Buddha's mod projects

[Mr. Leyvatone]

Jay Turser Rosewood Tele

The control cavity was a pita so I did have to sand a little to accommodate full size pots and the US style 3 way was making contact at the bottom so I had to drill that out.

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My SX Furrian has the same control cavity issue. I started to widen it to accommodate full size pots, then gave up because I was worried about destroying the finish. So I resigned to using the cheap mini pots on a GFS kwikplug harness. They do a fine job, but I can’t help but cringe every time I think of that ugly pot metal just waiting to fail in there. It seems strange to me that they wouldn’t just take out the extra few mm of width and depth when milling it. Perhaps every turn of the router adds up at SX production scale…

[tobijohn]

My SX Furrian has the same control cavity issue. I started to widen it to accommodate full size pots, then gave up because I was worried about destroying the finish. ..

FWIW, I use a Dremel style tool and grind the area of the cavity that the full-size pot comes in contact with but only from the bottom of the cavity up to the height of the full-sized pot's body, so there's kind of a cavern/overhang effect in the side of the cavity and the surface finish is not disturbed. I've had to do this at least a dozen times on primarily LP and Tele style guitars and 1/4" is the most I've had to remove.

[Buddha Pickups]

My SX Furrian has the same control cavity issue. I started to widen it to accommodate full size pots, then gave up because I was worried about destroying the finish. ..

FWIW, I use a Dremel style tool and grind the area of the cavity that the full-size pot comes in contact with but only from the bottom of the cavity up to the height of the full-sized pot, so there's kind of a cavern/overhang effect in the side of the cavity and the surface finish is not disturbed. I've had to do this at least a dozen times on primarily LP and Tele style guitars and 1/4" is the most I've had to remove.

If its covered up by a pickguard or the control plate, i don't really care.
I dont have a router so I use a dremel with a sandpaper bit or a cutting wheel or my drill with various forstner bits

[Buddha Pickups]

IYV spalted Tele
Grabbed this off ebay in the $80-100 range.

Mods include
Shielded cavities
Treble bleed mod
US style 3 way
Bourns 500k push pull pots
Volume splits the humbuckers
Tone does in series out of phase
.015 pio cap
Roller saddles
Switchcraft jack
For the humbuckers, I don't remember what magnets I used but were wound with 42.5awg wire (I'll have to look in the future)

[Buddha Pickups]

Squier Bullet Strat

Started life as an HSS but I changed the guard to an HS. I thought about going single humbucker but decided to add the neck mustang single. I am out of regular push pull pots so these are dual gang push pull pots that I don't quite know to get all I can out of them yet. I used a white switch tip to match the humbucker. I initially was going to go with a white neck pickup cover but opted for black.

Mods include
Treble bleed mod
.015 pio cap
500k bourns push pulls
Master volume pulled splits humbucker with a 6.8k resistor
Master tone pulled does in series out of phase
US style 3 way
Switchcraft jack
Cavities shielded
Neck a5 mustang single 7250 43awg
Bridge humbucker ceramic 7000ea 44awg waxed

[Buddha Pickups]

Squier Cyclone
The switch kept grounding out in the cavity as this originally had a cheap box switch so I had to route out a little in the cavity around the the switch to accommodate the Switchcraft style.

Mods include
Treble bleed mod
.05 petp cap
Bourns pots (250 or 500, not sure)
3 way Switchcraft style switch
Neck push pull splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
Bridge push pull does series/out of phase
Switchcraft jack
Neck a5 43awg 7350 short jazzmaster height
Bridge a5 rod magnets 5000 42.5awg
Cavities shielded

[Buddha Pickups]

GearIT Thinline style Tele
This was about $80 with a coupon on Amazon. I may grab the Sunburst as well.
I forgot to add the treble bleed cap so I'll have to do that next time I change the strings.
Only cosmetic change was a white p90 cover and a white switch tip.

