Well, originally, my plan for my MIJ E series 3TSB Strat (SSS) was to do a pickguard swap with all new electronics, including pickups. Now that I've got the old pickguard off, I see that the pickups look to be some kind of Alnico pickups.

I got to thinking about how this Strat sounded and actually, the original pickups didn't sound bad to me. So, at least for now, I'm figuring on reusing them instead of replacing them. The 5-way switch, input jack, and pots do need to be replaced so that's definitely part of the plan. Plus, I'm changing out the pickguard from white to tortoise shell, which involved a bit of trimming of the new pickguard to fit the System I tremolo.

Any other information or opinions on these pickups? Most of what I've read so far on various boards is that most people swap 'em out... Anyone else out there think they're okay?

Okay, well I didn't get any responses about the pickups but I went ahead and replaced all the electronics except for the pickups. Now that I've had a chance to check them out again, I'm leaning toward replacing the pickups. They sound okay but nothing really distinctive about them. I haven't played with adjusting the pickup heights so maybe that'll make a difference.. Most likely, though, I'll replace the pickups with some that fit the vibe of the guitar.. Actually, I'm really a big fan of the SD SSL-2/SSL-6/SSL-3 combo but I might try something a bit different since I have those on another Strat of mine..

It seems like the features of this guitar are kinda odd in that it has a 12" radius fretboard but the frets feel like vintage frets. It seems like larger frets would suit this guitar better.

Anyway, the guitar now seems to be in good working order, although I need to adjust the trem arm tension so that it stays in position better. The manual describes how to adjust it on the System II and III but not on the System I. It just says that the trem arm is adjustable... Anyone know specifically how to adjust it on the System I trem?

Here's a picture -- not very good picture; need a new digital camera. In the picture, the neck looks kinda bland but, in real life, it has aged to a very nice amber-like finish. And, the body has some dings, most noticeably just to the left of the neck pickup. For some reason, the dings don't bother me as much now with the tortoise shell pickguard. Doesn't make sense, I guess, but anyway...

When I replaced the electronics, I replaced the original white pickguard with a tortoise shell pickguard. I like the looks of it much better than with the original white pickguard -- kinda has that Roadhouse Strat look. The hole pattern for the pickguard screws was different so I had to drill a couple extra holes -- no big deal. I also had to trim the pickguard to fit the wider System I trem. The trimming was a bit of problem because the pickguard had a mounting hole that would have been too close to the trem assy. So, I had to trim the pickguard to eliminate that hole, which made the fit around the trem a bit wider than I would have liked. I'm satisfied with the end result, though.

is the bar too low or too high? the 2 claw screws in the trem cavity in the back are for adjusting this.

Guitar looks great, man. the tort pickguard really brings out the color nicely.

What I meant was that the whammy bar is too loose.

Thanks! It does give it a bit more attitude..

I like tortoise on my sunbursts, too. Always have.

_________________
Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... fbQABFe-g8

you can find that wrench on ebay cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mij-Japan-Strat ... 35af71f58a

i have purchased System 1 parts from this seller and he is excellent.

you can do it with other tools too, but be VERY careful. do not over-tighten it.

Found the collar wrench in the case. Didn't realize what is was. Worked great. Problem solved. Thanks guys!