Page 1 of 3
Free junker guitar turned stereo monster!!!!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:13 pm
by gunslinger_burrito
My neighbor randomly decided to give me this guitar today. I think he'd seen me working on my previous two projects and decided to see if I wanted it, because he said he was going to throw it out otherwise. Of course I did.
I've never heard of this guitar, and a quick google doesn't turn up hardly anything.
-Washburn "Shadow Series" strat knock-off
-Measured the neck, it seems to be of standard strat dimensions, like you could put a warmoth neck on it. The dude said he thought the neck was warped, but I think it may just need a good intonating and truss-rod adjustment. I still haven't plugged it in yet. He gave it to me like 30 minutes ago.....
I got a pile of spare pickups laying around, but no single coils. A while back Sonny traded me a cool bass pickup that I've always wanted to throw in something....and I have a handful of oddball HBs..... If the neck doesn't need straight up replacing, I'd like to try some weird shit on this one. Unless you gaiz know where I can get a strat-dimensioned neck for cheapz. I'm moving in a few weeks, so I can't spend much on this, at least right now.
Y'all got some suggestimications?
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:51 pm
by AxAxSxS
First thing I would do is get that pick guard off and see what kind of route it has. If it's a swimming pool route then the sky's the limit as far as what you could put in there. Of course you can always route it out but thats just less work.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 10:17 pm
by gunslinger_burrito
It's a swimming pool!

Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 10:42 pm
by The4455
Put that bass Pickup in the neck position!
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 10:50 pm
by gunslinger_burrito
The4455 wrote:Put that bass Pickup in the neck position!
WORD.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 11:36 pm
by AxAxSxS
Let the fun times roll! You should just put all kinds of bizarro pups in there with a ton of mini toggles to turn em all on and off. You should put a pup on the trem strings too! Always wanted to see what that sounds like.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:48 am
by gunslinger_burrito
AxAxSxS wrote: You should put a pup on the trem strings too! Always wanted to see what that sounds like.
How do you mean?
In addition to the humbuckers and the bass Pup, I have a set of Pbass Pups, the split-style ones. I kinda want to wire in another jack and a toggle switch or something so that I can run stereo from a bass pup and guitar HB at the same time.... I figure I should try all this shit out on a junker before I try it on something "serious" someday.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:55 am
by morange
He meant trem springs, maybe, like a sort of onboard reverb? It might be pretty high piched and squeely, since the springs are so tight.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:57 am
by Achtane
Mmmmm, I think it'd be more like just being able to hear the springs go KRR-KRR-KRR as you use the vibrato. You could tape a contact mic up in thurr, too.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:05 am
by morange
They exchange energy with the bridge at least a little, but yeah, the arm noise would probably be a lot louder.
Yeah I wonder what a contact mic on the bridge block on the inside would sound like.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:34 am
by The4455
How could we possibly forget the best modification of all!
ILF STICKER!
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:49 am
by AxAxSxS
SPRINGS! DAMMIT I MEANT SPRINGS!
Toan saecrats-

Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:24 pm
by gunslinger_burrito
Tore the thing apart today. Upon closer inspection, the neck
is a little warped..... BUT the scale and neck pocket are pretty much to exact Fender Strat specs..... I'm gonna go hunting for a crap guitar from the pawn shop or something. Hopefully there's something out there with a non-strat headstock.....
Also, the bridge is a little weird. Is it common to have strat-style tremolos that just screw into the body? Maybe I'm spoiled having a G&L as my actual strat-style axe...but it seems like you'd want something mounted in between the bridge and the body
So I'm going to fuck with that, too.
I'm playing with this mockup, at least until I get a couple different parts
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:27 pm
by Gone Fission
Classic six-screw Strat trems are screwed right in. Standard stuff. You could always get a cheapie Wilkinson and sink mounting posts in if you want a more modern setup. If you want a direct replacement six-screw, watch the string spacing and screw spacing. 10.5 mm spring spacing is entirely different from vintage Fender and not well served in the replacement parts market.
Re: Free junker score!!!!
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 9:43 pm
by AxAxSxS
you want to leave a little play in the screws though with the end ones setting the height. the bridge should be able to pivot on the screws.