my stratocaster on it's way to being a Jazzcaster

Keira-WitherKay · 2012-09-21T18:16:02+00:00

a few months back i got my hands on this 1995 USA (american)standard stratocaster ....... with already a few mods done............ the neck is awesome and a pleasure to play .... but being a jazz player and wanting a guitar specifically for jazz...... a strat is NOT a great choice ....... but the neck was worth keeping it for ......... so it has become a project ........... in last 18 mnths i bought and got rid of several jazzy type guitars i hoped would "do it" for me but was bitterly dissapointed by a few despite them being on paper excellent instruments , so when i found this "modded' strat i thought well i love the neck and why not just go ahead and basically mix and match my own guitar to my liking rather than buy off the peg so .... 1. the strat had an awesome neck ............ so a biggie out of the way 2. the strat has brushed metal locking tuners which are top end 3. the strat had a seymour duncan 'pearly gates" in bridge position so i had a really rich sounding pup (but to move to the neck ) 4. the start had a good nut fitted 5. and as far as i know(and according to the previous owner) is fitted with graphtec saddles 6 and the strat came with a stock skb type flight case so without a doubt i had the key ingredients of a good guitar here whats been done to date 1. i fitted flatwound jazz strings 2,i had the neck ...fret dressed and the nut cut for fat flatwound strings and had the neck/trussrod adjusted for them 3.. the tremelo system was blocked to make it a hard tail 4. i had a new scratchplate cut out of wood , spruce ..it was cut from the top of an old acoustic that had died 5. i stripped out the 2x fender single coils and moved the seymour duncan "pearly gates" into the neck position 6. i had an acoustic guitar contact pickup (a schaeller) attatched under the spruce top 7 . the wiring is set up like a less paul with the seymour duncan humbucker getting a push pull volume pot to split the coil , and a tone pot and the contact pickup also has a volume and tone 8. changed the shape of the scratchplate to give a retro/less typical strat and more unique look the result so far is very promising ...... the guitar has awesome tone and the contact pickup adds a woody/semi acoustic tone to the sound which thanks to independant volumes i can blend in with the seymour duncans tone ........great woody jazz tone ..... that idea of the contact pup was an experiment that paid off.... here's some pics so far strat as i got it before mods same guitar now ....... as a "Jazzcaster" a name i gave it as "Keiracaster" sounds horrid to this point the whole experiment/mod is 100% reversable except for the money i paid ? as even the altered scratchplate is fastened with same screw holes and the extra bit extending up the neck is double sided taped in place ......... the plan is to play it for a few weeks then to step up and do some more if it's a keeper......... mods to come 1. is strip off paint and see if the natural wood grain look will work if not a respray in a transparent honey like an archtop (not sunbusrt though) 2. route out body to create a more chambered body ........and if that does not work or sounds bad i want to have a new chambered body made for it 3. alter the headstock to make it a 3 a side or 4-2 tuner arrangement so some serious irreversable mods to come but no rush ...... at the moment it's a way cool jazzcaster ........ as it stands........... and it cost next to nothing so far..... barre the initial price of the strat ......and some labour costs ... but even if i push thru and it becomes a solid body jazz guitar and is routed and refinished it'll still work out affordable btw JD (Joachim) from JD custom (his workshop is upstairs at marshall music woodmead) has done all the work so far and all in just 2 days ... thanks JD

chris77

Psean wrote
chris77 wrote While I'm kinda cringing at the thought of a good ole US Strat being gutted like that, I really like the look you've got going and if it does what you want it to do, well that's just sugar on top then. ?
Agree that the finish will have to go (i'm not really a big fan of black strats :-[) but if I was in your shoes I certainly would not be doing anything to the neck. If you decide to sell it on one day you can swop the modded body out with a replacement and somebody will buy it for a fair price. But any mods to the neck and that ship has sailed.

I think it's cool. For me, guitars are not sacred just because they have an "F" on them and come from America. It's not a vintage instrument from a classic era and it's not something that was made in minute quantities or anything like that, so I save give it the chop; make it do what you want it to do. It's your instrument and it should look and play the way you want it to. And if you have an instrument that's customised to do just what you want, it's likely that you'll hang on to it for a while so resale shouldn't be as much of an issue.

None of my electric guitars are stock, (not by a long way ?), and that's one of the reasons I love Fender - they were basically designed to be modded. Keira has a vision for this guit and know exactly what it is what she is after, so ja, Fender or not, go for it. 8)
What I am saying though is that there is no way to mod the neck without killing it's resale value. Personally I can't really see any practical reason for wanting to do so, but if Keira wants to do it, then do it she must. Just pointing out that once she does, there is no turning back.

jt

Less q q and more pew pew! I just wanna see more pictures!

Psean

chris77 wrote
Psean wrote
chris77 wrote While I'm kinda cringing at the thought of a good ole US Strat being gutted like that, I really like the look you've got going and if it does what you want it to do, well that's just sugar on top then. ?
Agree that the finish will have to go (i'm not really a big fan of black strats :-[) but if I was in your shoes I certainly would not be doing anything to the neck. If you decide to sell it on one day you can swop the modded body out with a replacement and somebody will buy it for a fair price. But any mods to the neck and that ship has sailed.

