Fender Srv Strat Serial Numbers

Another update after almost 2 months of having the Callaham system on my Strat: So it works fine and no more cracking from the neck or something. I changed string gauges from 9 to then 10 though which might have helped, although that shouldn’t really make a difference I suppose It is set up lush to the body, but still detunes after playing solos and stuff and I figured out why: The nut is causing it! The strings are getting stuck there, so I lubricated them with Big Bends Nut Sauce (I find that name hilarious:D) and it has helped, but still not perfect.

So Bjorn, let’s say you play to the whole “Coming back to Life” which, as you know, involves 3 Solos and 2 rhythm parts. Does your guitar stay (completely) in tune during this? I’m trying to figure out what to expect from a good tremolo system.

Surely it will always detune a little bit after doing bends/solos, so I assume this is normal?! Thanks for your input! I always spend a bit of time stretching the strings and tuning it up properly before rehearsal, recording or stage but once it’s tuned it pretty much stays in tune throughout a show unless I do something really crazy with the arm. The most common issue is friction so a bit of lubrication on the nut and the saddles (even if they’re new) is often needed. Make sure that you have good quality tuners and that they are properly fastened and that you have the right balance between the plate screws and the claw screws. Keep in min too that proper stringing is crucial for keeping the guitar in tune.

I briefly had a Sigma Strat copy, which you don’t mention. I foolishly resold it, because the neck was a little too fat for me. But it had incredible, fat sounding. 20,000,000 Visitors and counting - fix my hit counter and earn credit$, LOL: We salute our Nation’s military, past and present. IN WONDERFUL ALBANY, NY, USA.

The technique obviously depends on what tuning keys you have. So I installed it myself (first time ever doing that) and I have managed to set it up quite nicely, although there is some more fine-tuning required, which I will get to in the next couple of days.

It stays in tune quite well, but not as consistent as it can be I think One of the few problems is, when doing bends, that I can hear one of the springs “pop”, so I will try and solve that by replacing it with another. Also when doing bends on the B string I can hear the neck sort of “cracking” I assume that’s because it’s not set up quite right yet. If you have any tips or know, how to solve these issues Bjorn, feel free to enlighten me;) Thanks, as always, in advance! Hello Bjorn, I have a Gibson L6S and recently started playing my friends telecaster. Somehow I really like the tone of his single coil neck pickup.

I experimented with trying to find this quality tone from the L6S and I noticed. The action is very straight and low on the Telecaster, but progressively higher on the Gibson as it approaches the pickups. First, I thought the Gibson’s nut is too low, but then I noticed that the fret wire on the L6S is twice as thick as the telecaster, making the space between the frets also shorter. I think this accounts for the better clarity of the Telecaster.

Do you agree? I would like to buy a new guitar, maybe something that has both hum-buckers and a single coil. I wonder if you have any suggestions, or any thoughts about this fret wire thickness as well. I just feel the L6S neck is too long, and the frets too thick and probably too high. Thanks in advance, James. Hello Bjorn, I’m trying to modify a CIJ Strat to the Division Bell Red Strat specs.

I have put some EMG SA active pickups in it. Do you know if David’s Red strat, which is a Fender 80’s Reissue, has the Old style “made of Steel” block ans saddles like the Pre-CBS Fenders (and like Callaham Strat Bridge)? Or was that Bridge made out of cast alloy Mazak like the CBS 70’s strat? I.e when CBS made those Fender 62 and 57 RI in 1983, did they go back to Steel Bridges and saddles at the same time? Thank you for your help! Regards, Sebastien. I can’t agree more about a Telecaster section, and maybe a Telecaster pickups section too.

Seems to be a recurring demand lately, Bjorn!;) I’m myself after a Telecaster, but don’t know exactly which model to buy. I had a try on a Classic Player Baja 50’s Telecaster and an American Elite Telecaster. I liked both and was very impressed by the Fender Noiseless PUs on the American Elite, they don’t have as much compression as the previous Noiseless pickups, but they lack just a little bit of brightness that the Baja had. But the new truss rod adjustment system and the locking tuners really are a good improvement. I know the Classic Vibe Telecasters are good too, but I didn’t had time to try them at the shop. Does anyone had experience with the Baja to share, or other good Telecaster models?

Dear Bjorn One discussion I read little about is lap steel guitars. I was looking for a Jedson or a fender Deluxe but either one, when found is over $1,00 US. In doing some research I found the Teisco H-905. It’s a MIJ double pickup lapsteel from the late 60’s/early 70’s much like the Jedson and can be found in very good shape for $300 or even a bit less. It’s a six-string, metal nut (like the jedson) but doesn’t have a “string-through-body” tail but rather a plate attached to the body making surface contact.

The pickups are the typical Teisco pickups from that era, described as “not too hot, not too cold”. Do you (or anyone else reading this) know anything about the Teisco H-905 and it’s tone in regards to Gilmour’s tone on Breath, Great Gig in the Sky, etc? (Note: i’m currently using a 1953 Gretsch Electromatic with delay, slight overdrive, univibe and a Strymon Lexreally get’s that tone going). I just want something that feels and looks more like Gilmour’s Jedson. Any thoughts?

Bought a black MIM strat with maple neck last week. I already had a sunburst MIM strat and black MIA strats both with rosewood necks that I’ve played for the last 17 years. I’ve never plucked up the courage to modify those two strats, I,love them too much, and didnt want to risk spoiling them, but have always fancied trying modifiying a strat. This weekend I fitted the new project strat with locking schaller tuners and a callaham 6 point pridge assembly.

I then followed a really good YouTube video to set up the trem the action and the intonation and the neck relief. The transformation was absolutely amazing. It has overnight become my go to guitar. It stays in tune perfectly whatever I do to the trem, it sounds great, and it is really nice to play. I wish I’d had a go at this years ago, it is such fun, and so rewarding. I’ve an overdrive Black Strat pickguard on order for the next step:).

Hey Bjorn, everybody: Just wanted to report back on what I foudn so far to be my best Black Strat build to date. First I spent some time at Guitar Center Hollywood where they actually have a Gilmour Signature (NOS version) on dsiplay and they let you play it in the “special” room.

Very nice, smooth, easy to play. So I took mental note, tried to become familiar with it plugged into a Fender amp clean, low volume. It took me a few months, but I collected and assembled a Black Strat with a 1992 AVRI Maple neck I found on Craigslist for around $380 with original frets very worn down. I had it re-fretted with 6105’s and a bone nut by Eric Chaz in Van Nuys. Then I bought a lightly yet visibly worn 2006 Eric Johnson nitro body (4lbs 2 oz) for $325 off of Reverb. THAT WAS KEY. The EJ body is probably the best quality strat from any production model, approaching a CS 2-piece alder and thin nitro finish.

Then I added a custom pickguard with the “hidden” switch and the following pickups: Onomac Windery (Terry Learned) hand scatter-wound “Custom 69″ neck pickup ($59), an AY CS ’69 middle and an SS-5 in the bridge. Added a.022 Vitamin Q cap and a Treble Bleed on the volume pot. Last but not least, a Killer Guitar Components Brass Megablock termolo block + Raw Vintage springs. The Brass block added sustain and a fullness without making the guitar brighter at all. Also PAT PENDING Fender saddles. It SOUNDS AMAZING, plays like butter, bends are easy (using Thomastik Blues 10’shighly recommend them for this build).

I’m just curious on your take of the PRS 305? Have you played it? And if so what are your thoughts? It’s basically their take on a Strat. It has 3 single coils and a 5 way switch. I played one about a month ago and was floored by not only the sound but the comfortability, the action ect.

I’m a Strat guy, always have been for the last 20 years. But I found this to be a better version of a Strat. Basically if the Stratocaster was an animal in nature, the PRS 305 would be what the Strat would have evolved into millions of years from now.

I ended up buying one the other day and am thrilled with it. I own and have played everything under the sun and this is really hard to beat in my mind. Any thoughts? Hi Bjorn, Just wanted to say great site, i heard it mentioned in the Keeley Dark Side vid on youtube and looked it up straight away. I’ve already got the backing tracks downloaded for the songs i play and few more to give me the incentive to learn some new stuff. I’ve put in a pre-order for the dark side peddle as seems to be a decent bit of kit with some good flexibility next on the list will be a decent delay, i’ll look in the peddle section for recommendations. I’m lucky, i’ve got a custom shop Gilmour NOS Strat but spent years playing Gilmour stuff on a Lite ash strat (wish i’d kept it) and an Eric Johnson.

All of the strats i have used you can coax some great Gilmour sounds from, and all were different – neck radius, neck profile, trem (2 post or 6 screw), electrics (fender pickups or Seymour Duncan’s), etc. At the end of the day it comes down to what feels good for the player, if it feels right you play it more and don’t want to put it down – as long as it’s a Strat it’ll do the job. Keep up the good work. How are you, Bjorn, I’m here to ask your advice about the Warmoth parts. I remember you ever mentioned that warmoth parts are good, but better go for the higher level ones.

I have a Warmoth body (aprox.200€ ), which might just a normal level, and combined with a fender standard neck.Now I want to try a warmoth neck, maybe just a normal level, 200€, Maple, with nitrolacquer vintage tint gloss, middle size 22 fret, C shape, with some little Birdseyes. What do you think? I never try a Warmoth neck before. Or should I just go for a Vintage 57us black? Really need your advice, no pressure. Thanks a lot! Hi Bjorn, I’ve never seen any 57′ reissue in the fender shop so where can we find a 57′ (and if it’s possible a CIJ) and what is the price?

As I said the classic 50 tex spec seems to be good, but I saw also the cs50 lacquer which include a nitrocellulose finish (is it a good investissement, is it good to add 320 euros to have this finish?) Are the tax as special pickups better than the vintage single coils. And if I buy one of these guitars, should I replace the pickups (tex spec or vintage style) for a set with a ssl5 cs69 and fat50s like Gilmour? Thanks a lot!

And what’s about the nitrocellulose finish? I know It’s better, but is it a good deal to add 320€!! So it will be very difficult to find a 57 reissue!! Now I hesitate between five guitars!!! -Fender Stratocaster Stratocaster Classic Series ’50s (MEX, MN) fiesta red 829 € (euroguitar my guitar shop) Very classic!!!

-Fender Stratocaster Special Edition ’50s FSR (MEX, MN) Rangoon Red 749 € (euroguitar my guitar shop) The same specs as the cs50 but an other colour (a little different) and cheaper -Fender Stratocaster Classic ’50s Japan Ltd (JAP, MN) Old Candy Apple red TS 999 € (euroguitar my guitar shop) On Ratuken it’s 738€!!! This is the Tex Spec with TS pickups and a slim c profil neck ( the others have all a v-soft) -Fender Stratocaster Classic Series ’50s Lacquer (MEX, MN) candy apple red 1139€ (euroguitar my guitar shop) naturally more expensive but do the benefits justifie the cost?? -Fender Japan Exclusive Series Classic 50 s Strat, Maple Fingerboard, and Old Candy Apple Red 583€ (Only on Rakuten) Same spec as the Tex Spec but Custom Vintage-Style pickups —>If Rakuten is areliable website, i’d go for the last one, But if not i’d check the Special ’50s FSR Rangoon Red What do you mind, what would be your choice? Well, that’s the big question, isn’t it? Despite that I’m a tone fanatic, I’ve never owed a Custom Shop guitar. First, they’re very expensive here in Norway, and I never buy guitars online, and second, I don’t think they’re worth the price considering that you can get a Japanese Fender for half the price and the same quality or, get a Mexican, which is also very good, but mod it with new pickups etc for even less.

The price tag on a Custom Shop US made guitar is so much more than just quality and sound. Bjorn: Los Angeles here! So over the last few months I built up my Black Strat on a 50’s MIM Roadworn strat that I picked up for $600 from a friend with HSC, etc etc. Installed a custom pick-guard with the radiused edge and “hidden switch”, Callaham tremolo block and shortened arm. Cs69x2 + Duncan SS5. Sounds very very nice.

Then I went to Guitar Center and tried out a Gilmour Signature strat. The only real difference upfront was the neck. I was surprised how easy I could still bend on vintage-style frets. My Roadworn neck by comparison while it feels good in in my hands is a bit “slinky ” and loose by comparison. SoI started searching for an 80’s/90’s AVRI ’57 neck. Prices on Ebay were $500, $600.

