XII Build (my first ever lefty)

[Rgand]

Yeah! That looks great! Looking forward to seeing how it looks as it progresses.

[CROSS_guitars]

wow!

Show us the painted body!

[JVG]

wow!

Show us the painted body!

Will do that soon, but first a couple of wiring progress pics.

Went with Novak pickups for this build because (a) every other Novak pickup I’ve used has been great, and (b) i’m not willing to pay the silly prices people are asking for vintage pickups. The big decision was whether to go with the “standard” bridge or the “fat” version. I normally run a mile from any pickup described as “fat”, but in this case i was talked into it.

The rotary switch is an Alpha 2-pole, 4-position, which cost all of about $2. Again, i wasn’t willing to pay for a vintage one. I wired the switch to provide series/parallel options when both pickups are on, rather than phase options. I was surprised how simple the wiring was - much easier than a Jag or Jazzmaster - and it worked first time

Pickguard loaded, ready for wiring:




Cute little holes drilled in the guard next to the rotary switch. I was a bit nervous about doing these, but took it slowly to make sure they were precise, because any small wandering of the drill bit would surely make it look bad. Very happy with the way it looks. I used a 1mm bit, and drilled right through the guard - i subsequently learnt that the originals didn’t go right through, but because the holes are so small you can’t tell at all. (Note that the protective plastic is still on the guard here; everything will look cleaner when it comes off).

[YALCaster]

Looking great! I love the look of that loaded pickguard

(Any chance you could provide a diagram for the wiring?)

[JVG]

Thanks!

I put together my own wiring diagram by combining others I found online.

This one for the rotary switch:
https://www.pickguardian.com/portfolioe ... replica-2/

And this one for the overall scheme:
https://www.harmonycentral.com/forums/t ... re-jangle/


My diagram is below - bear in mind it is for a lefty, so the pots are wired the opposite way to how you’d normally see them. I’m using 250k pots and a 0.033 cap (because i want to - i’m not too fussed what the vintage values are). If it turns out that i don’t like this configuration, they are easily swapped.

[N0_Camping4U]

This is so cool, dude! I went Firemist Gold but ALMOST went Charcoal Frost... I went Charcoal on a P bass instead

I'm loving this thread, check out my build from some years ago too!

I can't wait to see yours

http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 6&t=109635

[JVG]

Oh yeah, I know your guitar - it’s a beautiful piece of work and was a major inspiration for my project! I’ve looked at that thread many times. Firemist Gold is an amazing colour, and your birds-eye neck is delicious.

Cheers!
J.

[JVG]

So....back from the painters!

I was a bit nervous about this phase of the operation. There aren’t too many people here in Australia doing this kind of thing, and I don’t have the facilities to do it myself.

The choice was to either take a chance on a local guy or send it overseas for paint. I chose the first option, as the guy offered to do it for AU $500. Having it done overseas would have cost close to AU $1000 by the time return postage was factored in.

I was very specific about the colour - i wanted Charcoal Frost Metallic, preferably towards the darker end of the spectrum. Luckily the painter was very patient and showed me the job in progress to make sure i was ok with the colour.

As it turns out, i love the colour! Like most metallic finishes, it can be difficult to get an accurate picture. In some light it looks very grey, while other times it appears very dark, almost black.

As for the headstock, i was unsure whether to use a decal, but the painter enjoys doing then, and my arm was fairly easily twisted. I hope it doesn’t offend anyone.

[Rgand]

Man, that's top fiddle work. The headstock really does it well. Just beautiful.

[N0_Camping4U]

God this is fantastic!! Can't wait to see it completed.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Gorgeous work! As a lefty myself, can I just say? THANK YOU for putting a proper decal on the headstock. Frequently Fender puts on these shitty little decals that are different from righty guitars, and they always look horrible.

[JVG]

Gorgeous work! As a lefty myself, can I just say? THANK YOU for putting a proper decal on the headstock. Frequently Fender puts on these shitty little decals that are different from righty guitars, and they always look horrible.

Thanks!
I know what you mean about Fender decals, and it’s indicative of the fact that they have never given a shit about left handers. They just can’t be bothered spending a few extra bucks, as it would eat into their profit margin. It’s conflicting for me, because i (obviously) love Fender guitars, but have no respect for the way they go about business.

J.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Gorgeous work! As a lefty myself, can I just say? THANK YOU for putting a proper decal on the headstock. Frequently Fender puts on these shitty little decals that are different from righty guitars, and they always look horrible.

Thanks!
I know what you mean about Fender decals, and it’s indicative of the fact that they have never given a shit about left handers. They just can’t be bothered spending a few extra bucks, as it would eat into their profit margin. It’s conflicting for me, because i (obviously) love Fender guitars, but have no respect for the way they go about business.

J.

Completely agree. That's why I prefer giving someone like Warmoth or Guitar Mill my business, or building my own stuff. I ordered an American Pro JM vibrato, because they have a lefty AM Pro JM and I figured it would be a decent vibrato. Fender tried to get the shop I ordered it from to give them a serial number. As in, they only want to SELL you one if it's for a repair. Fuck Fender.

[JVG]

.
A week or two ago I had the chance to fit the hardware. Here she is starting to get dressed up - looking pretty sexy if I do say so myself.

Since these pictures were taken, I sent her off to a professional to put in a nut and do the set-up gruntwork.

Cheers!
J.

[CROSS_guitars]

Wow, wow, wow!

did you find a proper string tree?