can get, using a Mexican 50'S Classic Series body and Neck.

Stock and Custom Team built guitars are pretty special in their own right, but to run your hands over a Masterbuilt guitar is an almost religious experience, and the idea behind this Mexican Built Classic Series Fender Stratocaster Project was to try and bring some of this magic to the hugely popular mid-price Classic Series.

Behind the scenes:

When you buy a Custom Shop instrument, you are getting two things: the 'head' - the builder's expertise and knowledge, and the 'hands' - the actual building."

With this Classic Series instrument, you are getting the 'head' and the vision to make this factory built body and neck into a fabulous Custom built 50's style guitar, the vintage aesthetic and the attention to detail.

The Vintage bridge with a High Mass Block, refined body contours, 7.25 Radius Radius and Vintage frets and on this Guitar custom paint and electronics.

Pay attention to the V shaped Neck, the board radius and the fret size here as the combination is not for everyone.!!

The soft V shaped neck feels chunky and is quite a handful. The radius is more curved than your modern strats and so those Big Bends can fret out if pushed too far. The Vintage frets are also closer together than the modern medium Jumbo and may take time to get used to.

The 50's Classic Series incorporates those Classic Vintage characteristics of a Stratocaster but if that's your thing you're gonna love it. Staying within the '50s vibe, it keeps the Kluson-style tuners that actually lock to ensure that the Vintage Style tremolo will stay in tune with heavy-handed tremolo work. Vintage steel saddles were installed to maintain crystal clarity in the notes and keep all the attack, and the USA five-way switch has a new voice by allowing the neck and bridge pickups to be used together.

There is a genuine Custom Shop vibe to this guitar - not least thanks to the finish that has been used. The '50s Strat has a soft 'V' profile alongside a 7.25-inch radius that combines to make the flawlessly-finished neck very difficult to put down indeed.

Sounds

This '50s Strat features Bareknuckle Slow Hand Vintage pickups to complete

another authentic touch. With a touch of warming gain, all five settings offer tones that are perfect combinations of crystal edges with genuinely toneful centres: as usual the further towards the neck you go, the smoother proceedings become.

The influence of the Custom Shop team is apparent before you even plug this guitar in. Now when you do, you are rewarded with a New and Improved sumptuous palette of warm tones and less noise. This is as close to a Great Vintage 50's Strat as it gets without spending an absolute fortune on a Custom Shop.

Specifications:

• Body Shape: Customised Mexican Stratocaster
• Body Material: Alder
• Body Finish: Nitro Cellulose

Neck

• Neck Material: Maple
• Neck Shape: Soft  "V"
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Fingerboard Radius: 7.25
• Number of Frets: 21
• Fret Size: Vintage Style
• String Nut: Synthetic Bone
• Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
• Truss Rod Nut: 3/16" Hex Adjustment
• Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Asymmetrical
• Neck Finish: Satin Polyurethane
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Position Inlays: Black Pearloid Dots on Maple

• Electronics

  • Bridge Pickup: Hand wound BareKnuckle Slow Hand  Single-Coil Strat
  • Middle Pickup: Hand wound Bareknuckle Slow Hand Single-Coil Strat
  • Neck Pickup: Handwound Bareknuckle Slow Hand Single-Coil Strat
  • Controls: Master Volume, and 2 Tone
  • Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
  • Pickup Configuration: SSS
  • Special Electronics: Bareknuckle Slow Hand Pickups, Bareknuckle Jenson Capacitor, Fender USA spec CTS Volume and CTS Tone and 5 Way USA spec Switch. Copper Noise reduction Pickup and Pot cavities.

  Hardware

  • Bridge: Vintage style Synchronized Tremolo with High Mass Block and Bent Steel Saddles
  • Tuning Machines: Vintage Style Nickel Button
  • Orientation: Right-Hand
  • Pickguard: 3-Ply Tortoise shell
  • Control Knobs: Aged White Plastic

• 
  
  This guitar was made at the FENDER Ensenada Plant , Mexico, in the Year: 2010, SERIAL NUMBER   MX10273258 
  THIS GUITAR RETAILED IN 2010 AT £500.00
  IT HAS  HAD AROUND £750 WORTH OF UPGRADES AND IS FITTED WITH FENDER QUICK RELEASE STRAP LOCKS @£16.95. IT ALSO BENEFITS FROM A £70 PROFESSIONAL SET UP. THAT'S A TOTAL COST OF £1337.00