75 Music Master project guitar

Phil O'Keefe · Post by **Phil O'Keefe** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:24 pm

So continuing with the story... After Dennis did the routing, I ordered some parts from WD and Warmoth - a Mustang pickguard, two Switchcraft switches, some new knobs (the old ones had orange paint all over them and were all messed up - one so badly that it had to be drilled out just to remove it) and some compensated brass saddles. The pickguard isn't quite right, as you'll see in the pics below - it's off a little at the neck pocket and at the bridge plate. Probably not enough to really bother me in the long run, although I may change my mind and order one from a premier place like Pickguardian... but that would be yet another $50 into this "cheap project guitar".

I was going to leave it all disassembled until I got around to finishing the neck and the body (more on the neck saga later), but I decided to toss it together for a while because I was jonesing to play it and wanted to use it on a recording I'm working on (studio work being my main gig - here's a link to my studio ), so here's how it looks as of right now:

It plays, and sounds really good IMO.

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:25 pm

i have to admit, SFG musicmaster sounds delightful.

i'll be following this closely.

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:11 am

Your old bridge is RIGHT THERE in the photos. I like the new saddles. My MM is my favorite guitar, but for my own reasons.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:14 am

gotta order some of these my friend

http://www.allparts.com/Stratocaster-Pi ... 46-023.htm

or

http://www.allparts.com/Stratocaster-Pi ... 46-025.htm

for 6.50 they give you 3 of each. always one left over to keep you buying more junk guitars for projects and ordering more pickup covers. *because just look like an ass with more than 2 pickups*

Phil O'Keefe · Post by **Phil O'Keefe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:28 am

The wiring is something I may decide to eventually change too. Right now, it's got the stock parts inside the control cavity - stock pots, output jack and tone capacitor. I was originally thinking about doing something a bit different with the switching and controls. Not quite sure what. For right now, the two switches are wired up in standard Mustang / Duo Sonic fashion, but I was thinking about using one as a Neck / Both / Bridge selector, and the other as a series / parallel / phase switch. I was also thinking about maybe pulling the stock tone pot out and replacing it with a varitone or midrange cut control; something like this:

I haven't really made my mind up. If anyone has done some interesting / different wiring mods to their Mustang type guitar, I'd love to hear about them - maybe it will give me some ideas.

Phil O'Keefe · Post by **Phil O'Keefe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:25 am

robroe wrote:gotta order some of these my friend

http://www.allparts.com/Stratocaster-Pi ... 46-023.htm

or

http://www.allparts.com/Stratocaster-Pi ... 46-025.htm

for 6.50 they give you 3 of each. always one left over to keep you buying more junk guitars for projects and ordering more pickup covers. *because just look like an ass with more than 2 pickups*

Interesting - I assume they're basically similar to standard MM / DS / Mustang covers, but "taller" to accommodate the taller pickup polepieces?

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:48 am

nope its the same thing.

i just jam the pole pieces down flat on the pickup. so they poke out the bottom instead of the top.

it hilarious when i tell people this, some people really freak out about how it messes up the tone of the pickup.

it doesn't. they work just as good.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:49 am

wonder how many fish i could catch in the canal this summer using this as a jig ??

please elaborate on what this is / how it works / what it does

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:50 am

robroe wrote:nope its the same thing.

i just jam the pole pieces down flat on the pickup. so they poke out the bottom instead of the top.

it hilarious when i tell people this, some people really freak out about how it messes up the tone of the pickup.

it doesn't. they work just as good.

i just use longer screws.. and not even worry about the pole pieces..
the real funny thing is robroe action is like an inch from the fret board, and i like my action about 3mm from the fret board..

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:01 am

yeah, I don't even worry about the pole pieces. some of those covers are different sizes though, I ordered these from guitarpartsresource:

and they're not quite as wide as mustang covers. the classic vibe duo sonic pickups wouldn't fit in them.

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:42 am

mage wrote:the classic vibe duo sonic pickups wouldn't fit in them.

thanks for that heads up

here is a useful bit from Mr Novak.

Flat vrs Staggered magnets: Do staggered magnets help give that "Vintage Tone"?

In a simple word no.

Staggered magnets came from a time when string technology was not that advanced, and there was not good string to string balance so they compensated for this by staggering the height of the magnets to the strings. That was their sole purpose.

I get a lot of vintage pickups in for repair because someone broke the coil trying to push a high magnet down. If you use a staggered magnet nowadays you are only making the strings unbalanced again.

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:15 am

Haze wrote:
I get a lot of vintage pickups in for repair because someone broke the coil trying to push a high magnet down. If you use a staggered magnet nowadays you are only making the strings unbalanced again.

he ain't ever got any of mine in for repair. and i push down all the magnets in all my guitars....6 magnets a pickup....12 a guitar thats like 100 pole pieces. wtf?

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:18 am

ITS ON THE INTERNET THEREFORE ITS TROOO ROB DEAL

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:28 am

'srsly

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:29 am

but rob how many of your pickups are "vintage staggered" pickups.. aka from like 1968 or earlier..
either way, i think its hogwash, its a magnet. wrapped in a coil, pushing it flat to the top should not break the pickup

serfx · Post by **serfx** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:30 am

and with that last comment, serfx is officially an old man.

i used the term hogwash

i would like to apologize to shortscale.

and lets get back to looking at this gnar as fuck musicmaster

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:34 am

i mean it is that novak guy. who you gonna fucking trust robroe............or some dude that sells people jazzmaster pickups for 140 bucks a piece ?

you could buy this 85 dollar mustang pickup from him

OR you could put the pickups from your beat ass squier bullet strat in it, smash down the pole pieces, put the cover on, tell people that they are novak pickups and people will say THOSE SOUND FUCKING AMAZING HOLY SHIT THEY ARE SO PERIOD CORRECT SOUNDING!!!! SOMEONE GIVE ME A FUCKING AMBER SWITCH TIP TO JAM INTO MY ASS!!!

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:37 am

i got nothing against the guy but seriously when playing a guitar thru a oclare thunder, the pickups can be made of bits of recycled old iron beer cans and it will still melt your face

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:44 am

i hear you on the pepsi challenge bs rob. people is dumb.
slightly back on subject - im quite interested in that tone circuit there, is it active?

Phil O'Keefe · Post by **Phil O'Keefe** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:44 am

robroe wrote:
Haze wrote:
I get a lot of vintage pickups in for repair because someone broke the coil trying to push a high magnet down. If you use a staggered magnet nowadays you are only making the strings unbalanced again.
he ain't ever got any of mine in for repair. and i push down all the magnets in all my guitars....6 magnets a pickup....12 a guitar thats like 100 pole pieces. wtf?

To be honest Rob, that's not the first time I've heard that as a possible side effect of someone trying to "level" magnets by pushing them up or down. It really depends on the particular pickup and how it is designed and wound, but in some cases, it can definitely break the coil of wire and kill the pickup, and it's definitely something I would strongly recommend against.

If it works for you, and you're happy, then that's cool - but I'm not going to mess with magnets in a pair of Abagail Ybarra wound CS pickups... I'd rather just leave them as they are now. The cosmetics of the Mustang style covers aren't important enough to me to risk it.