Problem Solved!

Because Guitar Center is about 35 miles from my house and so far they have had to order everything I've needed anyway, I decided to solve the "pots" issue by buying a set off of eBay. I ended up buying 2 Fender 250 k split shaft pots, which includes capacitors. With shipping they cost slightly more than the 2 Gibsons I was sold at Guitar Center, but who cares. I just want to get on with this.

This solves a couple of issues. First off, I wanted to try 250 k pots in the first place, but Guitar Center didn't have any so I settled for the (Gibson) 500 k pots--the original pots, as you may recall, were 500s and I wanted to try something different. According to what I've read, 250 k pots produce a significantly "warmer" tone than 500's. We'll see what they sound like, but I am into "warmer" tones.

Secondly, I think I will receive these Fender pots sooner via eBay than I would have if I had ordered them through Guitar Center. So I ended up getting what I wanted to start with.

So, I have ended up with 2 Gibson short shaft 500 k pots. If anyone is interested in them, let me know. Maybe we can work something out. They look like they would fit a Les Paul perfectly.

Crispy

Another Delay...

Crap! I finally got caught up with business matters and had an entire evening to myself to work on the Stagemaster. I get all of the stuff together, get my soldering iron hot and get comfy only to find out that the new pots don't fit through the pickguard! They are short, split shaft pots all right, but the threaded housing that fits through the pickguard is too big around.

I even asked the doofus at Guitar Center about these pots (which are Gibsons) before I paid for them. When he handed me Gibson pots, I specifically asked this indifferent know-it-all if he was sure they would fit through a Fender pickguard. "Oh yeah, " he said, "they're all pretty much generic size-wise." So, of course, the idiot didn't know what he was talking about. I should have known.

Well anyway, I'm on my way back to Guitar Center to trade these Gibson pots in for some that will fit through the pickguard holes, and this time I am taking the old ones with me to make sure. Sheeesh!

Crispy

Pickguard Time . . . Finally!

I came home from St. Augustine today to find that the custom pickguard still hadn't arrived. I immediately got on the horn to Pickguards.com to find out what the hold up was. Of course no one picked up, so I steamed about it for a while then went about my business. About 7:30 tonight a UPS guy showed up at my door with a package and guess what it was?

Here are a couple of photos of the pickguard, but I must say, they don't do it justice. It is absolutely gorgeous! It looks like someone took it right off a genuine '50s Strat and sent it to me. It has a beautiful aged appearance and exceeds by far what I had expected. I propped it up on the body where you can get an idea of how nicely it goes with that gloss black paint job.

Furthermore, it fits perfectly and every single screw hole lines up perfectly with the holes in the body. The material, however, is much different than the original white plastic pickguard. It seems to be much more dense and significantly heavier. It is the same thickness though, so no problems. I guess it too is some type of plastic but of a higher quality.

I am very pleased with the new pickguard and can't wait to start putting the whole thing back together again. Since I was away for most of the week, I have a bunch of real estate business to get caught up on so I don't know if I'll get to it this weekend or not. But I now have all of the parts, I just need to make some time to put the whole thing together.

Crispy

Project Video

Hello all, I'm posting this update from St. Augustine, FL. I've had some time to kill, so I started browsing the web for articles that describe how to post a video to a web site. I've never actually done it, but I have digital video camera and I've been giving some thought to posting a video of the finished guitar (complete with sound) to this blog when this project is completed.

I thought it might be kind of cool for you all to see the finished product in action, and more importantly, how it sounds.

From what I can tell it doesn't look that complicated and I already have all the necessary gear to make a video. I'm going to keep reading up on the topic since I'll have more time to kill, but it sounds like fun. I'd like to play some sample riffs for you hear with the guitar adjusted to different settings.

Let me know if you have any pointers regarding posting video to a web page.

Crispy

Waiting, Still Waiting . . .

Right now I am still waiting on the new pickguard so I have nothing new to post other than this status update. I had considered going ahead soldering all the electronic parts together, but I've decided that it would be simpler and they would be easier to manage if they were attached to and held in place by the pickguard. So now I wait.

I will be in St. Augustine, FL from this Tuesday afternoon through Friday afternoon on business, so this blog may not get updated until next weekend. If I have the pickguard by then, that is.

If the pickguard gets here tomorrow, I'll at least post some photos of it before I leave.

