GUITAR BUILD PROJECTS, DRUM FETTLING, CUSTOMISATION & DIY TECH
I can finally see well enough to drop some Creamery "Alt 88"Jaguar pickups into my Custom spec Fender "US Original '60's" Jaguar. I'm wiring them up with a "Johnny Marr" schematic, and I'm especially looking forward to testing out the additional "neck and bridge in series" combination.
Filling a few minor "pinholes", tinting and toning the colour coat, and applying a final clear gloss lacquer topcoat on a white blonde "Mary Kaye" type nitro finish.
I've had a while to rethink my original plans for this Jaguar, and instead of a "natural", shellacked finish - I'm going to spray a "white blonde" nitro finish instead.
More essential body prep, before the enforced lay-off for my upcoming eye op. This time it's sealing and fine sanding an Ash Jaguar body.
The first stage of fine-finishing this swamp ash Jaguar body, is to apply a grain filler - followed by careful flat-sanding and burnishing
Another Jaguar project. This time - to mop up a few more spare parts, and to act as a sort of "partner" to my in-progress, Candy Apple Red, Custom US Jaguar.
Applying authentic looking headstock decals seems such a simple task, at first. But it's a lengthy process, and there are many potential pitfalls along the way...
Since I'm decided on following the "62" vibe of my Olympic White Jaguar, to its' logical conclusion - and since I just happen to have a surplus Fender Mute assembly on my new, Vintage USA Jaguar body - there's really only one thing to do. But I'll have to learn how to install the thing by looking first, at how to remove it.
One of the "received truths" about the Jaguar - seems to be that the original bridge design is at fault for just about everything - (although there are a whole series of common mods which address some sonic characteristics as well). With the bridge however - many of the "fixes" appear to cause problems, or unwanted knock-on effects, themselves. ...what does that mean for the setup itself? Is there a way to achieve a perfect balance between archtop form, and solid-body function?
Comparing the various Jaguar bridge options got me thinking. I just couldn't work out what that Fender Tune-o-matic bridge was trying to achieve. Since I plan to have a few offsets to set up over the next few months, I need to work out how to solve some of the technical differences which make Stratocasters and Jaguars so, apparently, different. I began to realise, I'd have to look at things in a different way...
Garageland 