A HotRod Wish Book

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

well here's another guitar you would know much more about, the Japanese made 60's reissue Jazzmaster…….

If you are a fan of Jazzmasters and hot rodded guitars, rockabilly’s example is one for the books. His blending of original woods, upgraded hardware and electronics work so well together. And of course his paint choices are beyond reproach. I want to move out by you and have all my guitars repainted, rocky!!!

Forum member rmp(ray) took a basket case Jaguar and brought it back to life with serious TLC and some carefully chosen replacement parts. As a hobby unto itself, hotrodding guitars is quite satisfying to the tinkerer and guitarist/musician alike.

A keen sense of pride of ownership comes with a completed project guitar. The fact thats it is special and unique to you and you alone generates a connection far more powerful than some others. Of course, YMMV.

And speaking of Jazzmasters- 2017 MIM Classic Player
Lindy Frailin Noiseless SingleCoils under original crème covers
500mg pot replace the blazingly hot 1k pots the guitar came with
Switchcraft toggle and plug
TonePros beautifully built springless screw bridge
BuzzStop trem plate bar

An easy mod job but with tremendous benefits to sound and tuning stability.
F82BE408-DB14-41BB-BAC7-6ED6350A3A8C.jpg



frank d.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Chickee

If you are a fan of Jazzmasters and hot rodded guitars, rockabilly’s example is one for the books. His blending of original woods, upgraded hardware and electronics work so well together. And of course his paint choices are beyond reproach. I want to move out by you and have all my guitars repainted, rocky!!!

Forum member rmp(ray) took a basket case Jaguar and brought it back to life with serious TLC and some carefully chosen replacement parts. As a hobby unto itself, hotrodding guitars is quite satisfying to the tinkerer and guitarist/musician alike.

A keen sense of pride of ownership comes with a completed project guitar. The fact thats it is special and unique to you and you alone generates a connection far more powerful than some others. Of course, YMMV.

And speaking of Jazzmasters- 2017 MIM Classic Player
Lindy Frailin Noiseless SingleCoils under original crème covers
500mg pot replace the blazingly hot 1k pots the guitar came with
Switchcraft toggle and plug
TonePros beautifully built springless screw bridge
BuzzStop trem plate bar

An easy mod job but with tremendous benefits to sound and tuning stability.
Attachment 86710



frank d.

I like some of the things you did with your Jazzmaster, like putting the Fralins under the stock covers, and swapping to 500k pots on it. I just start with my tone pots on 7, as 10 is always too bright, so I may have to consider that. I understand why you used the buzz stop, but I wonder if they kill off some of the behind the bridge magic, that's why I shim my offsets instead. But you use a tunematic bridge, so we aren't really talking apples to apples. And there's always two ways to skin a cat.

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I like some of the things you did with your Jazzmaster, like putting the Fralins under the stock covers, and swapping to 500k pots on it. I just start with my tone pots on 7, as 10 is always too bright, so I may have to consider that. I understand why you used the buzz stop, but I wonder if they kill off some of the behind the bridge magic, that's why I shim my offsets instead. But you use a tunematic bridge, so we aren't really talking apples to apples. And there's always two ways to skin a cat.

Changing out the 1m pot to the 500k pots, in hindsight, might have been done in haste. The factory single coils were so punchy and raw the 500k pots may very well have smoothed them out. But I liked the idea of removing the 60cycle hum all together with the Fralin single coils.

And as far as apples to apples, you are right, that does not apply here. I don’t use a trem bar on any of my guitars. They are all blocked and decked as if they are hardtails. This JM is no different.

The singular vertical spring under the trem plate is screwed down and compressed completely and the trem lock slider is engaged. The TonePros replacement bridge was used because the Fender factory unit had springs surrounding the adjustment screws that were constantly rattling. The TP bridge is so beautifully machined to tight tolerances that no springs are needed to hold the screws in place.

Without the BuzzStop trem bar I was getting too much sympathetic string vibration behind the bridge. I’m not a fan. The guitar needed a 0.75degree shim in the neck pocket to dial in the action to razor fast. I’ve bounced around the idea of locking tuners on this player, but I haven’t had any issues with the factory standard ones the guitar came with. For all around electric jams and meetups this is the first guitar I grab.

CE5967B8-987E-4F76-AF57-10EB55EE362E.jpg

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Chickee

I don't use a trem bar on any of my guitars. They are all blocked and decked as if they are hardtails. This JM is no different...

The singular vertical spring under the trem plate is screwed down and compressed completely and the trem lock slider is engaged. Attachment 86800

Well if you only use guitar as a hardtail, then you could lighten it up quite a but. You can dump all the trem parts and the buzz stop as the new break angle will be better ("maybe" better than with the buzz stop) and you could perhaps remove the shim, or use less of one at very least. Another "Hot Rod" idea, check this out...




https://www.ebay.com/itm/25571334372...saArn3EALw_wcB

[Chickee]

Thats interesting, Rocky, but not for me. My JM weighs in at 7lb12oz. A good weight for a guitar thats so much longer than a strat style. I’ll even add 2oz for the BuzzStop device.
I might have considered it if it were designed a little nicer. Those string guides look like big trouble to me…a machined, beveled channel guiding the string to the bridge would have been the ticket.

fd

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by Chickee

Thats interesting, Rocky, but not for me. My JM weighs in at 7lb12oz. A good weight for a guitar thats so much longer than a strat style. I’ll even add 2oz for the BuzzStop device.
I might have considered it if it were designed a little nicer. Those string guides look like big trouble to me…a machined, beveled channel guiding the string to the bridge would have been the ticket.

fd

Yeah that's a good weight for sure. And that plate could be designed to look a little nicer!