NCGD: The evolution begins

Gear Aquisition Syndrome is a serious disorder.... FX etc

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Slowy
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NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by Slowy »

IMG_0139.JPG
New cheap guitar day.
Here's my collection of cheapies; two kickass rockers and one having an identity crisis.

Identity crisis?
IMHO, Strats are complex guitars. It's easy to build one and screw the right bits on, but much harder to produce a really good one. I'd go as far as to say 90% of the Strats I've met weren't great.

So here we have a mahogany body, set neck hardtail with a Strat pickguard and it's really not happy.
It plays nicely and sounds OK, if a bit fizzy, but it's just not right. Not right in a Les Paul loaded with Strat pups kind of way. (No, I've never heard that either.)

Popping the hood shows instant promise.
IMG_0133.JPG
Before opening it up, I thought it was begging for humbuckers. Win!

Somebody's already been in there; shielding and Toneriders though the pots look a bit embarrassing.

Process of elimination. Replace neck pup with a known quantity from my stash; a supposed CS54 that for some reason is way hotter than a Texas Special.
IMG_0137.JPG
Much fatter than the Toneriders but still that fizzy I-don't- belong-here character.

Right. Humbuggies it has to be. I have the pair I took out of the Aria, they sounded good but were way too hot for a semi hollow.

So if you're still with me, I'm going to need to make/acquire a new pickguard. For a standard laminate type, I'm not sure where to begin. Advice on sourcing and cutting sought and appreciated.
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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by bender »

There are a few places you can order replacement guards from online. Otherwise, order a sheet from GuitarParts, make a template from the one you have and use a router to cut/bevel it.

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by bender »

In fact, a standard strat one might even work as a starting point- that one looks pretty small.

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by jeremyb »

Looking at the proximity of the neck pickup route to the neck there might not be enough meat left in a pickguard to hold the bucker in place :(
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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by bender »

jeremyb wrote:Looking at the proximity of the neck pickup route to the neck there might not be enough meat left in a pickguard to hold the bucker in place :(
Here's one someone else prepared earlier:
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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by bender »

Looks cool too! You could just mod your pick guard like this dude has done and leave the middle pickup in as a dummy.

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by HackSaw »

Or take note of all the dibs, and just get an SE with humbuckers? These must be reasonably rare in this setup?

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by bender »

Nah, I really dig the one in the above photo! DO EEEEEET!

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by Slowy »

HackSaw wrote:Or take note of all the dibs, and just get an SE with humbuckers? These must be reasonably rare in this setup?
The point of buying a guitar for the price of a pedal is that you can mess with it. :D
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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by Slowy »

bender wrote:Looks cool too! You could just mod your pick guard like this dude has done and leave the middle pickup in as a dummy.
Hadn't thought of that. But giving credit to Hacksaw's point, it's probably best to replace the pickguard. Then everything's reversible.
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by Slowy »

bender wrote:There are a few places you can order replacement guards from online. Otherwise, order a sheet from GuitarParts, make a template from the one you have and use a router to cut/bevel it.
Been looking at pickguard making videos. It's a breeze...if you have about $2000 worth of specialist tools and a micron precise template. :roll:
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by Single coil »

Dremel for the bevelling (even a sanding block), jigsaw/scroll saw for the initial shape, and the pickup holes you could do with a drill, jigsaw, then file/ sand to taste.

A) how patient are you?
B) how much werk do you want to put into making bumhuckers fit?
C) cock eyed luthierie in dargaville will help make the thing if you need us to.
D) why not mini bumhuckers? More bits left on the guard and you can parallel them
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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by Molly »

One of the guys on here got a pickguard made for his Duesenberg (remember them?). Wasn't too spendy as I recall. Might've been Simon Persson.

I've been planning to have the guys in the school workshops make me a Tele guard on the laser cutter but as luck would have it Steve down in Dunners has one for me. Will still follow up the process just for future reference. Will let you know how it goes.

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by HackSaw »

Slowy wrote:
HackSaw wrote:Or take note of all the dibs, and just get an SE with humbuckers? These must be reasonably rare in this setup?
The point of buying a guitar for the price of a pedal is that you can mess with it. :D
Good point - and I guess it could be reversed easy enough if a buyer wanted singles back in

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Re: NCGD: The evolution begins

Post by bender »

http://www.originalscratchplates.com/product/prs_se_eg/
Try this place?

I doubt fucking with the existing one will affect resale though- hardly a desirable or collectable guitar

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