Mods include
Cavities shielded
500k push pull pots
.047 pio cap
US style 3 way
Switchcraft jack
Neck a5 rod style p90
Bridge wrhb humbucker a5
Tone pot does in series/ out of phase
Volume splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor

[tobijohn]

Wouldn't it be great if these import sellers offered a finished body/neck option?

[Buddha Pickups]

Wouldn't it be great if these import sellers offered a finished body/neck option?

I know I'm not near your numbers (I'm under 150), I really don't need more ways to buy more gear.
My time hunting bstocks at rondo back in the day made me a sucker for anytime I see a good deal.
I miss those days of $199 al3k bstocks

[tobijohn]

I know I'm not near your numbers (I'm under 150), I really don't need more ways to buy more gear.
My time hunting bstocks at rondo back in the day made me a sucker for anytime I see a good deal.
I miss those days of $199 al3k bstocks

I'm just grateful I'm not right-handed. If I was, I'd probably be over a thousand by now and standing on a freeway exit ramp with a handwritten cardboard sign saying "Will work for guitar parts." I'd probably have to sleep standing up, too...

[Buddha Pickups]

IYV Mustang

Mustang with a Jazz trem was a worthwhile gamble. They were blowing these out on ebay a year or so ago for like 80 bucks. A curveball I wasn't prepared for was the switches being jaguar on on switches not the normal onoffon or ononon/ not sure the technical term. Not crazy about how I wired it up but I drew a blank and couldn't find any diagrams for a mustang with these switches instead of the regular ones.

Mods include
Cavities shielded
Treble bleed mod
Switches wired to phase each pickup
Volume push pull to turn off the bridge pickup
250k pots
.022 cap
Switchcraft jack
A5 neck 8k turns 42.5awg
A5 bridge 8k turns 43awg

[Buddha Pickups]

Firefly DC Gray burst flame

Grabbed one of these recently as well. Couldn't say no to a silverburst ish Double cut.
Mods include
Light weight aluminum stop tail
500k bourns pots
Neck tone push pull does inseries/out of phase
Bridge tone push pull splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
Cavities shielded
Switchcraft jack
.015 pio caps
Treble bleed mods
Speed knobs
Custom poker chip
Neck 1/4" a5 rod magnets 8000 42.5 awg
Bridge mini hum 6750x2 44awg a5x2 firebird foil style

[Buddha Pickups]

Epiphone Melody Maker

Think this was about $100, got it shortly after they came out. The tuners need replacing but I guess I'll change them next string change. The pickups are strat style but strat covers didn't quite fit but the mustang style did so I went with it. Will probably file the opening a little next time to accommodate strat covers.

Mods include
Wilkinson stop tail
250k bourns pots
Switchcraft jack
Master volume master tone
Treble bleed mod
Cavities shielded
.05 petp cap
Neck a5/a2 8000 42hfv
Bridge a8 10000 43spn
Cream plastics

[tonebender]

I like the looks if that FF double cut.

[Buddha Pickups]

Jackson JS23
Made in India. Took me off guard to have a guitar made there..
Fairly heavy for a strat style body.

Mods include
Treble bleed
.022 Russian petp cap
Shielded cavities
Roller saddles
US 5 way
Switchcraft jack
500k bourns push pull pots
Master volume splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
Master tone does Gilmour mod
Neck 7500 43 awg a5
Middle 8500 43 awg a5
Bridge 6000 x 2 a5 with ceramic flanker

[golem]

Nice!

[Buddha Pickups]

Another $70 GearIT Thinline
I went with a 5 way switch just to be different.
Forgot to do my normal Treble bleed mod so I'll need to remind myself to go back and do that next string change.

