OffsetGuitars.com

Hey guys,
So this winter I’m going to put together a PartsMaster. I have an MJT Jazzmaster body, and as most of you know, none of the screw holes are drilled for the pickguard or for the trem. I was hoping some of you might be able to give me some tips on how to do this. Especially when it comes to lining up the trem. I’m probably making a bigger deal out of this than I need to be, but any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Others probably have better methods, but here's how I do it.
I install the bridge thimbles and attach the neck.
I install the switches and pots in the pickguard and make sure it fits. Hopefully it all lines up fine. Once that's done, the pickguard won't move much and it's easy to drill the holes.
For the trem, the bottom screw holes should line up with the back edge of the trem cavity (furthest away from the neck). I use some painters tape on the body, mark the line of the trem cavity edge, and place the trem unit on the body, try to center, and mark the holes on the tape with a pencil. Then I can make sure that the holes are properly centered before I drill.
As far as the drill bit sizes, I just make sure the bit diameter is slightly less than the screw threads, I make the depth less than the screw length, so it has something to bit into. Candle wax or bee's wax is a great lubricant on the screws and makes the job much easier.

I'm a bit of a knucklehead at all this, so maybe you'll get some better information from others.

Thanks. That sounds like a good plan.

.

Put the neck on. Make sure it's straight in the pocket.
Use string (cotton, fish line, or kite string) in the E and e tuners, over the nut slots and use them to align the bridge and trem to the neck so the strings don't fall off the edge of the high frets.
Nudge the pickguard so the pickups line up under the strings.

.

Another question to those who have used MJT bodies before. Are they drilled for US or Japan spec thimbles. I have two sets that
I couldn’t get to fit, although they may both be Japanese spec.

The USACG bodies are made to fit Fender US parts. If the thimbles seem too big to fit in the holes, this is the trick: use a hot soldering iron to push on the thimbles (basically insert in the thimble and push into the body), and the heat softens the paint and expands the wood a bit, and they slide right in.