ShortScale.org

You know me; I've never been one for leaving things alone.


I bought a Sonic Blue Squier VM Mustang from Nick (via brainfur) a few years back, with an aftermarket parchment guard, stock white pickups.



...but I really wanted that crispy 'black pickups, white guard' vibe. The stock Squier pickups have non-removable covers, so I grabbed some '65 Mustang reissue pickups from eBay, and found some cheapo white scratchplate on eBay that could be bullied into fitting.



Looked good, but sounded boring, so eventually replaced the bridge unit with the middle pickup from a prewired Mighty Mite Strat scratchplate I wasn't using (plus a CIJ Jaguar neck but that's another story).

Sounded better, but not quite my tempo. It turns out, those plain pickup covers we all know and love really fuck with the top-end, and I love, crave and need top-end.



So I did a bit of search recently, and landed on the DiMarzio Cruiser; a bright humbucker that still sounds like a Strat pickup and has stealth black rails poking out of the cover. Sick. Let's go!



Pulling-off the fucken 12s I'm using on this low-tuned Casa Bonita geetbox (note the non-flush polepieces on the Stratty bridge pickup desperately trying to escape the cover)


Strip and prepare the new pickup wires, pro as FUCK


Oh, so... the Mustang has those weird pickup routes..



Well, I guess we're gonna have an upside-down pickup then, and oᴉzɹ�ɯᴉp wil be my brand. I'll just sure I leave enough cable to make this pickup usable in other guitars, or sellable in the future..



Oh, the routes aren't deep enough to do that without setting the pickup height so high it's rubbing its face into the strings.



OK FINE I'LL CUT THE CABLE BACK AND REDO EVERYTHING



The shoe fits, Cinderella!



!

[youtube][/youtube]
ZINGY! (direct to interface). Sounds like piezo now, I AM BECOME SHELLAC




holy shit i'm tired

I like the new tones. Not so found of the before. Looks the part too.

Rad. The Crusier is supposed to be similar output to a 50s Strat.

Neat job and nice clean sounds

Very neat! Lets here some rock tonez!

I very much enjoyed how this story was told. All the first look needed was white knobs. But the upside down Dimarzio does look rad.

jc808 wrote:I very much enjoyed how this story was told. All the first look needed was white knobs. But the upside down Dimarzio does look rad.

It did have white knobs when I sold it to Brainfur. I actually wanted to swap the pickups for black covers back then but with the original bridge issues I didn't want to take the gamble so I sold it off.

Nick wrote:

jc808 wrote:I very much enjoyed how this story was told. All the first look needed was white knobs. But the upside down Dimarzio does look rad.

It did have white knobs when I sold it to Brainfur. I actually wanted to swap the pickups for black covers back then but with the original bridge issues I didn't want to take the gamble so I sold it off.

That looks great. I was just thinking white Mustang knobs:

Doog wrote: [youtube][/youtube]
ZINGY! (direct to interface). Sounds like piezo now, I AM BECOME SHELLAC

lol, turns out something screwy was going on, as every so often it'd get a LOUDER when adjusting the pickup or using the switch. Soooo this was actually using it in SPLIT mode, likely down to my solder job on the "wire these 2 pickup wires together to make hambacker" pickup cables.

I resoldered it all last night; it's a beefier, less weird zingy-sounding pickup now, but still nice and singlecoil-esque. Might put that coilsplit on the pickup switch too; it's a fun sound and is less of a reduction in output compared to a split full-sized humbucker. Might even knock up another comparison sample later if I'm bored enough.

I missed the part about the non-flush single coil the first time around. I know it’s a bit late now but have you tried pushing down the pole pieces to be flush, or slightly raising the poles on the treble side? Might have helped with the lack of high end under the solid covers.

Yeah I smoosh the pole pieces down on all my guitars when I put covers on.

More thump innit

Nick wrote:I missed the part about the non-flush single coil the first time around. I know it’s a bit late now but have you tried pushing down the pole pieces to be flush, or slightly raising the poles on the treble side? Might have helped with the lack of high end under the solid covers.

They're pretty much glued to the bar magnets, it's just some old cheapo Mighty Mite pickup:



It wasn't about the lack of high strings in the mix, moreso that the plain covers definitely do have an effect on the sound across all strings. I remember trying plain covers on my Strat years ago and it sounded like someone had rolled the tone back.

Doog wrote: I remember trying plain covers on my Strat years ago and it sounded like someone had rolled the tone back.

Womantone innit.

That's awesome - but also I love the Bacon in the first picture (that's a Francis Bacon, right?)

NickD wrote:

Doog wrote: I remember trying plain covers on my Strat years ago and it sounded like someone had rolled the tone back.

Womantone innit.

lol

KillerGuitarRigs wrote:That's awesome - but also I love the Bacon in the first picture (that's a Francis Bacon, right?)

Yeah! Part of the Three Studies For Figures At The Base Of A Crucifixion triptych.

Well, a print of it.

Really great upgrades to your VM. Nice job.

Doog wrote: I remember trying plain covers on my Strat years ago and it sounded like someone had rolled the tone back.

Ever try Lace Sensors? I really liked the Red/Silver/Blue set I had in a strat copy a while back, and don't remember them feeling rolled off due to the layer of plastic.

I did consider them briefly, but it looks like the Gold would've been right up my alley. Oh well, might give it a look down the line.

[youtube][/youtube]
5:00: ceramic bridge pickup 1
5:16: ceramic bridge pickup 2
5:13: Lace Sensor Hot Gold bridge
5:51: alnico bridge pickup