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08-13-2016, 04:12 PM | #1 |
Ownz
Posts: 534
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The Bat-Strat mystery
This is an earlier image of the bat strat.
http://i.imgur.com/HkEUhNE.jpg And this is a later image of the bat strat. http://i.imgur.com/LZuCQqV.jpg I can tell because I'm a very good e-detective. Also, the paint is worn away further in the later image. But what's also different in the images is the guitar neck. The guitar is a 1957 strat reissue, which is one of Fender's popular reissues. The earlier image has the original 1957 vintage-spec neck installed, while in the later image there's a replacement neck on the guitar. Here's an image of what the guitar originally looks like. http://img.audiofanzine.com/images/u...-xx-181669.jpg Some particular characteristics of the '57 strat include: It has a 7.25" neck radius, which means the fretboard has a much more pronounced side-to-side curve than modern strats, and other guitars, which typically have a bigger radius, which makes for a less-pronounced curve of the fretboard. You can see how fretboard radiuses are measured, here: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/Radius.aspx The width of the neck at the nut (the white piece at the top of the neck, inbetween the fretboard and the headstock) is smaller than on modern strats, which people with smaller hands might like. The difference between that vintage and the modern strat spec is 2mm, but it makes for a significant different in feel, and playability, depending on how large or small one's hands are. You can see the different specs for vintage vs modern strats, here: http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NutWidth.aspx It also has a very sticky nitrocellulose finish that can make it difficult to play fast, though many people shave the finish off the back of the neck when they get one, and apply their own choice of a more slick finish. Nitro finishes can be done so that they're not sticky and tough to play with, when they're done in a satin manner, and not glossy. I expect WPC would not have been playing his blistering fast early-pumpkins solos without having done something to rework, or replace the nitro finish on the back of his '57 strat's neck. The truss-rod is located at the heel of the neck, and the entire neck needs to be removed from the guitar body in order to change the neck curvature, which is usually done either when changing string gauges, or in order to accommodate seasonal fluctuations in the wood. The string tuners on the headstock are vintage-style, which have holes in their tops, which a string-end is fed down into, before the tuners are turned, and the rest of the string wraps around the tuner pole. This is different than modern tuners, where a string is fed through a hole in the side of a tuner pole, and the rest of the string is similarly wrapped around the pole as the tuners are turned. The stock pickup-selector has only 3 positions, neck, middle, and bridge, whereas modern strats with neck, mid, bridge pickups have a 5-position pickup-selector: neck, neck-middle, middle, middle-bridge, bridge. In an earlier interview, WPC said that he installed a 5-position pickup-selector switch into this guitar, replacing the 3-way pickup-selector, and he can been seen making use of all 5 pickup positions in his live performances with this guitar. In the later image of BC's bat strat, the replacement neck that is on the guitar has a much lighter, more natural finish, compared to the dark amber of the '57 neck's vintage nitro finish. The new finish appears more satiny, while the original neck's finish appears more glossy. Also, and these are two very challenging calls to make, and I'm part-guessing, but it looks to me like the replacement neck has a flatter fretboard radius than the '57 neck, and the nut-width looks closer to modern strat specs, and not the thinner vintage spec. My guessed verdict: Billy eventually replaced his '57 strat's vintage, glossy nitro, narrower-width, smaller-radius bat strat neck with a satin nitro, modern nut-width, flatter radius neck. I wonder what motivated the change, after having it one way for so many years. Like, whether the original neck was damaged, or put on another guitar, or if it was just all the aspects of what Billy came to like in a neck for maximum comfort and playability. Changing a guitar's neck does a lot to influence its sound, and can turn a great-sounding guitar into a bad-sounding one, and vice-versa. I wonder if WPC found a neck that sounded like the original, or if he went for a different overall sound from the guitar when he made this change. Update: A lot more information about the Bat Strat is in this newer post: http://forums.netphoria.org/showpost...7&postcount=13 Last edited by he/she/it : 08-23-2019 at 06:04 PM. |
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08-13-2016, 04:15 PM | #2 |
Virgo
Posts: 42,781
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candy cane walks
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08-13-2016, 04:30 PM | #3 |
Ownz
Posts: 880
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the jackals lick their bawlz
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08-13-2016, 06:20 PM | #4 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Posts: 3,414
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This is a good question for Billy at a VIP Q&A.
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08-13-2016, 06:42 PM | #5 |
Socialphobic
Location: montreal
Posts: 11,656
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please post full info on the stolen gish strat.
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08-14-2016, 01:50 AM | #6 | |
Ownz
Posts: 534
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I don't know much about it, or its whereabouts.
BC talks about it some, here: http://glittercop.blogspot.ca/2010/1...return-of.html It's an early 70's strat with the larger CBS headstock, and it has 21 frets. It looks like it also has a small-radius neck, possible 7.25". It also looks like it has a thin neck. Some general info on early 70's strats, from a guitar forum: "The early-70s Strats were a medium-depth "U" shape - actually somewhere between a "U" and a "C". They got to be a little thinner and a little more "U" shaped as the decade wore on. The early ones should be 1 5/8" wide; but by the end of the decade they were getting closer to 1 9/16" wide. They would all be 7.25" radius." A 1+5/8" nut-width would be the same as the '57 strat. Quote:
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08-14-2016, 03:38 AM | #7 |
Braindead
Location: PROWLING THE BADLANDS
Posts: 17,399
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hey remember how it was cool in the 90's to aBUZE guitars, fUCK uP the paint job and put cOOL sTICKERS on them?