Crispy

New Squier Models for 1999

Wow! What a great find! Here is the description of the New Squier Models for 1999, and here is the Stagemaster description from the same page:

SQUIER STAGEMASTER MODELS

"This entirely new Squier Stagemaster, is made explicitly with the young rocker in mind. With its sleek body design, reverse headstock and drive-bombing, double-locking tremolo, the new Squier Stagemaster spells "flash" with every feature. Each guitar comes equipped with sleek hardwood body, maple neck, reverse Strat headstock, die-cast machine heads, Rosewood fingerboard (12.6" radius), 22 frets, master volume and tone controls, white/black/white pickguard and a Floyd Rose® licensed double-locking tremolo. The Stagemaster is available in three different pickup configurations. The Stagemaster HSS features a scorching humbucker in the bridge position and two hot single-coils in the middle and neck with 5-way switching. While the HH features dual humbuckers and 3-way switching, the HSH has dual humbuckers and one single-coil pickup in the middle. In addition to Black, all new colors are available, including: Frost Red, Polar White, Cobalt Blue Metallic and Galactic Purple."

Finally! I now know ALL of the colors that were available for this guitar. "Galactic Purple?!" I'd just love to see one of those. Also on this page is a photo of a red HSH.

Crispy

Seeing Red

Here is another unusual find, for your interest. A red Stagemaster, although this time an HSS. Not as nice as the white one I posted earlier, but kind of sharp nonetheless. I don't know about the 2 single coil pickup arrangement though--it might sound too much like a Strat (not that there's anything wrong with that); however, if I wanted it to sound like a Strat, I would buy a Strat.

I found this Stagemaster out for bid on eBay.

Crispy

Foiled!

Alrighty then! Back to the project after a slight pause to make a living. I received the copper foil sheets with which I am shielding the project guitar's electronics. Received was two 12x12 sheets of conductive, adhesive backed copper foil. This photo, after the application of the copper foil in the body cavities, should illustrate that this is going to be one well-shielded and hum-free guitar.

The next step is to apply the copper foil to the back of the new pickguard (after I get it, that is). Since I ordered too much copper foil, I am thinking of covering the entire back of the pickguard, not just the section over the body cavities.

The trick to this whole thing is to make sure the foil in the cavities comes in direct contact with the foil on the back of the pickguard (hence the slight overlap of the foil in the cavities onto the top of the guitar body). This is how grounding comes into play. Because the electronics are grounded, the copper foil is likewise grounded as it is in direct contact with common, grounded points--the volume and tone pots when you screw them onto the foiled back of the pickguard. In essence, all of the copper foil then becomes one continuous, grounded field that cancels out hum and noise. A quote from someone else:

"Performing these modifications will in no way change the tone of your guitar, other than it may sound a bit richer because some of the faint harmonics that were previously buried in hum and noise will now be audible."

This is the concept of shielding guitar electronics as I understand it. If I have it wrong, someone please let me know. By the way, the foil was very simple to apply. It is about the same consistency of Reynolds Wrap and molds very easily into the body cavities.

Crispy

Parts Update

Okay then, I now have all the parts right here on my desk. With the exception of the custom pickguard and the copper shielding foil, I am ready to start building. Wow! Do these new DiMarzio pickups look sweet! Just by looking at them, you can tell the quality is there--especially if you compare them to the junky original pickups that came out of the Stagemaster. I can't wait to hear what this new set up sounds like.

By the way, the guy at pickguards.com told me that I should have the new tortoise pickguard in about a week and half.

I'll take some pics of the new parts and post them here as soon as I can.

Crispy

Parts & Pickguard

Great news! I just got the word from the Guitar Center that *all* of my parts are in and ready to be picked up. Again, the parts list includes 3 DiMarzio pickups (black), 1 volume and 1 tone pot, a set of Strat style knobs (black), 5 way pickup selector and a selector switch knob (also black). I hope to pick all of this stuff up tomorrow.

Also, I was contacted by Pickguards.com this afternoon and the new tortoise shell pickguard will cost $80. I've decided that I'm going with them. I still have to call them back and give the go ahead, so I don't know how long it will take them to get the pickguard to me. I'll keep you posted.

Crispy

More Words on Shielding

An excellent "how to" article on shielding from the Stewart-MacDonald web site where you can buy an entire shielding kit:

"Shielding allows you to substantially reduce all unwanted interference and hum. This kit is even beneficial for most production instruments as it lets you completely encase all of the pickups and controls with a grounded foil. Also included is a special wire for shielding non-shielded pickup leads. This allows you to eliminate unnecessary interference, as well as being able to switch the phase of a shielded pickup independently from its grounded shield."

