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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:39 pm
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Hi 53magnatone,

Sorry to hear your switch is giving you grief. After reading all the reviews I'm surprised they still stock what would appear to be a really crap switch! A swap and I'm sure you'll be fine.

I've just noticed a small error with my wiring diagram. Its nothing that would cause the issues you have been experiencing, more a matter if ergonomics....

Because you're only going to be using one side of the 5 way you need not bother installing the diagonal wire marked in grey on my original diagram...

Image

Though the original should still work its not the most efficient method. The above 5 way wiring would be best.

Andy

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:00 pm
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Andybighair wrote:
Hi 53magnatone,

Sorry to hear your switch is giving you grief. After reading all the reviews I'm surprised they still stock what would appear to be a really crap switch! A swap and I'm sure you'll be fine.

I've just noticed a small error with my wiring diagram. Its nothing that would cause the issues you have been experiencing, more a matter if ergonomics....

Because you're only going to be using one side of the 5 way you need not bother installing the diagonal wire marked in grey on my original diagram...

Image

Though the original should still work its not the most efficient method. The above 5 way wiring would be best.

Andy


Oh...So Now You Tell Me........ :wink: :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:33 am
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This is a quick update.
After much deliberation, I have decided to simplify and just replace the hardtail with a Fender thru body stringing hardtail.
It has arrived and I will pick it up either tomorrow or next week.
(This also includes the 5 way switch problem which has to be replaced due to some annoying switch issues posted earlier.)
Aesthetics were part of the reason as well as cost and last but not least, staying with a Fender parts theme in as much as possible, all the while keeping overall costs down.

This is an important phase in any build, as time goes on and the build stretches out into many more weeks than initially anticipated, the downtime can lead to a reassessment of parts.
A change/upgrade here, a change/upgrade there, in no time at all a $400.00 rebuild turns into a $600.00 to $700.00 rebuild. My point is that at the beginning there were a lot of options to choose from and the budget was adhered to.
But now the build is 90% completed and wouldn't it be nice to upgrade just this or that. Staying with the initial plan is the only way to get a build done and completed.

Be careful of second guessing yourselves for those of you who are contemplating a build project.
Once you've established a theme and a plan as to what parts are to be used, stay with it, because more often than not, a part change whereas it be color or style, will throw the rest out of sync. It then becomes a never ending constant replacement of parts and the cost then becomes too high for the build. Or in other words if you are building with the intent of resale then there is a max price that potential buyers will not go above, regardless of the quality, simply because it is a parts guitar....

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Last edited by 53magnatone on Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:39 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 12:28 pm
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53magnatone wrote:
This is a quick update.
After much deliberation, I have decided to simplify and just replace the hardtail with a Fender thru body stringing hardtail.
It has arrived and I will pick it up either tomorrow or next week.
(This also includes the 5 way switch problem which has to be replaced due to some annoying switch issues posted earlier.)
Aesthetics were part of the reason as well as cost and last but not least, staying with a Fender parts theme in as much as possible, all the while keeping overall costs down.

This is an important phase in any build, as time goes on and the build stretches out into many more weeks than initially anticipated, the downtime can lead to a reassessment of parts.
A change/upgrade here, a change/upgrade there, in no time at all a $400.00 rebuild turns into a $600.00 to $700.00 rebuild. My point is that at the beginning there were a lot of options to choose from and the budget was adhered to.
But now the build is 90% completed and would'nt be nice to upgrade just this or that. Staying with the initial plan is the only way to get a build done and completed.

Be careful of second guessing yourselves for those of you who are contemplating a build project.
Once a theme and plan as to what parts are to be used, stay with it, because more often than not, a part change whereas it be color or style, will throw the rest out of sync. It then becomes a never ending constant replacement of parts and the cost then becomes too high for the build. Or in other words if you are building with the intent of resale then there is a max price that potential buyers will not go above, regardless of the quality, simply because it is a parts guitar....


Great advice!
I can see where just a slight change may avalanche into a whole new set of problems!

Hope it all ends well.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:39 pm
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It will... there was an idea of installing the Schaller Hannes hardtail, which is a beautifully engineered piece of equipment, but I will save that idea for the next build which is not going to be such a budget limited build. Not that I justify spending inordinate amounts of money,but on these two experiments it just would not have worked out.

The next two and I think I will build two at a time just because it's easier than in sequence.
Both will be clear coats, one ash, the other alder, both with ebony necks and 22 frets.
This is all I will admit to at this time. :lol: Other than the parts are going to be top of the line, not anything unreasonable either such as titanium or other exorbitantly priced metals.
The pups will be the head scratcher...but they always are.

Thanks for checking in...

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:26 am
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So back to Stratopartster build # I.
Let me remind all of which strato. I'm referring to.

Image

It's been a few weeks since completion of this complete rebuild, it however has needed a bit of dialing in as components have settled in.
The last tuning up has been a slight adjustment to the truss rod.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:00 am
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Thus the tools needed for a truss rod adjustment are simple and easy.

