Soon I'll be down to one electric, and one acoustic. [Follow Up]

[CakeEater]

Well, I've owned Les Pauls, a DGT, and a Custom 24, but my upgraded 07 Highway One strat will outlast them all.

I've come to accept that no matter how nice a guitar is, I need Fender-scale snap and neck and middle single coils.

I've decided now to upgrade the bridge to a Gotoh and upgrade the pickups to a newer set of Kinman's one more time, and I think I'll have a guitar that's perfect for me. The 9.5" inch fretboard radius, 10.5mm saddle spacing just fit me perfectly.

The CU24 will be sold on, maybe it's my upbringing, but I've always felt slightly ostentatious wearing it, it's gorgeous but maybe just a little too extravagant for comfort. A well worn surf green strat suits me far better. Whether it's P&W, Shoegaze or Pop-Punk, with an extra fat single coil or humbucker in the bridge a good strat really can do it all.

I'll post before and after pics when it's done!

 

[la szum]

Awesome! It's a beautiful thing when we realize what works best for us.

 

[CakeEater]

Well, it's done! All the appointments were handled by my local luthier, and I'm thrilled with the results. Let's dive into the pickups first. Initially, I had reservations about upgrading from the Kinman Gen 1 AVn-69s to the Gen 2 for the neck and middle pickups, thinking it might be a trivial improvement. But I couldn't be happier, they're noticeably more open and clear. Positions 2 and 4 that I previously never used have really come alive, addressing a typical issue with silent pickups. Then there's the Kick-in-the-Arse bridge pickup, it’s phenomenal. It sounds as big and full as the neck pickup, but with nice bridge P90-esque tones.

The Gotoh bridge is great, the extra mass that's provided has definitely helped sustain, but also the whammy bar is now fully functional. The bridge is still decked, but I only use it lightly just for a bit of ambient swell tremolo anyway. I kept the Highwood saddles on my luthier's recommendation.

Lastly, there’s the aesthetic upgrades. Surf Green is my favourite Fender colour and I’m so happy to have it on my strat. It adds a nostalgic touch from bands like Blink-182 that first got me into guitar-based music. The hardware is now consistent, with everything in parchment or mint. Previously, my pure white pickups clashed with the mint pickguard and they had a (mostly scratched off now) red logo on each. Now, they’re a cohesive colour and without any logos. I couldn't be happier.

Since getting this work done, Helix 3.7 dropped, and I've now upgraded my main kitchen sink preset to have stereo 2203s. I was originally using stereo Plexi-Jumps, but I found by upping the sag and the bias on the 2203 model, I can get Plexi-like tones but with more fidelity and better response. I really feel like I've gotten to the end of my electric guitar journey, and I'm happy just to play now. For an ambient player like myself, I really am amazed at how often I just use purely amp tones now, with no reverbs or any effects in front at all. Maybe the need to tweak will come back in time, but right now, I’m truly satisfied.

Before:

After:

 

[FuzzyAce]

Awesome, glad it's working out for you.
The Surf Green looks .

 

[Eagle]

It’s a good one to be down too . I am a big fan of the Highway One, love the 6100 fret size.

 

[CakeEater]

It’s a good one to be down too . I am a big fan of the Highway One, love the 6100 fret size.

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of the 07 Highway 1 models. Back when I was turning 21, my parents were helping me buy my first Fender Strat for my birthday.

I was originally set on an American Standard in Sienna Burst. I was pretty set to buy it, but my eye was caught by the Highway 1 just because of the Daphne Blue matte finish. When I picked it up and played it, I much preferred the neck dimensions, the fret size, and even the string spacing. It was just more at home for me. So I ended up buying it and using the money I saved to upgrade the pickups to Kinman Woodstock Plus pickups.

I've since upgraded those again, and that was a phenomenonal improvement. I really do love the Highway 1 now. Surf Green was always my favorite color, so I'm so glad to have that on it too.