Kauer Guitars Electroliner: The Stratocaster, Perfected
What if someone took everything great about a vintage Stratocaster — and actually fixed the things Leo left on the table? That's the Kauer Guitars Electroliner. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Kauer Guitars Electroliner — Lollar Sixty-Four Strat Pickup Set — runs through a vintage 1966 Fender Princeton Reverb via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander Core. The JAM Pedals RetroVibe MK.4, JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase Black OC44, and JAM Pedals Double Dreamer all feature.
Doug Kauer built the Electroliner for one reason: the world didn't need another Strat copy, but it absolutely needed a better S-type. Born out of Doug's own admitted obsession with the format, the Electroliner takes the 25.5" scale and single-coil DNA of the classic '50s and '60s Stratocaster and surrounds it with a genuinely modern platform — offset body contours for superior playing comfort, a roasted maple neck with a wenge fretboard at a 12" radius that blows past Fender's vintage 7.25" compound curve, 1.65" nut width, and universal pickup routing that opens the guitar up to near-infinite configuration possibilities with great boutique pickup makers like Lollar, TV Jones, and Wolfetone. The tremolo is a Wilkinson unit upgraded with Highwood saddles. Every Kauer is Plek'd in-house, built by hand in Elk Grove, California.
In Doug Kauer's own words: "Don't tell anyone but Doug is secretly a S-Type fan at heart. To be fair, aren't we all? Here's the thing, no hate from us but the last thing the world needs is just another S style copy out there claiming the best the best. Yawn. That's where Electroliner comes in. Offset vibes? Check. Modern playing neck? You know it! Universal routing for near infinite pickup options? Absolutely."
This particular Electroliner (Serial #159) is one of the most visually arresting guitars to ever appear on this channel — a heavily distressed white relic over a black undercoat revealing bits of stunning sunburst, with the underlying wood grain fully exposed through the wear. The black pickguard against that weathered finish is a perfect contrast.
Full specs: Old growth pine body. Weathered White over Black finish, pine revealed through the wear. 25.5" scale roasted maple neck with wenge fretboard. Standard C neck profile, black neck binding. Satin finished neck with matching headstock. 12" radius, 1.65" nut width. Jescar 47095NS medium/jumbo frets. Neck: 0.88" at first fret, 0.93" at 12th. Hipshot open gear tuners. 6-point Wilkinson trem upgraded with Highwood saddles. Volume/Tone/5-way switch. 7 lbs 8 oz. Plek'd in-house.
Onboard are Lollar Sixty-Four Strat pickups — Jason Lollar's definitive take on the pre-CBS 1964 Strat sound. Scatter-wound, wax-potted coils, Alnico 5 magnets degaussed to vintage '60s specs. Prominent midrange, clear treble, full bass response with a defined, piano-like attack. Middle pickup is RWRP for hum-cancelling in positions 2 and 4.
Explored across clean tones from 00:54, boosted tones from 05:27, overdriven tones from 09:34 (JAM Pedals Double Dreamer), cranked overdrive with the RetroVibe MK.4 from 13:04, and the JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase Black OC44 with the RetroVibe from 17:15.
This is what it sounds like when an obsessive craftsman improves on a legend.
🎸 Kauer Guitars: https://www.kauerguitars.com 🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups 🎛️ JAM Pedals: https://www.jampedals.com
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🎸 Kauer Guitars Electroliner (Serial #159) | Old Growth Pine | Weathered White/Black Relic | Lollar Sixty-Four Strat Set | Wilkinson Trem + Highwood Saddles | 25.5" | Hand-Built in Elk Grove, CA 🎛️ JAM Pedals RetroVibe MK.4 | JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase Black OC44 | JAM Pedals Double Dreamer 🔊 Vintage 1966 Fender Princeton Reverb | Boss Waza TAE Core
