Planning new partscaster. Comments welcome

I am someone who needs a creative outlet. I often play fingerstyle (and choose the neck pickup when I do and play it clean). So this would be a pretty niche guitar, but one I'd play a lot.

Warmoth Jazzmaster body and 24.75" scale length neck (9.5" radius) made out of roasted maple. Because I just tend to be more comfortable with the 24.75" scale.

Bigsby (because I don't have any guitar with vibrato) and single neck pickup (Mojo UK gold foil or Lollar). I have tried JM trems and Bigsbys at GC and prefer the Bigsby feel. Warmoth body is routed for JM, but there is a Vibromate adapter.

Floating bridge (Tru-Arc Serpentune on a floating base -- their stud bases are set up for TOM spacing). After reading tons about Mustang bridges, Mastery's, hard to find Staytrems, the Tru-Arc may be the winner.

I generally hate the idea of reliced guitars, but I bought a beat up 1980 Les Paul Firebrand and love it. I'd ideally lightly sandblast the body and then stain it medium brown (or Wudtone dark amber). I don't want to relic it, but I'd like it to look like time-worn without overt aging.

Tone and bass-contour and maybe a Jazzmaster tone shift circuit (so I can use 500k pots).

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks for comment. I usually play with my pinkie as an anchor (but for flat picking I lightly rest my palm on the bridge). I do have the Les Paul, and the TOM bridge is fine too. What is it about the Bigsby that you don't like and would any trem system change that?

I usually find that it can take me many hours to get comfortable with something new, and I don't feel like spending several hours per week at the local GC. Yes, this is an expensive way to experiment, but it also will help me scratch that creative itch.

 

Oops, I meant to put this in the Home Depot forum. Sorry if this is the wrong place!

 

The one complaint I hear about the Mustang bridge is uses the vintage Fender string spacing of 2-3/16" which puts the strings too close to the edge of the fretboard. Sounds like you have no issue with it. Hard to believe if it was a big deal Fender wouldn't have fixed it in the first 50 years they were selling them.