Image

(1) A capo, (2) A Feeler Gauge, (3) A 4 mm Allen wrench. On this last tool I prefer the T style as it offers a longer reach as well as a more convenient handle to adjust.

Placement of the tools are as such.
(1) Capo up @ the 1st fret
(2) At the 7th fret is where one measures the gap between the bottom of the Low E string and the top of the 7th fret. Feeler gauge is the 0.10 size.

Image

Adjustment will be in a clockwise direction as I wanted to reduce the concave bow of the neck.
This is performed in small increments of a 1/4 turn. Turn the wrench a 1/4 turn wait for the neck to settle in, a couple minutes, check gap at 7th fret.
Repeat procedure as needed.
I must stress at this point that prior to this adjustment, the saddle heights, and their respective adjustments to match the fingerboard radius using a 9.5 radius gauge had been set..
Once the saddles match the neck radius, then the height can be adjusted. This is subjective, as I prefer a very low action whereas other's will prefer a higher action.

Image

This was before adjustment of the truss rod...

Image

This was after the adjustment...

Final Adjustment done and the guitar is a lot of fun. It has been an experiment and some things I may not repeat, but overall, I am more than satisfied with how this " Stratopartster I " build turned out.. 8)

P.S. Yes that is a Ding on the side of the neck, Oh well natural relicing... :lol: :roll:

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:28 am
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Stratopartster I ......Finished.

Took it to see a friend at one of my favorite small shops this past Thursday..
He loved it, plugged in to a Blues Junior III..... :shock: Quack.. :D
That typical strat quackiness is there and then some. He did mention that even though he loves the versatility of having all 3 pups on TBX controls, trying to remember the setting of each TBX when in the NM or MB position is a bit challenging......Oh Well.... Can't have everything..

So I"m back to the Stratopartster II,
Hopefully this will not seem like reading War and Peace..

Having a few challenges since I decided to 86 the original Bullet hardtail. That threading your string thru and under the saddle and thru the back of the bridge plate was going to drive me to tears..

So ordered a Fender Hardtail.... 8) It has arrived and will be combined with Tele Ferrules for the thru body stringing..

Image

Also picked up a new Fender 5 way switch for the wiring issue which will take up a bit of time in backtracking and reconfiguring.

Image

On to the next order of business.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:21 am
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As it may be apparent to the keen of eye, I have a coupleof challenges in this reconfiguring of the bridge.

Image

If I was to reinstall the new bridge according to the middle screw hole of the original bridge, this is where the new hardtail would be...
Two problems are immediately apparent.

(1) The bridge will sit far back of the pickguard, hence the gap. Solution would be to make up a whole new pick guard from a blank as I have a couple of cosmetic issues which are bugging me. Top side of the HB has 2 screw holes, but only one is used in the Seymour Duncan.

(2) I have to remeasure the scale lenght as to where the new bridge sits. It is more than 3/8th
of an inch further than the original. In order to properly place the bridge for optimal saddle intonation adjustments this will have to be checked..

Image

(2) This second problem is a bit more of a challenge. The keen eye will see that there is a broken off screwhead :shock: :roll:
When removing the screws from the bridge plate, one sheared off and left the shaft inside the screw hole.
All along I knew that I would be replacing the bridge so I temporarily screwed in the bridge with ( stupidly ) plain zinc screws, I did not use the originals as they were very small and the actual screw holes into the body were overdrilled so that the screws did not engage until they were almost 3/4 into the body.. :?

Caveat....Always use high quality screws, stainless steel preferably.

Image

The obvious remedy would be to remove the broken screw shaft with an easy out set. This is a reverse thread tap screw which after drilling a hole into the broken screw shaft, you screw in the tap in reverse ( counter clockwise.) As the tap threads in to the screw it unscrews the broken shaft from the body at the same time.
..... EASY... NO... :?:
One problem is that the broken screw is small diameter and that once the new bridge is installed, the offending hole will be covered up as the new bridge uses 3 mounting holes aligned across the rear of the bridge plate.

Image
Image

I have some work to do on this remedy, in addition, as I could not leave well enough alone, I decided to change the pickguard mounting screws from round head chrome to flathead and black, for the jack plate also.
Now all the screw holes will need to be countersunk a bit more as the screws are just a hair bigger.
Easy to perform with a countersink bit. Will update on this phase later as I believe I am going to get a blank template and redo the entire pick guard...

Before.....

Image

After....

Image

Update to follow in the next segment..... Off to work for now...

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:29 pm
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Now to update.
(1st) the pickguard issue was easy, got a rectangular blank from which I will get 2 pickguards and 2 backplates. For this build II there will be only the need for 1 HSS pickguard, no rear plate since it's a hardtail. I was toying with the idea of shaping the contours of the new pickguard in a rounder profile but decided to stay with the unaltered Fender contours.
(Hence the blue lines, which will be removed with Nail Polish remover.