Hard to find at any price. Now (just two days ago) I scored off of Craigslist in LA a 1992 Black ’57 AVRI strat with an identical neck to the Gilmour sig (yellow tint, C profile good condition, with very worn vintage style frets) and a pretty beat-up nitro body although not damaged; replacement pickups (SD’s) but all original pots dated 1991. After restringing with my fav strings (Rotosound 10-46) It plays fantastic to where I don’t miss the taller frets of my Roadworn 50’s. Tone wise the SD pu’s are a bit characterless and lacking deep lows and nothing compares to the SS5 on the bridge. So my question to you: Would you first swap the pick-guard/electronics from the Roadworn onto the AVRI, or would you switch necks between bodies, installing the AVRI neck onto the loaded Roadworn Body? Update: I placed the 1992 ’57 AVRI neck (re-fretted with 6105’s) on an Eric Johnson black nitro body I bought used on Reverb. Added a KGC Megamass brass trem block.

Pickups pretty much what you recommend (I switched out the neck CS69 for an Onomac Windery Custom 69 handwound beauty). The guitar feels so good!

It’s easier to play and has more resonance than the Roadworn 50’s build. After having played a Fender Custom Shop Gilmour strat, I can say that this comes very close and actually is easier to play in terms of bending because of the taller frets. I wonder if you guys out in Europe have heard of Kerry Learned and his Onomac pickups. They are fantastic and inexpensive ($145 for a full set and he winds them to order, by request).

The Custom 69 has a deep clear tight tone that works very well for the lead in Shine on, maybe a bit more character and “stratiness” at the 12th fret than the Fender CS 69. Hi, Bjorn, still me here! I need your suggestion now, no pressure, just ask an advice from you.

Now I have 2 strat guitars: 1. 1995 America standard: Neck: Maple with Rosewood fingerboard. Body: Alder Bridge: 2-point tremolo Pickups: CS Texas,(have Fender Lace Gold set as backup) 2.

Black strat: Neck: Maple fingerboard (from a 1996 American Strat). Body: Warmoth Alder body Bridge: 6-point tremolo Pickups: ssl-1, CS69, Texas (SSL-5) I don’t know if the maple has big difference with rosewood, because I tried a lot, the 2 starts are almost the same in tone.

But I like them both, it’s hard to keep one and sell another. Can please give me advice that which one could be better to use to play DG’s song and some blues style music? Or any other way to differ them?

Such as loading Lace PU on No.1 strat? Thanks, appreciate your advice. Enjoying all the geeky and thoughtful Strat lovethis is my kind of place. Question for you all, limited budget for a new strat, but looking for the glassy thing but with more tonemeaty, like David’s. Have a great partscaster that is close, a 2004 Highway one that is too thin sounding, and a 2000 American Deluxe that is better, but still too thin for me tonewise.

With my budget, looking at G&Ls, 1970s Strats, and the newer American Standard with the fat 50s pickups. Or, I could put new pups in in one of the old guys. Lots of people dismiss the 70s strats, but not sure how many people a/b’d them with other strats to see if they really sounded that much worse. Well, this is the huge debate on whether different wood will have an impact on the tone or not. I think it does, and my experience tells me so, but it doesn’t matter as much as what pickups you use, how you’ve set these, the amp, pedal etc. My experience with Strats is that I have never played a guitar that sound thin, as in thin and useless.

However, low output single coils, set low (too far from the strings) on a brighter sounding amp and the “wrong” pedals to go with it, will sound bad. I think the most important thing is that you chose a guitar that feels right and then, change the pickups, tweak your amp and pedals That being said, all of the guitars you mention are worth checking out. Hi Bjorn,Had a problem trying to find a good tremolo to fit my Fender Squier.

Then I came across a guy named Keith Hurley on Ebay. Selling his own spec on Callaham,what is really good is that he makes blocks for all Fenders, bullets, Affin etc 25pound for the block cold rolled steel.

Even the tremolo arms look lovely with the faded look. Maybe you know this guy. But for all those people who want to upgrade there Squiers who cant get a smaller block, I would check him out. I was reading some reviews on Google about his work seems very good.

Hi Bjorn, I`ve been building a candy apple red Strat and got to the point that I just needed a loaded EMG SPC EXG pickguard and the bridge to complete the project. I know you really like the Callaham bridges, and I had planned on using one on my Strat build, but after becoming aware of a bridge I had never heard of I decided not to get the Callaham bridge. My new bridge is a Babicz Full Contact bridge and it arrived yesterday and looks very impressive. Are you familiar with the Babicz bridge? I read a bunch of very positive reviews, and some of the reviewers had a Babicz bridge on all their guitars and basses. On their website they have a video showing how the bridges full contact saddles work.I`d be interested in your thoughts on this bridgehere`s a link. Hi Bjorn, Just thought I`d finally get back to you about my red Strat build and my impressions of the Babicz bridge I installed on it.

First of all, I`m not seeing any noticeable increase in sustain with the guitar unplugged in comparison to my other Strat which is bone stock. When I purchased the bridge I was not concerned with increasing sustain, I just really liked the saddle design, because the saddles are so easy to adjust string height, and they are really comfortable to rest my hand on for palm muting, The cam system of the saddles seems like it would help prevent string breakage. One thing I really disliked was the whammy barit was too long, and I didn`t care for the shape at allit was almost perfectly straight with an upward bend, and then it had another upward bend 65mm from the tip.

Instead of using the Babicz whammy bar, I got a Callaham “64” bar and modified it.I bent it into the shape of a Fender whammy bar and then I added more threads to the bar, and then cut some of the threads off the end. I also modified the bridge by tapping the hole for the whammy bar all the way through the block and installing a short set screw on the backside.

This was done because I wanted to use a Fender tremolo spring and without a set screw at the bottom of the hole the spring would just fall through. The spring is the reason I had to cut some of the threads off the whammy bar.to keep the bar from sticking out too far from the body. Anyway, I haven`t decided yet if I will put a Babicz bridge on my Telecaster or just install the Babicz saddles on the stock bridge plate. I don’t agree. On what do you base that claim? Maple, ash, rosewood, basswood and what have you, all have different qualities soundwise.

Obviously, two trees aren’t identical and it also depends on how the wood has been treated, which is also why two seemingly identical guitars, can sound different. My best tip is to be aware of what different wood, lacquer, hardware, pickups and strings does to the sound and have this in mind when you choose a guitar.

Ultimately, what matters is that you like the guitar and feel comfortable with how it plays. You can find a diffucult to read scientific study (in german, more than 400 pages) in the internet concerning the influence of different types of wood on the sound of electric (!) guitars. One thing is that the type of wood has no measurable influence on the sound of the guitar. Another point is that the accurate size of the neck pocket has no influence on the tone or the sustain (the guitar with the biggest gap and one weak screw had the longest sustain). And it seem that there is no hearable influence of the lacquer on the sound (wood does not breath). Most parts with influence are the different kinds of bridges (tele vs strat vs les paul), the pickups, guitar picks, playing style, age of strings and scale length.

All other parts did not have any measurable or hearable influence – it is imagination and wishful thinking. I don’t read, or talk, German, so Anyway, I’m sure you can measure and do all kinds of tests but there is a difference.

The reason is that different wood has different density and structure. That will make the sound waves resonate differently between the woods. Same goes with the type of laquer. Nitro, polyester, faded etc all have an impact on the tone. BUT, were talking nuances here and it depends on how picky you are. I’m not saying that you need to buy alder from a specific forrest chopped down during a specific year but just be aware of the differences as you wood when it comes to different shapes,contours, pickups etc That’s my two cents anyway. There are tons of experiments on you tube, just start looking.

On acoustic guitars you are right because the tone comes from the guitar itself, not an amp that is simply picking up an electromagnetic signal from the pickups. I’ve always known that tonewood was a myth on electric guitars. Take the strings, bridge, nut, and pickups out of a pure mahogany guitar and put it in the exact same shaped maple guitar with the same scale length, and you will not be able to tell the difference in the two BTW – I love your site and come here often, it’s a GREAT site. Sorry for my very late reply. That’s not true. Obviously, people did bends back in the days too. It’s just a matter of keeping the neck straight (by making sure the truss rod is properly adjusted) and the right height on the strings.

Begin with the G string. Set it as low as possible but high enough to be able to bend it without it choking on the fret. Set the other strings accordingly for a nice curve that follows the neck. You might want the G and B string slightly higher than the other strings. Hi Bjorn, I did a search before posting and notice that you prefer vintage type necks so I assume you like 7.25″ radius?

I have a 7.25″ on my #1 Strat and it feels great but bending higher up the neck becomes quite a fight sometimes. I don’t really notice it until I use my LP or my MIM Strat. It is going to be a long time yet before I figure out what I like. Whenever I play on a flatter neck it feels nice and smooth and I would think I prefer flatter wider radius’, but then I go back to my #1 Strat and I feel very comfortable and at home. Just wondering if you have moved away from 7.25″ or is that still your preferred?

Also if you can briefly expand on why you like your preferred radius I would appreciate it. I respect you as a generous person and admire you as a guitar player so I like to pick your brain every chance I get. Thank you Bjorn. You are killing me with your pedal reviews. It seems like you can make a potato sound good and then I’d want to buy it.

I do prefer those vintage style 7.25″s. I think there is a big misconception out there regarding the radius and the ability to bend strings. String height guides provided by Fender and others are only meant as a starting point. You should always adjust the height to match your technique and preference. Guitarists have used 7.25s for decades and bending as never been as issue. Make sure that the neck is straight.

You can also allow a tiny hair bend to avoid fret buzz. But only a hair. Use the recommended string height and see how that feels. Make sure that the bridge is set how you want it. Bend the strings and note which one that chokes when you bend high. Raise those just enough to get the clearing you need.

That would usually be the G and B string. After you’ve adjusted, make sure that you have a nice bow when you look at your strings from behind. They should follow the curvage of the neck.

Hope this helped:). Random questions – I’m reading Phil Taylor’s book and he has so many awesome pictures of the black strat. Some of the pics are so good they look like they are out of a Musicians Friend catalog.

For instance the strat on pg 97 3rd edition with rosewood neck. Q – did he actually take these pics in ’74 or did he put the rosewood neck back on the black strat simply for the book pics? Pages 114 and 115 have amazing photos too that must be really old or else they are recreated for the book. Maybe its because he was the guitar tech and he needed to document everything at that time. Second Q – I love the ’63 rosewood neck!

Any idea what the sunburst strat/rosewood neck is up to now? The more I read this website, the more I feel you don’t really know what you’re talking about and are just going by popular notion. For example: 1.

The Squier CV pickups are rather excellent. No need to change them out. The bridge assembly on all these models are fine. On some (Squiers and MIM) you may want to change out the alloy block for a full size zinc one but that’s it. Also, tuning instability can be fixed with a simple mod like a properly cut nut, a good setup and/or lubricating the saddles. There’s no need to throw money down the drain by buying a ridiculously overpriced Callaham bridge. Sorry you feel that way.

If you’ve read my site, as you say you’ve done, you would have noticed that all my recommendations are purely based on my own experience and very subjective opinions – as I read your comment and opinion. I don’t say that you have to do anything and in fact, I’m one of the few out there who actually warmly recommend Squier and Mexico Fenders over the overpriced US models. You don’t need to upgrade the parts, they work just fine but if you do, you’d have an excellent guitar that doesn’t stand back for the ten times more expensive US counterpart.

Thanks for your kind words, Jon! There are different opinions about this. Some claim that it doesn’t matter while others says it matters a great deal. The string isn’t just touching a fret but it also resonates on the wood and throughout the neck and body.

My experience is that there is a difference but the tone of a guitar depends on many things and relating to the neck, the radius, fretboard, frets, lacquer all makes a difference. The general consensus is that rosewood, ebony and other darker wood has a softer and warmer character, while maple and other brighter wood has a more punchy and snappy tone. I think the most important thing is that you get a neck that feels comfortable. It is possible to tell if your model has a wired pre-wired pick-guard? I’d like to change my pick-guard to the MOP white to go with that sweet burgundy mist color. But not if the pickups are wired to it.

The sound is perfect as it is–the single coils get an authentic “Wind Cries Mary” (Hendrix) sound I don’t want to lose by wiring in something that risks taking away that magic. The pick-guard seems difficult to remove just to have a gander under the hood, So any info that saves me this potential MISTAKE would be greatly appreciated. FYI, I replaced the saddles with the Graph Tech string savers, It’s a spanking new deluxe road house model (HSS) MIM and the mother of pearl would give it an extra one-of-a-kind panache, Any word? Thanks in advance. I think I emailed you a picture, but you’re right about P-90 loaded Gibsons working well for DG’s tones. I picked up a new, lost in the warehouse 2011 50th anniversary Pete Townshend signature SG Special, a dead on reissue of a ’61 SG Special, in the Rare polaris/arctic white.

