Meet Jenna, one Super Sexy Custom Strat

Meet Jenna, one Super Sexy Custom Strat

I just celebrated a birthday; and I bought myself a present ... a Strat like none other.  This beauty, Jenna, was custom crafted by Bobby Clark of BC Customs.  She’s not just a looker, either; she’s most definitely a player!  So, let me tell you all about this new gal of mine.  Her classily curvaceous body is made of Swamp Ash with a stunning quilted maple top, which gives her a very pleasant, resonant natural acoustic voice.  The Neck began its life as a 50’s "road-worn" that was scraped, sanded, and finished in nitrocellulose; the result is a neck that falls somewhere between a 50’s and 60’s profile.  Thick enough for some serious tone, but thin enough for my lil ol fingers to feel comfortable on.  The pickups are Lindy Fralin Vintage-hot’s, which, contrary to their name, are not really wound very "hot".  Switching is 5-way with a neck blend pot in the 2^nd tone pot position for SRV style neck-bridge blending opportunities.  The bridge pickup is barely wound any hotter than the neck & middle, but sports a steel base-plate, enabling some serious Tele-style twang and an extraordinarily firm bottom.  The Bridge is Wilkinson’s new 5&1 vintage style with a steel block and push-in trem arm.  Tuners are vintage style Goth split-shank.

The result?  Well, let me tell ya, this is one of those cases where the total package adds up to more than the sum of all its parts.  The combination of the light & resonant body with the very solid neck and steel block bridge makes for a gal who loves to sing; the sustain is the stuff of legends.  Tonally, the Fralin’s are the dream of anyone who loves vintage Fender tone.  The neck & middle sound just like a really, really good vintage Strat should sound.  The in-between combinations are a mystical, magical, sparkly, chimey, smooth, sweet, and airy wonderland.  And the Bridge pickup can be either a very vintage Straty Dr Jekyll, or turn into a very Teleesque Mr. Hyde when dug into.  There are no humbucking tones to be had, but the single coil tones are second to none.  The real test is in the playing, and let me tell ya, it’s a love thang!  This lil lady and I rendezvous every night.  I simply can’t leave her alone.  While my wife sleeps soundly, we laugh, cry, scream and make passionate love.

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