Alright... Made up my mind.

[Volitions Advocate]

Funny how you just have to nitpick and and nitpick till you finally decide to pull the trigger.

Here's my first mockup.  Done on a piece of graph paper from work.
Comments/Suggestions/Critisisms/flaming for using a top route. all welcome.

I Forgot to draw in knobs. and I put the 7-way in the wrong spot.  I figure going from Left to Right Ive got Jack, Tone, Volume, then the 7 way switch on the lower horn, and the kill switch on the upper one.  I realize its going to be a little crowded but jazz masters usually have tons of crap in them.  This'll be more like a "super jazzocaster"  The only thing I'm not sure about is if I can even do that wiring job, i know theres a 7 way switch SOMEWHERE, I've seen it before but I can't seem to find it on StewMac and I can't remember where else to look.  Or whether or not it'll fit in there.

I'm not sure what Tuning heads to use. or exactly what color Pickguard I shoudl use.  Some form of pearloid unless you guys have a better suggestion.
What do you think would give me more bang for my buck?  An LSR? or a Graphite with Locking tuners?

And I know theres another thread going on right now but. What exactly is needed for installation of an LSR?  Gregg said it was easy to do with the set up option W does but what do you need to actually install it?  Screws? Glue?

Thanks in advance.

 

[LarsXI]

The jazzmaster shape is really nice. Very sharp and not too common. Pearloid is a good choice as long as you're sold on it, the idea of it has grown on me, personally. Maybe the cream "vintage pearl" would look good if you plan for it. Reverse CBS will look good.

As far as wiring goes, I think it will be worth it to be ambitious right from the start like that. Although maybe separate toggle switches for each pickup would make it easier to assemble and deal with while playing. The killswitch will cause trouble if it's set up funny, so watch for that. Mine is really ungraceful, pops and lets a lot of signal through.

Look up Sperzel tuners, they're staggered for better trem action - no string tree.

Also, visit TremKing's website if you haven't already.

It's a shame the reception has been cold, this is a great concept. Really appeals to me on a lot of levels. Not stale at all. I look forward to seeing pictures.

 

[m4rk0]

sounds like a great plan!
not too crazy about flake finishes...but I am sure the endresult will be really cool.
I would go for no pg, and if you do white pearloid.
are you going for a traditional jazzmaster trem? does that system actually work?

 

[Volitions Advocate]

sorry I should've been more descriptive
I'll be using a Wilkinson Tremolo

 

[Volitions Advocate]

Alright. heres a better mockup. (sorry about the size.

If i use a 5 way instead of a 7 then I'd go with the traditional strat style pickup selector with the upper toggle being the coiltap.

Anybody had experience with the 7 way ultraswitch or whatever its called?
If i could. I'd love to get a Korina neck with a maple fretboard..  I'll have to call W to ask what the cost on that would be if they'd do it.

 

[Kostas]

If i use a 5 way instead of a 7 then I'd go with the traditional strat style pickup selector with the upper toggle being the coiltap.

Anybody had experience with the 7 way ultraswitch or whatever its called?
If i could. I'd love to get a Korina neck with a maple fretboard..  I'll have to call W to ask what the cost on that would be if they'd do it.

Probably they won't do maple on korina. If you want the maple look consider canary, ask for the whitest canary!

If you use 5-way consider push-push instead of push-pull, it works easier.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The LSR is an easy thing to install.  There are two screws that come with it to install it.  The nut slot has to be cut a bit different for it.  The prep that Warmoth does has the holes for the screws and the slot done for you and everything is in the right spot.  You just add the shims that come with it under the nut until the strings are the correct height off the board.  You do not have to mess with filing anything which is nice.  It really is a no brainer type install.  I know that Jack has one build with one, you might ask for his opinion on it.
Patrick

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Narly, Hoping thats the right word for it.

 

[jackthehack]

Several notes:

1.) I never actually installed an LSR; I used an import finished neck on the one build I did with one and had to have my guy cut the shelf for me and install it. Be VERY careful opening the package, as the shims are extremely tiny and easy to lose and really hard to replace if you need another. The LSR definitely adds to the "twanginess" factor of the guitar, I really don't care for that much personally.
2.) Think the StewMac switch you're referring to is their "Megaswitch" series, it's not a 7-way, but a 5-way with different option than a normal 5-way; or are you thinking of the "SuperSwitch", which is more like a multi-path rotary in a 5-way form factor:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/1/Super_Switch/Instructions/I-3200.html#details

3.) What are you planning to use for the P90/lipstick PUs? A potential problem is that most lipsticks have relatively low output and may not blend well with the other PUs. Have you sued a lipstick before? They sound at best like a thinner vintage Strat single coil. Just my personal taste, but the 3 different PU design looks a little "busy"; have you thought about an S-S-H setup? You could use a P90 in SC config like an RG Dirty Harry in the neck; something else real different in middle and the RG BBQ at bridge; could clean up the look of the design a lot.
4.) Warmoth isn't going to put a maple fretboard on anything other than a maple neck, from what I've seen on numerous posts on the subject. Canary is an alternative, but there is marginal difference in tone from using a maple neck.

 

[Soloshchenko]

I would second something like a Dirty Harry in the middle instead of the lipstick one. You will probably hear a clear volume drop with that PU. Also, the Dirty Harry and DH Jr are in my opinion, the greatest pickups known to man! Hardly anyone on here seems to have installed any but they are just the ballsiest, bluesiest bastards I have ever heard.

Great design tho, Jazzmasters with proper trems that work are the holy grail!!!!

 

[Volitions Advocate]

well basically I want this to be a real workhorse guitar.  Thats why i'm debating about the maple neck.  I want it to give  me the growly rock tones as well as work nicely for bluesy kind of riffs.
My telecaster has 2 P90s in it and despite being an ash guitar with a maple neck its really growly and awesome for blues soloin on the neck pup.  So thats why I wanted the p90 in the neck because I love how it sounds.  The BBQ pup was the idea I had because I want to get aa close as I can to sounding like a LP straight up rock guitar, i know it wont be quite there. but close enough Is all I want. and then basicaly the middle pup was going to be for nice clean tone.  I love the way my strat sounds on the mid pup. sounds great for the sparkly stuff, not too twangy and not to thuddy.  A friend of mine put a lipstick in his tele and he thought it was awesome... mind you I looked at it and then looked at some pics and I realize that a lipstick is not really what I thought it was.  To clarify... A lipstick is like a traditional tele neck pup right?  Thats not something i realized until just yesterday.  let me know if i'm wrong.

So basically I want the bridge pup for the hard rock. the mid pup for the sparkly cleans that will cut through when playing with a guy whos got the distiortion balls out:
ala: Lostprophets-Last Train Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lL-I40d0uo
and a good P90 in the neck for when I'm soloing and playing slide.

Would the dirty harry be good for loud but clear clean tones in the mid position?

 

[jackthehack]

Sound clips of the Strat SC sized Dirty Harry/DirtyHarry Jr. on this page; you be the judge:

http://www.riograndepickups.com/sounds.htm

 

[koshersteel]

I've never seen a 7-way switch but if you find one please include a link.