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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 5:41 am
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So that's what Cocobolo looks like! It's really beautiful, nice selection. Do you know what it weighs without hardware? I usually forget that part.

That Pickguard is perfect on there too, I'd never have thought so before seeing it. Good pictures, keep the camera handy, this one will be fun to watch.

Frank is right about components and in particular the trem block. I replaced my standard Hwy One block with a Callaham and it made a tremendous difference in tone and sustain. You seem to be using top notch materials.

I'm going back to my own Partscaster and replacing more inferior Bridge parts and upgrading the electronics with a Blender Pot from Acme Guitar Works.

Way to go,

- Dan

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:00 am
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I have often considered trying a Callaham block and I may yet try one on this guitar. I will build the guitar first, though and play it for a while to get to know it before I do that experiment. No point in trying something new if you have no point of reference for comparison. I had once considered buying a block for my Korean made Koa Top Strat (pictured in my tagline pic) but I was unable to find any reliable info on which trem it has. I suspect American Standard but I'm hesitant to act on that suspicion because I'm not sure it makes any sense they would put that bridge on a lower range instrument. I once tried opening it up and using the vernier callipers to measure it but they won't fit in there. I'll have to disassemble it one day and remove the trem for examination.

Unfortunately, it never occurred to me to weigh the body before starting to work on it.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:37 am
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I thought you liked tools, get yourself a digital caliper and measure the string spacing!

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 12:44 pm
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I have a couple of callipers and if I recall correctly there's more involved than just string spacing. I contacted Callaham several years ago and asked them about it and they were unable to give me an answer. They said they had no experience with Korean trems. I keep looking at their chart from time to time to see if my query had piqued their curiosity and addressed it but I've yet to see them change their chart. I will open it up soon and compare with the new trem. Maybe it is an AS trem.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 1:04 pm
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GilgaFrank wrote:
I got these off ebay, the ones that reach under the strings are best for the string height setting. Some people just lay them on the saddles and adjust that way, I've never really liked that method as it's never clear which part of the saddle you should be measuring to.

Image


Side note: that looks like a very useful tool. Thanks for the info. FYI, they have it in Stew Mac, for those of us this side of the puddle: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Neck,_fingerboard/Understring_Radius_Gauges.html#details. Will order soon.

BMW-KTM, this is quite an interesting project. Thanks for taking the time to post pics and experience.


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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 5:21 pm
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So I did go ahead and make that groove longer just in case I need to run the screws in further.

Image

While I had the bridge out again I decided it was the perfect opportunity to open up my Korean Strat for a comparison. It turns out the block on that Strat looks like brass. I also noticed significantly more tension on the springs so it's a good job I lengthened the groove.

Image

Image

I scraped a little bit of the grey paint off of the AS trem block to see the metal underneath. It doesn't look like steel to me and I have a lot of experience looking at steel. I think Frank mentioned cast zinc earlier in this thread. That might very well be it. I took a number of pics of the metal trying to get a good indication of the colour but none of them seem to do it justice. This pic is the clearest which is why I'm showing it but it doesn't seem to show how the metal does not look like steel. I guess you'll just have to trust me on that one.

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I'll get a block on order from Callaham for future use on this guitar. I put the calliper to task and measured both blocks and they aren't the same. I'll post pics of that comparison at a later time. I have plans for this evening so I'll have to get ready soon. I did, however, clean up the dirty saddles on that Korean trem.

Image

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:41 pm
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As you can read on the Callaham site, not all Steel is the same when it comes to trem blocks. The stock Hwy One block was made of steel, magnet stuck and everything and it sounded fine. UNTIL I installed the Callaham and the difference was notable.

A saddle/screw stripped during my install, I got on the phone to George Ellison at Acme Guitar works and we decided to upgrade the saddles to Callaham as well.

And got a short (Gilmourish) trem arm...And a full Pickguard Shield...And a Fralin Blender Pot...there's no end to the madness of GAS!

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/

The Hwy One is an inexpensive guitar model with 2 1/16" string spacing like the MIM. Your stock Am Std block may be of better material. Additionally, I have read that the AVRI blocks are very good.


Callaham block on top:

Image

The Callaham screws are the longer on the right:

Image

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 12:52 am
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Here are the differences between the 2 point Korean trem and the 2 point AS trem.
As you can see with the naked eye the 2 "points" are obviously spaced differently.
Curiously, the Korean trem (bottom) appears to have the better "finish" on the saddle blocks.
I may swap the blocks or look into getting nicer blocks for the AS.
Another curiosity is that despite the differences in dimensions shown in the pics here the string spacing is still the same. I will double check that to confirm once both guitars are reassembled and under string tension. I may also disassemble both trems to determine if the bolt spacing is different where the block attaches to the plate. If they are the same I think its possible the AS Callaham block might still fit.

Image

The block is also not the same size with regard to external dimensions. The pic doesn't show the left side of the blocks but they are both butted up against the calliper. The Korean trem appears to be about 1/16" narrower.

Image

I didn't take pics of the hole size measurements in the blocks for the balls ends of the strings but they are are virtually identical thus making overall width comparisons relatively easy. I set the calliper to measure from outside of hole to outside of hole. It won't show the string spacing in exact terms but it will show the relative difference in string spacings.
The Korean trem measures to 2.262" and the AS trem measures to 2.290"

Image

Image

Edited to correct a typo on the measurements.

