good luck, looking forward to seeing pics of the result. :yup:

Hmmmm . . . .how about black pup covers and black knobs to go with it . . . ???

So, I've finally finished the project ?

It was actually more straightforward than I thought it would be. The most time-consuming process was the re-sizing of the pickup cutouts on the scratchguard (these pickups were slightly larger than the guard could accommodate). Also, I had to plug several holes from the original 'guard's screws, as the new holes I needed to drill would have overlapped the old ones.

So that's why I've finished today. Below are some pics from the project. Unfortunately the lighting in my room isn't great for photography, so some are taken with natural lighting, others with the flash on.


This was the first time this guitar had ever been opened up. There was still sawdust from the original assembly process. I just have to say, the quality of the electronics in this guitar is unspeakably better than the Vester I took apart a while ago. Real quality...


I used a whiteboard marker to mark out roughly where I would be drilling new holes, just so I knew which ones needed to be plugged.



Just about ready for some new strings...


New Mighty Mite saddles

The finished product:



I've tried, but largely failed, to show the difference in colours. The pups are a light ivory colour, the knobs are naturally yellowing, and the white 'guard looks great with them.

Slyd, I considered black covers, but I'm pretty fond of being able to watch my guitar age ?

The sound is amazing, after these mods. That single-coil in the bridge is a great replacement for the 'bucker that was originally in there. I daresay the new saddles have something to do with the sound as well... Those pups are awesome... Now it sounds like a real Strat... I love it! ? ? ?

well done James, fantastic job,, the single ply pickguard gives it a cool retro look, and those mighty mite saddles just do the trick, :yup: :applause:

nice vellaj. looks good! one thing - have you set your intonation? those saddle positions don't look 100% right..

makepeace wrote: nice vellaj. looks good! one thing - have you set your intonation? those saddle positions don't look 100% right..

Wow, you have quite the eye for detail ???

You're right, it's not set 100%. I need to get my more accurate tuner back from a friend so I can do that, my clip-on-the-headstock tuner doesn't work very well for that kinda thing...

great job - she looks a beaut !!!!

Nice! Not missing the power of the 'bucker? And yes, agreed - bent steel saddles sound better than cast (IMO).

Cool, well done. The white guard looks killer!

Thanks all, I'm quite proud of her ?

Alan, as you say, I miss the power of the 'bucker a bit, but I'm quite fond of the sound of the bridge pup when it's set higher (closer to the strings), so I'm getting a good sound and fairly decent volume out of it.

Very cool Vella !
I'm sure that's not going to be the end of it . . . hehe . . . once you start modding . . . . ?

I noticed your comment about watching the pick guard age. I bought a Seymour Duncan Twang Banger from that wonderful place, The Gear Junkie, in May and replaced the Quarter Pounder in my Strat that I wasn't really getting along with. Anyway, I pulled out the original pickup and took the cover off to use on the new Seymour. The difference in colour is quite remarkable. The original pickup has been lying in a drawer for about 25 years and the cover is very white in comparison to the other two covers and the pick guard. They have turned a lovely creamy colour.