It has become my go to guitar for solos, and crunchy rythyms. The stock P-90s are as good as the ones I had in my ’63 SG Special that was exactly the same guitar, including the mods Pete did to his SGs, I swapped out the tremolo, for a lightening bar wrap around tail piece, and traded the stock tuners for Grover kidney shaped tuners. It wasn’t until 28 years after the ’63 was stolen that I found that I had instnctively done the same exact mods he had done to his, even used the same exact bridge, and tuners because it felt right. I had to have the guitar the second I saw it, and when I got home, I found that the 2012 versions, which were still being sold as 50th anninversary, were going for $1400-$1500 used on eBay. I got a low serial number 2011brand new, for $1000+ tax!! It’s not the ’63, but other than the paint not having yellowed yet it plays, looks, and SOUNDS exactly Like my stolen ’63.

For once I had incredibly good luck with a guitar, and love it almost as much as Cymbaline,( my handcrafted ’68-69 Strat, built by Tom Rodriguez!). I got off point a bit, but if you want a Gilmourish Guitar, that will get you into Gibson territory as well, Any P-90 loaded Gibson will do the trick, and for a more vintage P-90, Lundy Fralin makes his P-90s on original Gibson nachines, and is IMO the greatest pickup builder in the world, and I’ve played them all!!! Peace, Love to all, KEITH. That’s Lindy Fralin, not Lundy, stupid phone. I fond it odd that since DGs playing is based on the blues, and Fralin’s pickups are world renowned, especially amongst blues players, and he is sales wise likely the biggest “boutique” pickup builder in the world, that I’ve not seen one person say they’ve tried them. Go in any blues, or musician’s forum like The gear page, the Telecaster forum, Fender forum, and you will find pages dedicated to his pickups. Not complaining, just find it odd, and wouldn’t use anything else that I’ve played, and really think that for those looking for authentic Vintage Gilmour tones, you’re missing the best vintage Fender style pickups available.

He will even make the low output pickups from ’71 Fender Bullet truss Strats, which people are a luttle confused about. Gilmour and Blackmore lobed them, and Blackmore had quite a few ’71s, but they’re some of the lowest output pups to grace a stock strat, most coming in around 5.2-5.3k, where as most Strat pups from the ’60s, and 70s were about 5.8k. Just a but of trivia.

If you try them, and aren’t satisfied with the output, he will rewind them, and if you don’t like them,( YOU WILL!), their resale value is almost what you’d pay new, they don’t lose value until they get beat up. Just sayin’ Keith. Oh you know, I’m very happy with the setup I have now, which you can read more about on bjornriis.com. I rarely play Gilmour stuff anymore but I have my Strats, the Reeves Custom 50 with the Sound City cab and enough pedals to cover most of David’s tones.

I’ve always been more into trying to get the tone I want with the gear I have at any given time so it doesn’t really matter to me whether I have a duplicate of David’s rig or not. Also, budget gear has come a long way the last decade or so and with a bit of tweaking and perhaps an upgrade or two you can get just a close to the tones you want as with custom shop and more expensive gear. Boring answer perhaps but all you need to cover David’s tones is a nice guitar, a decent amp and three pedals: overdrive, distortion and delay.

That’s the bare essentials. What’s more important is that you make that your own and practice. Brilliant article, I have only been playing guitar for 12 months but at 51 my sole reason for learning to play has all been about the Gilmour tone.

I have spent a small fortune on high end guitars and have made all the mistake Bjorn has warned off. After numerous strats, custom hand made guitars and PRS I now have a Schecter Custom, brilliant guitar and the best I have owned. The point made by so many is not to obsess about the pedals, amps, guitar it is all in the fingers, it seems to me that whatever DG play his tone is brilliant and unique, this is confirmed by his guitar tech. Spend thousands like I have and it will bring you no closer to that incredible tone that we all dream of.

It is all down to practising the licks and emulating his techniques and style. Others far more experienced than I may have a different view but I am sure what I have said is not to far off the mark. Hi Bjorn, I am thinking of putting together a new guitar. I am probably going to order a custom body and neck from Warmoth.

The body will be of a Tele Thinline – so with the f hole. I haven’t yet decided which pickups I will put in, but I am torn between CS69s with the SSL5 bridge setup, and the Burns Trisonic set of Brian May (I know, two completely different sounds). Therefore, a universal or ‘swimming pool’ pickup route would be a good option, as I can change pickups to whatever I want.

Also there will have to be a great deal of wiring in the guitar, and so that will need a bit of space also. My question to you is: is it sensible to get a swimming pool pickup route, baring in mind that the body will already have an f hole, and a large route for the wiring. Would this take out too much wood from the body? Would this make the guitar dead, with no sustain? Thanks, Hamish [I’m not the right person to ask.

It shouldn’t be a problem. I guess the tone and sustain of the guitar also depends on the quality and density of the wood but if anything I would imagine that the tone gets a bit more open. They’re the experts:) One thing though be careful placing a SSL5 and other high output pickups in a Tele or semi-hollow body. You may experience a lot of feedback and microphonics. Hi Bjorn, I have a Fender FSR Stratocaster that is absolutely amazing. Mine looks like Gilmour’s “Black Strat”, the sound is close to his original and there’s rumors that it could be made from the extra pieces of the special Gilmour custom shop price.

If you ever find one, definitely try it out. It can cover a lot of sonic ground. What would you say is the best amp for replicating Gilmour’s tones from the Wall and Dark Side of the Moon under a $1000 budget? Thanks for the awesome website! [Yeah, those FSRs are great guitars. There are many great sounding amps under $1000 and I’ve listed a bunch in the Buyer’s Gear Guide.

Depends on how you’ll be using the amp. The Laney Lionheart, H&K Tubemeister, Hiwatt Tube Series you might also want to check out EBay or your local classifieds for used amps.

It’s still possible to get an old Sound City or Fender under $1000. Hey Bjorn, good article. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on a 1982 reissue of a 1962 strat (one w/ the original parts in it). Is it worth it to spend $3500 for that or is a MIM strat a way better value?

Of course, I know the answer is partly “it depends on how much you like it” but I’m wondering what your opinion is. I’m a fan of John Frusciante as well so that’s why I was looking at ’62 reissues rather than ’57s. [Very sorry for my late reply, Kevin. I’m no expert on the Fender history. David’s red Strat is a 1983. There was a transition period in the early 80s and I’m not sure if 1982 are considered good or not.

I’d check up on that before buying. A MIM or CIJ might be just as good but this is a vintage guitar so you need to add that value too:) – Bjorn]. Bjorn, Gerry in LA here. I’m bumping tgis thread because i have just completed a related expirament: How to get a CS quality tone for black Strat Build without paying a premium for it. First experiment was to convert a black Roadworn 50s MIM with a callaham block, cs69/cs69/ss5, custom pickguard with correct hidden switch and rounded edges, etc.

Sounded great through my Lionheart L20H on a 212 cab loaded with Fane Classics 50s. But not great enough!! So doing some research i concluded that the best quality/sounding production strat body that was based on a vintage strat was the Eric Johnson signature model. After several months searching I scored a 2006 Black Eric Johnson strat body (with a few dings and scratches) for $330 US (on Reverb.com). I had a 1992 AVRI maple neck that was refretted by Eric Chaz (Luthier located at Sound City Studios) with 6105 wire, narrow tall/.055).

Jusr switched the entire electronics over incl a KGC brass Megablock trem. I will say this: It sounds as good to my ears and plays better than the CS DG signature which ive demo’d twice at Guitar Center Hollywood.

I haven’t seen any comnents or references on your site on the EJ strat as a basis for a build, but there are shops selling them as parts separately because of their value as individual components. Bodys can be had new for under $500. Just my experience trying alternative sources for the black strat hunt:). Hi Fabian, Just my thoughts. Even cheap pedals add up very quickly.

I honestly think you can go with a rat variant and a delay pedal for now. I started on a Ibanez DE-7 which is digital but has a echo simulation option that sounds good. It is also under $70. My first distortion pedal was a Boss ds-2 and then a super crunch box 2 which can do plexi to jcm 800 to really compressed and distortion marshall sounds. The boss ds-1 or ds-2 are actually pretty good pedals. This is only if you need pedals but I’d stop there. A tuner pedal is handy but you can also get a cheap $10 tuner for now.

I’d say your main main priority is your amp and pickups. They are your canvas and your brushes and form the basis of the tone in your head. If you are happy with your pickups then that is fine but definitely plan for a new amp. Even if it is long term. If you are planning to buy good muffs and delays later on, you’d want a tube amp. Again just my thoughts. Everyone’s situation is different.

Hello Bjorn, it’s me again – Fabian – and I want to answer your question. I am interested in the tones of “The Wall,”A Saucerful of Secrets” and “Animals”. I heard that the setup of “ASOS” is about the same as the one of “Meddle”. Is that true?

I hope you have some suggestions for a beginner.:) Great website by the way and in forward: thank you for the help! [Sorry for my late reply. You’ll find detailed. See this feature as well for some. Based on your setup I’d go for something versatile to be able to cover as ground as possible and get tones close to Gilmour. A tuner should definitely be your first purchase. I think that with a distortion, overdrive and delay you should be pretty much set for the tones you want and you can build it from there when you get more funds.

The ProCo Rat and Ibanez TS9 are easy to find and great sounding distortions and overdrives. See the for similar sounding pedals. You could go for pretty much any delay. The TC Flashback is extremely versatile and great sounding. See the for more tips. Hey Bjorn, I bought a Squier VM 70s Strat – like the black Strat and I am very happy with it although I guess it still can be upgraded to sound a lot better.

I only got a Marshall MG15CFR and I would like to know what pedals I just start buying. I looked trough your side but I guess the range is a little bit overwhelming. Should I start with a tuner and a big muff? Or do you have a better idea?

Greetings and Merry Christmas! Fabian [Depends on what tones you want. Could you try to be a bit more specific? Hey Bjorn, Finding myself spending lots of time on your site.

Really a great job you do here. Very helpful for us gilmour fans! I had a question regarding my new strat. I recently purchased a fender MIM Jimmie Vaughn. I’ve replaced the pickups with a SSL5 in the bridge and fender custom shop 69’s in the middle and neck and I am debating whether or not I need to replace the tremelo. The guitar comes stock with vintage US hardware including a tremelo. I was wondering if you thought its worth getting the callaham vintage S tremelo with the gilmour bar or just getting the shortened gilmour bar to use with the existing tremolo I have.

Thanks for your kind words! The quality of the term system is more than good enough so you don’t need to change it. However, the Callaham has some features that the Fender doesn’t have, like less friction on the strings and a bigger block, which enhances the tuning stability and sustain. Hey Bjorn, just thought would share some info about Gilmour’s 1983 candy apple red Strat.

In 1982 Fender brought in Dan Smith, who introduced the ‘re-issue series’ and all re-issues made in the year 1982/1983 in the Fullerton plant, has now become quite collectible and is popularly known as ‘Dan Smith era Strats’ or simply ‘Dan Smith re-issue Strats’. You may want to include this fact under the Red Strat information on the site.

Here’s a link to some further information: [Thanks for the info:) – Bjorn]. Is the tremolo system on the mim fender classic 50’s that so bda and unstable? Free Download Software Hacker Facebook Terbaru Indonesia on this page. If it is,is it worth to get a new tokai tst50 strat ( rather than a mexican) or should i try to get a mij strat? My plan is after i get any of these just to replace the bridge pickup wit the seymour duncan ssl5. Other plan is to get the mim and replace the tremolo system with a new nice fender vintage style one:) [The MIM Classic guitars are very good and the term system will do the job. Just be sure to string up properly and adjust the term system to taste. That should keep in stable.

The biggest upgrade you can do is in terms of tone. Systems like the Callaham Vintage bridge has a thicker block, which creates a fuller tone and more sustain. It also leaves less tension and friction on the strings, which also results in more sustain and better tuning.

But again, the stock Classic will do. Hi Bjorn im looking to get a new guitar and ive been looking at the Fender classic series which you have put on here but what about the classic player? The guitar pretty much the same price wise and the classic player’s seem to have better pickups and hardware.

What do you think? -George [The Classic Player is sort of a mix between the Classic Series and the Standard, with a bit of both worlds. Personally I like the Classic better but the CP are very nice guitars too. Try both and compare them:) – Bjorn]. I have two Clapton Strats, both fitted with the EMG DG-20 electronics.

One is a black 2013, the other a pewter 2006. The trems are unblocked on both. The black one seems a bit fuller-sounding. I don’t know whether this is because of the different finish, or maybe that the frets are less worn. But they both sound fantastic, a much more authentic Strat sound than a Clapton’s factory electronics.

(And yes, the black one has a black pick guard I got from Warmoth.) 57-reissue necks aren’t very practical for me. They play great, but I live in the Midwestern United States (Iowa) and the humidity here changes day-to-day and sometimes hour-to-hour. So I have to have a neck I don’t have to remove to adjust. I’ve found the Clapton’s to be a very nice “compromise”, if you will.

