Dub's Wacky Project Guitars Thread--we're baaaaaack

[dubkitty]

sorry…when i see anything “#3” i automatically think of gybe!.

[dubkitty]

i got the pickups in, which was simple, and installed the Tonestyler which was not. the wiring in the Strat didn’t match the wiring diagram, because the positions of the tone pots was reversed. after puzzling it over for awhile i finally decided to just rewire it to match the diagram. so far, so good. but i can’t test it yet because the soldering iron battery ran out before i could connect the jack and the ground wire to the tremolo claw. when the battery’s live it’ll only take a few minutes to solder 3 wires. then i’ll tap-test the pickups to see if everything’s properly connected, and then string it up. assuming everything’s kosher i’ll move on to the bridge adjustments. i want it done by tomorrow night because i’m taking the as-yet-unaltered Supro and the Wandré to Charlie’s house so he can check them out…he says he’s been tempted by both but hadn’t gotten to play them, and i know the Tonestyler is going to blow his mind. it seems possible from here. i’ll see how it goes.

you can see here how much better the covers for the CS69 pickups match the pickguard. unfortunately the Tonestyler doesn’t work with Strat knobs because its shaft is D-shaped and requires set-screw knobs. i chucked a white MXR knob on there for now and it’s not awful, but i prefer matching knobs. there don’t seem to be set-screw Strat knobs available other than metal ones in various anodized colors that look weird. maybe i’ll paint some metal ones with the Vintage White nitro i got for the Jetstar. or maybe i’ll take the easy route and just get more MXR knobs. i’ll probably do another pass on the Jetstar before i switch over to the M-77T because i’m tired of these long-term unfinished projects.

[dubkitty]

the wiring appears to be finished. i missed a couple of switch connections on the diagram so the first pass failed, but when i sorted them all 3 pickups worked in a tap test so i put the pickguard back on. by the time i finished it was pushing 10 so i stopped in order to wind down before going to bed. tomorrow i’ll re-mount the tremolo and string it up, after which will be another round or three of trem and string height adjustments. hopefully it should be pretty well done after that except for what to do about the knobs. i’m not celebrating yet, but i’m getting excited.

[dubkitty]

it's done other than final adjustments to truss rod/string height/tremolo springs to get things just as i like them. the Tonestyler is just as good as i remember it being; it's particularly nice that i can make the CS69 pickups sound like the CS 54 pickups in my sunburst Strat by using the first active position (the first two positions are true bypass and simulated load of a wide-open pot). it's much more versatile than a varitone, with only the most capacitor-ized position of the eight being too muffled to use.

i'm probably going to order two more matching MXR knobs for the volume and tone pots, though i could go for three of the chrome Goldo knobs if i want to be chromed out.

it's rather amazing to be done with a project so quickly, though i should know better than to declare anything 100% done after some of the shit i've been through.

goldo knobs.jpg (65.86 KiB) Viewed 127 times

[dubkitty]

the Squier Sherwood Green Esquire Custom ships today. there isn’t a ton of stuff to do with it other than mounting the neck, getting the modern bridge i prefer, ordering the pickups and a prewired Goldo control plate with a Gibson-style toggle switch, and driving a whole lot of screws. i’ll keep the strap buttons it comes with and have a neck plate ready. the hangup will be tariff problems…Royal Mail and DHL currently are not accepting shipments to the US so i can’t order the pickups till that’s sorted out. anyone in the UK want to trans-ship for me?

surprisingly, it’s supposed to arrive on Thursday. the pace is picking up.

[dubkitty]

i decided to go with cream MXR knobs on the BRG Strat to
match the one i used for the Tonestyler. happily, they have ones for knurled shafts so they’ll fit the volume and tone pots without finagling. there were “cooler” options available, but i didn’t want the knobs to call visual attention to themselves.

since i was already on the Small Bear website so i got some other things that’ll come in handy on other projects: a black Russian Big Muff knob for the volume control on the Galaxiemaster to match the synth pointer knobs for the pickup and tone rotary switches, some 1/4” Switchcraft plugs to replace bent ones on my guitar cables, a 250K audio-taper pot for the Supro (Mojo recommends 250K pots for the Bigsby pickups and i already have one that came out of the Strat when the Tonestyler went in), some 1/8” heatshrink tubing, and pot adapter sleeves cos i’m running low. i needed all this stuff, and i didn’t want to buy two $1 knobs and pay $10 for shipping so i ordered deep. the heatshrink will be very handy for shielding splices in wires. so we’re slowly moving forward on multiple fronts, sort of like the winter of 1944-45.