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Last edited by BMW-KTM on Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:34 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
Here are the differences between the 2 point Korean trem and the 2 point AS trem.
As you can see with the naked eye the 2 "points" are obviously spaced differently.
Curiously, the Korean trem (bottom) appears to have the better "finish" on the saddle blocks.
I may swap the blocks or look into getting nicer blocks for the AS.
Another curiosity is that despite the differences in dimensions shown in the pics here the string spacing is still the same. I will double check that to confirm once both guitars are reassembled and under string tension. I may also disassemble both trems to determine if the bolt spacing is different where the block attaches to the plate. If they are the same I think its possible the AS Callaham block might still fit.

Image

The block is also not the same size with regard to external dimensions. The pic doesn't show the left side of the blocks but they are both butted up against the calliper. The Korean trem appears to be about 1/16" narrower.

Image

I didn't take pics of the hole size measurements in the blocks for the balls ends of the strings but they are are virtually identical thus making overall width comparisons relatively easy. I set the calliper to measure from outside of hole to outside of hole. It won't show the string spacing in exact terms but it will show the relative difference in string spacings.
The Korean trem measures to 2.62" and the AS trem measures to 2.9"

Image

Image


Nice pictures
Im actually a machinist in my day job.
It helps a lot when I have to mill or fab parts for trems or route bodies for floyds.
I install LSRs at work all the time.
Anyway great stuff your doing here.
Frank mentioned digital calipers.
I just snagged a set at Harbor Freight for 9.99 on sale.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:12 pm
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Well it looks like the AS block should fit the Korean tremolo as the bolt spacing is identical and a few thousandths won't make much diff for the string poking up through the plate. Nevertheless I'm going to keep the brass block on the Korean trem. I'll order a block for the AS for future use and comparison. I won't be able to put the shiny Korean saddles on the AS trem because the screw holes don't have the same location as can be seen in the pic above. I guess now my build is on hold for a few hours while I reassemble the Korean Strat and redo the intonation setup on it.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:57 pm
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I've decided I am going to shield the guitar even though I'm not sure I have to.
Here is the shielding laid out prior to cutting.
I scribed it with a seal pick.

Image

Now I am applying the shielding to the back of the scratch plate.

Image

Image

Now I'm using the seal pick to gently scribe the cutout sections.
I keep scribing a little deeper each time until it cuts through.

Image

I used one of the cutouts to ensure the passageway coverage is thorough. It prolly wasn't necessary but I did it anyway.

Image

Edited for spelling.

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Last edited by BMW-KTM on Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:10 pm
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The pots came with the ground lug too close to the other terminals for my comfort.
I decided I wanted to relocate them off to the side.

Image

I mounted the pots to the plate and made sure they were nicely aligned. Nobody will ever see if they aren't neat and tidy but I did it for my own piece of mind.

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I mounted the pickups and zip tied the cabling to keep it all tidy.

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I flipped the plate over and added the control knobs. I decided to align the setscrews pointing in a direction parallel to the switch groove. I'm thinking this will allow me to see at a glance if the pots are turned all the way up.

Image

I have other things to do today so before shutting down for the day I did another mock up to enjoy anticipating what the finished product will look like.

Image

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:49 am
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Lookin' Good!

This sort of well done pictorial is so much fun for us, but time consuming and distracting when you're working on a project. :roll:

What kind of Pots are you using, they're very different than the 250K CTS I'm used to.

The saddles on your AS look to be a satin finish while the Korean seem to be chrome.

Apologies if that's been covered and I missed it.

Please keep the posts coming. :D

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 9:47 am
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They're Bourns model 82 pots. 500KΩ
Back when I was a young man in the late 70s, early 80s these pots were considered the ultimate dream pot. They were the guitar equivalent of small block Chevy angle-plug heads back in the early 70's. They were something you only ever saw in guitar magazines inside heavily modified guitars. You never saw them in person; not inside any guitar, not in any music store parts department. At least not anywhere near me anyways. I happened to bump into them while looking for other things on the Mojo site. Mojo says they are re-issues and that the originals were discontinued many years ago. I already had some CTS pots on hand but the Bourns idea was irresistible to me. They're pricey but then … what's an extra $10/pot when you're already so deep into a project? If they're wonderful all it cost me was an extra $20. If they're no good I already have CTS pots at the ready to swap in. A fun and interesting and cheap experiment if you ask me.

I've been doing a little looking around and it looks like the AS bridges come with a rough finish on the saddles and the ADs come with a polished look. I may try to a acquire a set of AD saddles because that rough look just isn't doing it for me and I don't even want to think about how much harder they would be to keep clean. If I had known this before I would have just gone ahead and bought the AD bridge in the first place.

I'm kind of at a standstill on this project until a couple more things come in. Still waiting on my super-switch, which seems to be taking forever and I also ordered a jar of conductive paint on rush order from Amazon yesterday. I started looking at the complexity of that cavity and realized foil was gonna take me forever. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Strat Partsocaster Build
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 1:24 pm
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Beautiful instrument


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