Baritone Jazzmaster- First Build

DieterDeux

DieterDeux

Junior Member
Messages
69
Hey there, brand new to the community and getting ready for my first full build. Very appreciative of all the resources here. Lots to learn but this is going to be fun!

I've done one partscaster so far. This started as a Monoprice Indio Classic ($100 Chinese Strat copy). Wanted something super cheap to practice on, and after swapping nearly everything out on it, doing some fretwork and neck sanding, it's one of my favorite guitars. For a $100 guitar, the neck is great! It's got all American standard hardware with a 920D loaded Brian May pickguard (Burns TriSonics, individual pickup switches and phase switching).
Strat.jpg


So now, for my quarantine build, I wanted to go for something completely unlike anything else in my collection that might inspire some new sounds. The idea is a baritone Jazzmaster. Will likely go Mastery bridge/trem, Lollar P90s for Jazzmaster. I've probably built 200 guitars in the Warmoth app and one thing I keep coming back to is this blue shell pickguard, so I wanted to build something around that. Still trying to decide on the neck, but whatever I choose it'll have the abalone fret dots to match the pickguard.

AllRose.png
Birdseye.png
Roasted.png
RoseMaple.png


I definitely prefer rosewood fingerboards to finished maple (that's all I've really tried for any extended period). I do like that the birdseye maple kind of echos the swirls in the pickguard but it'd have to be finished. Raw roasted intrigues me but I don't think I love the color on this particular guitar. I think, today anyway, I'm leaning toward the all rosewood option. Wish there were more neck shape options on baritones, because I'm eager to try out an asymmetrical neck.

Probably be (at least) a few weeks before I get this started, and I'm sure I'll have lots of questions along the way. Join me on the journey!
~Deet

 
Cool I'm building something similar except Strat hybrid body. I built a Warmoth baritone years ago and the only thing I wish they'd do is make the truss rod adjustment available at the headstock because as it stands you still need to take off the neck to adjust the truss rod on Warmoth's baritone neck. I can't say I like the look of roasted maple myself, it has to be in the right context I think but I haven't seen where I can really like the look of roasted maple. That sucks because my main interest in roasted maple was the strength it would maybe add to the neck for a baritone neck as in theory it would need adjustments less which means I'd have to take the neck off less to adjust that dang truss rod *sigh*
 
Interesting, yeah was reading your thread. I hadn't really been looking at reverse headstock, but good to know you were frustrated by it.

You remember what neck profile you've got? I've been bouncing back and forth on thin/59 roundback. I typically like thinner necks, but I was a little nervous about the extra tension on a baritone. Knowing what a PITA it is to adjust the truss rod makes me even more nervous.
 
I have the thin profile neck on the W bari I made about 10 years ago. Birds eye maple neck rosewood board and SS frets done by Mike Lull (RIP). Honestly it's held up fine and really I haven't had to take the neck off *that* much in 10 years to adjust the truss rod - just hate when I do. This thin regular profile is what I will be getting on this new neck too. I use light EXL157 14|68 baritone strings though as the lighter strings make the baritone feel and play more like a regular strat, and I tune to A# standard - so Bb like my 5-string bass and my regular strat tuned to Eb, they're all in relative tune with each other. I've always loved reverse headstocks but avoid it especially with a baritone that doesn't have the Tilt back headstock because now what you've done is you've reversed the order of the tuning keys and guess which strings now require string trees.. big fat *wound* stings (which wouldn't fit in roller trees), whereas if I had gotten the regular headstock then only the two highest unwound strings would have needed a string tree, like usual. Just didn't consider that, and as a whammy user it's just another thing to contend with.
 
Also if you like blue shell pickguard there's this too https://www.pickguardplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/color-147-blue-candy-crush.jpg
 
[Great minds think alike ... you might be interested in this ... if you like the blue shell.
The turquoise dots match well.  Abalone would work too, though I think abalone is more green with a touch of grey with a hint of blue.
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30424.msg438408#msg438408
and this
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=31537.msg443695#msg443695
You'll note the blue shell is more silvery and more blue than as defined in mockups
index.php

index.php

index.php

index.php
 
That's an awesome guitar Rick, you got the tiIt back *reverse* strat headstock w/ no trees needed and looks like vintage tint! My build will be very similar in color and as I'm doing *all* nickel hardware I even managed to source a Gotoh 510 trem in a nickel-plated finish which is very rare in that finish. And I like a guy who's not afraid to use a cool pickguard design *other* than MINT GREEN lol. If you search "what color pickguard goes best with XXX color strat" 95+% of the responses insist on mint green - doesn't matter what color the guitar lol.

