Grateful Dead Music Forum

That’s cool!

Scale is a huge factor when striving for Jer-like tones. You are going for a “Jerry inspired” guitar so you have wiggle room to get creative. If you are able to go from p90’s to strat pickups in the event you want to change down the road, that would be even better.

Keep us posted, ask a lot of questions!

To this day, I'm haunted by an experience I had playing, and listening to others play, one of Bill Chapin's Strata-Houla guitars with a 24.625" scale. If I hadn't know the scale length, I'd have sworn, based on the tone, it was 25 1/2". It is the one and only 24 3/4 (well, almost) scale guitar I've played ever that sounded to my ears like a true Strat. I have no idea how he pulls it off.

https://www.chapinguitars.com/stratahoula

Jturbide wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2020 1:38 pm Damn almost 400 views and nobody can give me opinions on firebird pickups, the best builders, pickups configs, comments on my guitar idea ... ?

Look at all these great responses. Sometimes a gentle reminder is all we need.

ac4468 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 11, 2020 8:35 am

PLS30820 wrote:Gotcha. I'd like to see some replica or "tribute" Travis Beans being made/played out there

Dude!! WOW!! Who built that beauty?

Dude!! WOW!! Who built that beauty?

Thanks, I did.

https://www.facebook.com/cosciaguitars/

My time is slowly but surely coming soon for the builder to start my guitar (yeah there was a long waiting list ). According to emails received when I put my order in, it should start around april, I know, that's still far away but I still have alot to think about.

I am still debating on the body, that will be personal preference and based purely on look and feel but I am thinking either a TB500 shape (like mentioned in the original post) or a Mission control (Phil's bass) shape. Body wood is not decided yet but I will likely go set neck, maple, walnut or something not too expensive (unlike koa or cocobolo)

I still need to figure out pickups. I am still not sure what pickups I want. I really really like 72-74 Jer tones as well as 77. That might be influenced by overall band performance and recording quality but hey...

I am thinking HHS, super 2 in bridge and middle with sds1 in neck. Just like tiger from what I gathered. Dual sounds could replace the super 2 if the general consensus is that they are better... I am also still contemplating firebird pickups, they seem to have a sound that might do the jerry stuff but since he never used them I'm not sure I want to try my luck. 3 strat pickups is also an option since I love early wolf and alligator sounds but I love strats and I already have one so I'd like something different on this guitar.

Btw the guitar will have a CAL redeemer buffer, most likely an OBEL and I am using a SMS CTP with quilter interblock (that will likely be upgraded for a higher-end power amp in time). I am also thinking 25" scale with 12" radius which again, seems to be what wolf and tiger had, right?

Any recommendation or thoughts regarding these pickups? Body shapes are a good idea? Neck?

Tiger was 25.5

72-74 would be Strat single coils in a Strat scale length, either Alligator, the other Strat, or early Wolf.

Spring 77 is the TB500 with three TB single coils mounted directly on the solid aluminum neck. There is no good and cheap way to duplicate this, but my understanding is the pickups are not that far from a Strat single even though they look more like a P90 or Jazzmaster pickup.

For what you want, I would suggest a good set of Strat single coils in a 25.5” scale guitar. If you do like the pre-72 tones as well, maybe a bridge P-90 with a Strat middle and neck.

I know you said you already have Strats, but don’t overthink it and spend a lot of money on a custom guitar that is your third or fourth favorite Jerry tones. And, FWIW, I agree with you on tones. I am a big fan of Brent and 80’s Dead, but the guitar tones got worse when the DiMarzio pickups appeared in the late 70’s and went down hill from there IMHO.

Thanks! Yeah I just really prefer the arrangements, vocals and overall performances from 72, 77 than later. I actually think Jerry's tone is still great in the 80s when playing clean but yeah with everything going on in their 80s performances it is sometimes hard to actually hear him as well as earlier. It would be interesting to have a 72' grateful dead show but with tiger instead of alligator or wolf in Jerry's hands, for scientific purposes