Dug my old beater strat ($120) out of the closet the other day after playing my friend's American Standard. It's basically a fine guitar, but it was missing a bridge pickup and I've never been crazy about the look of the headstock, so I decided to make a project of it. My girlfriend's dad gave me an old Seymour Duncan he had lying around. I'm not sure of the model, it seems to be a stacked humbucker of some kind. It comes with an optional coil split, which worked out great because the guitar is fitted with a push/pull leftover from an older attempt at modding. Did I mention the guitar needed a bridge pickup? Anyway, I figured I'd post some pics.
http://img580.imageshack.us/f/strat1.jpg/This one shows the new shape of the headstock. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. It could use a coat of laquer, though. There used to be a really tacky-looking Stagg logo in the ovoid impression. I've never liked it, so I pried it out.
For reference, here's what the headstock used to look like:
http://www.myguitarheaven.com/Stagg%20White%20Strat.jpghttp://img409.imageshack.us/f/strat2.jpg/Shows the freshly installed bridge pickup. Yes, it's down to bare wire. The plastic cover that came with the pickup didn't fit in the hole where the bridge pickup goes. I'm hoping this won't cause any serious problems. So far, so good. Also pictured is the knobless top of the volume pot. Been meaning to replace that...
http://img19.imageshack.us/f/strat3.jpg/I've always liked the look of this guitar, aside from the few small grievances I've already mentioned.
Gotta say, I can't believe the way this thing screams, considering what I paid for it. Sounds exactly like a strat should, and the bridge pickup serves as a nice contrast when split. It has a very smooth low-output sound. Sort of Eric Johnson-esque if driven hard enough.