Mods include
Roller saddles
Shielded cavities
Switchcraft jack
US 5 way (neck, oop, bridge, parallel, neck with cap)
Bourns 500 pots, tone push pull
.022 Russian petp cap
Neck mini hum a5 4000, 4100 43awg
Bridge 1/4" a5 mags, 10000 42.5awg
Master tone splits the mini with a 6.8k resistor

[Buddha Pickups]

IYV p90 semi hollow Tele
Not a ton of figuring on this one as it's a bit dark but it was under $100 so I can't complain.
Rewiring this one gave me fits cause the body is so shallow inside. I had to pull it back out and redo it 3 times. I may change the knobs eventually to cream speed knobs or put the stock chrome knobs back.
For the mods;
I installed 500k bourns push pull pots, switchcraft jack, shielded cavities, Treble bleed, .015 orange cap, US style 3 way. For the pickups it has an a4 7.5k neck wound with 7750 turns of 43awg wire. Bridge is a firebird mini with dual a5 magnets and wound to 8k with 43awg wire, 4100 and 4200 turns. Master volume splits the mini with a 6.8k resistor and master tone does in series/out of phase.

[Buddha Pickups]

Cozart 12 string
12 strings are a pain to restring and keep in tune.
I think this was 125ish on a best offer option on ebay around 5 to 10 years ago.
For mods I installed Bourns 500k volume and 250k tones. Bridge tone push pull for Gilmour 7 way. .047 pio cap. Need to check my wiring next time as the neck/middle tone is grounding to be a volume instead of a tone. I didn't feel like taking it all apart redoing it so I'll do it next string change.
Cavities shielded, US style 5 way, Treble bleed, switchcraft jack.
Pickups are an a3 neck wound with 7500 turns of 42 heavy formvar, middle a4 wound with 7750 turns of 42 heavy formvar, bridge a5 wound with 8000 turns of 43 heavy formvar. All waxed. Middle rwrp.

[tonebender]

Oh boy, a P90 and a mini him in a semi hollow. That would be a versatile unit there.

[Buddha Pickups]

Oh boy, a P90 and a mini him in a semi hollow. That would be a versatile unit there.

And it's firebird style so it's got plenty of oomph from the 2 magnets.

[Buddha Pickups]

Indio 0S30

Got this for $80 shipped a few months or so ago.
My first time making a mini like this. My counter finally failed after 10 years of use so i had to use my best guess on # of winds on the pickups.

Mods include
Cavities shielded
500k bourns push pull pots
.047 pio cap
Treble bleed mod
US style 3 way
Switchcraft jack
Master volume splits the mini with 6.8k resistor
Master tone does in series out of phase
Neck p90 ~8500 turns 42.5awg a3 magnets
Mini bridge ~4500 ea 43awg a5 magnet
Both waxed

[Buddha Pickups]

Highlander Spalted Les Paul
There can be only one
The Highlander logo on the headstock came off pretty easily over time. I've had this at least 15ish years. The bridge is bottomed out so I may have to recess the bridge posts but the action is pretty good so I'll play it by ear.

Mods include
Shielded cavities
Treble bleed mod
.015 pio cap
US 5 way
Bourns master volume 500k
Bourns master tone 500k push pull
Single switch to switch Gilmour mod on/off
Bridge push pull splits the humbucker with 6.8k resistor
Lightweight stop tail from WD
Nashville tune o matic
Switchcraft jack
Neck p90 a5 7800 43awg
Middle a5 single 8250 43awg
Bridge a5 and ceramic 6000ea 43awg
Wax potted
Speed knobs
Grover tuners

[Buddha Pickups]

Xavier BFG style
Don't recall the model number.
Humbucker bridge and p90 neck is my favorite combo so I've always loved these. I had a red one at some point that I eventually sold but this one remains.

Mods include
Shielded cavities
Treble bleed mod
.01 pio cap
500k bourns pots
US style 4 way (series, neck, parallel, bridge)
Master tone splits the humbucker
Graph tech black nickel bridge
Neck p90 9500 turns 43awg a5
Bridge 6500 43awg and 44h with ceramic and a flanker
Switchcraft jack

[Buddha Pickups]

SX SJM Ash

Mods include
Cavities shielded
Treble bleed mod
.022 petp cap
500k bourns push pull pots
Master volume splits humbucker with 6.8k resistor
Master tone does in series out of phase
Switchcraft jack
US style 3 way
Neck a4 p90 8500 turns 42.5
Bridge TV Jones Classic Plus with custom cover made by myself