[Thanks for sharing! I’m going to buy a Fender classic series 70s strat does it a good guitar or not or it have the drawbacks which were on the original 70s strats! [I’d say that it’s a very nice guitar. It is a budget model, which means that the pickups and hardware isn’t as good as a top level US model, but this can easily be upgraded and you’ll still be well within a reasonable price. The Classic Series are very well made and sounds great. As with all guitars, I recommend that you try it first and if possible, try several guitars and choose the one that sounds the best. I would disagree that the Fender Squire Classic Vibe is a “beginners” Guitar.

I recently purchased at the Classic vibe 60th anniversary 50s model and was blown away by the quality of this instrument, its simply the best strat I have ever owned, sounds, looks and plays great, stays in tune better than any strat I have ever owned and I have owned several Strats including a high end/outrageously priced US made deluxe (that was crap) and a Japanese made 60s re-issue ( good guitar). You’re equating Higher price to higher quality this isn’t always the case when it comer to guitars, Asian made are often better than US made.

[I’ll be the first one to agree with that, owning several Japanese Fenders my self. The Squier guitars are definitely great instruments, which is why I’ve recommended them in the Buyer’s Gear Guide and throughout this site. What I meant was that they will sound and feel even better with better pickups and perhaps better hardware. That’s my experience with them anyway.

In any case it depends on what you’re looking for. Many working guitarists use both Squier and Epiphone and it’s also a matter of finding an instrument that fits your style rather than being too focused on what it says on the headstock:) – Bjorn]. Hi Bjorn just wondering what your general opinion the different periods of Japanese strats is. Is it true that cij strats made around 2000 are better than mij strats made around mid 80’s? Which would get closer to a gilmourish tone? Kind regards [I’m definitely not an expert on Japanese made Fenders.

From what I’ve read the early 80s models (MIJ) are considered very good and so are the mid 90s ones (MIJ/CIJ). There have been some series that have been assembled from low quality wood and the body consists of several pieces etc but the current quality is very good. Problem now though is that there are so many different models and many that are special runs made for certain dealers etc. They use third party parts and assemble necks and bodies from different periods. I guess the only way to be really sure is to make sure you always buy from a trusted dealer and ask for accurate production date and pictures of the neck and body heel to tell what parts they are.

Sorry for all the questions Bjorn but I have an opportunity to get either a 1962 reissue mij strat or a 1957 reissue cij strat but I don’t know which one to get? The 1957 has a maple neck while the 1962 has rosewood, and the 57 has an alder body whereas I’m not sure what the 62 has. They both seem like great guitars. Any info and your opinion on the two would be greatly appreciated Thanks from Australia! [The neck and body contours are different so they feel different when playing. There’s also a difference between maple and rosewood necks.

They’re both great guitars so it depends on what specs you prefer. The pickups can always be replaced later on.

I’m I’ve been looking around for a strat for a while now and I’m afraid I don’t have enough money to buy a American one. Would a Mexican classic series strat sound fairly close to an American one assuming I’m going to replace the pickups and tremolo block?

Also which would you recommend out of the classic series 50’s or 60’s strat? Your help would be greatly appreciated, I’m a huge fan of this website! [You probably won’t hear any difference between an American og Mexican or any other brand or country of production. Although wood, laquer and hardware do make a significant difference, what’s important for both the tone and your playing is that you like the guitar.

Given that it’s of a decent quality you can make any guitar sound great, if you feel comfortable playing it and know a bit about how to get the tones you want. Replacing pickups is a good idea even it’s a US model because pickups is a bit like a pedal. It’s not given that you like what’s featured on the guitar.

The Mexican made Classic Series is very good and regardless of whether you’re buing Mexican or US I recommend that you try a few guitars and compare them. No instrument is identical so trying different ones will make it easier to make up your mind and find the one that really sits in your hands and fit your playing.

I have posted in the Big Muff section about my recent Buffalo Patriot acquisition and thought I might describe my ’57 Reissue Stratocaster here. I ordered her towards the end of 1983 and got the custom color black. Mostly to replicate Clapton’s Blackie at the time, as I locked down the trem and didn’t use the bar. This has been the guitar I have owned the longest time, 31 years and it is one of the lightest best playing acoustically Strats I have ever played and I have played a huge amount of them.

The Stratocaster was my first guitar back in 1967 when I lived in London my cousins in new York sent me a 1965 Transition logoed Stratocaster and my life was never the same afterwards. I sold her in 1979 along with all my gear to buy a new Ford Capri 3.0S, which was a great car and very fast.

European readers will know this 1980 model. So I had no guitar until 1983 when back in North Virginia I ordered one of these newly released ’57 reissues made in the old Fullerton plant, they only made them through 1984 and production shifted to Corona from 1985 onwards. These guitars have grown to be legendary with good reason.

Sure the ’57 and ’62 reissues had the same neck profile, the twelfth fret dots were too close together but these guitars had real hanbuilt magic to them. At this time Jeff Beck bought a few as did Gary Moore and of course David Gilmour bought 4-5 ’57 reissues and one rosewood board ’62 I believe. So there were some serious players using these guitars back then! Here are some shots: Gary Moore with a ’57 reissue 1984: Thanks Dave [Awesome stuff, Dave! Thanks for sharing!

Hi everybody! I’m here for a little review of the Squier Vintage Modified 70’s Stratocaster (black model, a bit similar to the Black Strat) that I bought, as I’ve seen that some persons are considering this guitar for a cheap Black Strat replica project (that’s also my case:) ). The guitar arrived in quite good condition, just the 2nd string was loosen and a bit bended/marked.

After a first tuning, I played for about 10 minutes (hand vibratos and bends to torment a bit my new axe), retuned the guitar and it was ok, I didn’t had to retune it for a while despite the vintage style tuners. Fundamental Critical Care Support 5th Edition Free. Other elements of the guitar are quite well setted. I don’t know why, but the bridge saddles are engraved with the “Fender” name, so I suppose that they actually are Fender stock parts (and in extension, maybe it’s the case for the whole bridge). This is a bit strange, in comparison with the price and the Squier brand In every case, the vibrato bridge is quite useless because it doesn’t have a large range and is hard IMO. So I consider to soon replace it with a Callaham bridge, I have to measure the dimensions to be sure that all is ok for the upgrade.

Woods are of good quality, the neck is well finished and there’s no problem with frets edges. I’m a lucky man, as my model came with a figured maple headstock which is absolutely beautiful under the gloss finish (I bought my guitar on the web, so I couldn’t see it in advance). The guitar is quite light thanks to the basswood body. Some finishes could be better, there are some glue traces on the fingerboard (not really difficult to clean), and a little lack of black paint under the body lacquer (only 4 mm long, on the bottom), and the pickguard have some bumps.

On the whole, the guitar is a good deal for a replica project. Now the electronics.

The pickups (three Duncan Designed SC 101) are interesting and similar to standard pickups on a Strat, except for the bridge pickup. For me, it sounds really bright and flapping, more than the 50’s Classic Vibe one, almost like a Telecaster bridge pickup IMO. Surprising, but not unplayable. By using the middle and bridge pickups together, you can obtain more classical bridge strat tones. Tone potentiometers are really progressives, but it’s less true for the volume pot, which is more efficient between 5 and 10. The 5 way switch is ok. I changed the electronics for a David Allen loaded pickguard with the Echoes set, so the guitar is now hyper versatile!

Note that it may still sawdust under the loaded pickguard (and in the truss rod). I hope my comment will be helpful for those who, like me, can’t try the guitar before buying it (mainly on the web). Again, I think this guitar is a good choice for upgrade and replica projects with a tight budget, and have to be considered as well as the Classic Vibe 50’s series (especially as long as there is no CV 50’s Strat in black finish). Alexis [Thanks for sharing, Alexis! Bjorn, Hi I’ve followed your site a long time now and I would like to make my own black strat. You often recommend Warmoth replacement necks but the bodies are also great.

However, I’m not sure about their chambered bodies. I imagine David always uses a solid alder but Warmoth claims theirs chambered bodies are lighter with no disadvantages in tone. You probably haven’t tried one but what do you predict? Also the standard radius on the Warmoth necks is a compound 10 6 and I was wondering about trying the more standard Fender 9 5. Any comments on neck radius?

Thanks TQwilliams [I don’t have any experience with chambered bodies so I can’t really comment on that. Warmoth insist on it not affecting the tone but send them an e-mail and ask to be sure and also if it will fit your purpose. In regards to neck profiles I’d visit a guitar store and just try a bunch of different necks and pick the one that feels most comfortable for your hands and playing. Doesn’t really matter what the specs are as long as it feels right.

Vintage necks tend to feel slightly less ergonomic and efficient and you will also need to keep a slightly higher string action to be able to bend properly. Modern necks are perhaps more comfortable and allows higher bends on lower action. This is in general and again, you should try different necks to make up your mind:) – Bjorn]. Bjorn, thanks again for your excellent user friendly site. Though a Pink Floyd fan since Ummagumma and Meddle also buying David’s solo LP, I haven’t ‘tone chased’ Gilour until just recently.

In 1983 I ordered a Fullerton made Stratocaster ’57 Reissue in black nicknaming her “Blackie” after EC’s version. I locked down the bridge and haven’t used the trem arm really since then. This guitar is incredibly light and has a sweet bell like tone acoustically! I can understand David placing a 1983 neck back on his black #1 as these necks are really unique and play incredibly well. I for one love the “7.25 readius having grown up on a 1965 transition logoed Strat as my first guitar back in 1967. I have recently purchased the Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe and through your site and others discovered the wonderful Buffalo pedals from Steve in France. Yesterday I placed my order with Rogue Guitars for the dynamic Patriot pedal.

For me this effect does it all. I love its versatility and sonic footprint. I grew up on Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Faces but the Civil War clone is so much more! I could only just barely afford the Patriot so buying a BK Butler Tube Driver is off the table for now. I have a Mojo mod Analogman modded DOD YJM308 pedal which was further modded by a friend with more vintage components. I plan to experiment with this befor and after the Patriot to see if it gives more ‘drive’ to the Patriot. So Gilmour uses the BK Tube Driver after his Sovtek Civil War then?

I am excited by the prospect of the new Buffalo pedal and cannot wait until it arrives. I shall use the Fulltone MDV to simulate the rotary guitar speaker effect. I have a Boss DD-6 also modded by Analogman which has a three way switch added to approximate a more vintage style say tape echo. I forget the name of the mod as I had it done so long ago, it may be a mid cut or something similar. I know that the effect on “Sorrow” which is the track I am attempting to emulate is obtained with the DG-20 EMG set of pickups, but my ’57/’62 Fender Strat pickups being 31 years old they are extremely vintage sounding and the guitar has aged beautifully so other than clean out the volume pot which has some noise upon use I am hopeful for an authentic sound.

Amp wise I am using my 2005 Marshall 1959HW 100 watt head with component upgrades by the wizard of Marshall tone George Metropoulos. I have had from new the output transformer replaced with what George terms the Dagnall ‘vintage clone’, Allen Bradley carbon comp resistors in key poitions and Sozo signal caps.

Filter caps are changed to F&T and I am using Mullard reissue EL-34’s with Tung Sol 12AX7 in the preamp stage. I am using long 12 gauge custom speaker cables with my 1 year old special ordered Metropoulos True Replica 1982A ’68 Marshall 4X”12 speaker cab fitted with Celestion G12H-30 75 watt Creamback speakers which are just incredible sounding.

I have a vintage Korg SDD-3300 Triple Digital Delay which has the quietest and most clean effects I have ever heard in my modest rack. So in anticipation once the Patriot comes to town as it were I will write a full review here! Thanks for reading. Dave Talkin [Hi Dave! Thanks a lot for sharing!

I think you’ll be very pleased with the Patriot:) – Bjorn]. Hi Bjorn, As always, you have been very helpful. I already bought a Gretsch and it will arrive tomorrow from US. It is a TV jones pick up version. This shopping has been made completely blindly.

It was one of my friends who bought it for me in US. I could not follow your suggestion as my friend has been there only for 5 days and could not communicate/discuss properly. I just could speak with the seller in the shop a few words through a bad line of long distance call. He told me that TV jones pick ups will satisfy more in terms of versatility. But needed to make a quick decission.

I hope I do not regret. Next time, it is going to be exactly as what you say as I agree that LP with mentioned PUs is closer to what we might expect from a tone as gilmour fans.:) [Ha ha, yeah well I’m sure you’ll be very pleased with the Gretsch. You might have received it already – Bjorn]. Hi Bjorn, I have Fenders (C shape)but now I plan to buy a Gretsch or Gibson. Again, it is the Gilmour which is the starting point for the tone.

