Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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lhwarp
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Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by lhwarp » Sat Jul 27, 2019 12:05 pm

Hello All,

I'm currently finishing a "Jazzmaster du Pauvre" little project... so nothing really ambitious ! ;)

It's based on a 2nd hand barely used Harley-Benton JA60-LH-OW that I bought for peanuts on local craiglist. :blush:

As it was :

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Picture from the 1st owner.

Hand-cutting a new pickguard :wacko: and "Faraday" shielding :ph34r: :

Image

I didn't liked too much the faux-tortoise original guard, which moreover showed string/pickup severe misalignment... Correcting the pickup position and route the pickguard accordingly is a pure hassle to do ! :squint: :wtf: :fp:

Rewiring :

Image

Image

Next step to come : tuners, nut, roller bridge, tremolo... 8)

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Bigsby B5 or Duesenberg Super-Tremola ? I have both in stock... ???

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What's your opinion ? ;)

-lhwarp

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Rgand
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by Rgand » Sat Jul 27, 2019 4:14 pm

I like the Bigsby but only for appearance. The diamond-shaped D-logo conflicts with the curves of the guitar. The rounded Bigsby logo is more in keeping with the overall look. Any way that Deusenberg lever would fit on the Bigsby? That would be the optimum.

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mackerelmint
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by mackerelmint » Sat Jul 27, 2019 4:28 pm

That's a cool project! I'd say go with the Duesenberg trem.
This is an excellent rectangle

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epizootics
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by epizootics » Sat Jul 27, 2019 9:01 pm

Another cool project :) I liked your other cheapo-guitar-resurrections a lot, too. 'S'ils n'ont pas de pain, qu'ils jouent sur des brioches !'
(I source a lot of stuff on Leboncoin, great place for second hand tools too)
I'd go for the bigsby too for the aesthetics, and keep the Duesenberg for a symmetrical-bodied project.
Any plans for the pickups?

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Matt_A
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by Matt_A » Sat Jul 27, 2019 9:08 pm

suggest you consider a right-handed Bigsby for this project.

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lhwarp
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by lhwarp » Sat Jul 27, 2019 10:35 pm

New wiring schematic and layout :

Image
Rgand wrote:
Sat Jul 27, 2019 4:14 pm
I like the Bigsby but only for appearance. The diamond-shaped D-logo conflicts with the curves of the guitar. The rounded Bigsby logo is more in keeping with the overall look. Any way that Deusenberg lever would fit on the Bigsby? That would be the optimum.
You're right, @Rgand : that's what I noticed too when presenting the B5LH just to look... No, unfortunately an instant swap from the DST lever to the B5LH nut is not possible.
mackerelmint wrote:
Sat Jul 27, 2019 4:28 pm
That's a cool project! I'd say go with the Duesenberg trem.
Yes @mackerelmint : the Duesenberg Super-Tremola was intended for that Harley-Benton, the Bigsby B5LH was waiting its install on another project under construction ( an Epi LPS II Daphne Blue P-90).
epizootics wrote:
Sat Jul 27, 2019 9:01 pm
Another cool project :) I liked your other cheapo-guitar-resurrections a lot, too. 'S'ils n'ont pas de pain, qu'ils jouent sur des brioches !'
(I source a lot of stuff on Leboncoin, great place for second hand tools too)
I'd go for the bigsby too for the aesthetics, and keep the Duesenberg for a symmetrical-bodied project.
Any plans for the pickups?
:D :D :D ??? Thanks @epizootics ! No : I'll stick with the Roswell Jazzmaster pickups, at least for the moment. They are an awful pain to install in the good position correctly and moreover, they are RWRP. That said, I have no experience about the Jazzmaster pickup... :unsure:
Matt_A wrote:
Sat Jul 27, 2019 9:08 pm
suggest you consider a right-handed Bigsby for this project.
NEVER ! :wtf: ;)

Wait and See... :freako:

-lhwarp

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lhwarp
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by lhwarp » Sun Jul 28, 2019 1:44 pm

Good end of the job this evening at 10:30pm... Issues, surprises and hassle to cure all along : I won't list them ! :fp:

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The instrument await fine tuning its setup. I wait a few days for stabilization and I'll do it - along with a good set of pictures. ;)

Question : my pickup height ended to be 6.5mm :

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Is that correct ? I have no idea of the usual Jazzmaster pickup height : anyone has input or experience on the subject ?

-lhwarp

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601210
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by 601210 » Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:36 pm

lhwarp wrote:
Sun Jul 28, 2019 1:44 pm
[...]
Is that correct ? I have no idea of the usual Jazzmaster pickup height : anyone has input or experience on the subject ?

