Upgrading strat hardware

[strathappy]

Hey everybody, I am new to modding guitars and starting with my cheapest one (Yamaha EG303 strat copy). I am upgrading the bridge pickup to a SD hot rails and the neck to possibly a SD cool rails... I shielded the cavities and am considering wiring and knob upgrades. Now I want to upgrade the hardware as well, looking for suggestions? For the bridge, I heard wilkinson was good, maby a graphite or brass bridge something with better sustain and help tuning?? Something like this ->

cgi.ebay.com/Wilkinson-Lic-WVPCSB-Modern-6-Screw-Type-Guitar-Bridge_W0QQitemZ140118017106QQihZ004QQcategoryZ41407QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Also considering a better nut, preferable for better sustain, any suggestions? One other thing, but I think it's beyond the scope of this project, but maby a more expensive strat...locking tuners like sperzil?? Those are $$$ though

One other thing I'm thinking of doing is making a new pickguard out of diamondplate (or checkerplate for you Americans.)

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

[bam]

if you want sustain, graphite is more preferable. recommended brands: graphtech & wilkinson. wilkinsons are cheaper, though.

[Ripper]

Have you thought of a brass nut? ala Malmsteen. As I was told in a previous exchange of information here at GN2, the nut only affects open strings. But, when you are barring etc. The nut is obsolete. Brass does ring out with alot of treble like nuances.

[setain]

You may find this page helpful: www.ceejbot.com/Music/strat_rebuild.php

[strathappy]

That page was helpful indeed, well I didn't search for a brass nut, but I bought a Graph Tech Trem-Nut, it releases teflon to keep strings lubricated better then graphite, it was cheap...gimmick?? More then sustain, I'm looking to fix the tuning and binding problems of the strings at the nut I currently have.

cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280116239354&rd=1&rd=1

Still deciding on a bridge, hoping I can find a good deal on one.

[setain]

Have you ever been to guitarfetish.com ? They have a cheap guitar parts. I know nothing of their quality, as I've never bought anything except pickups, but looking won't hurt.

[dunkelfalke]

wilkinson vibrato systems are (imho) the best and the graphtech-wilkinson-combination works pretty good. i would take a different wilkinson, though, vsvg for example.

locking tuners are also the way to go. the cheapest ones are also by wilkinson (ez-lock), they are not real locking tuners, but semi-locking tuners, though. very good and still affordable are those made by planet waves.

but, if you want my advice, go out and buy a cort g260. it already has got everything (good pickups, locking tuners, graphtech nut, roller string trees, best wilkinson vibrato and a great neck) for less than $300.

[karrde]

I'm looking at upgrading my Johnson strat copy, i am thinking about putting three chrome humbuckers on it is it a simple wire cutting job or do i need some more complex stuff

thanks

[mlrpa]

Hey Setain,
I do Guitarfetish a lot, and find that their cheapie pickups, the ones for 30 or so for a set, are quite nice. The other partsI've bought, nuts and bridges, are a decent quality.