Project Build - Baritone Stratocaster

[Stitch]

Some of you may remember I had an RG7680 a few years back. I sold it (for fat stacks) but I've missed the sound of a baritone ever since - something about that super clear timbre just sounds great. I picked up an MMM1 Mike Mushok recently which confirmed I still like them, although the feel of that guitar was not to my taste. So I flipped that (for fat stacks) too.

I've moved towards Fenders recently - my go-to guitar is a 74 Tele Deluxe I have - and decided it'd be cool to build a baritone stratocaster since Fender now sell MIM 27" conversion necks. So here is where I am up to.



Specs:
Neck - Fender 27" Maple Stratocaster Baritone Neck
Body - Black Hardtail Strat
Pickguard - HxS 1x Volume 1x Blade Switch (Matt Black)
Machineheads - Fender Locking Staggered Tuners (Black)
Nut - Tusq XL (black)
Bridge - Flatmount Hardtail String Thru (Black)
Neck Pickup - Dimarzio Air Norton S
Bridge Pickup - Dimarzio Megadrive
Knob - Charvel So Cal Pro Mod (Black)
3-way Selector Switch (black)
CTS Volume Pot
Output Jack (black)
String ferrules (black)

You're getting the idea. I just grabbed another Megadrive off ebay bringing my total to 3 - they don't come up often and I buy them whenever I see them. I still have one in my maple necked 540PII.


Switch is a nice find - all black including the visible metalwork of the switch for tr00 k\/lt.



Body is still on order and hoped to receive it this month. Then finally, builing can start. Finished product should look similar to this beauty - unfortunately not mine.

So - anyone built anything similar?

[Darren]

Very cool build!

[Budda]

Gonna need clips of that bad boy when it's done.

[zepp]

Awesome. This thing should be fun.

[Tony]

That looks great. I'm getting concerned now though this is the third time today I've seen the megadrive referenced after not seeing our hearing about one for at least ten years

[Leah]

Love the black n maple. Surprised that you moved away from Ibanez to Fender, but I guess we all get old eventually.

[Stitch]

That looks great. I'm getting concerned now though this is the third time today I've seen the megadrive referenced after not seeing our hearing about one for at least ten years

You should take this as a sign. They rip!

[Stitch]

Love the black n maple. Surprised that you moved away from Ibanez to Fender, but I guess we all get old eventually.

I put a deposit on an RGR5227 before they came out, and was so underwhelmed by it that it kind of killed any enthusiasm I had for new Ibanez models. I still collect some old ones, but none of the new stuff excites me.

[playstopause]

Sweet project! Can't wait to see the final result!

[Leon]

I'm betting Cameron has maybe one or two of these in his stable...

[metalheadpunk]

Damn, that's gonna be awesome. Cool that Fender is selling those necks now. I also saw that they have opened up a sort of "semi-custom shop" ordering form on their site too.

[James]

Shaping up to be a nice project, the all black switch is a very nice touch

[James]

You should take this as a sign. They rip!

Have to concur with Stitch here, he kindly lent me his 540Pii for a while and it sounded fantastic with the Megadrive

[Adam]

This is so cool! All black with maple is my favourite strat combo. Can't wait to see when I s done.

[Alan]

Can't wait to see this done!

[Valtteri]

Nice!

[RevDrucifer]

That’s badass, man!!!

I didn’t know they made the conversion necks like that! Can you just slap it onto a regular Strat body and call it a day??

[Webdood]

That looks great. I'm getting concerned now though this is the third time today I've seen the megadrive referenced after not seeing our hearing about one for at least ten years

I still have one in my RG550 they are fantastic pickups

[Webdood]

Stitch I have the Baritone Cabronita squire and really love it. Im thinking about doing a Cabronita build using one of those necks and putting filtertrons in it.

[Ryan]

That's going to look awesome, can't wait to see it when it's done. I'm building a strat myself, albeit a more traditional one, I just need to get a better neck.

[Budda]

That’s badass, man!!!

I didn’t know they made the conversion necks like that! Can you just slap it onto a regular Strat body and call it a day??

Now im wondering this too.

[Stitch]

That’s badass, man!!!

I didn’t know they made the conversion necks like that! Can you just slap it onto a regular Strat body and call it a day??

If it takes a Fender neck, then yes. So a Warmoth body or a donor Fender will do. Hardtail bodies are obviously a bit thinner on the ground, hence the delay in making mine, but nothing to stop you putting one together. The necks are cheap, too. Available with Pau Ferro fingerboards and telecaster headstocks, and non-baritone options include CBS headstocks and so on.

I originally wanted a reverse CBS headstock CBS with block inlays, but couldn't find anyone to build one in the UK, and I didn't want to compromise on the baritone aspect otherwise I'd have gutted a MIM Hendrix strat for the neck.

[RevDrucifer]

If it takes a Fender neck, then yes. So a Warmoth body or a donor Fender will do. Hardtail bodies are obviously a bit thinner on the ground, hence the delay in making mine, but nothing to stop you putting one together. The necks are cheap, too. Available with Pau Ferro fingerboards and telecaster headstocks, and non-baritone options include CBS headstocks and so on.

I originally wanted a reverse CBS headstock CBS with block inlays, but couldn't find anyone to build one in the UK, and I didn't want to compromise on the baritone aspect otherwise I'd have gutted a MIM Hendrix strat for the neck.

That’s awesome! I’ve got my old MIM Strat that I completely re-finished and turned to vintage specs (literally sanded the poly off the neck and re-finished it with tinted nitro, vintage logo and vintage tuners) and I’ve been too lazy to finish the fret work on it...I might just convert that to a baritone.

My plan for guitars over the next few years is to have a few partscasters with different specs because I love Strats and you can get all the specs you want for far cheaper going DIY than anything from the custom shop.

Thanks, man!

[Drew]

Some of you may remember I had an RG7680 a few years back. I sold it (for fat stacks)

Wish I'd known you were selling, I played one of those YEARS ago and liked it. It probably would have been prohibitive what with the pound and shipping anyway, but... Which one, the blue-green or the red? I seem to rememebr yours being one of the blue-greens...

[Leah]

Warmoth has made a 28.625" scale 24-fret baritone conversion neck for years that bolts up to anything Fender-compatible. Nice to see Fender doing the same.