Jimmy Vaughan Tex-Mex Strat- ???

[Richard Monroe]

Well, I'm not really a strat guy. Aside from acoustic, I've mostly played Les Pauls, SG's, Telecasters, and an assortment of hollowbodies, especially Epiphone Casino. But- considering what an all-time popular guitar the Strat is, I've been thinking the studio (and me) just ought to own one. I've been considering a MIJ Strat on ebay, but today, the deal clobbered me at Guitar Center. They had a brand new Jimmy Vaughan tex mex signature strat that some dufus had dinged along the bottom edge (not visible from the front), otherwise perfect, marked down to $200. I couldn't take it, and just bought the sucker. Did I say I don't know shit about strats, really?
OK, I have changed the .09's that were on it to the wound-G .11's (jazz strings) I use, and managed to adjust the tension on the tremolo bridge to compensate (my first whammy bar). That was fun, when I put them on and watched the bridge tilt forward as I tuned them up, creating useless mush! I have adjusted the truss rod, and got it so the intonation and action are fine. Very nice axe. There are, however, a bunch of things the owner's manual didn't mention, or didn't explain, so I've got a few Strato-newbie questions. First, a run down on the model features, for those not familiar with this model:


The Jimmie Vaughan Artist Signature Tex-Mex Stratocaster® features Fender’s tried and true simplicity in design, directly reflecting Jimmie’s deep Blues roots and traditional playing style. The Tex-Mex’s unique features include a special "V" shaped Solid Maple neck, three Fender Tex-Mex pickups with hot bridge and special tone control wiring, a Poplar body, 21 medium-jumbo frets, original synchronized tremolo, 5-way pickup selector, Schaller® Straplocks, and a white, single-ply pickguard. Includes deluxe Fender gig bag.
Model Name Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex™ Strat®
Series Artist Series
Body Alder
Neck 1-Piece Maple, Soft "V" Shape, (Satin Polyurethane Finish)
Machine Heads Fender/Gotoh® Vintage Style Tuning Machines
Fingerboard Maple, 9.5” Radius (241 mm)
Frets 21 Medium Jumbo Frets
Controls Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup), (Middle Pickup is “Wide Open”, No Tone Control)
Pickups 2 Tex-Mex™ Calibrated, Overwound, Single-Coil Strat Pickups (Neck and Middle), 1 Tex-Mex “Hot Bridge” Single-Coil Strat Pickup (Bridge)
Bridge American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Hardware Chrome
Pickguard 1-Ply White
Scale Length 25.5"
Case Includes Deluxe Gig Bag
Included Accessories Deluxe Gig Bag
Other Features Special Soft "V" Shape Neck, Fender/Schaller Straplock Strap Buttons, Middle Pickup is "Wide Open" With No Tone Control, Jimmy Vaughan Signature on Back of Headstock, U.S. Made Electronic Components

So here are my main questions:

1. The 5 position switch- what pickup combos does it select, in order, from the neck position to the bridge position?

2. I can see the wire on the "hot bridge". What the hell does it do?

Thanks in advance to anybody who can give me the answers.-Richie

[cephus]

I don't know about the jimmy lee vaughn strat, but a regular strat operates this way:

Looking down at the switch from playing position, 1) all the way back toward the bridge is the bridge pickup. next notch is 2) middle and bridge out of phase. Then 3) middle, 4) middle/rhythm out of phase then 5) rhythm. The tone knobs don't affect the bridge pickup on a strat - one is for the middle pickup and one is for the rhythm. Also, I think the "hot bridge" means that the bridge pickup is hot or maybe a single-space humbucker. I don't thihnk there is anything hot about the actual bridge. If there is a visible wire connecting to the bridge somewhere (like in the back attaching to the tremelo claw or springs) that is for the ground. Although, I have one of those cutesy piezo strat bridges in my guitar and it does have a signal wire that comes from the actual tremelo block.

BTW, I gotta tell you that I really liked your CD. "Family" is a great tune and hit me pretty hard the first time I heard it.

Boo

[ermghoti]

Correction:

Originally Posted by FMIC

Controls Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup), (Middle Pickup is “Wide Open”, No Tone Control)

Also, I don't know which wire you see on the bridge pickup, can you describe it?

[Richard Monroe]

Yo Cephus. Thank you. Regarding the 5 position switch, that makes sense. Of course, as you can see above, my tone controls are different, controlling the neck and bridge position pups. The middle position pup is "wide open" (no tone control) I think that's part of the Tex-Mex mod. Well we haven't yet figured out the "hot bridge". And yeah, the wire to the bridge is green, which would usually indicate a ground.

