2005 Goldstar Sound, callaham block?

[willowgardenuk]

Hi All,

I have a 2005 goldstar sound strat that I am overall fairly happy with, however I find it's tone quite 'dark' - possibly due to the heavier than average body. Whilst the sustain is very good, I always feel it doesn't have as much 'sparkle' as a strat should.

I have already changed the pickups to tonerider surfaris in an effort to rectify this - still the same underlying dark tone.

I have been looking at the callaham block/bridge assembly, but I am unsure if these will even fit a tokai - can anybody advise?

I've tried emailing them and they basically say they make blocks for fender guitars. which to me means they don't know/care if it will fit a tokai.

Also, any other suggestions for making a strat a bit more 'lively' in tone?

 

[Anonymous]

It would probably be a lot cheaper & easier to find a Strat with the tone you want, rather than messing around with a Goldstar. None of the Tokai Strats have a reputation for being dark or heavy. Either you have an unusual one, or you simply want a different sounding Strat.

Which other Strats have you tried that give you the sound you want?

Mike

 

[MIJvintage]

IMO you likely have a guitar body that is on the heavy side, thus it likely has a very tight growth ring structure, which generally chokes off resonance aka vibration aka sound.

Bottom line is, when it comes down to it, lumber is either going to make or break a solid body guitar.
IMO a solid body guitar can be too light in weight & also too heavy in weight.

There are some that do not believe that the weight & grain structure of the body lumber have anything to do with the tone, resonance, sustain, and other characteristics of a solid body guitar.
Fine, they can believe that all they want but one cannot fight the general norms of physics.

I believe in determining an actual and/or as close to actual weight of a guitar, before I make a purchase.
By doing this I can determine if the guitar will likely fit into my idea AFA what I have come to expect from my experience with guitars.
If a guitar is not within the weight ranges that I prefer, then I will likely not purchase it because there is a good chance it will not offer what I expect in tone, resonance, sustain, etc.

I know from my own experience what weight ranges I prefer for Les Pauls & for Strats.
Knowing what you want, before you buy, will offer better odds of being happy with your purchase.

For example; the Eric Johnson Strats have a weight requirement so, getting a ?dog? is fairly unlikely if you get one of those.

If someone wants a guitar merely as a collector piece, or for hanging on a wall, then by all means buy a tooth pick or buy a boat anchor :wink:

 

[willowgardenuk]

Thanks for the feedback. I too think the weight of the body is a factor - it's a bit on the heavy side.

The guitar doesn't however sound 'dead', just not as 'snappy' as I'd like. I have read that the callahm blocks can improve the tone in this regard, and also give greater string seperation, hence why I thought I'd try it in my tokai.

My favourite strat is not a strat at all, it's a 1995 ibanez blazer reissue with an ash body - it sounds fantastic. I do however think alder is a slightly more 'neutral' and dare I say vesatile wood from a tonal point of view.

I really like this tokai strat from a feel and looks point of view, and I know a dud when I see one, this guitar just needs something to brighten the tone. Not a fan of any pickup style other than vintage, alnico magnet types either, so I'd rather not swap out the pups (again)!

Cheers.

 

[mirrorboy]

Maybe a '500K ohm' volume pot would brighten it up.

 

[willowgardenuk]

Now there's an idea... Would all the pots need to be upgraded to 500k or would changing the volume pot alone suffice?

 

[mirrorboy]

Just try changing the volume pot and that should allow more highs through.

 

[bluejeannot]

Thanks for the feedback. I too think the weight of the body is a factor - it's a bit on the heavy side.

The guitar doesn't however sound 'dead', just not as 'snappy' as I'd like. I have read that the callahm blocks can improve the tone in this regard, and also give greater string seperation, hence why I thought I'd try it in my tokai.

My favourite strat is not a strat at all, it's a 1995 ibanez blazer reissue with an ash body - it sounds fantastic. I do however think alder is a slightly more 'neutral' and dare I say vesatile wood from a tonal point of view.

I really like this tokai strat from a feel and looks point of view, and I know a dud when I see one, this guitar just needs something to brighten the tone. Not a fan of any pickup style other than vintage, alnico magnet types either, so I'd rather not swap out the pups (again)!
Aha do I detect Ash preference sydrome?well don`t worry I also prefer ash over alder ,unless the alder body has a maple neck.What do you call a heavy body though?Cheers.

 

[willowgardenuk]

Well, I just put a 500k volume pot in, it has definitely balanced the tone nicely, a cheap fix - thanks for the advice.

 

[mirrorboy]

I'm glad that worked, thanks for letting us know how you got on.