I recently purchased an '87 Strat from my friend for 47 dollars

It is, I believe, called the Contemporary or something, but it has a single humbucker in the bridge, and a Floyd Rose-ish style tremolo

my question is this: I want to replace the pickup and put in a pre wired pickguard for 3 single coils. What kind of pre wired pickguard should I get? and how can I route out the body to put them in.

I also want to know what kind of tremolo to replace the current one with. I have heard good things about Callaham trems, but they are a bit pricey. Anyone know a good brand that compares? Or should I just save up for the Callaham.

Also, would I want to put in Locking Tuners? I don't go crazy with the tremolo, but I like to use it on occasion without knocking stuff out of tune.

Thank you for helping someone who knows little

BIG WIN



Now the trem replacement could well be a problem. Those floydrose types have the pivot posts alot further apart than fender 2 point trems do. That means you would have to fill in the trem cavities and then re-route for a fender trem. To my mind its not a feasable modification. Buying a new body would likely be cheaper, unless your good at that stuff. Even with that you have the problem of fitting a 24fret guitar neck onto a body with pickup routing for 22 frets. The 24th fret lands bang in the middle of where the neck pickup would go on a traditional strat. That also pretty much answers your question about loaded pickguards too. If anyone does make them for a HM strat their rare and I havent seen one.

Man sorry about them bad points but you got a cracking guitar for $47. If it works out to be that bad for you, I'll give you $57 eh (JK)

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No no and no

Now the trem replacement could well be a problem. Those floydrose types have the pivot posts alot further apart than fender 2 point trems do. That means you would have to fill in the trem cavities and then re-route for a fender trem. To my mind its not a feasable modification. Buying a new body would likely be cheaper, unless your good at that stuff. Even with that you have the problem of fitting a 24fret guitar neck onto a body with pickup routing for 22 frets. The 24th fret lands bang in the middle of where the neck pickup would go on a traditional strat. That also pretty much answers your question about loaded pickguards too. If anyone does make them for a HM strat their rare and I havent seen one.

Man sorry about them bad points but you got a cracking guitar for $47. If it works out to be that bad for you, I'll give you $57 eh (JK)[/quote]

I should have elaborated, it is a 22 fret neck, and I might just end up going with a new body if I can find one cheap enough, I was going to buy a whole new guitar, but I just love the neck on that thing, it is so thin and feels so good to play. I hope to have less than 500 in the whole thing including all of the upgrades.

I will pass on selling it though

Are we talking about a MIJ Contemporary? If we are I thought the Hot Rod RI's had the Floyd Rose?

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

It does not have a Floyd Rose

Let me clarify I didn't do very well before, It looks to me like a Floyd Rose, but is Fender licensed. It has two pivots and I would like to install a standard tremolo system on it rather than this

It would be nice to see pics of the guitar. Can you at least confirm if Made in Japan because a Contemporary MIJ with a single Hum bucker will have a System one trem and side jack

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I have an idea why don't you sell me the guitar for $94 plus shipping and then you don't have worry about it anymore.Plus you have doubled your money..
On a serious note ..Why not replace the Fender liscensed Trem with a original Floyd Rose..I have a Floyd Rose Strat and it is a hell of a guitar..You have a very nice guitar there and i would hate to see you tear it up with wood putty..If you replace the body you have now hurt the resale value..
I would suggets you drop a good humbucker in it like aPearly Gate or a Lace sensor Dually repair or replace your Fender liscensed Floyd Rose with a true Floyd Rose ..Then you will have your self a very nice lead blaster that is some what rare and what im sure would be a great guitar for very little money..

I think I am going to troll eBay for a while and look for a white body with which to work on. It is a contemporary, I'm sorry, I don't know how to post pics, but it has a trem that is fender licensed and looks nothing like the standard ones, and a jack on the side, not the top of the body.
It has a black headstock and rosewood fretboard and I found a virtual guitar builder and put that on a white body with black pickguard and white pickups and it looks killer IMO. I will just wait on it for now, and leave the body as is, although I have no reason for selling it, and have no plans to

Thats a system one trem then and I would leave that guitar alone and set it up and enjoy.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I think I am just gonna chill on it for now, wait til I save up enough, then buy a body, tremolo system, and get the pickguard. I think I will go for new pickup on this now and a different tremolo for now, but save the System One.

Fred I think the point CV is trying to make is that those old Japan HM/contemporary strats are increasing in value. I wouldnt dismiss the idea that you could have made $553 profit. A 22fret neck should go on pretty much any strat body. Just keep the old body safe.

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No no and no

I also have the contemporary HSS with System 1 tremolo. The tremolo has been locked into place by a screw in the cavity behind allowing it only to bend and not pull. The stringlock has been removed so if you use the tremolo arm the guitar may go slightly out of tune.

Don't you have a stringlock on your guitar (behind the nut stringlock model). I have been trying unsuccessfully to find this part so I purchased a replacement fender behind the nut stringlock, but it is slightly different and I cant get myself to bore the three new holes in the neck to install it !

Personally, I would keep the tremolo as is if it works, and as I said you can lock it in place to have it bend only. Its very easy to do. Plus there is a site which sells replacement parts for that tremolo if you need (like the micro-tuning screws).

Dan

Thanks for the advice. It only has one Hum in the bridge and a single volume knob. I think what I might do, if anything, is either sit on the body, or sell the body, because I am definitely keeping the neck, it just feels too good. I plan on using Christmas/Birthday/Graduation money on a new body and build it from there. I think the System 1 is okay, but I would rather have something else.

I am going to leave it as is without any mods, and build a new body

There is nothing wrong with a single hum bucker and a volume knob!!!!

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson