I bit the bullet...

[Dave_O]

... and ordered some stuff from GFS for my hockshop queen Cort/Squier. An Alnico V "vintage" loaded pickguard (for a "classic rock and roll" gig I'll be doing)and a set of overwound pups, pots, caps and knobs to rewire the existing one. So now I just gotta break it to the Minister for Finance that I spent as much on parts as what I spent on the guitar!!!
I used it last week at a gig- it played great and the 2 point trem worked really well. Just needs an extra spring. Or maybe two, it's very sensitive. But those pups...
Realistically, I've spent the purchase price of a new "poverty pack" Squier- $300AUD, and I got a good playable gigging guitar (that's just gotta sound better than it did!) and a spare loaded pickguard. And it's gonna look pretty sweet- "olympic-ish white" with white p/g. Now all it needs is a neck with a rw fingerboard and a small headstock. And then maybe an alder body....
I think I'm in trouble here.

[Old Cane]

Then we're all in trouble, pal.

[Mid Life Crisis]

Sounds cool...look forward to seeing pics, every step of the way!

[Dave_O]

Hopefully tomorrow for some pics. Got a rehearsal, so I can get our drummer to take some piccys and put 'em on my USB stick.
Today I bought another 2 trem springs and fitted them. Much better, still got about 3mm (roughly 3/16") of float, but a little stiffer. Perfect, for me!!
While I had the trem cover off, I had a little scratch at the finish inside the trem cavity. I thought, being as how it's a Cort-made body (I think it was built to be a Squier- it's got a real Strat shape, but it's routed H/S/H... any ideas??) it would be made of plywood. But it's not. It's solid. Probably 15 pieces,... but actual timber from an actual tree! This is looking to be the bargain-bin hockshop queen of all time

And you know, I would be negligent and also arrogant if I didn't acknowledge all the help and advice I've gotten from you good folks, both here and at StratTalk.com

As a first time owner of an actual Strat-type, trad trem equipped guitar (I got a Blazer, but it's a hardtail- and those stinkin' pointy Kramers and such I had in the 80's don't count for much at all... ughhh...), your input and knowledge has been invaluable in sending me on the right path. A Strat will probably never be my #1 squeeze, but I love the potential for new tonal colours.

Geez... I love you guys........

[Dave_O]

DSC00194.jpgHere it is, the Korean hockshop queen. Please excuse the phone-quality photos
korean pawnshop queen.jpg
this ok.jpgThis looks ok...
fugly headstock.jpgthis, however... just plain fugly
two point trem.jpgThe 2 point trem works pretty damn good

[Dave_O]

neck pocket1.jpgneck fit is pretty good... just a lil' crack
neck pocket3.jpg
dicky fret.jpg2nd fret needs a bit of a dress up
lil crack.jpgtrem has been pushed into the body

[Mid Life Crisis]

Looks nice Dave. Body looks very Strat-ish. Agree about the headstock - nothing that a bit of carpentry couldn't fix though!

What is the fretboard radius?

[Dave_O]

Originally Posted by Mid Life Crisis

Looks nice Dave. Body looks very Strat-ish. Agree about the headstock - nothing that a bit of carpentry couldn't fix though!

What is the fretboard radius?

Don't know numbers-wise, but it's rather flatter than I prefer. Still, you can't have everything you want, now.....

[Dave_O]

The "Box-Full-Of-Fun Kit" #7 arrived today from GFS. I was like a kid in a toy shop until... I realized #1 son had "borrowed" my soldering iron
So, until i get it back, we play the waiting game...



"Screw the waiting game, let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos..."

Will post some new pics when I get around to it.

[Hiker]

Squier bodies evolve into Partscasters more often than I imagined.

And, good luck with the Minister of Finance.

It's better to keep your cards on the table with the wife? As my mother once said, "you boys got away with a lot-less than you thought you did as teenagers", but then, we were just kids, right? Famous last words...

[Dave_O]

Originally Posted by Hiker

Squier bodies evolve into Partscasters more often than I imagined.

And, good luck with the Minister of Finance.

It's better to keep your cards on the table with the wife? As my mother once said, "you boys got away with a lot-less than you thought you did as teenagers", but then, we were just kids, right? Famous last words...

Actually, that worked out before I told her about the purchase. She came home with a couple of bone-fugly (IMO) pictures she wanted me to put up. Cost her (Me? Us?)$100... I called that "currency". So now, all is sweet

[Dave_O]

Got my GFS delivery. A loaded pickguard (this one)
http://store.guitarfetish.com/alpiprstpiwh.html
and a set of hotter pups,
http://store.guitarfetish.com/ovstserewocr.html
3x500 meg pots and caps to rewire the old p/g, and a set of cream knobs.

The first snag- I didn't count the frets: I got a 22 fret neck, and the pg is for a 21 fret neck...D'OH!!!
new one.jpgnew one
old one.jpgold one
too much.jpgthis (black bit) has to come off
so I aint no Mr Kirn.jpgattention to detail is not my strong point...

[Dave_O]

Cover your nakedness!!!
naked cort.jpg
wired up the other set into the old 1 ply p/g...
2nd pg.jpg
did a wire swap on the other switch as well, so now I have master vol, bridge tone, middle tone
tone control mod.jpg

She had her first outing Friday night. I spent a bit of time tweaking pup heights to balance it out. It sounds how I thought it would sound... Not quite as punchy as my Tele-w-Twang Kings, and a little brighter. But the neck pup is very usable, positions 2 and 4 quack like they should, and with a little tone wound off the bridge pup it does OK as well. They may not be the best pups I've heard, but they definitely ain't the worst. A vast improvement over stock, 2 complete sets of pups for about the price of 1 aftermarket pup (talking Australian prices here...)
All up, the Korean Hockshop Queen has cost about the price of a new bottom-of-the-line Squier. But it plays pretty damn well, the trem stays in tune (played a 45 min set, checked it twice, tweaked tuners once) strung with 10-46s.

Well pleased, I am