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Post subject: Mods I'm hoping to make to my new Pawn Shop Mustang Special
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:52 pm
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Location: Stillwater, MN
So here are the mods I plan on making to me Pawn Shop Mustang Special:

-Relocate the pickup selector to where the input jack is. So that it's just below or after the tone knob.

-Move the input jack to the outside bottom of the guitar like a Tele or have it put in at an angle like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai do on their Ibanez signature models.

-Have a customer Rosewood pick guard made. Should match the neck.

-Have it set up for 11's :) That's what I use on my Tele as well, and I just love the tone that the 11's give me. Just gets me closer to the tone I want when playing blues and rockabilly.

Should all be done within the month.

The only other mod that I would like to make, but haven't decided on yet:

-Add some nice Sperzel locking tuners. I've had then on a number of my guitars and really like them, but just not sure I'll need them yet.

-Swap out the bridge saddles for graphite saddles. I've never had or used then on a guitar and may not go there, but I've heard some good things about them and have considered doing that as well.

-I've had my tech remove finishes from the back of my necks before, I've always really enjoyed that, but still haven't decided if that will happen with the Mustang or not.

These last three will most likely not make the cut in this first round, but still considering a few other options.

Really enjoying this new guitar, the weight, short scale, neck and pickups.

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Post subject: Re: Mods I'm hoping to make to my new Pawn Shop Mustang Spec
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:23 pm
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Final decision and list of mods:

I just dropped it off at Brown's Guitar Factory (the John Brown that writes for Premier Guitar Magazine), and he's doing the following for me:

-I'm having a custom built rose wood pickguard made - I can't stand how plastic pickguards pickup and collect static, and I think the rosewood pickguard will really give this guitar a very cool and unique look (they are trying to match the wood stock for the pickguard to the rosewood neck so that they look like they belong together).

-I'm having the pickup selector moved to where the input control is (getting it out of the way of heavy and wide stumming). So it will be installed at an angle so that it's perfect for swiping down and switching pickups.

-And since the location for the input jack is now going to be used for the pickup selector I am having a Strat style input jack installed.

-They are also upgrading all of the electronics, wiring and pots. The only thing staying are the pickups (love 'em) and the two switches above the pickups.

-I'm having graphite saddles installed.

I can't remember if there was anything else, but that's the majority of what I'm doing for now, and after the purchase price and all of my mods I will be at somewhere around $1200.

That might be more than what some people feel it's worth, but that's about what I would be paying for a number of other Strats and Tele's that I really like, and this one will be exactly what I want. Almost as if I had asked Fender to build me my dream guitar. I've paid $1200+ for plenty of guitars over the years and always comprimised, but this one had a great base for what I was loving right now (body, neck, pickups, short scale, etc.) and just decided to finish her off with all of the other things that I would love to see on a guitar if I had designed it. Just moving that pickup selector and getting a nice wood pickguard added was huge for me.

So in summary, I'm loving the Pawn Shop Mustang both AS IS and as a great guitar for additional modding LOVE IT!!

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Post subject: Re: Mods I'm hoping to make to my new Pawn Shop Mustang Spec
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:57 pm
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Sounds cool. I have one and actually am pretty disappointed with it. I don't like the sound of the pickups and the neck doesn't feel as nice as my 65 RI.


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Post subject: Re: Mods I'm hoping to make to my new Pawn Shop Mustang Spec
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:32 pm
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Understood. Certainly not the guitar and / or pickups for everyone. I've really found a place for it in what I'm doing. It's perfect. I do a lot of blues and R&B, and this thing just sound great within our band. And like I said, maybe not the right guitar for everyone or everything, but between this and my Tele I have just about every sound I'm currently looking for. The only other guitar I'd like to add to my set up cost about $3500. So these two will just have to keep me happy for awhile :D

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Post subject: Re: Mods I'm hoping to make to my new Pawn Shop Mustang Spec
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:53 pm
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It's fairly priced which I like about it most. I like more of the jangle that you get out of the vintage Mustang bridge. The Special has kinda of it's own sound. I do love the looks of it though.


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Post subject: Re: Mods I'm hoping to make to my new Pawn Shop Mustang Spec
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:02 pm
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Yeah, it sounds nothing like a good ol' Mustang. It truly is it's own model.

Once again we agree :!: :wink: :D 8)

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Post subject: Re: Mods I'm hoping to make to my new Pawn Shop Mustang Spec
Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:47 pm
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Pawnshop Mustang is killer, lots of nice sounding settings here but it runs away with the cleans, just gorgeous all round. Super fast neck, comfortable to play, tons of pickup configurations, and incredibly resonant for such a small guitar.

Only issue I had was a faulty 3-way toggle, since replaced with as Switchcraft "shorty". I also changed that ugly $@! Strat hardtail to a string-through Toronado bridge which has a lower profile and fits the pickguard. Wasn't sure how that would work out it but the mod was simple, not drop-in simple, but easy enough and everything setup so much better with the new bridge in place.


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