This was the guard I was gonna get back (couple weeks ago) when I was all but settled on Sherwood green (I'm settled on seafoam green now)
https://www.pickguardplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/colors-218-oc.jpg

Was also gonna get this and might still for seafoam green https://www.pickguardplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/colors-210.jpg

And this https://www.pickguardplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/colors-214.jpg

They've got a lot of guard designs to choose from https://www.pickguardplanet.com/colors/
 
rick2 said:
[Great minds think alike
Click to expand...

Wow, definitely in a similar vein, no doubt. That pickguard really looks different than in the app, doesn't it? I still like it, but it's super different. Funny because I've seen it available on other websites and it looks the same as on Warmoth's.  :icon_scratch:
 
You can ask for free pick guard swatches.  Then you'll know for sure.  It's on the warmoth website somewhere.  You get three and it removes the guess work.
 
Cool, I've ordered my pickguard swatches. Thanks for the tip, Rick.

I'm getting pretty settled on the all rosewood neck visually, but just came upon something I hadn't thought of in a different thread: weight. Am I setting myself up for punishment doing an all rosewood baritone neck? Now, I'm a bass player first, so a little extra weight and a longer neck doesn't scare me too much, but how much are we talking here? Do I need a heavier body to keep the balance right? Was planning on alder, but want to make sure this feels OK.

If I don't go for rosewood, what's a recommended alternative? Would rather not finish it if possible. I suppose I could do a roasted maple with a rosewood veneer on the headstock. Are there other good raw necks that have a similar dark brooding look?
 
Just one note.  My headstock is straight and I'm using hipshot staggered tuners.  As for fretboard wood just pick something that looks or feels good to you.  I think an all gonçalo neck would be nice.
 
Another question- what hardware do I need to buy to mount Jazzmaster pickups? I've never owned one so don't have one to reference. Looks similar to humbucker wood mount. If I buy from Lollar will it come with the necessary hardware?
 
Jazzmaster pickups do indeed mount the same way as a P90 or yes, a wood-mount humbucker:  A bit of springy foam underneath, with screws directly into the body.
 
Thanks, so screws like this?

https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware/screws-and-springs/humbucker-mounting-ring-screws.html

I don't see anything specifically saying "wood mount".
 
Ordered! Now begins the painful waiting period. Very excited

Body
Model: Jazzmaster®
Orientation: Right handed
F-Holes: None
Scale: 25-1/2"
Wood: Mahogany
Rout: Top Rout
Pickup Rout: Standard Jazzmaster®, None (Middle), Standard Jazzmaster®
Controls: None
Bridge: Standard Jazzmaster® Bridge And Tremolo
Jack Rout: No Side Jack Hole
Neck Pocket: Strat® Shape
Mounting Holes: Standard 4 Bolt
Contours: Contoured Heel / Tummy Cut / Forearm Contour
Top Finish: Daphne Blue
Back Finish: Daphne Blue
Finish Type: Gloss Finish

Neck
Style: Stratocaster®
Construction: Baritone Scale (28-5/8") Conversion
Orientation: Right Handed
Neck Wood: Indian Rosewood
Fingerboard Wood: Indian Rosewood
Nut Width: 1-11/16"
Back Shape: Standard thin
Fret Size: 6150
Tuner Ream: Sperzel (25/64")
Radius: 10-16" Compound
Scale: 28-5/8" Conversion
Fret #: 24
Mounting Holes: Standard 4 Bolt
Pre-Cut Installed String Nut: GraphTech White TUSQ XL - Standard Nut
Inlays: Abalone Face Dots
Side Dots: White Side Dots

It’s going to get Fender locking tuners, oversized strap pins, a full Mastery setup, blue shell pickguard, Gunstreet modern wiring harness, and Lollar P90s. Excited to join the cool kids club. Maybe. If I pass inspection.
 
OK, parts have arrived, well before I was expecting them. Hadn't quite gotten myself organized for their arrival yet. Will post pics to the arrival thread shortly.

In the meantime a couple of questions I've been mulling:
1. All rosewood neck- is burnishing the way to go? Not sure why it'd be any different, but I've never done it on any neck before, much less rosewood.
2. Headstock decal- I hadn't ordered one because it'd mean I'd have to probably seal the face of the rosewood headstock, apply the label, and then reseal. Seems like it would kill the entire point of that raw rosewood look. Anyone have a different experience and want to talk me into it? Is the sealing mandatory? I assume so if you want it to survive any abuse.
 
I'm watching this - I also have a baritone jazzmaster, but wondering what strings you're going to run... and I found that the string length is problematic - the E string can be too short on some sets.
 
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