Crispy

P.S. UPDATE: I ended up buying my copper foil for the shielding project online at Superior Sound Designs. I had forgotten what a pain it was to find adhesive-backed copper foil locally. Thank god for the internet!

We have DiMarzios!

Good news! Out of all the stuff for this project I ordered from Guitar Center (see earlier entry), I found out today that at least the pickups have came in. All 3 pickups have arrived so I think I'm going to go ahead and pick them up. I still haven't done the shielding yet as my work schedule hasn't permitted it.

No word from pickguards.com yet on my special order. I'll post some pics of the new DiMarzios soon.

Crispy

White Stagemaster

I thought I would post this for general interest. This white Stagemaster is quite rare, I think. In fact, I have never seen one and didn't even know they existed until I found this photo by accident while looking for something else.

I knew the old type Stagemaster came in red, black, white and purple, but I had never seen a white one until today. Do any of you know anyone who owns one of these?

I like it. I want one.

Crispy

A Word on Shielding

As you can see, the Stagemaster's electronics weren't shielded very well. In fact, other than the wimpy piece of aluminum foil stuck to the back of the pickguard (second photo), there is no shielding at all! Note the unshielded body cavities in the first photo.

It's no wonder that this guitar made the most horrible feedback, screeching and hum you've ever heard when it was cranked up. With the crappy pickups and the lack of shielding, I'm surprised it didn't sound a lot worse than it did. Be that as it may, the next step is to get everything properly shielded before the new electronics go in.

There are all sorts of opinions on how to best shield the electronics; however, I have decided that I will use adhesive backed copper foil for the job. I used this technique successfully on my old Strat and my Les Paul, so I'll do the same here.

Why is shielding the electronics so important? To quote from another web site:

"Electrostatic hum and buzz entering a system from your instrument can be totally eliminated by 100% shielding of the pickups and control cavities. Usually, somewhat less than 100% will do an adequate job in guitars, which are inherently hard to shield; but the more complete the job, the better the results. The whole idea behind shielding is to completely surround all circuit "hot" leads with a low resistance conductive cage which intercepts electrostatic fields and grounds them out."

I am no electronics expert, for sure, and I don't know anything about "electrostatics," but I can tell you that after I shielded my old Les Paul, the noise was completely eliminated.

The job now is to line all of the body cavities with copper foil. Some people also say that the output jack cavity should also be shielded, but I think that might be overkill. I'll skip that step for now. If it becomes an issue, I'll fix it later. After I get the copper foil in, I'll post some photos.

Crispy

A Squier? Me?

Someone just reminded me via e-mail that in a previous post I would disclose how I ended up with a Fender Squire after owning Stratocasters and Les Pauls.

It is kind of a long story but I'll try to boil it down. First off let me say that I just turned 51 years old and I have been playing guitar since I was 15. This Silvertone (amp in case) was the first guitar I ever owned. By the time I was 17 I could play the entire Santana Abraxas album verbatim. Ever listen to Alice Cooper's "Killer" album? I could also that entire album note-for-note by the time I was 16 or 17. These are only a couple that I remember, but suffice it to say I've been involved with guitars for most of my life (I even have them tattooed on my body). My first serious guitar was a '73 Strat with a maple neck.

About the only kind of band that I haven't played in would be a jazz group. I've pretty much played everything else; country, disco, top 40, all genres of rock almost, funk, etc.

I quit playing in groups when it got to be a job. What turned me off to bands completely was when I got on the hotel/lounge circuit. After doing this for a number of years, playing Top 40 guitar became a job . . . a job that I didn't like so much any more. So after all that, I sold everything. I sold my guitars, amps and all the other miscellaneous equipment that I owned. I was sick of bands, and I was sick of playing guitar.

I didn't even own a guitar for several years. Back in 1999, or so, I felt the urge to play returning. I didn't go out and buy a guitar immediately and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get back into it. Finally in 2ooo, I went shopping around for a lower end guitar. I didn't want to spend a fortune because I wasn't sure I would keep playing.

So off I went to Mars Music in Tampa. I originally settled on a Washburn Billy T, which seemed to be a nice playing cheap guitar. I played this one for about a month until one of the pickups died. When I took it back, they didn't have a replacement available so the store manager offered to trade me the Stagemaster instead straight across, which was a significantly more expensive guitar. I tried it out and have been playing it every since.

If I ever decide to go out and buy an expensive guitar, I can tell you right now that it will most definitely be an original Les Paul Gold Top. I used to have a '69.

