#175780  by deadmanwalkinginla
 
Long time watcher, first time caller here.

I got into the Dead because of John Mayer's touring with the Co and some stories my dad told me about Deadhead parties in the 80s. Now I've seemed to have caught the bug so many others get after listening to a few shows. I can't get Jerry's tone out of my head. It completely goes against my tastes; I like a big, warm clean-ish tone a lá Hendrix. But it's such a good sound - specifically the Pacific Northwest Shows of 73-74.

The amp and pedals don't really interest me as much as the guitars. Mostly because silver panel Twins are comically easy to find near me for some reason. But I really want a Jerry guitar. Something about the switching options and all the humbuckers tickles a part of my brain. Unfortunately, I'm a poor 20-some year old, so I don't have a ton of money to play with. Here's my idea for the time being:

Mod a Strat I have right now to Alligator specs

I have a 70's partscaster I've never been too happy with the tone of. It's a great player - very easily my favorite of the Strats I have, but I haven't found the right pickups for it yet and the cheapy pots I bought are getting scratchy now. The only difference I've seen between the actual Alligator and any other Strat aside from the bridge were the pots, which are easy enough to find and replace. So... maybe? I have to find a reverse-log 1MEG pot, but I'm always up for a challenge. Pickups are probably going to be the Pure Vintage '54 or '57 set depending on what's cheaper when I get them.

I'll probably hack an OBEL into it later and wire it to a push/push pot. Without a buffer; I'm not gonna rout a mostly unmolested '72 body. I'm pretty sure the Gator didn't have one anyway. Kinda playing with the eras a bit, but whatever.

Does this make sense? Anyone have any tips on where to find some of the more niche parts or pickups for a Gator-styled build?
 #175781  by bzbz
 
If you are into the 73-74 era, tone-wise, single coils are it - no need to delve into humbuckers really - and there was no OBEL either at the time

Of course there was no MuTron at the time either,

And just a suggestion, play a clean strat through a Fenderish platform - treble up, bass way down or off, mids to taste - you will find that use of touch sensitivity, phrasing, accenting - go a looong way

Gear can add to this greatly, of course, but clean practicing first is essential I think
 #175784  by TI4-1009