-lhwarp
I don't think there's ever really been a consensus -- you could try digging up some old Fender setup guide and find that the differences in pickup wind/magnets, strings, and styles of the time make it kinda obsolete.

I would stick my neck out as far as to say most people generally like them on the low side, but that's pretty much it.

Traditionally, the bridge pickup isn't wound much hotter than the neck pickup, so you'll often find that you'd want it much closer to the strings than the neck pickup to get the outputs to match. I think some pickup winders do it the "modern" way these days, so you can't really tell until you hear it for yourself.

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alexpigment
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by alexpigment » Mon Jul 29, 2019 6:29 pm

601210 wrote:
Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:36 pm
I would stick my neck out as far as to say most people generally like them on the low side, but that's pretty much it.

Traditionally, the bridge pickup isn't wound much hotter than the neck pickup, so you'll often find that you'd want it much closer to the strings than the neck pickup to get the outputs to match. I think some pickup winders do it the "modern" way these days, so you can't really tell until you hear it for yourself.
The correct answer :)

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timtam
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by timtam » Mon Jul 29, 2019 8:44 pm

lhwarp wrote:
Sat Jul 27, 2019 12:05 pm
....
It's based on a 2nd hand barely used Harley-Benton JA60-LH-OW that I bought for peanuts on local craiglist. :blush:
..
Haha. I have basically the same guitar sold locally here ... the Grungemaster. Presumably from the same Chinese factory. Although Thomann have tweaked the Harley Benton version a few times (eg swapped pickups). Originally they were pretty much identical. And it's decent even at retail price.
Image
https://www.artistguitars.com.au/buy/ar ... itar/12323

The original salami pickguard is indeed very ugly up close. I've thought about trying to source a new one but it's not a stock JM shape. How did you cut yours ?

My ultimate aim for the guitar is as a poor man's Fano JM6, which it resembles even as stock.
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Matt_A
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by Matt_A » Mon Jul 29, 2019 9:18 pm

just for information here's an interesting article at Fender.com specific maybe to Strats about pickup height

https://support.fender.com/hc/en-us/art ... -properly-

and here's a thread hereabouts on the subject re: Jazzmasters.

http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=25567

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lhwarp
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by lhwarp » Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:02 am

Thank you Guys for your input ! :)

That said, it seems that my 6.5mm heights are reasonably correct for a start, as - according to what I have found on the web :

- JM owners like their PUs fairly more lowered than on usual guitars (4mm Bridge / 6mm Neck vs non-fretted string underneath seems to be quite frequent).

- JM PUs are traditionally the same model in Neck or Bridge position (same DCR also).

Mine being 6.65K Neck and 12.28K bridge, having the same height for both makes sense as a starting basis.

I still never sound-checked this : it's a matter of hours now... ;)
The original salami pickguard is indeed very ugly up close. I've thought about trying to source a new one but it's not a stock JM shape. How did you cut yours ?
Right. I cut mine by hand... Sorry, I did not take pics. But :

- I used the original guard as a template for the external shape and traced it on the new pickguard material.
- I cut with a jigsaw the contour + 1 to 2mm extra.
- I finished the contour following the original guard by approaching as best by rotative sanding machine and filing, manual cutting, sanding for the end.
- I point-to-point drilled (1mm holes) the contour of the pickup routings, cut and finished by hand.
- I made some controls position mods to my taste : furthered pots position, dual on/off pickup switching.

The hassle and pain of the story here was that the pickups were misaligned (+3-4mm !) from the strings ??? . I had to correct their position >:( and slightly enlarge the guard locally >:(

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lhwarp
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by lhwarp » Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:53 am

End of the story, with some outside pictures :

Image

Image

Image

-lhwarp

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601210
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by 601210 » Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:09 am

Great work on the pickguard! I think well-made hand-cut pickguards are a fairly uncommon sight.

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Amon 7.L
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Re: Jazzmaster du Pauvre :)

Post by Amon 7.L » Tue Jul 30, 2019 6:11 am

Great overhaul, mate! Very good job, congratulations!

I was about asking you how playable this guitar is out of the box but as I was about writing this, you've posted this updated and I saw the shim in the neck pocket, it's the same issue my lefty Harley Benton telecaster had, it was completely unplayable.
Even with the three barrels bottoming down, the action was so high that I could easily slide three coins in there. Garbage black finish with massive blushing trapped within the clear coat, horrible botched nut, neck pocket taper cut UNDERSIZE. Horrible piece of shit.

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