Right now I am playing through a Fender Frontman amp (25 watts, older model) and the only other guitar I have is a Fernandes Nomad Deluxe, which is a great travel guitar. It has a built in amp, speaker and effect package that will make a gazillion sounds. I also have a Korg AX1000G ToneWorks.

There you have it.

Crispy

Pickguard Tracing

After I removed the hardware from the old white pickguard, I made the tracing as specified by Pickguards.com. Here is a photo of the tracing that, amazingly, fit on a single sheet of 8.5x11 printer paper (but barely). I used a mechanical pencil with a very fine lead to trace the old pickguard as I wanted the new pickguard to be as precisely sized as possible. The tracing went in this morning's mail, so now I wait. If an agreeable price does not come back for the job, I have several other resources to try. One way or another, this Stagemaster will have a tortoise shell pickguard.

Crispy

Disassembly Begins

I found some time last night to start taking the Stagemaster apart. Quite simple really, all I had to do was remove the strings then the 9 screws that holds the pickguard on. Here is picture of the bottom side of the pickguard with the electronics still attached. No surprises here; however, I'm almost sure I'm going to be using 250k pots instead of the 500k pots currently installed (the current crappy volume pot doesn't work anyway). I used 250k pots in my Strat and Les Paul so I'm thinking they will serve the purpose here just as well. If not, I'll put 5ook's back in.

The second photo is the electronics after removal. Kind of puts me to mind of the entrails of a gutted catfish. Removal is very simple, all you have to do is unattach everything from the pickguard and remove 3 wires, which actually attach to the guitar body itself. 2 of the wires (black and white) come from the output jack. The black wire (ground) is soldered to the housing of the volume pot, and the white is soldered to the middle pole of the volume pot.

The 3rd wire (black), is also a ground wire soldered to the volume pot's housing. The other end of the wire is fed through the guitar's body and is soldered to the tremolo's spring assembly--you have to take the guitar's back plate off to see where it is actually attached. I simply removed the solders at the volume pot where I could take the guts out.

This is all of the disassembly that is going to take place for this project. All of the electronics you see here are getting tossed. As soon as I get the new parts and pickguard, reassembly will begin. I have decided that I am not going to add a Strat style 2nd tone control. After all, this is not a Strat and I am not trying to make it into one. I will retain the original 1 volume and 1 tone control, so rewiring everything will be a breeze (I hope).

Crispy

Stagemaster Pickguards?

There ain't none! I can't find anyone who has a ready-made pickguard available for this guitar. So that means a custom job and the cost is an unknown right now. I have decided to go through Pickguards.com, but it depends on their price. I can see the finished Stagemaster in my mind, and what I am seeing is tortoise shell. That's right, tortoise shell.

Fortunately for me, Pickguards.com has the precise color tortoise shell that I can see in my mind. Above is a photo of a sample Strat pickguard taken directly from their web site. Go to this page and look for the "05 Tortoise Shell" description. It is EXACTLY the shade I want. It will look wicked against that beautiful gloss black.

You may be asking yourself, "the Stagemaster is basically a Strat copy, so why do you need to have a custom pickguard made? Why not just modify the pickup holes on a stock Strat pickguard to accommodate an HSH configuration?"

Simple, the Strat pickguard has 11 screws holding it onto the body, the Stagemaster has 9 and I am doubtful if any of the holes line up. Plus, the stock Strat pickguard will not fit around the Floyd Rose tremolo, I don't think. It sure doesn't look like it would to me.

So what is the procedure to have Pickguards.com make a pickguard? Here you go (straight from the horse's mouth):

Custom Pickguard Tracing Instructions

1) Please use only a clean, sharp-pointed writing instrument such as a pencil, pen, or fine tip roller pen. Do NOT use magic markers or anything with a wide tip.

2) Please trace carefully, top side up, on a piece of paper (standard printier/copier paper is recommended. Do NOT use napkins, tracing paper, corrugated cardboard, etc. Also, faxes and photocopies are not acceptable.

3) Please do NOT cut out the tracing once completed.

REMEMBER:

•Your custom guard can only be as good as your tracing, so take your time and follow the above instructions, as custom pickguards are NOT returnable.

•Please remember to indicate the color of the pickguard that you're requesting and provide contact information for yourself so that we may notify you of the cost of your custom guard.

