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Post subject: What to do with a new VG? Hotrod, of course
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:09 am
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Hello,

This is my first post on the Fender Communities and I'm looking forward to some good discussions. I sent Fender Customer Relations the following letter back in the summer and never got a response - heck it's so big, I'd be surprised if anyone read it, ha ha. So, I thought I would paste it here and throw it up for discussion. I've never hotroded one of my guitars and I'm looking forward to making my VG one of a kind.

Hello,

I am the proud new owner of a VG Strat in sunburst with a rosewood fingerboard. I ordered this combination because it is reminiscent of a vintage Strat yet contains the heart of the most modern and cool Strat that Fender has to offer. I want to enhance this dichotomy through various hot-rod steps but am finding some problems with certain parts and knowledge of local dealers. Hopefully you can help me or at least provide some guidance if I need to strike out on my own.

First, aesthetics:

Pickguards:

Currently there are no pickguards available for the VG that I can find and standard Strat pickguards don't account for the Roland pickup, the mode knobs, or the system LED. I purchased a standard Strat pickguard in tortoise shell to compare and see if I could drill and route my own apertures but found that the holes for the tone/volume knobs are moved on the VG to accommodate the mode knobs so I can't drill new holes for the knob without having an empty hole visible. I haven't removed the pickguard on my VG yet to see how much room is in the body to try and relocate the tone knob to the standard Strat hole and move the mode knob down a little. At this point I am not ready to route out the body to change the pickguard and I am a little concerned about getting into the space for the Roland system. Since removing the cover for that voids the warranty, I can't get any accurate measures for that anyway even if I did want to enlarge a space in the front of the body.

That's the back story. The question is when and how can I get pickguards for the VG? I am most interested in tortoise shell and white pearl. I would be more than happy to be a test fitter to help with this process.

Pickup Covers and Knobs:

I’d like to switch to aged white pickups covers and knobs but there is no cover for the Roland pickup nor do I know if I can even remove and switch the cover for the Roland. What can I do to help make these available? If you need a test fitter or something else to make this happen, I am happy to help.

Metal hardware:

I was thinking of switching to gold hardware (I know, not exactly vintage) and found almost everything I need except for two things: the screws for the Roland pickup, they seem to be smaller, and the LED bezel. I think that if you offered these pieces, other VG owner may be interested in them.

Back plates:

The anodized backplates are cool but have rough edges and definitely don’t feel “vintage” or even “Strat”. I’d love to switch these out and can even contract a local plastics manufacturer to cut them but I don’t want to void my warranty. Will Fender consider offering a solution here? From an aesthetics perspective, this is low priority for me.

Electronics:

Honestly, this comes down to pickups and pots. I would like to upgrade my pickups and none of the local dealers know if there are any issues in doing that. Are the standard pickups the same and what issues do I face in changing them if I want? Your support site is awesome and has an extensive catalog of wiring diagrams but nothing for the VG. What’s the story here?

To sum things up, I love my new VG, it will be my only Strat (for now) and I would love it to be everything that I want in a Strat. To me that means Vintage look and sound of standard analog mode with the modeling possibilities that the VG brings me. Honestly, that is the epitome of hot-rodding and Fender has the most recognized and friendly guitar to do it. I’d love if you would help me extend that to my new VG Stratocaster.

_________________
David
2007 VG Strat - Sunburst/Rosewood
1975 Princeton Reverb
CA Vintage Performer
CA X-Performer
Fishman Loudbox Performer
Yamaha AEX1500
Taylor 355 CE
Epiphone Sheraton
Guild D35
Costco Squire/Amp
Martin Backpacker


Last edited by VintageVG on Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 4:26 pm
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Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:22 am
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You bought a great Strat for this era, but it's not vintage looking.
My advice is to buy a vintage looking Strat and put a Roland in there.
Or spend a whole lot of money to build your dream guitar.
Computer guitars are not vintage in my opinion by the way.
Good luck sorting it out,

Peter :)


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:19 am
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Thanks for the advice, Peter, that was very helpful! :)

I agree that the VG is not vintage which is why I said I liked it. I merely stated that the sunburst/rosewood combination had a vintage style that I would like to enhance through further cosmetic enhancements.

As far as it being a computer guitar, you should go to the VG microsite sometime and look at the stats. This is very much a Standard American Strat with some cool modeling features, which is why I am hoping that I can hotrod components like pickups without worry of stepping on the Roland bits.

_________________
David
2007 VG Strat - Sunburst/Rosewood
1975 Princeton Reverb
CA Vintage Performer
CA X-Performer
Fishman Loudbox Performer
Yamaha AEX1500
Taylor 355 CE
Epiphone Sheraton
Guild D35
Costco Squire/Amp
Martin Backpacker


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:49 am
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Hey I am looking into doing the same thing to my VG and had the same concerns. What I wanted to do is change the pickup covers from white to black since I had the black VG with the rosewood fretboard. I also wanted a black cover for the roland GX pickup. I am not sure what I want to do with the nobs and what not. For the pickguard I am going to go thru www.sharp-concepts.com They also do not have the routing diagram for the VG so they asked for a tracing, or for me to send the actual pickguard. I am still a little leary of taking the pickguard off though. I wonder if an authorized Fender "mechanic" could remove the things I wish to change and not void the warranty, even though I know how to do it myself. I also thought about taking the tremolo and changing it into a super v trem system www.super-vee.com


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 4:14 pm
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Anyone find a dealer to customize these pickguards yet?? The sharp concepts website is cool if you are looking for diamond plating or metal fab. I am looking for a standard fender pickguard with marlbled or pearl effects. You'd think Fender would try to dress up this new line to raise the sticker price! I can buy a $100 Squire with one but not a $1700 Strat? I love my VG but she needs a facelift!! Thanks!
Josh


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 6:40 am
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Have you tried warmoths 'make your pickguard' service.

Basicaly email em a template of your pickguard and they will copy it with the material of your choosing. A mate of mine does it too but that involves UK postage.

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Post subject: Vg Pickguard
Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 6:32 pm
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There's a place on the bay, Try

http://cgi.ebay.com/VG-STRAT-PICKGUARD_ ... 1|294%3A50

or email

aiguitars@cox.net

Jay


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 4:03 am
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leigh503 wrote:
... I wonder if an authorized Fender "mechanic" could remove the things I wish to change and not void the warranty, even though I know how to do it myself ...

Considering the high level of delicate electronics in a VG (and how many others had problems), I would not change anything cosmetic for at least a year. Further, I wouldn't change anything in the electronics ever. If something is going to fail, it will likely occur in the first year. Keeping it bone stock assures you the warranty will be intact. The electronics in a VG are a finely engineered and matched design. God only knows how a seemingly innocuous impedance change could add some ghost in the machine.

Just my humble (and likely overly conservative) opinion...

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 7:23 am
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Quote:
The question is when and how can I get pickguards for the VG? I am most interested in tortoise shell and white pearl.


http://www.pickguardian.com/pickguardian/

Good luck! :wink:

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Don't leave home without it!


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