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Mahogany Jaguar *completed* Pics pg 5-6

tylereot said:
Cagey: you don't really have shorts with this kind of thing if you use the cloth push-back wire. 
Click to expand...

Sure you do. It's the worst insulation in the world. Extremely easy to perforate, as it's essentially already perforated and has about as much surface tension as gym socks. The only place you see it is in guitars, and there only because of legacy silliness. The rest of the world stopped using it in houses/appliances/cars/etc. about 75 years ago. Leo only used it because he was a skinflint and was probably able to buy it by the trainload for next to nothing as surplus after WWII. Now it's considered "vintage", as if that's a Good Thing. Some builders still like to use it because you can "push back" the insulation, but there's such a thing as wire strippers and they're pretty inexpensive. Makes using good wire pretty easy.
 
Cagey said:
tylereot said:
Cagey: you don't really have shorts with this kind of thing if you use the cloth push-back wire. 
Click to expand...

Sure you do. It's the worst insulation in the world. Extremely easy to perforate, as it's essentially already perforated and has about as much surface tension as gym socks. The only place you see it is in guitars, and there only because of legacy silliness. The rest of the world stopped using it in houses/appliances/cars/etc. about 75 years ago. Leo only used it because he was a skinflint and was probably able to buy it by the trainload for next to nothing as surplus after WWII. Now it's considered "vintage", as if that's a Good Thing. Some builders still like to use it because you can "push back" the insulation, but there's such a thing as wire strippers and they're pretty inexpensive. Makes using good wire pretty easy.
Click to expand...

I dunno, three guitars done by a complete nincompoop when it comes to electronics, and no problems with it so far.  Yeah, I've got wire strippers.  But since air is the best electrical insulator, this stuff seems to be working just fine for me.
You ought to see what David Myka does with the stuff in his axes.
 
Right. The voltage in a guitar cavity is so low there's no chance of any arcing. But, if you get a sharp point from a bit of solder or a wire whisker or stamping flash on a terminal, it can poke through the insulation pretty easily. You don't have that problem with modern thermoplastic/rubber/pvc insulation. On the other hand, if you do use wire more appropriate to the task, it's so fine it's a real pain in the ass to work with.
 
Well, it fits, and it all seems to work, so far....

Body-Assembled-12-20-13a_zps3359c78f.jpg


:tard:
 
that is def a beauty. I love the shape of those bodies. working on a jazzcaster myself. Looking forward to see how this one turns out.
 
High praise from these guys!  Thanks!

I got the headstock together, neck on, strung up and a brief shakedown cruise this morning.  She's got some quirks, as you might imagine.
But lemme tell ya, Ken makes some wicked pickups!!  I got honey drippin' outta me ears.
With the three pickups and rhythm circuit, the tonz are just EVERYwhere, and all distinct, and all usable.  Some stratty, some jaggy, the neck is even a little jazzmastery.
Obviously, it's about as well shielded as is possible, and NOTHING hums.

I need to shim the neck ever so slightly, and check out an issue with the trem rubbing a bit.  The tone control is almost completely useless, actually it seems to affect volume more than tone  :icon_scratch:, but the rhythm circuit works great.  The volume control works as advertized, but if you turn it just beyond full quiet, it comes back on again!  It's almost like a kill switch effect.  :icon_scratch:
 
tylereot said:
I need to shim the neck ever so slightly, and check out an issue with the trem rubbing a bit. 
Click to expand...

I see you used a "Fender" vibrato unit. I know exactly where it's rubbing internally. I had the same problem with Tipperman's Jag. The problem is the little nub they carve out to relieve for the trem lock button...

RawJagBody.jpg

Warmoth sells that unit without the lock (probably because it's worse than useless), so they don't have the problem. They also drill the mounting screw holes for you, so you can't easily adjust position. So, if you use the Fender part, you'll have to route that little nub out a little farther in the direction of the bridge. For as small a job as that seems to be, it's no fun, lemme tell you. You'll have to use a free-running mortise bit (unless you have a template), so the chances of the router getting away from you are higher than usual.

If you undertake to fix the problem, be sure to test the action of the vibrato unit before restringing. My memory isn't good enough to say whether I had to route along that forward wall as well. If I did, it was probably only a sixteenth or so. In any event, better now than later once you've got the thing back apart. If you're not comfortable playing with a router (or don't have one), I'd recommend just buying Warmoth's version of the unit. You can always put the Fender part on eBay.
 
Ah, not so dramatic, I expect.  I had a similar problem with the AVRI unit on the bass VI, and just a little dremel/drum sanding where it rubbed on the wood, and it's smooth as glass now.
This is actually the Korean part that goes into the "MIM" Fenders.  Nice bit is that the handle screws into it so it stays where you want it when you're playing.
The thing about that lock button is that if you get the thing really set up, so the spring and the string tension align, there's a great balance in how it plays.  Wronski showed me that setup trick.  I'm still not completely sold that it's as good as the Wilkinson 'strat' whammy on my Warmoth Jm.
WT1B.jpg
 
Ok, a Family Portrait!  Goes well with the mural in the garage, no?  Thing is TOUGH to photograph.
Whole-Kit-10-13_zpsf43fce26.jpg
 
Trying to catch the "pickup switch shooting off rays of electric butterscotch" as one forum wag put it so well...
Electric-Butterscotch-10-13_zps53cbeeed.jpg
 
Headstock: Very hard to photograph with an iphone!

I sweated the "Jag" script cut out of brass onto a sheet of sterling silver and got it mostly polished up.  It's going to tarnish anyway... but here it is.
Headstock2_zpsf36414df.jpg


Headstock2_zpsf36414df.jpg
 
Well, it seemed to me that the jag is an extra fancy guitar.  It's a great project because of all the plates, controls and such. 
A metal artist friend of mine really wanted me to go 'punk' with it, using various corrosives on the copper and get patterns of dripping patina.
I mean, artistically there's a lot you can do with this beast.
I wanted something just a little more flashy, and I think with the optical/ flame treatment of the copper, I got that in spades!
:cool01:
 
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