My Silvertone Strat sounds very nice already with new #10 strings, new cable and potentiometer cleaning. It will ring like a bell when luthier Forrest Walsh, (‘FW’ here), installs new ‘vintage’ pickups and ‘hot rods’ the tremolo (vibrato) as well with a heavy brass trem block.
Resonating wood is cut away to make room for the trem springs, screws and metal trem block so the mass and material of the tremolo block is important for good sustain and tone, yet this one is thin and made of pot metal (Zamak).
Didn’t work for me. Notice gouge through body. Does not affect sound.
Can’t advise screwing down and wood-blocking the trem machinery like Clapton’s ‘Blackie’, all it did for me was to detune the guitar when what it really needed is a more massive tremolo block. I screwed it back out and re-tuned.
“I’m of the opinion that the trem block makes a big difference in the sound of the guitar…All of those systems work together. I can’t imagine how many attempts it took Leo and friends to finally get that right…
“The trem blocks…are pretty easy to replace…
FW means easy for a trained guitar tech to replace. But Fenders and their ilk are modular, easily built, mass production items, easy to tear down, upgrade and build back, the second such guitar- the first being the Telecaster, so have at it.
These Were Made for the Flycaster
Guitarfetish.com vintage style reverse-wound sale items, $24USD w/shipping. He’ll install the new pickups with copper foil to fight the hum, a fault of single-coil pickups.
If I misunderstand correctly the reverse winding of the yellow, mid-placed pickup creates a mild humbucking effect. Or something.
Amazing how great an Indonesian clone flea market guitar can look and sound so I can’t wait to hear it after these upgrades.
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