I loved the one in Meltdown. However, I can not decide whether it should be Gretsch or Gibson and the model for Gretsch. I read reviews and I am mixed up. Any comments might help me. Or maybe not, this is because it is a very dificult question to answer:) [Personally I prefer a Les Paul. They’re much more versatile I think. The Gretsch guitars, including the Duo Jet that David’s using, are timeless guitars but they have a certain tone and they’re not suited for all kinds of music that’s my opinion at least.

In terms of David’s tones I’d seek out a nice LP and maybe consider replacing the stock pickups for something a bit more Stratty, like PAF or P90s. Been a fan of your site for years, first time commenting! I bought an all original/stock Japanese ST-57 which dates back to 2002, and it has a really nice thick neck, which I assume is a soft V profile as per your description. I love the neck so much, that I bought a ’94-95 ST-57 for my second Strat.

However, the neck is actually much thinner than the 2002 model! Felt a lot like my ’89 Korean Squier. It bothered me so much, that I bought a replacement neck from a 2009 ST-57, and it has the exact same thick profile as the 2002 model that I was looking for. Could it be possible that the earlier models of the ST-57 had a different neck profile? I’m no expert on the Japanese models but they do have a lot of inconsistencies or at least differences within the same model.

I’m sure there is some logic behind it but they don’t follow the US model specs and have several tweaks to the designs. There are some forums out there and I’m sure they can give you a better answer:) – Bjorn]. Hey Bjorn, Gilmour-wise, between the Classic Vibe 50s and the 60s, which one would you choose? Regardless of the one I choose, I would change the pickups to fender CS’69, so Im not sure Thanks in advance!!

[Since you’ll be changing the electronics you basically just have the wood left, with their individual contours and specs. It’s all about which one you feel comfortable with and which feels best when you play it. They’re both great guitars but I think you should try them and decide for your self. Excellent discussions, Bjorn! Just curious if you’ve dabbled with any lapsteel (slide) guitars.

I suppose we could always just raise the action on a normal guitar and play it on its back across our knees. But for those of us who would like to work on songs such as Breathe, Fat Old Sun, Great Gig in the Sky, High Hopes, One of These Days, Pillow of Winds, Smile, Wot’s Uh the Deal, etc. It would be cool to actually have a dedicated electric lap steel instrument. Best wishes from Western Nevada USA! I’ve played lap a few times but actually never owned or explored them that much. I do play a lot of slide but I prefer doing it on a ragular guitar – usually an LP with a slightly hightened action.

I’m a big fan of David, but also a lot of other guitarists like Robert Fripp especially, Jimmy Page, Alex Lifeson, yknow. But because of my other inspirations, I’m torn between a Les Paul and a Strat. I love the Gilmour sound, but I also love the sounds they get, so would I be able to pull off a convincing Gilmour sound with humbuckers, or would the strat be able to cover these other sounds equally well?

I’m looking for something versatile that can still hit David’s tones. [It won’t be exactly the same obviously but you can get very similar tones with an LP loaded with Duncan Phat Cat P90s or a set of low output PAFs. Have to TY so much for a GREAT website.

I purchased the Squire 50’s V awesome Best GuItar ever smoking hot pickups, wonderful clean tones and overdrive and distortion mayhem. I noticed you suggested trading out the tremelo. It’s a vintage bolt down trem and I have had no problem with it?

I also noticed it is the same bolt down trem on the Red Strat? I’ve had and own Lp. Icemans, Lp 59.Slash Lp Gt, Fender Am Standard, Rg’s [a toy] This 370.00 dollar Guitar in the #ooo1 style. Blows all of them out of the water with the stock 3 mag rwrp middle stock pick ups. I dig it so much, I dont want to change a thing. Excellent Hendrix, Srv, Trower and sweet lovely clean tone.

Anyways ty for the suggestion, you were spot on. So I still want a Gilmour Guitar what do you think about the 920 d custom shops MiM 50’s neck 69 middle ssl 5 bridge Black Strats on ebay? I know you can get a lemon anytime, What do you think about these Guitars done up like the Gilmour Black Strat? For a Mim with lota of extras for around 750.00???

TY again Sir for all your hard work and information. Those Vintage Vibe guitars are really great, indeed!

The trem block is the same style as David’s, based on Fender’s vintage specs, but the quality is far from the same. If it works, then fine but upgrading for something better, will improve your tuning stability and the overall tone. The pre-modded DG style guitars are MIM Fenders with upgrades you can easily perform yourself.

If you don’t want to modify and collect all the parts, then this is an option to consider. The price is OK. Awesome Info! I just bought a Squier Vintage Modified Stratocaster ’70S and it should be here in about a week.

I got it to start a “Gilmourish” Project on the cheap and have heard some great things about it. Do you think I should drop in a Callaham Vintage S? Do you know it will even fit?

I have been playing on a Gibson ES-347 for 20 years and this will be my first “Strat” style guitar. I have never moddified any of my guitars in the past so this is all new to me Thanks again. Not sure if the Callaham will fit but send them an e-mail and ask. They’re very helpful. It’s certainly worth upgrading the stock bridge. Hi Bjorn, very nice article and EXCELLENT site! Congratulations, you’ve made a fantastic resource for guitarists and Gilmour fans like me.

I’m now considering buying an Strat, and I really like the American Standard. But I also saw (never tried it yet) the Ash American Deluxe, and looks beautiful and very well built. Did you tried it? Any advise about the Ash American Deluxe?

Thanks in advance. The difference in the wood is described in the feature above:) Apart from that it’s down to taste and what features you feel comfortable with. The guitars are pretty similar but if possible, I recommend that you try both and choose the one with the neck and body contour, laquer etc that fikts your preferences. Both are very fine instruments:) – Bjorn]. Thanks for the killer articles. Really well put, if I may say. For my own playing, I mostly use Squier CV Strats with a few mods.

I have a CAR 60s Strat that I swapped the neck on (put on a soft V maple board Strat neck) and popped in a better trem/block, nut, and electronics (upgraded pots/switch/jack and a set of D. Allen Echoes pups (another great set of Gilmour-ish pups). I got lucky and got most of the parts really cheap. The rest of my guitars are 50s/60s style Strats and LPs, to complement the tone I get from my Gilmour Strat. I appreciate that you don’t try to force $3000 dollar fiddles down everyone’s throat – not all of us have that kind of income. For me, with a busy life and a packed gigging schedule, the lower end CVs and MIMs with mods are more than enough.

Nothing worse than banging up an expensive guitar or having it stolen when on the road [Thanks for your kind words and for sharing! I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on a MIM Classic Series 50s Stratocaster but I’m a bit perplexed on the commentary above regarding the tremolo system. The suggestion is that it be replaced as it is unstable.

That strikes me as odd since many of the other Strat models on the higher end appear to have the same system (according to specs on Fender’s website). Can you elaborate? And, if it should be replaced can anyone suggest some viable replacement options? [You don’t have to replace the system but it’s one of the things you can do to improve the guitar’s tone and tuning stability.

Make sure that you get a proper setup for the guitar that fits your playing. If you’re not familiar with how to do this then get the shop to do it or a technician/luthier. A higher quality system, like the Callaham Vintage S, has a better operation, less friction and a block that allows the strings to sustain better. What’s important is that you like the guitar and that it’s set up to your specifications. Replacing hardware and pickups is somethings you can consider later.

Hi Bjorn, I bought a fender stratocaster standard mim 2002, and i want to know if it’s a good guitar to get the gilmour’s tone do you think that i need to change anything in this strat? [I’d consider replacing the pickups perhaps into something a bit more Black Strat-ish or the EMG DG20 if PULSE is your thing. The stock pickups are OK but they’re a bit more modern sounding with boosted mid range and a darker tone.

Other than that the guitar should be able to deliver some very nice tones depending on your amp and pedals:) – Bjorn]. Hey Bjorn, I was thinking about buying a Telecaster as I’ve been really into Animals. Also, since I already have a Strat I thought it would be a nice change. There is a guy selling a used MIM Tele for $240. Do you know what to look for when buying used guitars?

I don’t want to accidentally buy a bad guitar. Hope your new year is fantastic!

Basically what you would look at on a new guitar, as explained in this feature. What model and year is it? Personally I think the MIM Standards from the early 2000s and earlier are not worth it.

The hardware and pickups can always be replaced but check out the neck especially. You can adjust a curved neck but a twisted one is very difficult and it’s gonna cost you. Other than that, try the guitar and feel how it plays. Bought a 1989 MIK Squier Strat(Best feeling neck I’ve played on a Strat thus far, without any unnecessary exaggeration, haha.) I’ve swapped the neck pickup for a DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Blues pickup, and placed a CS 69 in the bridge, both of which have really elevated the guitar’s prowess and have made it an every-day player. The middle pickup sounded fine as it was.

Your thorough guide and some personal research have helped me bring out a wonderful Gilmour-inspired instrument. Side note: I switched out a few capacitors in a new “Block logo” phase 90, as well as removing the R28 resistor that generates the pre-existing ‘overdrive’, and I’m getting some nice “warbles” from it. I played it next to an original 1975 Phase 90 the other day(Guitar Center reeled one in!) and the difference made by a few swapped caps and snipped resistor was tremendous. [Thanks for sharing, Jason! Hi Bjorn, I have been offered a 50s Road Worn Strat in black for half the recommended list price, its on sale in the shop now. The problem is I can’t get to try it for a few weeks, I was going to buy a 70s Classic strat in black before they offered me the 50s RW, dilemma do I pay £600 for a £1000 RW’ or £600 for the Classic with no discount. I thought the 70s Classic would have the better Gilmour type tone, but at the top of this page you advise to buy the 50s RW’.

Any advice you give would be helpfull. Ian Mcdonald. [Although both the neck and body wood make up much of the tone you can always mod the guitar with new pickups for a tone closer to what you want. In this case, both guitars will give you a nice Gilmour tone and if you swap the stock pickups with something even more Gilmourish, then you got yourself a nice instrument! You should be aware that the RW guitars are heavy reliced and they have a faded body finish, which makes them sound slightly darker than other non reliced guitars.

Some like the feel and tone but others can’t stand it. You should definitely try before buying.

Hey everyone, serial poster Uncle Ebb, with a recommendation! While David is known for his use of Stratocasters on all tours, fact is, he used many other guitars, and pickups for the recording of many of your favorite tracks. I walked into Sam Ash and saw a Gibson SG that brought some beautiful, yet painful memories of a rare White ’63 SG special, that was stolen in 1985. I had to almost do a doubletake, before I knew it was a brand new, 2011 50th Anniversay Pete Towmshend SG Special, with the same mods both Townshend, and coincidentally, I made to mine.

Instead of the Stock Maestro tremolo that was stock on SG Specials, I had a wraparound installed, and changed my tuners top Grovers. Because PT preferred the same mods, this guitar comes that way from the factory. I picked up the guitar, and 1982 came rushing back to me. The stock, totally vintage correct p-90s cover everything, from an overwound Strat pickup, into PAF range, and the axe has an infinite number of tones available via the 3 way switch, and separate volume, and tone for each soapbar! I strongly recommend this guitar for any style of music, the thin, c shaped, yet narrow neck, with a flat 12″ radius, is so easy to play, you can bend the high E over the top of the neck if you want. This is the first atock Gibson made after the late ’70s, I’d consider buying, and this one somehow got lost, and resurfaced in time for me to pluck it for $1000.00!

Used ones are going for generally $1300.00 on eBay, but I did see one for $900.00! Someone should grab it, it will only increase in value, and will play better, and look better with age. Not the typical Gilmourish guitar, but it sings Gilmour, Cream, Townshend, and any damn thing you want. Check it out on the Gilmourish Facebook page.

It’s beautiful, and sounds like heaven! Sorry fir the. Great overall reviews on the guitars. Just a few observations from my playing. As far as the bridges CV Squiers and MIM Strats go, they in themselves really aren’t unstable any more then a 2 point MIA bridge. Setup, lubrication, and balancing the spring tension of the bridge against the string tension are the most important things to keep in mind. Most of the times that you knock a Strat out of tune with the term it’s usually the strings getting bound up in the nut or at the saddles.

A little pencil graphite or even chapstick goes a long way to help the strings return back to their zeroed position. Also properly winding and stretching your strings is a huge factor too. A lot of people ignore these steps and then blame the term itself for tuning issues. Love your blog btw. But like you said it’s all about what feels good to you.

[Thanks for the input, JM. Very important points that you’re making. I use a mixture of pencil graphite and hair wax for all my guitars and it does the trick.

Although all this lubrication, stretching and whatnot helps a great deal it’s also about the construction of the bridges and the saddles. A stable tuning require as little friction as possible and as smooth as possible operation, which also means that all the slots and saddles needs to have the right angle, length etc some of the cheaper models and hardware doesn’t quite have this standard.