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08-14-2016, 03:34 PM | #8 |
Ownz
Posts: 880
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08-14-2016, 04:03 PM | #9 |
Just Hook it to My Veins!
Location: N3t4Euh Haus
Posts: 32,749
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I don't have much to add except that I think Corgan has talked about preferring the goofy 70s style strat headstocks.
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08-14-2016, 04:04 PM | #10 |
full of longing
Posts: 11,505
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08-14-2016, 04:07 PM | #11 |
Just Hook it to My Veins!
Location: N3t4Euh Haus
Posts: 32,749
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also I don't know if there is hard evidence of which picture is older, but the "later" photo has more paint on it in certain spots, see around the tone/volume knobs up towards the pickup switch. And on the same side (the right) up on the wing.
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08-14-2016, 04:19 PM | #12 | |
Ownz
Posts: 534
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Quote:
I speculate that maybe WPC touches up the black marker in those areas to keep it looking it look as it does. Otherwise, there'd be no explanation for why the silver paint recedes in the latter photo, while the black marker is increased in the latter photo. Also, in the allegedly earlier photo, the black marker is smeared, whereas in the 2nd, it's more crisply-defined along a line, and looks like it was applied in dabbed streaks. I think WC must replenish the marker to keep the rugged look, as it smears and wipes away with playing. It's a cool look, though, and I think it's worth maintaining. |
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08-15-2016, 03:17 PM | #13 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Location: The Bay Area, CA
Posts: 2,226
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too long; didn't read... about the guitar specs
but that Bat Strat gives me a boner Last edited by dreams of glass : 08-15-2016 at 04:40 PM. |
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08-15-2016, 04:40 PM | #14 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Location: The Bay Area, CA
Posts: 2,226
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btw I have severe OCD
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08-15-2016, 08:44 PM | #15 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Posts: 1,695
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yo this rules, keep posting. best thread in years
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08-16-2016, 10:34 AM | #16 |
Pledge
Posts: 186
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Just in case anyone hasn't followed closely, the bat strat started out as this sunburst in 1993:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/InISOY3ckEU/hqdefault.jpg Later to appear on SNL, silver and bats in place for the first time: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IpkTWseNluE/hqdefault.jpg Then came the black sharpied pickguard: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...f150316570.jpg And over time the sharpie wore off and the silver paint started to chip: http://67.media.tumblr.com/393b624c7...lwvvo1_400.jpg It stuck around for the Mellon Collie tour: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kVmlI1GA_Hc/hqdefault.jpg Then it sat for some years, and came back for Oceania. Appears to have a new neck. https://yourlifeisnotyourown.files.w...bat_guitar.jpg Last edited by grape : 08-16-2016 at 10:39 AM. |
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08-16-2016, 10:48 AM | #17 | |
Ownz
Posts: 534
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Quote:
Btw, Bat Strat has their own twitter account: https://twitter.com/Bat_Strat |
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08-16-2016, 11:48 AM | #18 | |
Braindead
Location: PROWLING THE BADLANDS
Posts: 17,399
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Quote:
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08-16-2016, 12:19 PM | #19 |
Socialphobic
Location: montreal
Posts: 11,656
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are the bats ON the silver, or are the bats negative space peeled off after it was painted silver?
the bats started off all black but some of them are now white and in some places there's like bat outlines of sunburst. kind of redic that billy didn't just go out and buy a black pickguard... just sharped it.. lol. what does the red sticker say? RAPE BOYS? KORE TOYS? BORE JOYS? |
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08-16-2016, 01:38 PM | #20 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Posts: 1,695
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keep going, bro. i'm a student right now
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08-16-2016, 09:56 PM | #21 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Location: Greater Anabaptist Rakefighter Kingdom
Posts: 1,058
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does he still has the bat strat? still painted and everything?
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08-17-2016, 05:45 PM | #22 |
Just Hook it to My Veins!
Location: Donald Trump of Netphoria
Posts: 37,215
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08-17-2016, 06:15 PM | #23 |
full of longing
Posts: 11,505
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08-17-2016, 06:20 PM | #24 | |
full of longing
Posts: 11,505
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Quote:
the removal of the boredoms sticker peeled off the surface of them and left the white underlayer some of the bat stickers, when removed, peeled off the silver revealing the sunburst |
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08-17-2016, 06:34 PM | #25 |
Minion of Satan
Location: I was born a snake handler, and I'll die a snake handler
Posts: 9,517
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08-17-2016, 07:18 PM | #26 |
Just Hook it to My Veins!
Location: Donald Trump of Netphoria
Posts: 37,215
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Like, sexually?
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08-24-2016, 06:51 AM | #27 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Location: The Bay Area, CA
Posts: 2,226
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like, duh
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08-30-2016, 08:50 PM | #28 |
Apocalyptic Poster
Location: Cheating on my wife with Kurt Cobain's wife. He'll live.
Posts: 2,174
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Bore Boys.
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08-30-2016, 09:34 PM | #29 |
Virgo
Posts: 42,781
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Was it really a boredoms sticker? I can't see it. If so, billy is such a tool.
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08-31-2016, 01:13 AM | #30 |
Minion of Satan
Location: Travelling between Ukraine and Russia
Posts: 5,305
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Is it true that BILLY now owns the Fender-bass from D'ARCY with the misery-smiley ?
Did she hardly use more e-basses than this and the black one with the spots ? |
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