11/4/13

Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Modifications, Pt 7: Visiting the Garden

After I finish a stringed instrument project I like to get it outside of The Dungeon and get some decent pictures of it.

So here's the finished modified Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster.

I really lost count of all the changes, but I'll mention the highlights.

It's Sonic Blue, but sometimes it looks like it's a light green.  I was going to put a blue pickguard on it, but I thought it might look bad in certain lighting, so I went with the pearl.

Even out of the box, the Squier Jazzmasters are a good deal.  With a decent setup, they play well.
I can't leave well enough alone, so I went whole hog.

The pearl pickguard's the most obvious change.

We also have Curtis Novak pickups, a Mastery offset bridge, a Fender vibrato, white roller knobs and white rhythm circuit switch.

I rewired the rhythm circuit to use a high-pass filter - to cut the bass to get more 'ching' for rhythm playing.  I'm still experimenting with component values, but it's promising. 

Another front shot.

I have parchment knobs for the lead circuit controls - I want to change them out for white knobs.  Likewise, the switch has the stock 'aged' tip and I want a white one to match everything else.

I also put threaded inserts on the neck, and did a fret level and crown on it.  Plays super fast now.

Shot of the back.  Just a standard Squier Jazzmaster!

Had to get a shot of the neck plate.

Whatever you do, don't throw this guitar into a trash bin with wheels!



All Posts on the Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster Modification Project:

Part One: Starting Disassembly
Part Two: Removing Factory Wiring
Part Three: Shielding
Part Four: Wiring Modifications and Curtis Novak Pickups
Part Five: Neck Inserts and Installing Mastery Bridge
Part Six: Buffalo Bone Nut and Final Setup
Part Seven: Modified VM Jazzmaster Visits the Garden (This page)
"Ching" Rhythm Circuit Revisited: 28 April 2014 
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6 comments:

  1. jeffNovember 5, 2013 at 9:27 AM

    Man I just have to say that I have been following this thread from the beginning and I am absolutely stoked to see it. You really did an amazing job! It looks so so awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yr Fthfl BlggrNovember 6, 2013 at 9:22 AM

    Thanks for your kind words!

    ReplyDelete
  3. wilsonov+April 11, 2014 at 9:40 PM

    Amazing job. Love the pickguard.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 1, 2014 at 2:32 AM

    Just bought one new at GC and it hums and sometimes crackles on the Lead circuit. I don't expect the warranty repair will be as comprehensive as the mod you made to the wiring but I might steal the idea and have a tech do it. I'm all thumbs when it comes to that sort of thing. Great job!

    Keith

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  5. graham stuartSeptember 6, 2017 at 10:03 AM

    Hi there,
    just wondering if you would be willing to share the hi pass filter info, I like jags and jazzmasters but agree with your take that guitars are dark and would love to have a more treble-y rhythm tone.
    graham.maureen@sympatico.ca

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yr Fthfl BlggrSeptember 16, 2017 at 9:20 AM

    Hi Graham -

    Yes, I made some changes to the circuit after this post was made.

    Full details and schematic are here:
    http://crawlsbackward.blogspot.com/2014/04/squier-jazzmaster-rhythm-circuit.html

    I've been thinking lately that you could just wire the switch to sent the front pickup through a small value cap - .002 or .003 - and then to the output. Bypass the pots entirely, or just leave the volume pot. It would be similar to the 'strangle switch' (The term Leo Fender used) on a Jaguar. Cut the lows and leave the highs.

    ReplyDelete