'Burst MIJ Novak Re-assy - back to foam problems...

[vibroverbus]

So finally got back to pull things together and get the guitar re-assembled, have the Novak JMV and JM90 all wired in, but struggled on the foam for mounting - my biggest hassle so far.

Some quick pics below - you can see bridge pickup is pretty far from strings, which is what I have to tackle - need to hit hardware stores today and try to dig some better thicker more resiliant foam than the weatherstripping I came up with in the first try.  Haven't put all the PG screws back in yet since  I suspected it would have to come apart again...

Still quick thoughts are that Curt's pickups are OUTSTANDING, even with a bit too much gap from the strings. Killer killer tone through either my BF Pro Reverb or Traynor 'Deluxe-Reverb-Master' frankenamp.  Couldn't be happier, except that the bridge will get better once I get it boosted up a bit.

Trem is fantastic as well of course - I'd had the classic 'trem bar wasn't with the guitar for the last 2 owners' situation, and with a new AVRI bar and collet, it's rocking. Didn't upgrade the whole trem at the same time but have to say, the quality diff in just the collet/bar is so noticeable, I slightly regret not doing the whole deal all at once.

Also, picked up the bridge cover with some of the other parts & had to do a lot of hand tweaking to get it to fit... not sure if that is a MIJ-bridge-vs-AVRI-cover issue, but once I embraced a bit of gentle tweaking/bending I got it working fine, but it certainly didn't snap on right from the git-go... Is that standard procedure?

[sewkid]

I was with my wife doing that I'll please you if you'll please me thing the other day at Joann Fabric Store.
They had a lot of foam there that I think would work under the pickups.
As that is just what I thought of when I saw it.
Upholstery shops might have scraps you could use also

[ohm-men]

There is a lot of stuff you can use as foam. I used cut up "mouse mats" for a while. (the foamy oines you get for free) they workded great.
Also if there is a company in your neighburhood that cuts out cardboard in certain shapes, they also will have foam strip material, which is even better then Fender's original material as it comes in various denseties. soft foam might also work, but mouse mats last for years....

[JazzBlaster]

I use a sponge under my bridge pup 

David

[vibroverbus]

I ended up using 2 kinds of weatherstripping, and worked out great.  Some of the weatherstripping is too soft, doesn't give enough spring (I bet mousepads are perfect... that's generally neoprene with high resiliency...)