Send tracings to:
WD Music Products, Inc.
Pickguard Dept.
4070 Mayflower Rd.
Fort Myers, FL 33916

So there you have it. As soon as I start taking the Stagemaster apart, which will probably be tomorrow night if time permits, the first priority will be to trace the pickguard and send the tracing to Pickguards.com for an estimate. I will post a photo or two of the finished tracing.

Crispy

The Cost to Date

So, how much is all of this going to cost? Well, I went shopping the other day and here is the total so far:

3 DiMarzio Pickups - $59.99 each
Fender Strat Knob Set (Black) - $6.99
Fender Pickup Selector Knob (Black) - $3.99
Shipping - $8.00

Total Including Sales Tax - $212.32

I know, I know, I could have gotten this stuff cheaper if I had ordered it off the web; however, I had a gift certificate for $150 at the Guitar Center in Tampa, and I couldn't use the card online. I know for a fact that I could have this stuff cheaper had I been able to shop around.

There are a few things I still have to buy, for one, the 5 way selector switch which I forgot to buy while I was at the store. The volume and tone pots, which the guy at the store forgot to charge me for. I am going to have the pickguard I want custom made because I know of no one anywhere who has a stock Stagemaster pickguard available. I don't know how much this will cost, but the white pickguard has to go. More on the pickguard in the next entry.

Assorted other stuff will be needed as well, i.e., all new screws (possibly black or gold) for the pickups and pickguard, etc., and other assorted hardware and wiring. Of course, things change and some other stuff might be required. If so, I'll pass along the details.

Crispy

Regarding F-Spaced Pickups

Remember the f-spacing issue I mentioned in an earlier entry? It is very important to get this right and I am surprised at the number of guitar players who don't even know what an f-spaced pickup is or why it is important. At any rate, I am posting a picture of my Squier's bridge pickup (please forgive the photo quality, my camera doesn't take very good closeups). You should be able to see that the strings do not line up over the pickup's pole pieces. In fact, they are not even close! This is a major problem and an f-spaced pickup compensates for this alignment issue at the bridge. The f-spaced DP213 will line up perfectly under the strings and the dimensions of the pickup are the same as a standard pickup so no modification to the pickguard is needed--although this white pickguard is not staying.

Crispy

Picking Pickups

After quite a bit of thought, I have decided to go with DiMarzio pickups for this project. I have used DiMarzios in the past (in my Les Paul Deluxe and my '73 Strat); however, I haven't used any of the models I have chosen for this project. Here are the pickups I am going with and some descriptions from the manufacturer:

Neck position, the DiMarzio PAF DP103 (Black):

Classic vintage tone without microphonic squeal.

It has a smooth, almost voice-like quality and that intangible swell to the notes after attack. It possesses vintage output and breathes freely with an open, warm character. Played flat-out through a non-master volume tube amp, the PAF re-creates the deep character of the great plug-in, turn-up and wail school of tone. Modern potting techniques and tight, consistent winding eliminates squeal and microphonics common to the originals. Here is solid tone for both neck and bridge positions.

Middle position, DiMarzio DP217 YJM (Black):

Output: 93 millivolts. DC Resistance: 23.50K. Recommended for all positions.

Bridge position, the DiMarzio PAF Joe Satriani Pickup (F-Spaced, Black)

Joe wanted a neck position humbucker that combined the best qualities of the DiMarzio PAF Pro with those of a late '50s Gibson humbucker. Joe described this tone as being "tubular". Through the use of Virtual Vintage technology, clear-sounding low frequencies are blended with warm-sounding mids and high frequencies, which makes the PAF Joe equally good for chords and single notes. It was first used by Joe throughout the 2003 G3 tour. Recommended for all positions, solid, semi-solid and hollowbody electric guitars.

Tech Talk: What does "tubular" mean? In this case, it means making low notes "speak" more clearly while giving high notes a rounder voicing. This accomplishes 2 goals: chords have better definition, and single notes at higher fret positions remain warm sounding rather than getting thinner. The PAF Joe has slightly less power than the PAF Pro does. It balances well with bridge pickups like the PAF Pro, Fred, Breed neck model, Air Norton, and Norton.

Because I have chosen pickups that I have never used before, I am going largely on the DiMarizio's descriptions of them and my positive experiences with the brand in the past. I have also exchanged e-mails with Steve from Steve's Music Center in New York who also recommended them. I have ordered the pickups from the Guitar Center on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, FL and it will take a least a couple of weeks to get them.

There you have it. As a side note, I have decided to go with black pickups. I will explain the reasoning behind the color choice in a later entry.

Crispy