Red Ensign Stratocaster Build Diary

[CascadiaGuitarGeek]

does it all fit ok in the control cavity ?

I haven't done a test fit yet, but I know if it does actually fit it will be extremely tight. I think I'll probably end up routing a little nook for the battery beside the switch to keep everything organized.

[wokkaboy]

yeah looks like it will be tight. I'd do the routing before you start the sanding and priming/painting

[Simon Barden]

Anyways I thought it was time to wire the pickguard (or scratchplate for my UK friends).

I think the internet has made both terms understandable for most people. I'm now using the terms interchangeably, often depending on what I feel like using that day.

I would say that it will be beneficial to you to screen your cavities and the underside of the scratchplate. There's a lot of cables in there to pick-up noise, plus you've got a boost circuit which will amplify any noise picked up. You may also find it beneficial to twist the pickup leads around one another and tape them together. This is how Fender used to do it to minimise noise. e.g.



I'd also look at reducing the lengths of any cables that can be shortened. Obviously make sure first that the wiring can be routed through the path in the body. But the more wire there is, the more noise that can be picked up.

[CascadiaGuitarGeek]

Thanks for the tips Simon. I've already got the copper shielding tape for the cavity for whenever I can actually complete finishing the body. I'll definitely look at shortening the pickup leads and strapping them together to make it all a little neater and less noisy. The concern about boosting a noisy signal is definitely real, so hopefully the extra steps will make sure this all ends up playable in the end.

[Simon Barden]

You've got a small piece of shielding right by the controls on the scratchplate, but you'll get a much more effective Faraday shield if all the underside has foil on, as well as the cavities.

[CascadiaGuitarGeek]

Winter has finally ended in Canada so I can get on to finishing this off. Before I completed the colour coats I realized I should find a spot for the battery to go. It was able to tuck nicely beside the bridge pickup after some Dremel work.



Now that the sun is shining and the temperature is within paint manufacturer specifications I have applied what I hope is the final colour coat. I even found time to work on my other stalled project...

[Simon Barden]

Nice red, CCG. How are you planning on holding the battery in place so that it doesn't rattle around, or does the slope of the pickup wedge it in?

I persuaded a friend of mine to get a real Clapton Strat (well, it was the best non-custom shop Strat in the shop and only double his initial budget). I was impressed by the mid boost (well its a mid+bass boost) but it did help to have the TBX tone control in there as well to add some extra treble in when using the mid-boost as the overall sound does become darker with it turned up. Of course on full boost you are then reliant on the amp overdriving and adding in some high frequencies to compensate, but a slight boost thickens up the sound without overdriving, which is where the TBX is usefull.

The TBX is basically two stacked pots, one 250k, one 1meg, wired so that below 5.5 on the knob (where the centre detent is), you are working with the normal 250k (or less) tone pot resistance, but above that, the resistance rises to 1 meg, so that very little high-end is being taken away, so you get a brighter sound than normal. As the extra brightness isn't huge, so you normally wind the pot up to 10 if not at 5.5, you could use a no-load pot to get a similar result when set to 10, or a switched pot to add in an extra resistance in series with the pot, for a similar effect.

[CascadiaGuitarGeek]

Nice red, CCG. How are you planning on holding the battery in place so that it doesn't rattle around, or does the slope of the pickup wedge it in?

Thanks Simon. The friction fit on the battery is pretty good, but I'm thinking of trying some double-face tape for backup. It's also going to be restrained somewhat by the switch but I don't want to rely on that to stop movement.

When I was on a random parts shopping spree on Amazon, I actually found a very reasonably priced genuine Fender mid-boost/TBX kit that I'll be putting in another Strat. Now (if I ever finish them all) I'll be able to do a side by side comparison to see how the GFS ghetto circuit compares to the real deal. I should post a video when they are both ready.

Nice work on upselling your friend! Now you just need to persuade him to store it at your place when he isn't playing it.

[Simon Barden]

I'll be upgrading my Jap Strat with the Fender TBX/Boost kit soon, once I re-finish its body. He'd lend it to me if I ever wanted it, but then I'd probably have to lend him my NOS Custom Shop Dave Gilmour Strat, which is, even without the boost circuit, in a different league for playability.

[CascadiaGuitarGeek]

And here it is with the masking tape pulled off of the graphic. A small portion of the graphic came off with the tape, but I think I can incorporate that into the overall aesthetic of the guitar (yes, yes, that's it, totally intentional...). Now hopefully I can get onto applying some wipe on poly next week.