#202603R :: Americana HSS set in Super Dirty Relic Olympic White // Metallic Wine Red :: AVAILABLE

Blog price: 720,00 Euros

:: Shipping: 20 Euros - France // 30 Euros - European Community + UK

(If you live outside the European Community get info on import taxes in your country BEFORE YOU BUY. Also, outside the EC, the shipping will be made through the french post office and a signature will probably be demanded)

Well, this 2-pc Ash body from AC Guitar Shop wouldn't sell, so I decided to buy a neck with a large headstock on eB... from hzss-guitars, which I'm pretty sure is Chinese. It seems perfectly fine to me, and the truss rod works flawlessly too. I finished it in the same color and then chose a Wilkinson WVC-SB ("Steel Block") tremolo with 54 mm string spacing. Maybe it could have taken 56 mm, but I don't like it when the E strings are too close to the edges.

A quick word about this tremolo: I'm not going to compare it to the Fender vintage vibrato that I usually install, but I'm quite impressed. It comes with three sets of saddle screws for different heights, and it's very robust. I have a feeling I could use this model instead of the Fender, but the psychological "weight" of a well-known brand is hard to get out of people's minds.

Since the tuner holes are slightly larger, I ordered Schaller '70s machine heads instead of the vintage Fender Road Worn set.

As those who follow my work surely know, I rarely sell my builds with pickups installed. That said, I had a loaded pickguard in stock with a DiMarzio PAF Pro in the bridge position and two Fender MIM single coils. It was originally meant for my Ibanez RG550 LTD, but I eventually found another DiMarzio PAF Pro in the F-spaced version. The PAF Pro is an awesome choice for an HSS configuration because its relatively low output makes it a great match for single coils. Since my Ibanez has two Fender Made in USA single coils in the neck and middle positions, I left the pickguard as it was and installed it on this Strat.

Is the wiring good? I think—and hope—so, but I'm far from being an expert. The last pictures may help those who are more experienced. You don't like these pickups? Sorry, sell them, do what you want, but they're sold with it.

What more can I say? It has a Göldo jack socket, a push-in tremolo arm, and the string tree is included. I haven't glued the nut because many people prefer to install a bone nut, so I leave that up to the buyer.

Specifications aside, I love this dirty look! Usually I don't touch the bodies once they're finished because it's very easy to ruin everything when you're working with tints. This time, though, it turned out even better than before, in my opinion.

The only downside is the weight, which is probably the reason the body didn't sell until now. The complete guitar weighs 4.1 kg. Yup, it's not for boys!

Enjoy the pictures!