The Stratocaster "Base" or "Bass" plate

This simple mod isn't for everyone. But I like it. The bridge pickup on a Stratocaster can simply vanish into thin air. I believe it was Lindy Fralin who started making these steel plates to fit under your bridge pickup. The Telecaster has one and my favorite guitar, the Fender Esquire, I don't miss having a neck pickup cause that bridge pickup is so full.

Installation is easy...

I scraped some wax from a candle I have onto the back of my pickup:

Step 2, sit plate on top of wax and melt with a soldering iron:

It's important to get the plate as flush as you can on the back of your pickup. Heat it up and press it with 2 objects like chopsticks or screwdrivers until the wax cools. If there is too much of a gap you can run into feedback issues. I've experienced this before....

Step 3: solder wire to the - or black wire and cut off excess:

Step 4. Put your guitar back together and rock out!

It's a fuller sound. Bass is a bit tighter but what I do notice is there is a Telecaster / Lap steel quality to the tone. More roundness to it. Try one! They only cost about ten bucks. If you don't dig it, carefully unsolder, re-heat and remove.

Buy one here: http://www.angela.com/lindyfralinbaseplateforstrat.aspx


Happy soldering! JB

Update, 10/5/17. I've been playing with this for just under a week and here are my impressions:

I'm not sure that it adds bass. But what I do hear is a rounder tone. It's definitely a bit more complex and stronger. Though, the contrast between the bridge pickup and others is reduced a bit. I can totally get behind the player who doesn't desire this as well. It's a bit like when you run a sound through an EQ and you turn the low mid dial back and forth. It has more body to it. I'll keep it in a while, take it out and see what I think then.

Always wanted a copper '53 Esquire, so I rolled my own!

Here's my main guitar. I built it on my rooftop when I lived in Williamsburg Brooklyn 3 years ago:

Photo by Starina Catchitoorian:

Beach gig!

I started out a Jimi freak when I was 14 years old. So naturally I played a '69 Maple cap Stratocaster ($750 in 1990!) for years. Trouble with a Strat, something Dave Navarro said to me: "Trouble with a Strat is you wind up playing Strat things on it...." They do have a way of commanding you to play certain things. So during the grunge scare of '92 I bought my first Jazzmaster, a beat to death 1964 model(100% original, $750 in 1992!). I played that guitar for years. Best part was I didn't know how to play a Jazzmaster so I really feel like I started to find myself on that guitar. It wasn't until '99 at a guitar show in Portland that I bought my first Telecaster, a refinished black 1966 maple cap model ($750! Notice a trend??) that was light as a feather and trust me, I really didn't know how to play that guitar. I sold it in 2003 and doubled my money. It gets played in church now. I've bought and sold a lot of guitars over the years and that is the only one I regret selling. I had the bridge pickup rewound by Fralin to make it hot like an early 50's model. That was a great guitar. Rent and debt! Bah!

But the guitar I've always wanted is the Fender Esquire, namely ones made in the early 50's. They cost a lotta dough now. I have played some that were not to my liking at all and priced about $15k, and played some that if cost were no object I'd just pay whatever it takes.

To find one in Copper? There may not be any. There are only a handful of copper Telecasters in existence. I'm not too keen on the new Fender product, the relic or reissue series. Good stuff but I'm way too picky.

And really I'm totally happy with this one that I built. I have about $400 into it! It gets played every day.

The neck is just an Allparts V. They're great. I may upgrade to a Musikraft cause they are better and I can afford it now but like I said, this guitar keeps me really satisfied as is.

The body is pine, bought from Clearfork Designs on EBay. His EBay name is Ohlar. It's super light, about 3 pounds and a few ounces. I met the guy who makes them at the Dallas Guitar Expo. He's just a great guy. Super warm and friendly. You can tell when that kind of vibe goes into something one builds. I bought another body from him there that I am going to do something with next year. It's lightweight ash.

So I used Guitar Re-Ranch products to do the finish. Desert sand undercoat, copper then clear. They make great stuff. My only error was not doing a sanding sealer. Oops! Well, the grain shows through now. Fender wouldn't let that happen, but I'm not Leo!

After 3 years it's getting pretty worn!

No need for relic stuff, these are my scars and this is my story. I did the silly dowel holes as well, just details:

Finishing I did the lazy susan nail hole method Fender used to use. It's already developing that 'Fuller Tan' visible when you remove the control plate:

I went with Fender hardware and a Mojotone 50's pickup.

I really like Mojo pickups. This is the heart of the Esquire. That simple 1 pickup design forces me to play for real and extract what I want out of the guitar buy using my hands creatively. If I want mellow I need to find mellow. Gnarly is less of a challenge!

I used all CTS pots and CRL switch, the knobs are Daka Ware from the 40's, bakelite and oxblood colored. I like the way they look with the copper body. The switch tip is Daka Ware as well, oxblood too!

The pickguard is bakelite, did the whole lacquer paint circle thing cause I can! The decal I bought from some European vendor. It's pretty accurate!

So this is my baby now. My main guitar. I think it's the simplicity of the Esquire that I like the most. It forces me to find melody, be creative in my playing since I'm not fiddling with tremolo arms and pickups. I just play the thing!

A bit of the guitar in action in a 110 degree room!

And me and my friend Starina....she plays a copper Danelectro. These go together well!

Hope you got something from this post! JB