Great Strat Mod

By Rich Cole from Akron, OH on 9/21/2009 10:59:56 AM

the instructions included are pretty straight forward, but leave out some important details. you'll need a lower ohmage potentiometer, 250k is too much for an active pickup and it acts more like a switch than a variable control. 25-100K will work, i found them at another local music shop. if you're willing to learn about a new system, this is a great way to go. there's no fancy proprietary wiring so it's really the modder's delight. it does require a battery, which was a little hard to find a spot for in a stock strat, but it's well worth the time and effort. i didn't follow the instructions exactly, but after a few good tries i got it to sound beautiful. it takes the strat sound and enhances it, reproducing every nuance of the guitar's native tone. it's loud, bold and it kicks some serious axe. i put it in the middle position with passive pickups at the neck and middle and wired it to it's own circuit so i can use it in combination with the others. a little volume tweaking and you can get defined, yet ballsy and blusey tones easily and a few you've never heard before. the active preamp allows the higher output to drive the amp harder without getting muddy and grumbled. at a price less than other comparable pickups, the extra searching for required parts and a slightly more complicated setup pays off in a gorgeous sound that is destined to impress.