I think it's cool. For me, guitars are not sacred just because they have an "F" on them and come from America. It's not a vintage instrument from a classic era and it's not something that was made in minute quantities or anything like that, so I save give it the chop; make it do what you want it to do. It's your instrument and it should look and play the way you want it to. And if you have an instrument that's customised to do just what you want, it's likely that you'll hang on to it for a while so resale shouldn't be as much of an issue.
None of my electric guitars are stock, (not by a long way ?), and that's one of the reasons I love Fender - they were basically designed to be modded. Keira has a vision for this guit and know exactly what it is what she is after, so ja, Fender or not, go for it. 8)
What I am saying though is that there is no way to mod the neck without killing it's resale value. Personally I can't really see any practical reason for wanting to do so, but if Keira wants to do it, then do it she must. Just pointing out that once she does, there is no turning back.

True. ?Definitely an irreverible and aesthetic rather than functional mod. Definitely affects resale. But as a pro musician with plenty experience I'm sure Kiera knows that and has been through enough guitars, and is taking her time with this one, to know it's what she wants. 8)

Riaan-Combrink

I love the way it works exactly right for what you want it to do. You didn't buy to collect, but because you saw it as having the right specs to act as base for what you needed - and it sounds great on the video! ?

Keira-WitherKay

thanks guys for the posts and comments .........

and yes rest assured i will only do the final irreversable mods after the "honeymoon" period has passed.......so i am being awate of possible resale...HOWEVER i too am of the opinion that yes it's a beautiful guitar and plays well........ but it's still only a Fender startocaster of which there are millions and it's not like i'm mutilating an original '57 ? ..... but with this project i decided to not use a cheap body and neck and mod it to something playable but to take a good professional instrument and just adapt it to my personal professional needs........

this project to me is kinda like getting a custom guitar made but using the usa fender body and neck as the platform.......... as the guitars i would love to be built for me are in the $4000 (US dollar) mark so i'm being patient and saving and hoping for a 2nd hand one to pop up ? and yes they also solid/chambered, single humbucker neck pickup , fixed bridge/bolt on neck jazz guitars , check out jim soloway guitars ...... awesome luthier and jazz player btw ...so this design is loosly based around his design.... or rather inspired by jim soloway guitars

Squonk wrote I still prefer the Emperor ?

? yes squonk i love that emperor too.... and that is still my no1 traditional jazz guitar ...... and doubt i will ever sell it ......... as it's amazing BUT it does feedback at loud volumes as it's a huge 17" body thats the size of a jumbo 12 string .... and transporting it despite having an SKB case is always a risk as they as sensitive to bumps and knoks and even climate change as any good acoustic and so thats why the solid body jazz guitar is on the scene.......

and in fact i am showing much love to that solid body ... you saw the list of good guitars i went thru and each had major issues and many i thought would be perfect on paper i was horribly dissapointed with for my needs...... so glad to find a fit and get the tone and feedback free and transportable anywhere without me stressing all journey

but yes squonk i do love the emperor .... so not replacing it just augmenting it

ZarK

Makes sense to customise a working guitar to your individual preference. Glad you found an axe that inspires enough to be taken to the next level. Have fun!

[deleted]

Would it not have been easier to find a guitar that suits or had the sound you where looking for? or is the neck and feel just THAT awesome

It sounds good, but again Keira you are a wonderful player! Those who haven't seen her play yet, you missing out on a special talent and a great entertainer.

Anyway love the sound

Looks... nah ☹ not for me ?

Keira-WitherKay

Brentcgp wrote Would it not have been easier to find a guitar that suits or had the sound you where looking for? or is the neck and feel just THAT awesome

It sounds good, but again Keira you are a wonderful player! Those who haven't seen her play yet, you missing out on a special talent and a great entertainer.

Anyway love the sound

Looks... nah ☹ not for me ?

hey brent thanks for the kind words , always nice to hear

and in all honesty i tried off the peg shopping and i think previously in this thread i listed them , but i didn't just try em , i found something i liked in some way bought it then gigged it and in all i had niggles big enough to sell it something else and all in last 18 months i went thru 4 pro level guitars so no lack of trying ,

and then i found the strat that has a neck to die for , and then the rest just fell into some minor changes, that made a huge difference to my needs , and at moment if you analyse it i have a neck i love , the tuners, saddle and nut are top end , and the pup is good , so lastly my niggle would be the body shape , i hate strat looks and hence the changes , and i may wanna try some chambering to the body if i keep it

but hey so far i'm 90% happy with it so far and a few changes in mind to fine tune the project

ZarK

Your new pickguard already contributes a lot to mask the traditional strat shape imo... If that body was sanded to a natural finish, I think it would really complement the new pickguard. (or is it the other way around? ? )

« Previous Page