All that aside- It would appear you got the speaker. Excellent. I presume in one piece. "Family" was written by Maureen "Mo" Fleming, an old girlfriend/partner of mine. She's an indie recording artist in San Diego. She provided backing vox on "Goody's Song","Family", "Sunset Nostalgia", "Le Pela Finde", "Po Cat Blues", and "Reunion". One of the greatest singer/songwriters I've ever worked with, and one of the greatest women I've ever loved. "Family" was recorded first on her album "Dreamers", and her Latin/Jazz people mucked it up big time. It was the only song on her album I hated. It's something that always sucked when she did it, and always sucked when I did it. It was something we did-together.

I guess I'll get on Fender's site and start researching "hot bridge". I'm pretty sure there's no piezo in this puppy. Thanks again. Let me know how that speaker works out. - Richie

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by Richard Monroe

I guess I'll get on Fender's site and start researching "hot bridge". I'm pretty sure there's no piezo in this puppy. Thanks again. Let me know how that speaker works out. - Richie

It probably means the pickup is overwound. A standard single coil is 5K, maybe it's 7 or 8K. That will have increased output, and it will also shed some highs.

[cephus]

I think the tone controls on a strat are pretty useless. I have bypassed mine on every strattish guitar I ever had. I still leave the knobs in the holes, of course. Maybe if they worked on the bridge pickuip it would be different.

[Richard Monroe]

Well, I've had a chance to plug this thing in and play around with some sounds. This is so weird. It is actually shocking when you think that I have been playng guitar off and on for 35 years, several of them for a living,both electric and acoustic, and have never played a Strat, never. This thing is alien to me, which is an interesting challenge. First, it appears Mshilarious is right, the ownwer's manual refers to the bridge pup being overwound, and it definitely scrubs off highs. Generally, when I switch to the bridge pup, say on a telecaster, it's very bright. On this axe, it's the middle pickup that's bright, and it gets darker in either direction from the middle.

Secondly, I have used electrics for years to impersonate an acoustic. To do this, you use jazz strings with a wound G. Clean amps are an absolute must. If it's a tele, you dial down the tone, decreasing that metallic "ching". With humbuckers, say a Les Paul, you use both pickups, brighten the neck and darken the bridge pup. Occasionally I use the Les Paul for Rockabilly or classic Rock and Roll, say Chuck Berry, and I brighten the bridge and add distortion to taste. With a Gibson hollowbody with P90's, or an Epiphone Casino, you just put everything in the middle, because that's what it does best. Then you make minor adjustments according to the song.

This Strat is the guitar that knows it's an electric guitar. It's not going to impersonate an acoustic, no matter what you do. It wants to play Funk, or Reggae, or Texas blues, or something. Add enough distortion and overdrive enough tubes, and it wants to play Jimi Hendrix.

Of course teles have wide necks, and feel a little like an acoustic to my hands. The Les Paul and the Casino have narrower necks, and are fast, but more picky about finger placement. The strat (and this one has an unusual neck, I guess, for a strat- they call it "triangular") feels like a Fender neck, but string placement is closer together, more like the Casino or the Les Paul.

What does this mean to me? First, it's going to be a while before I really have any idea how to play this thing. Secondly, I don't think it will ever be a bread and butter guitar for me. It will be a specialty guitar that I pull out when I want a certain sound for a specific song. And, of course, it will be the studio's Strat, because it is clear that if a studio doesn't have a Strat, it's pretty damned weak.

Feel free to share your Strat insights with me. I feel like an old guy who has been driving automatics all his life, and they just gave him a five-speed with a stick. This is going to take a little getting used to. Well- we're planning a Reggae cut with the George Wesley Band for the second album, and I'm betting this Strat will see some use for that.-Richie

[ermghoti]

Position 4 (neck and middle) or position 3 (middle only) are where my strat is acousticyest, but I have more typical tone controls.

Play with pickup height a little, even an overwound bridge pickup should not be darker than the middle singlecoil.

[mrface2112]

first of all, congrats on your score! i'm envious!

they had a jimmyV strat at my local axe shop a while back. i didn't like the neck on it at all--too baseball bat for me. but similar to a number of acoustics. but it had a nice round tone.

i'm a tele man myself.....but i know a good playing (and sounding) strat when i get hold of one. much like you, over the years i've just never had much of hankering to buy one.


cheers,
wade