unfortunately they didn’t have some other things i also need, specifically 8-position rotary switches and .022/.047ųF silver-mica capacitors. i guess i’ll look on Amazon for the switches because someone on here reworking a Jazzmaster said they got their 8-way rotary there; i found the caps online before. even people who believe the particular cap doesn’t matter will admit when pressed that silver-mica caps do pass more highs when the pot is wide-open. i put them in the Dyna Jet and Epiphone SG and they really helped both guitars. i reckon i’ll put one in the Supro for sure, and it wouldn’t hurt the Wandré either.

the only thing i’m currently aware of that needs done on the Strat other than changing the knobs is filing the nut slots so the strings don’t play dreadfully sharp on the first fret. the first time i did it i was terrified i’d screw up the nut, but if i go slowly and carefully it’s fairly simple, a couple or three strokes at a time toggling back and forth with the tuner. i wanted to finish it today but i had my post-cataract eye exam today and my eyes were so dilated afterwards that i could barely see. it’ll be nice to see what i’m doing clearly again…i’m surprised i was able to get as much done as I did in the last few weeks.

[dubkitty]

given my predilection for MOTS guitar parts i’m
a bit surprised i didn’t immediately order a pearloid pickguard for the Strat. but that feels a bit show-offy for the deep metallic gleam of the finish. perhaps one of those white guards with art deco-ish accents around the edges and stuff. i don’t know if Strat guards come in a more subtle pearl than typical pearloid/MOTS, so here i go Googling again. if i wanted to lean into the British motorcar vibe a walnut guard would work, but that’s a wee bit too conceptual for me. more likely than not i’ll
just stick with white for now and re-evaluate after i’ve lived with it for awhile and changed to the MXR knobs.

due to expected expenses in September i have to quit ordering parts online for a bit, which isn’t awful because when the Bigsby pickups and yesterday’s parts order arrive i’ll have everything in-house i need to finish the Supro, Double Jet, M-77T, and Jetstar. the drag will be waiting to find out if it’s prohibitive to get the pickups for the Tele which are the whole reason for it, if they get dutied at 50%. i still have a bunch of small parts i need for the Galaxiemaster so i can design the pickguard with accurate measurements and pick away at that list as time and funds allow. it’s already been and obviously will continue to be the heir to the Kondor and Hopf in terms of a horribly protracted acquisitions process. so i won’t be short of things to do. quite the opposite…i’m considering taking a couple of weeks off from project guitars after the M-77T is done because i’m rather burned out on low-rent luthierie. i expect the Supro to pose unforeseen problems so i want to be fresh when going at it.

the Esquire and the Bigsby PUs are due today, a couple of huge steps forward.

[dubkitty]

the Esquire and the Mojo Bigsby pickups both arrived today on schedule. the pickups are huge, impressively heavy, and gorgeous. any worries about the Supro being neck-heavy are completely alleviated…with the pickups and B6 the weight distribution will completely shift.

i’ve only looked the Esquire over a bit because it’s too late to play. i find it remarkable how the definition of “Sherwood Green” shifts from model to model and within a particular model…most of the ones online appear rather dark, but mine is more metallic and closer to the “Caribbean Mist” shade of the Susan Tedeschi signature Tele, which is just what i wanted. the Prince pickguard should be perfect. tomorrow or over the weekend i’ll see what the pickup is like and play it a bit before taking it apart and mounting the mahogany neck. there really isn’t a lot more to do other than waiting out the tariff confusion.

Pickguardian has a “White Pearl” acrylic single layer material that could be perfect for the green Strat. it’s much less jumbled than even nice MOTS. i still need to look into those deco guards.

it’s a bit confusing to be zipping through projects that have been on my list for years. i’m not sure how i feel about it; happy because things are finally getting done, stressed because it’s more fucking stuff to do. but there really is a finish line a couple or three corners away. like i said the other day, when everything i’m working on now is left there’ll be 2 electric guitars left, only one of which is really necessary. i could buy acoustic guitars then, but there’s only a few styles i like and it’s not like i ever play acoustic any more.