Hi all, First of all thanks very much for this great website! I have a question on guitars. So far I’ve been using my first guitar, which is a Squier stratocaster. I’m thinking of buying a Mexican Fender 50s Classic strat because it seems to be the best value for money. This article says that over last decade, Mexican Fenders improved significantly.

Could you give me some more specific info as to the timing of this improvement? The reason is that I have an opportunity to buy a used piece which was manufactured 2005-2006 and I’m not sure if this time period is already the “improved quality” for the Mexican Fenders or not.

I now the MIMs got an overhaul in the early 2000s and the Standards in particular got a few upgrades just recently but for a more precise dating and for all the specs I think you’re better off searching for some reviews or perhaps even post a question on the Fender forum or Gear Page. I’m sure they can answer better than I. What I do know though is that a MIM Classic from 2005/06 is a very good instrument. The neck is very easy to play and feels very natural. As with all the MIM guitars I’d consider replacing the pickups with something better and, if your budget allows it, upgrade the bridge and pots as well. With that you’ll get a great instrument.

I’ve had quite a few guitars over the years but have found the stratocaster is my favourite. I’ve had a number of these including a 70’s U.S made hardtail in “antigua” (ugh!), which was a fairly dead guitar, an early Tokai “springy sound” which wasn’t bad but choked like crazy if you tried to bend the strings too far. I’ve a Japanese “Strat” with a kramer trem which is very nicely made but has a locking nut which I hate, a mexican classic player with vintage frets and neck radius( which are, even in the words of the great strat player, Robin Trower, “bloody hard work”).and my favouritesa bullet squier I found in a shed which has a great neck and a plywood body(!), and 2 squier standards which have quite different neck profiles.

The squiers are all comfy to play, I dont’ have to worry about dings and dents. I’ve sanded the necks, tinted them and applied tru oil or nitro, filed the fret ends etc and they’re great. Fit new pickups when the mood suits. Moral of the story is, cheap guitars suit me fine!Having said that, I’m trying to save for a K-Line “strat” in fiesta redjust got to find the best part of £2000! [Yep, you can find some very nice guitars within the budget range and recent upgrades and move to low cost countries and factories have made it possible to offer very good instruments for very little.

@Shaun Porter, the six screw bridge is vintage correct, and the screw spacing should be 2 7/32. If it’s an MIM, or whatever it is, as long as it’s fender, Bill Callaham’s site has a chart telling you what the string spacing for the body should be. It wiil be either 2 7/32, or the slightly narrower 2 1/16. Either way, the screw spacing can be 2 7/32, most are, but screw spacing doesn’t tell you the correct string spacing.

So, if the screw spacing is 2 7/32, you still need to check the chart for the string spacing. In theory, my handcrafted Strat, should have the 2 7/32 string spacing, but often, that puts the strings too close to the edge of the neck for me, abd especially with the way sone frets are finished, it can cause problems, so since the difference, is only 1/32 per string narrower,I went with the 2 1/16 spacing, Callaham vintage S Bridge, but my screw spacing is 2 7/32, as most are. Consult Bill’s site, or Bill himself, and you will get the perfect fit.

Just my two cents, as I’m building guitars now. Peace, Keith. Hi Bjorn, in regard to “Scooter’s” comment above, I was leaning toward the total vintage neck myself having looked them over. I also liked the fact that it had the 7.25″ radius. Your right- prices are pretty good for what you get. One thing I’m not sure of and maybe I missed on the site was verification that the maple necks stock used are from quarter sawn material or not!

This would be the last factor to confirm b-4 I buy. My guitar body came today I noticed it had the vintage 6 point bridge drill pattern. I believe it has the MIM more narrow spacing but will have to verify.

Getting pretty excited though! Try sending a request. They’ve been very helpful. Hi Bjorn, I definitely got the itch again, I’m going to take a crack at putting together a”Black Strat”–going out of control with pursuit of equip. Looks like a complete overhaul is in my future. I just picked up a presumed MIC black Strat standard alder?? Going in for the fat 50/69’s and ssl5 pup package, now I’m looking at necks.

Lookin at a great deal of the posts above I’m getting some mixed feelings on the MIM Strats. What is your opinion on MIM maple necks in particular for this build? Will a MIM neck perform and last as well as MIA or is it important to spend the extra $ on an American neck. Also I see a lot of licensed Fender aftermarket necks out there including mighty mite? ETC, if you could shed some experienced advice on this it would be great.

What neck will work for this MIC body best on a budget? I should be clear I’m more worried about performance and quality than bragging rights of a name but though resale is not my motivation now, it should be a consideration for the future. Thanks very much, Shaun [Hi Shaun!

The MIM Strats have gotten some much needed upgrades lately and the hold a very high quality now. The Classic Series guitars are very nice and the necks are widely available on EBay. Nothing wrong with them compared to the US. Still, I do recommend checking out Warmoth. They make, probably, the finest replacement parts available and they’re quite affordable considering the craftmanship that’s layed into it. I have a couple of their custom necks and the beat everything else that I got. Good luck on the project!

Hey Bjorn, and everyone! I know that I post a lot, and I hope it doesn’t make too many of you sick of my posts.

I’d like to explain a little about me, and why I do so much posting. I’m a person who soaks up information about my interests, and being self employed, as a heating, and A/C contractor, which I have always loathed, and a have gotten to the point where change is necessary, I have a lot of free time to research, and learn everything I can about guitars, and the electronics that relate to them. I met a young man through this site in the spring, and though he lives in Europe, we have texted for several hours each day.

Because guitars are very expensive where he lives, and he was very specific about what he wanted, I offered to purchase a proper body, and neck, and build him a Black Strat, within his budget. I enjoy helping people, and was blessed with great technical, mechanical, and building skills,( and not much else!), so we agreed. I found a 2009 Roadworn Strat, disassembled it, had it refinished, and did a great deal of work to adjust an otherwise perfect neck, and shipped it to Europe yesterday. My young friend should recieve his Beautiful Black Strat by Thursday, or Friday at the latest. I had a lot of help from folks I’ve mentioned, asking Tom, of Rodriguez guitars, and Lindy, of Fralin pickups a ton of questions, but did all but the making of a new bone nut myself, and only because I don’t have my nut files yet. I’ll let my friend be the judge of the skills I’ve developed in doing my own repairs, mods, and setups for over 30 years, but I have decided to start building Strat, and Tele style guitars, under the Uncle Ebb’s brand.

They will be made from the finest materials, and made to your specs. I hope because I as yet haven’t started, that you won’t mind this post Bjorn, but there will be several models in my Gilmourized series, including a Basswood bodied Bjorn Riis model, dedicated to the man, and his site, and if he chooses, he will provide the specs for what he thinks to be the perfect combination of woods, and components. I’m taking classes from a master Luthier, and my pickup guru, plus I have 30+ years of working on the beasts. I’m not trying to sell anything, just talking about a future project, and I’m just trying to end 35 years of a business I hate, and eek out a living doing something I love. If and when this happens, I will annouce it properly, for now, I’m just talking about an idea. Peace, Love, and Gilmourish always, Uncle Ebb! [We’re all very much looking forward to follow this project Keith!

Keep us posted:) – Bjorn]. There is a secret highly under-rated overlooked, and way underpriced USA Strat out there It’s as well built as any Custom Shop if you can find one that hasn’t been altered or just have the neck and claim it is the guitar. I worked for Fender in Corona, Ca in the “tune/test” dept.

The guitar: an (s/s/s version) of the 1997/98 California Series Guitars. *if you ever can get one I highly recommend it. The builders in the Custom Shop know it. There are many great Strats out there, but these are exceptional build With a price tag of only $500-800 And what you get is worth way more.

A little secret for you guys:) The only thing you have to upgrade if you like (I do) is the pickups which are Tex-Mex. Love this site!! Cheers [Thanks a lot for the info, Dean! Hello Bjorn, I want to build a Black Strat but I also want to change some things and put it the way I think it’s better, I don’t want an exact copy of it. I am having some trouble because even though I have been listening to Pink Floyd for a LONG time, I can’t describe the original black strat sound, I can’t tell if it has a hot sound or a more open, bright sound. If you could help me it would be awesome. I want to know these kind of thigs, how exactly does the black strat sound technically speaking?

Thanks my friend, cheers! [The main difference between the early 70s era and now are the pickups. The stock guitar, which stayed pretty much stock between 1970-72, featured late 60s pickups similar to the Fender CS69s (and similar models from other brands). These have a low output, transparent tone and glassy highs.

The current version of the Black Strat, feature early 70s neck and middle pickups, which are fairly similar to the stock pickups (it’s fair to assume) but a Duncan SSL1c (identical to the SSL5), which has a lot more output, with a boosted mid range and low end. The original maple neck also had a slightly different contour than the current, which does play a role. The more subtle differences are how David set his Hiwatt amps compared to now, the cables and pedals he used, the recordings we have as reference and how these are obviously different, the fact that wood and laquer change over time, which again has an effect on the tone there’s lots of variables and things that will make it hard to describe the tone in details but I think you have the essence now:). Hi Bjorn, Loving your site as there is so much information on here that I need as a newbie. I’m looking at building a guitar from scratch following your recommendations. With Callaham bridge, ssl5 bridge pickup, cs 69”s middle and neck. I was looking at putting these on a vintage reissue 57 body but I saw someone on youtube using a Warmoth body and neck and was wondering how these compare to a reissue 57.

I will use a Fender Champion 600 amp. Also I was wondering if you have tried any English effects pedals as almost all the ones you review are from the US and may not be that easy to find over here. Off to read and learn some more from this great site. Thanks, keep up the good work.

Sorry for my late reply. Warmoth makes awesome stuff. Very high quality and I guess, in some cases, even better than Fender and, you get to build a full custom body and neck! I have a maple 57 neck my self and couldn’t be happier. The hardware and pickups you’ve chosen seems like a nice fit.

I’m sure Keith here also has some wise words on how to proceed on guitar projects. Are there any English or European pedals you have in mind? I’ve got several strats: USA, USA Deluxe, USA California Series, ’57 Reissue, and a MIM. I love the ’57 for a lot of reasons, but it’s one that I’m not going to customize. My main guitars (black and red, what else) are both USA California series; these were only made in ’97-’98, but are great guitars and are perfect for me.

The feel of these guitars would make them my main guitars regardless, but both were in a price range that I felt “OK” with upgrading the pickups, pickguards, etc to make the “Gilmour-esque” guitars. My advise is don’t get stuck on the USA/CIJ/MIM. My USA and USA deluxe are excellent guitars, but the fret board is a bit wide for my handsI’d actually prefer the MIM to play, and if you’re going to change the components anyway, the MIM is a lot less money. I also highly recommend the Callaham bridge, saddles, block, and trem armsexcellent additions to an already great guitar.

[Sounds like you got some nice sounding guitars, John! The whole USA/CIJ/MIM debate is really pointless. Ultimately it comes down to which guitar you feel comfortable with. GREAT article. My main guitar right now is a 2005 MIM I bought used at the local guitar store. I bought based on the neck, (a fat 50’s style “C” maple) and the sound played acoustically.

The pickups in it were bad, (too muddy sounding), so I replaced those. Also replaced the nut, tuners, and bridge. You are absolutely correct about the MIM bridges. The only way they stay in tune is if you add extra springs, set it flush to the body, and throw away the arm. [Thanks Pete and congrats on your guitar!

Bjorn, how high strings on your Strats? Particularly interested height of high E and B strings.

For David stuff ( where are lot of strong bends) on vintage small radius neck, must be sufficient height, but it gives some problems) What balance you found optimum for yourself, please tell. Thx in advance and sorry for my English. [I keep my action slightly higher than what’s recommended by Fender. About 3mm or so measured at the 17th fret.

Stock setup is just too low for my playing. Raise the strings until you find the sweetspot between unplayable and too high:) – Bjorn]. Bjorn your site is excellent and you should be very proud of it! I bought an American Stratocaster Standard with case and to be honest I don’t care for it. I’m trying to find a Luther to set it up for me. In the mean time I have a ESP/LTD MH103QM that I love.

It only cost me $300.00(US) but it’s a great guitar. It plays well and stays in tune no matter were I bend it. I just recently picked up the guitar again and I learned how to play the solo’s of time and mother(live version) thanks to you and much more. I think D Gilmour is a fantastic guitar player and I love emulating his playing as it appears you do.

I have several other instruments and pedals: Ovation Acoustic guitar and Mandolin, Boss RT-20, RAT, MXR 108, Carbon Copy, BD-2, Big Muff, Del. Mistris, MXR 10 EQ, and a few others. Thanks letting me add my 2 cents. [Thanks for your kind words, Gary! Glad you enjoy my site:) – Bjorn].

