Originally my lead guitar (and a real screamer as the bridge pickup (DiMarzio DP192) is hot!) this is my custom 'Corvette C5' Atomic Orange Stratocaster. This guitar was my main guitar for years, and I still love to play it ; although now she doesn't look like the first picture (with the black pick guard) ; and the tone is closer to a vintage strat now for both neck, mid, and bridge pups because of the coil taps and 'selector switch' for turning on either the neck or middle pup in (any) position.
Now the guitar looks (more beat up!) but has a slew of custom wiring and electronics in her as well as a pearl pick guard and some other minor changes. The first two pups are hand wound (by myself of course) to sound like Vintage '54 Fender Stratocaster pickups, and I think I nailed it. The wiring done is a push pull coil split for the humbucker (Dimarzio DP192) ; and a toggle switch for turning on the bridge or neck pup in any position. I also changed the selector switch a long time ago to an Fender American Std. one, and added an oil tone cap on a push pull pot (tone) so I can bypass the tone capacitor, one of my secret tone weapons ...
This is the old wiring w/ custom Varitone Switch (tone capacitor selector):
This is the new wiring:
I love this guitar for the neck, and the weight of the body... even though it came from a MIM strat, it's still a pretty weighty chunk of Alder, and I think that has ALOT to do with it's tone. The Jackson neck is awesome, I mean we're talking fast action! It was one of my first 'slim' tapered necked guitars, coming from Gibsons and Fenders ; and I actually stopped playing my Les Paul to play this one more. It had what I wanted, and still want - something clean in the neck, and something hot in the bridge. I call it my 'best of both worlds' guitar, because it has 'both the tones' I want, and it also changed my playing style and made me a better guitar player. Pretty epic. I bought the guitar from a friend whom owed me some money, and he was kinda sad to see it go. I fell in love months later, because I didn't realize what I had & continued to play my Gibson black beauty LP.
With the push-pull pots, and selector switch - I get some AMAZING 'vintage' American Strat cleans out of this guitar that sound both in phase and out. I even get a 'Telecaster' tone I just love in one position, so it's very versatile. The bridge pickup is a hot screamer, and I've always liked the tone of the Dimarzio DP192. When coil split, it sounds good too and you can still punch leads out with it, especially through a pedal board. The cleans aren't bad when split either, but I prefer the neck / mids for that.
A close up of the fast action Jackson neck with 'Shark Fin' inlays:
See how thin they went on this one? LOVE it!
The Shark Fin inlay is pretty cool too. Rosewood fretboard obviously.
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