(2nd) Have measured for proper bridge placement on the 25.5 inch scale. In addition, measurements were taken after drawing extension lines from each side of the neck onto the body then measuring in between these two (blue) lines for the center point. As well as measuring at the nut for the center point.
Next was to connect both center points with a straight line which continues past to where the bridge will sit.
This was the easiest way to figure out where the new HD bridge would be located.
In addition, measuring where the center line on the body is without the neck being in place would not be a guarantee that the center line was accurate in relation to the neck. After being installed, the neck could be just a bit askew, which would then throw off the center location of the bridge, which then results in the strings not falling where they should at all points of the neck.

Image

That figured out next is to align the bridge and mark for the mounting screwholes, as well as the holes for the strings to run thru the body.

Image

All that remains is to drill out the body, but first, the old Bullet bridge holes will need to be filled in and painted.

Image

But also since the new Fender HD bridge completely covers up the old holes, they could be left alone.... :?: Probably Not... :!:
As for the pickguard and the question of filling in the holes, that will be for tomorrow.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:38 pm
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Dude!

Lots to catch up on. You have been a busy bunny!

Looks like you've managed to get the action pretty low on your 1st Strat. Nice job. 8)

Bummer about the broken screw on your second Strat. Still looks like you have a sound plan to get around that.

Good stuff!

Andy

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:26 am
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Hey There Mr BigHair....
The snapped off screw is not such a big deal since it is completely covered up. Attempting to remove it will be more work than it is worth at the moment. It is also very likely that this particular body will get switched with another one as I had other problems where drilling for the ferrules, Two problems came up.
(1) the location of all the holes for the bridge were located so that I could not clear the body from the drillpress housing and thus had to drill all holes freehand.
(2) So the bit wandered on one hole and the hole is off center from it's intended location.
The remedy will be simple, either remove the ferrule, plug the hole, fill, sand paint and redrill where it should go or...
this body will undergo a routing out for a trem setup and will be replaced with another.
This happened because I did not take my time.
I have posted before on this thread, Patience is key in insuring everything falls into place.. :roll:
As of today, the bridge is installed and so are the ferules for the thru body stringing.

Next is working on cutting out the pickguard, setting up the bandsaw is going to be the 1st priority.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:03 am
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Pics so far

Once the bridge was installed, I decided to drill the thru body string holes with the bridge in place, the drill bit matched the bridge holes as far as drill bit diameter.
This way it lined up the holes exactly where needed with no wandering of the bit...Or so I thought.....

Image

Bridge in place and ready to have the saddles reinstalled.

Image

I can say that this ferrule mishap is the 1st goof :shock: :roll: which will take quite a bit of work to remedy.
However this will be at a later time when I've gone out and gotten another strat to redo.

Image

Here is the new pickguard blank, marked out for cutting and drilling out. This will be in a couple of days, as I have to set up jigs and tools, Bandsaw, Jigsaw and various round and square files.
Patience and time will be key in cutting the blank as plastic tends to either melt or chip and shatter if not cut with the correct Bandsaw blade and/or jigsaw blades.
From this 18" by 12" blank, I was able to mark out 2 pickguards and 2 back plates.. 8)

Image

That is it for this update....
Next will be back to reconfiguring and re-soldering the electronics.
In addition I need to order a couple of the screws in black for pup adjustment, can't find them except at StewMac......

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Last edited by 53magnatone on Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:08 am
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Andybighair wrote:
Dude!

Lots to catch up on. You have been a busy bunny!

Looks like you've managed to get the action pretty low on your 1st Strat. Nice job. 8)

Bummer about the broken screw on your second Strat. Still looks like you have a sound plan to get around that.

Good stuff!

Andy


Mr. BigHair....Have a question on trying something different concerning pickups.
Will a stacked noiseless pup ( for the neck ) work with a single in the Mid and the Humbucker in the Bridge.. :idea: :?:
I was toying with the possibility in case one of the pickups is not working, since I had a lot of problems after the initial hookup but have not fully diagnosed the problem further than the troublesome 5 way switch.....

Thanks for the new diagrams by the way.

Time to play some music before going off to work, needing the right frame of mind.. :)

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Post subject: Re: Stratopartster Rebuilds I and II
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:59 pm
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53magnatone wrote:
Andybighair wrote:
Dude!

Lots to catch up on. You have been a busy bunny!

Looks like you've managed to get the action pretty low on your 1st Strat. Nice job. 8)

Bummer about the broken screw on your second Strat. Still looks like you have a sound plan to get around that.

Good stuff!

Andy


Mr. BigHair....Have a question on trying something different concerning pickups.
Will a stacked noiseless pup ( for the neck ) work with a single in the Mid and the Humbucker in the Bridge.. :idea: :?:
I was toying with the possibility in case one of the pickups is not working, since I had a lot of problems after the initial hookup but have not fully diagnosed the problem further than the troublesome 5 way switch.....

Thanks for the new diagrams by the way.

Time to play some music before going off to work, needing the right frame of mind.. :)

Howdy!

What make and/or type of stacked pickup are you thinking of using?

Also check out Tired_guitarist's Thread for more info on balancing humbuckers and single coil pickups using a 500k volume pot.

Enjoy!

Andy

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