My DG strat from 920d Custom Shop arrived yesterday and I’ve had a couple of hours to play on it and here is a mini-review. First Impressions. We’ve all been in situations where you pickup a guitar and play it and you instantly love it or hate. In this case, I absolutely loved it. I would have played it more if that pesky thing called “work” didn’t get in the way but I’ll make up for it this weekend The guitar arrived in perfect condition and I could tell it had a really good setup done on it unlike 95% of the guitars I’ve played at GC.

I only had to tune it up, put in the tremolo arm, and I was ready to rock. In addition, I noticed that they included the documentation for the CS-69, Fat 50’s, and SSL-5 pickups which was a nice reassurance. I also verified that the strap locks and gig bag were included and a nice surprise was that they also included a strap which wasn’t mentioned in the description.

Tone and Playability This is my 2nd strat so I have another to kind of compare it to. My first strat (it’s my favorite guitar) is a 2004 American Standard Texas Special Fat Strat (SSH) with SD Texas Special single coils and a SD Pearly Gates humbucker and I love it for blues, rock, and even some metal. My new strat plays just as well but the feel is slightly different.

It almost feels as if the fretboard is a smidge narrower and the frets are a tad shorter than on my Fat Strat; however, it still feels great underneath my fingers. My only gripe is that it feels like my thumb wants to stick on the back of the neck on my fretting hand instead of gliding, but I think that will go away as I play it more. As far as tone goes, I really really like it especially in the neck position. I also fell in love instantly with the bridge pickup with the neck pickup blended in. That combination kind of reminds me of the sound of my P90 equipped PRS McCarty in the neck position.

I think this is a feature I’m going to get modded into some of my other guitars as well. The bridge pickup sounds OK with gain, but I really prefer humbuckers in the bridge for a heavier tone so I’m a bit biased there but it still gets a decent dirty tone I don’t really use the middle pickup all that much so I don’t have much to say about that. One thing that really surprised me is how versatile this guitar is. It is great for that Gilmour sound but I also think it sounds great for funk rhythm and it has a nice chimey sound when playing through a Vox AC30 patch on my POD HD500.

It kinda reminded me of Townshend’s old SG/P90 sound. Additional Thoughts I would definitely recommend this guitar especially for those on a budget.

I was kind of skeptical about the whole MIM vs MIA and I now feel a lot more comfortable with MIM guitars. If I didn’t know how to spot an MIM strat and someone gave me this guitar I would have thought it was a $1200 American Standard. I could maybe tell a difference if I had a similar MIA strat to compare it to, but on its own it sounds and plays great. I think we put too much stock in labels and country of origin and a good guitar is a good guitar – period! I also did some research into the cost of the individual ‘upgrades’ (pickups, tuners, pickups) and the cost of those alone is around $200 retail so $750 (without discount) is a very reasonable price. A Standard MIM strat retails for $500 so if you add $200 for the upgrades and factor in labor then the guy is still making a decent profit and the price is very fair. Overall, I’m very impressed with it so far.

I will post additional comments if I notice any problems or issues and I’ll try to get off my lazy ass and post some sound clips. [Congrats on your new guitar! Glad you’re happy with it:) – Bjorn]. I have done a lot of checking, and with that Callaham, and a quality Basswood, you are right, it would give the guitar more sustain than a regular bridge, and the softer basswood does have more low end punch, that’s why so many basses are basswood. And with the Reeves, you certainly don’t need to worry that it doesn’t have as much high end response as Alder. Sorry if I offended anyone, it was not my intention.

Just don’t see many Basswood guitars in the States. Peace Bjorn, and all of the Gilmourish community! KC [No worries, Keith! Thanks for checking it up.

It’s all a matter of taste anyway but at least in my experience I’ve never played a basswood guitar that I didn’t like. Basswood is very light, which is nice, but it’s used in mostly the bottom of the line guitars, and perhaps the basswood they use in Japan is better, but I find it soft, and not as warm. I prefer Alder, as Ash tends to be too heavy, and a little bright. I love Mahogany, but have only seen one Mahogany Strat in my life.

Perhaps it’s a personal thing, but just never been a basswood fan, and the only guitars I see in the States made of Basswood, are the cheapest of the squiers, and such. [I’m no expert on wood but my experience is that Japanese Fenders with basswood are top of the line. Never liked ash and although alder is nice and balanced I sometimes find it a bit too neutral and anonymous. Basswood has more lower end and a bit of punch. Subjective taste I know but I’ve never seen any bad reviews on CIJ Fender basswoods. Hey Bjorn, thanks for the reply earlier. I was recently looking at a deluxe strat, and I liked some of what I saw till I read the pickups were n3 noiseless which I have NO experience with.

It is literally a 3-4 hour drive from where I live to any authorized fender dealers so I’m wondering if you or anyone else has any experience with these before I actually take a drive to try one. Atm my settup is looking like a peavey classic 30 with boss dd-20, rt-20, bd-2, mxr dyna comp and most likely a rat2 though I’m wondering if the 30 could handle a big muff as well. Anyway, any thoughts are appreciated, about the pickups or any additions to my setup I’m badly missing. Thanks again. [Personally I don’t like the Noiseless pickups. They sound a bit too modern and dark for my taste.

Hard to describe really but the tone is perhaps somewhere between vintage style single coils and the EMGs. They don’t sound like crap so if you’re certain about the guitar you can always change the pickups later on. The Classic 30 handles Muffs very well. I just picked up a Japanese ST 54 reissue, in Olympic White, that I plan to make a 0001 clone.

What an amazing guitar. I had a Japanese Fender back in the early 80’s and sold it. I have regretted that decision ever since.

Do yourself a favor and pick one of these up, you will not be disappointed. I currently own an American 57 reissue and the Japanese model is just as nice, if not better.

I am referring to the neck and body. Their attention to detail is spot on. The electronics in both I switched out.

But if you can find a Japanese Fender on Ebay, pick one up, they are beautiful for the price!! All my Fenders are Japanese:) Love ‘em! @the Guy’s talking about $750 DG Strats. Locking tuners suck, Gohtoh Vintagd Strat tuners actually stay in tune, and look vintage correct.

Ask is the body is one piece Alder, or Ash, not crappy Basswood. Also ask if they use vintage cloth covered wire, CTS pots, and not 20 guage plaztic covered wire. Only other thing I can think of, is a one piece neck blank, and fret board material! If it has those things, the parts alone cost half of that $750.00, and you could have found a great guitar, but as Bjorn always says, mass production quality is quite varied, so I’d make sure they offer a return policy! Peace, and good luck, Keith [Thanks for the input Keith. I must say that I strongly disagree in regards to your comment about basswood.

I would like to hear what experience you have to back this up. My experience with basswood is nothing but positive and I actually prefer it over ash and perhaps even alder.

My main Strat is basswood. So is my Tele. I think basswood has a bit more presence than alder and perhaps even a bit more punch, whereas alder is more balanced but in my opinion also a bit anonymous.

Hi Bjorn, I have budgeted up to 1400.00$ for the Fender Stratocaster, Please let me know which fender Stratocaster I should get for Pink Floyd songs and where I should buy it. If I should change the pickup please tell me the spects. Thanks a lot for all you do for us. Javid [Hi Javid. I’ve listed a bunch of models in this guide and you’ll find a guide for pickups here. All of these will fit David’s sounds from pretty much all of the eras. I can’t really recommend anything more specific than this.

I recommend that you read through the guides, check out a few reviews on the net and head down to your local store and try a few models to make up your mind. Ultimately, what’s important is that you’re comfortable playing the guitar and not that it fits a certain style. @bjorn Thanks for the advice!

Also, thanks for having a kick-ass site! I just recently got back into Pink Floyd and I’m really digging playing Floyd tunes again and you’re site has been invaluable. I’m currently playing through a black PRS McCarty with P-90’s and I get a nice Gilmouresque sound using it through my POD HD500.

I also recently purchased a TC Electronics Alter Ego delay and I’m really digging it for the Echo Rec sound. Hopefully this new guitar will give me even more of a Gilmour vibe. If nothing else, it will look the part.

@josh, I found a coupon on retailmenot for 10% off so I just ordered one and it should arrive next week. I’ll do a review once I’ve spent some time with it. [Thanks for your kind words, Kevin! I found a place here in the states that is selling MIM standard strats that they mod into Gilmour black strats for $750 US.

I talked to one of the employees and he said they bulk order MIM strats and parts from Fender and make all the mods. He also swears that the bridges these days on MIM standars are comparable to the MIA standards and his modded guitars will give any American standard a run for it’s money. I’m a little skeptical and hesitant to buy a guitar I’ve never played over the net but the price does make it tempting. Does this sound too good to be true to you? Here are the specs for their 920d Gilmour guitar Seymour Duncan SSL-5 (Bridge) Fender Custom Shop ’69 (Middle) Fender Custom Shop Fat ’50s (Neck) Toggle switch to add neck pickup in any position Vintage Tinted C-shape neck with 9.5″ radius 21 medium jumbo frets Shortened Tremolo Arm Fender Locking Tuners Chrome Strap Locks Fender Black 1 Ply Pickguard White Skirted Knobs Deluxe Duraguard Gig Bag Custom Setup [I’m sure it’s a nice guitar and the specs looks OK. If you trust the seller, then I guess it’s OK.

Keep in mind though that all guitars, regardless origin of production, vary in quality. There are no guaranties that you’ll get a good wood selection or assembly.

The only way to really be sure is to try the guitar – especially when the guitar is mass produced such as Fenders. That being said, the overall quality of the MIMs is very good.

It’s also worth noticing some of the features like locking tuners and jumbo frets. If you’re not familiar with this, then I recommend that you visit your local store and try a guitar that has these features. Hey Bjorn!, So I have a question, my wife is letting me get a brand new MIM standard strat for my birthday next week(i have a squier bullet strat now, so im very excited on the upgrade!) Anyways iam going to order a callaham bridge at the same time as the guitar, I was wondering if the Vintage s bridge is compatible with this guitar, if not, is the bridge they have specifically for mex std as good of an upgrade as the vintage s? Do you think it will be as smooth as you described in your review of the vinatge s?

[I’m really not sure so send them an e-mail and ask for the specific model. There might want to be some differences in the size etc.

All their bridge systems will improve your tone, sustain and tuning stability. Heya Bjorn, Thanks for the quick reply. The tone which i really like from gilmour is from the song “Marooned”.

Seems like a little bit of spacey sound (think its kinda of reverb). Also i really like the sound of “Shine on you crazy diamond”. I’m currently using a delay pedal the boss DD-7 and a Dunlop Wah. Also have the Electro Harmonix Stereo Electric Mistress which i don’t like that much, doenst work well with my amp.

Think the main thing i need is a proper reverb pedal to combine it with the delay, and maybe a proper overdrive pedal. Maybe you are wondering why do you buy and amp with tons of gain, for a slight overdriven sound, well im also a fan of the sound which Adam Jones produces, but thats another story;) Cheers. [Hi Johan, sorry for my late reply. An Orange amp and Les Paul with buckers aren’t an ideal setup for replicating David’s tones but you should be able to cover some of them at least. If you do want a more authentic tone then you might want to consider a cleaner sounding amp and perhaps a Strat. Anyway, Marooned is pretty basic really.

It’s overdrive and delay. The reverb is added in the mixing of the song. And this one. See also the for some tone building tips. Hope this helped. Hello Bjorn, Appreciate your time for making this post and to help guys like me to achieve a specific tone.

Ive got a question myself. Ive been playing a gibson les paul classic custom with stock pickups, with an Orange thunder 30, however it seems that i can only use my les paul for cleans and distortion, but not for some slight overdrive sound or is this amp not the way to go to achieve the gilmour tone. Also im still in need of a proper 1×12 cab, also any ideas on this one? And a proper reverb pedal.

Thanks for reading this. Cheers from the netherlands [Hi Johan! Could you be a bit more specific in what tones you’re trying to achieve. Do you have any pedals at all?

OK, thank you. One more thing, my budget is more in the mim standard range, I do in fact want a guitar with a vintage vibe to it, would it be better to get the squier CV, or is the mim standard a more quality instument, making it the better choice? [There are difference between the Squiers and MIMs both in terms of quality and specs. The overall quality of the MIMs (Standard and Classic) is better. Still, the Classic Vibe guitars are very good and you get a lot for the buck. A few modifications, like upgrading the pickups, will make it a fine instrument. Anyway, I strongly recommend that you try a different models within MIM and Squier to get an idea of the differences.

What do you know about the American special strat? Is it better than the MIM CS strat? There about the same price so I’m kind of torn [Depends on what you’re looking for. The CS has a more vintage vibe to it with the classic looks and specs, while the Special is very similar to the Standard with a few alterations such as the large headstock and the Texas Special pickups.

Personally I’d spent some time finding a really good MIM SC and replaced the pickups but I you want those slightly more modern specs then the Specials are fine guitars indeed. I’m a huge fan of David Gilmour and just found this site. So far, I would consider myself a ‘novice’ at best at actual playing guitar, and even less with some of the terminology used on this site.

I currently have a 1985 Charvel/Jackson San Dimas Custom USA model that I think I paid way too much for ($3200 USD). Nothing I do to this instrument will get me even close to David’s tone. I guess, what I’m asking is – taking into consideration that my current guitar plays perfectly for me – What guitar and setup is best for someone like me? My current guitar takes so little pressure on the strings that is almost like a feather touch in comparison to a lot of guitars in the stores. Welcome to the site:) Those old San Dimas are wonderful guitars. Perhaps not the typical Gilmour axe but you should be able to get some nice Gilmourish tones with it anyway.? I assume yours has a humbucker in the bridge?

You could, like David’s, have an EMG H installed or look at some of the P90s in humbucker casinsg. I’m using a pair of Duncan Phat Cats my self, which nails most of David’s tones. In terms of what gear you should buy Let me know how you’ll be using it – bedroom, band, stage? And how much your nudget is and I’ll try to help.

Hey Bjorn, I’ve been so excited about going back to work, and getting the MJM, that I forgot to mention that Tom Rodriguez had a heat pump issue at a house he’s selling, and I spent quite a few hours doing the repair, so he offered me another of his fantastic guitars, a ’68 Les Paul Custom he was building for a customer who backed out. So, as thus far it’s only a body, and neck, and unfinished, I’m having him make it my Pete Townsend inspired Les Paul, I think it’s #3, as Pete put big white numbers on his guitars in the ’70’s, and 80’s.

It will be Burgundy, with all the fancy MOP inlay work, the white number, and Fralin Real PAF’s, which are his dead on early, lower output Humbuckers. I’ll surely use it for my Pink Floyd repertoire as well, and should be able to get almost any tone I desire with the Strat, Paul, and thinline Tele! I am so excited to get another handcrafted beauty, and will of course find a great name for it, perhaps Happy Jack, or The Seeker, hehe! Just forgot to mention it, he just made the offer yesterday. What a no brainer, but as usual it will likely be 6 months befote he finishes it.

Well worth the wait, and the price! Peace, Postmaster K~ [Wow! That sounds like a nice deal! Keep me posted:) – Bjorn]. Remember I was telling you about me trying a Classic Vibe Telecaster, well I bought one 10 days ago, it’s a 2012 butterscotch blonde.

She sounds great, I am also impressed with the craftsmanship, the finish is excellent, the guitar is flawless. I am going to keep it stock at this time because the sound is actually very good. But you never know, maybe one day I will go with Vintage Noiseless ou CS Texas special, but for now I love the sound. The bridge is agressive with the famous Telecaster twang and the neck is very warm and clean. The setup with the two pups together is very good for rhythm, especially power chords with distortion. It is my 3rd electric guitar, my humble opinion is, for the price it’s a pretty goood guitar. I think it’s about time I take a picture of my gear for the gallery and send it to Bjorn.:0) [Yeah, those are great guitars!

Please do send a picture! Heya Bjorn, I know Les Pauls aren’t really the best Gilmourish guitars, but do you think something like coil tapping would get some nice stratty tones? Been looking at the Epiphone Std Plustop Pro. Wee bit of a stretch budget-wise, but if I pull it off, looks like a good versatile guitar (which is what I’m after). Have yet to try it though.

[I haven’t explored the coil tapping that much but it should work or at least provide some useful tones. I use P90s quite a lot my self and have also gotten some nice results with PAFs and Custom 57s buckers. So far all the Strats I’ve played have a really obnoxiously high action, and coming from a Les Paul with really low action and a pretty flat fretboard radius, which do you think will be the easiest transition? I usually play with D’Addario 10s. I’ve heard its harder to bend on the 7.25″ neck vs the 9.5″ one. [You should always set the action according to your preferences.

A 7.25″ neck will require a slightly higher action compared to a LP, due to its radius but you can get it pretty low too and still be able to do serious bends. Depends on your technique. Sorry for the large amounts of questions, but you’re probably the only one who understands this dilemma I have. I’m in the market for a new guitar, and I want to buy a Strat. My budget is about $1000 USD. The Vintage 57 Reissue is a nice guitar, but since I’m replacing the pickups/hardware anyway, its a tad expensive. CIJ guitars aren’t really an option for me, so I settled on an MIM after hearing great reviews.

I boiled it down to the Classic Series 50s, and the Classic Player’s 50s, and I cant for the life of me decide which one. My local guitar shop doesnt have any MIM Classics, but they said they can order me one straight from Fender. In short, no way of trying out different models, etc. What I get is what I get essentially.

So I need your help. Both I can get for $600, and I’m gonna replace the hardware with this [no matter what guitar I get. So which one should I go for? Here are some of the main differences between the two: CS: Vintage Style Frets, Vintage Synchronized Tremolo, Vintage Style Tuners, 7.25″ (184.1 mm) Fingerboard Radius CP: Medium Jumbo Frets, Vintage Style 2 Point Tremolo, Vintage Style Locking Tuners, 9.5″ (241 mm) Fingerboard Radius Whats the difference between the fingerboard radius and the trem systems, and most of all, the two guitars (that is if youve had any experience with the CP)? Thank you so much Bjorn, you are the best thing that has happened to us Gilmour freaks since his last album.

Sorry for my late reply. I guess you know my answer to this only you can decide which one to choose. It depends on how the guitar feels and plays when you’re playing it. Simple as that. I can tell you which I’d choose. I’d go for the CS.

The CP is a modern Strat, similar to the Standard, with a few vintage specs. The CS is a true vintage reissue with the most popular and common features from each decade. I prefer the vintage specs and upgrading the pickups, as I understand you’ll be doing, will make it a great guitar. The CP is nice too and the jumbo frets especially, will add a bit more body to your tone, but gaian, I prefer the CS. Good luck with the purchase! There are also many handcrafted Strat atyle guitars available fir less than a top of the line Fender, they can be setup with the pickups, and hardware you choose, and in many cases are about the same price as the more expensive Strats, and far superior in quality. I paid half as much as the Custom Shop Black Strat, and it’s IMO a far bettet guitar, the big difference being I didn’t want to paint it black.

Pictures of the guitar I call Cymbaline will be posted in the gallery as soon as my pedalboard gets wired, most likely tomorrow. Other than the decal, and fret marker placement, you cannot tell by looking at it that it isn’t a Fender, but plays, and sounds better than any of the over 50 guitars I’ve owned over the last 30+ years.

Fender makes fine instruments, but handcrafted instruments, made the old fashioned way, by one pair of experienced hands can’t be equalled by any production guitar! Greetings for your job Bjorn!well done! I´m a huge fan of fender (since I saw David´s Delicate Tour performance).

I´ve had in my hands several vintage series strats last week, and i think the assembly (neck-body) is quite poor for the cost of them (2000€ each). I think the best is to test the guitar. You may found very good MIM, Clasic Vibes, MIJ, etc.

Only have to have care on search. I´ve got a 600€ candy aple red, maple neck Tokai (MIJ) and its a superb piece in it´s construction an feel. With DG20 EMG´s is comparable to any USA “red strat”;-) Greetings again! You can find some really nice cheaper guitars as well that’s just as good as the pricier ones. Have you tried the new Fender Select Series Stratocaster? More or less these are the specs: body alder with flame maple top, neck flame maple “C” shape, fingerboard flame maple, bridge 2-point synchronized tremolo with vintage style bent steel saddles and pickups Fender Select single coil pickup (bridge, middle and neck).

My main concern are the pickups, which I don’t know. I wanted to try them at the shop but it was not in stock.

Once again, thanks a lot for your amazing web (and congratulations for your amazing band Airbag, I enjoyed this weekend amazing Marillion’s two last concerts of the european tour 2013 in Barcelona and I’m glad to tell you that Airbag was well known and extremely appreciated by a large number of “musician” friends I met there! You deserve it! We are looking forward new songs!; ) [I haven’t had the chance to try the Selected Series yet. There aren’t any stores carrying them here at the moment. Thanks a lot for the note about Airbag! Glad to hear! Bjorn totally spot on regarding mim.

My standard one with emg had bridge replaced probably best upgrade I made. Also the tuners are terrible, nut is plastic stock pickups are poor. I replaced all this and it’s a completely different animal. Standard fret wire is also a bit soft I’m on my 2nd fret dress in 2 yrs with the last one pretty bad.

My black strat is a classic 50s again stock parts replaced as before the finish on this guitar is top notch though. Great updates on the site Bjorn, Bob [Thanks Bob! Another great article Bjorn. I have a Black Strat Maple neck MIM 2010 that I bought on sale brand new for $450.00 Can. I upgraded the pickups and I absolutely love my guitar. So with parts and labor = $700.00 My luthier says that I bought a pretty good instrument, the finish is amazing. About the Squier Classic Vibe series, last month I went to the store to buy some strings.

I saw a Squier Cassic Vibe Telecaster it was a butterscotch blonde. I have to say I’ts a great looking guitar and I tried it. I was surprised, the sound is actually pretty good for a $380.00 guitar. I ‘m on a low budget and the Cassic Vibe Telecaster as a 3rd guitar is a good deal for me.

I have my Strat and an old 1980 Gibson. Also you can always upgrade it later, this guitar has pretty good reviews. [The Classic Vibes are great and with the needed upgrades you can turn them into some really nice work horses for touring etc.

I have a SRV STRAT, with ser. SE907777, Iwant to know if it was assembled in 1989 or 1992 and if fretboard is brazilian rosewood. Tks RayThe SRV strat was introduced in 1992.The Fender website has a section on dating your guitar.In the early 90s there was some confusion because the serial numbers pointed to an earlier date.The first several hundred or so of the SRVs were rosewood and then they switched over to paoferro.To verify the guitars age, you will need to look at the date on the neck, body and pots. Contrary to popular myth,the first several hundred of them were not made in the custom shop.People claim that so they can charge 5k for one when all it is is a production strat.I believe why you have a neck with an 89 serial number is they were in the process of releasing a SRV strat before Stevies death.When he died, they shelved it and released it in 92.Hope this helps. I am an avid collection and keep great records on 1992 SRVs. If your serial is SE907777, that means it was made probably in March 1992. I'd be happy to go through the simple steps to obtain the dates.

Of the 10 SE 907xxx's that I have records of, 3 are Brazilian Rosewood. I'd be happy to tell you my (fairly qualified) opinion. I have records of 107 1992 SRVs and I don't have that one on my list. So I could help you and you could help me have a more complete list.

Email me: bzss7x at hotmail dot com. Only a couple of SRV Strats were made before '92, the prototypes, and they were given to Jimmy. The serial number decals were just left overs from the 80's. The SE9XXXXX decals can be found on '93 (and possibly '94) models as well. I've been collecting SRVs for years. I keep hearing the same misinformation.

Jimmie doesn't have any prototypes. He has said as much in magazine articles and interviews in the past. The SE9 serial numbers being made in 92-94 were not just on SRVs.

The exact same thing happened on Clapton and other signature Strats. Finally, Voodoo, you are right on about the SE9 serial numbers running through 1994. SRVs (and other Signature Strats) started getting the SN5 serials in 1995. Only a couple of SRV Strats were made before '92, the prototypes, and they were given to Jimmy. The serial number decals were just left overs from the 80's.

The SE9XXXXX decals can be found on '93 (and possibly '94) models as well. I've been collecting SRVs for years. I keep hearing the same misinformation. Jimmie doesn't have any prototypes. He has said as much in magazine articles and interviews in the past.

The SE9 serial numbers being made in 92-94 were not just on SRVs. The exact same thing happened on Clapton and other signature Strats. Finally, Voodoo, you are right on about the SE9 serial numbers running through 1994. SRVs (and other Signature Strats) started getting the SN5 serials in 1995.If you go to the website stevieray.com, there is a ton of wrong info on the SRV strat.Biggest being that the first 50 -100 were made in the custom shop.Total bs.I got into a discussion with a seller on ebay who was selling a 92 for 5200 and was insisting it was made in the custom shop.I told him there had to be a COA and the custom shop logo.Needless to say none was available.Thanks for clearing it up.It seems the only difference in all the SRVs made was the first few had rosewood and the rest had Pao ferro. I have a srv strat that I bought when they first were issued. It is SE909691 Is there any way to tell what year it was made and what number in the signature series it is?

Thanks, Don It was made in 1992, to get the exact date take off the neck and look for date stamps on the heel and in the neck pocket of the body. You might also check the spring cavity, inside mines there is a little round sticker (QA sticker?) with 8-13 and the initials JC which is pretty close to the stamp dates on the neck and body.