Jazzcaster build

[Matt Cushman]

I saw this on an E bay auction put in a bid and was the high bidder. I was now the new owner of whatever this is. ( a jazzcaster maybe ). The body is extra light. The finished guitar will be around 5.5 lbs. if I use the hardware that was included. It has strat hardware and pickups. The body is routed for any pickup combo. I think I will build it as it came. I cut out my own headstock shape. The shape I chose looks familiar but I just drew the shape on and cut it on the bandsaw. It looks like something I have seen but I don't know where I might have seen it before.

[neatomic]

cool!! teisco-esh




put some funky pups in there...

looking forward...

cheers

[Matt Cushman]

cool!! teisco-esh




put some funky pups in there...

looking forward...

cheers

I like that Tiesco. I have always liked the look of 4 + 2 tuners on a guitar. I have been looking at the music man style guitar kits. I like the look of these kits but I don't like the Floyd Rose bridge they are routed for.

As for some pickups for this " jazzcaster" I am open to suggestions.

[neatomic]

well if you want to keep the strat pup (sized) configuration, some danelectro lipstick single coils (in strat size) might be fun..quite a few pup makers make'm

Mojotone "Lipstick" Strat(R) Pickup



gfs does as well...& gfs also sells a gold foil single coil..that would be in keeping with the offbeat teisco theme!!



metal flake paint job? hah...looks like paulownia wood..(traditional japanese-kiri) very lightweight but doesnt take bumps well..soft




cheers

[Matt Cushman]

The body is bass wood. I was thinking of trying waterborne EM 2000 with opaque pigment added for finishing the body. I don't think they have any metal flake colors. The lipstick pickups are a cool idea! The body is routed for any pick up combo of singles or humbuckers. I would have to cut the pickguard out to fit a humbucker. It is so easy to change pickups on these fender style guitars. I can try a few things out.

[neatomic]

ok..a contrasty/streaky example of basswood..but still a lightweight, kinda soft wood..sometimes they bleed finishes , so a thick solid topcoat can be easier and best....but go for it!!!

check ahead for neck dive..tho headstock cut mighta helped

get to it!! hah..have fun!

cheers

[Matt Cushman]

ok..a contrasty/streaky example of basswood..but still a lightweight, kinda soft wood..sometimes they bleed finishes , so a thick solid topcoat can be easier and best....but go for it!!!

check ahead for neck dive..tho headstock cut mighta helped

get to it!! hah..have fun!

cheers

Yes, very soft wood I plan on using aqua seal or epoxy for undercoat with basswood. I will try some experiments with colored dye, red or maybe med. brown just to find out what the wood grain looks like. The balance seems good. The metal parts in the body make up a big portion of the weight of the guitar.

[citizenk74]

This looks like fun. You've got the main thing that will really pull it all together - that MOTS pickguard - which, like love, covereth many sins/grins. I have one on my tourquoise Stelecaster project in progress. Diggin' it.

[Matt Cushman]

Has any one tried the dual rail humbuckers? As the pickguard is cut out for 3 single coils. I was thinking 3 dual rail pickups ,3 mini on -off- on switches ( 1 for each pickup ), 1 volume, 1 tone. The combos of singles and humbuckers would be numerous. It sounds complex but the wiring is not that bad for a set up like this.

[neatomic]

check out the splittable humbuckers that have a boost coil in them..so that when you switch from humbucker to single coil, you don't have that terrible volume drop...the boost coil kicks in with the switch and makes the single coil as loud as the humbucker....prs is even using them nowadays

[citizenk74]

Has any one tried the dual rail humbuckers? As the pickguard is cut out for 3 single coils. I was thinking 3 dual rail pickups ,3 mini on -off- on switches ( 1 for each pickup ), 1 volume, 1 tone. The combos of singles and humbuckers would be numerous. It sounds complex but the wiring is not that bad for a set up like this.

FYI, Seymour Duncan's Lil' '59 will fit in any or all positions on your guitar. I had one in the bridge position of my '66 Tele, and it sounded great. B. Gibbons used them in his teles for 1994's Antenna. IMHO they sound just like full-sized PAFs. I only removed it from mine because the output was over-powering the stock neck pup.

[deacon Mark]

Matt you have a real license to do some experimenting for sure. Now don't take this wrong...............I like the project but I am not going to let it get in the way of your "real" archtops. Those are the ones that make the deacon stop and ponder the sound. I must admit I have played my handmade archtops for most all the makers but have not been able to get one of yours in my hands. In any case this will be a very nice electric guitar when you are done I am sure.

Do you make and 18 inch?

[Matt Cushman]

Matt you have a real license to do some experimenting for sure. Now don't take this wrong...............I like the project but I am not going to let it get in the way of your "real" archtops. Those are the ones that make the deacon stop and ponder the sound. I must admit I have played my handmade archtops for most all the makers but have not been able to get one of yours in my hands. In any case this will be a very nice electric guitar when you are done I am sure.

Do you make and 18 inch?

Don't worry Mark, I am currently in the process of building a batch of 6 archtop guitars, 2 f-mandos and a few other odds and ends that are in progress. I have not made a 18" guitar yet. I have been wanting to build an 18" and now that TKL makes a case, I don't have a good excuse not to. My guitars are scattered around and I have only made a modest number of them so far. I build things like this solid body to give away or for trades. The time I spend on a guitar like this is minimal and a fun break from the routine.

[Hammertone]

...The shape I chose looks familiar but I just drew the shape on and cut it on the bandsaw. It looks like something I have seen but I don't know where I might have seen it before.

It's closest to a Sadowsky f-style guitar headstock.

[neatomic]

It's closest to a Sadowsky f-style guitar headstock.

hah... funny



pretty 99¢ 60's japanese low -fi look for a 3k$ guitar..

kool -aid!

cheers

[Matt Cushman]

hah... funny



pretty 99¢ 60's japanese low -fi look for a 3k$ guitar..

kool -aid!

cheers

I almost cut a perfect copy by total accident. I knew that there were so many headstock shapes for the 6 in a line tuner setup that no matter what I cut out, it was sure to be out there somewhere. That is why I just drew three pencil lines with a French curve and bandsawed on the lines. As luck would have it, I think my headstock is cut slightly narrower near the B string than the Sadowski is and slightly more rounded near the end. Well they say great minds work alike so that will be my explanation for the similarity should anyone ask. Here is a photo with the tuners that came with the kit.

[rlrhett]

Sodowsky or not, I think you cut the nicest variant of a Fender headstock I've ever seen. Great proportions and lines!


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[neatomic]

staggered tuning pegs or string trees?

cheers

[Matt Cushman]

Sodowsky or not, I think you cut the nicest variant of a Fender headstock I've ever seen. Great proportions and lines!


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Thank you, rlrhett! I take that as high praise coming from a top luthier such as yourself. I have always liked the electric guitar as a form of art. I used to sketch out electric guitar bodies and headstock shapes in my notebooks back in study hall at school. That was many long years ago.

[Matt Cushman]

staggered tuning pegs or string trees?

cheers

I plan on using most of the parts from the kit. The tuner holes are pre drilled for this tuner. The most remarkable thing is most of the parts are useable. The tuners can be upgraded at a later date if they don't perform well. It is a yes on string trees, I will have to place them after I get my "Cushtone" decal ready.

[guido5]

Has any one tried the dual rail humbuckers? As the pickguard is cut out for 3 single coils. I was thinking 3 dual rail pickups ,3 mini on -off- on switches ( 1 for each pickup ), 1 volume, 1 tone. The combos of singles and humbuckers would be numerous. It sounds complex but the wiring is not that bad for a set up like this.

I really like the DiMarzio ProTrack for neck or mid positions. Like a small form factor PAF, it really has a wonderful range of tones and splits very nicely. I'm using a ToneZoneS in the bridge position but it doesn't really have quite the oomph I was expecting given it's stats...

[rlrhett]

I put one of these into a guitar I built for my daughter. I didn't get them expecting anything much, but was really surprised. Roll the volume back a little, turn the tone down, and you had a really cool little pickup. For a fun side project, these really aren't bad:

KP - GFS Power Rails - Crushing power, Killer Tone - Black-Chrome Rails - Kwikplug(R) Ready

[Matt Cushman]

staggered tuning pegs or string trees?

cheers

Thanks for your question Neatomic! It made me think. Why not just taper the headstock a bit? So I did. I placed a 3/32" shim under the end of the headstock and passed it part way through the thickness sander. The last two tuners will need to be shimmed slightly when installed but I don't think the shims will be too obvious. After the tapering, the E string will have a 6% drop from the nut to the post hole. That should be enough angle to not need any string trees.

For pickups I ordered 3 dual rail humbuckers. These are single coil sized humbuckers that can be wired in a variety of ways. I thought it might be fun to experiment with a few different circuits.

[Matt Cushman]

I tried the dual rail pickups and I decided to use those on my next project. This is the kit with all the parts that came with it except the string hold downs. Easy bolt together guitar project all I did was paint the body and stain and finish the neck. She is much like a strat with a jag body, fun to play and sounds surprisingly good considering what she cost me.

[citizenk74]

Very cool! Play it in good health!