N(project)GD - opinions needed

[ezas]

First a disclamer. Money and indecision on designs has kept me from starting a new W guitar but I need a project so I started shopping Craigslist.

After many-many weeks of wading through Squier Affinity strats and other flotsam of musical instruments I came across a project guitar, a 2010 Squier Jagmaster. My original intent was to find a guitar to refinish (I'm dying to paint something flourescent yellow) but the finish on this Jagmaster is close to perfect and as much as I like to tear into perfectly good things and 'improve' them, I can't bring myself to to do it on this guitar.

Here is the model: http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0320700500

More on this guitar if people are interested but here is where I could use some help. The pickguard was mangled at some point to install covered humbuckers and at some point horribly cheap (and sound like absolute drek) uncovered humbuckers were put back in. So first up in the project (so I can get it ordered) is getting a new Pickguard. For money and logistic reasons i'm limiting myself to the Fender replacements and they only come in Parchment and Tortoise, two colors I'm not much a fan of.

So I'd like to see what others think. Tortoise or parchment on this 3-color burst? Also if I sent the mangled one to a company that requires the stock PG for tracing do you think that getting the PU spacing right for uncovered Pickups would be a problem?  That's one of the reasons I'm considering the fender replacements. That way I have the right one if I want do something different later.

Anyway let me know what you think on the PG color

A few pictures

 

[ezas]

It occured to me at dinner that I could use the body builder to mock up the Tortoise and Parchment pickguards on  a Jazzmaster body but I can't find a way to save the final image of the body with the PG and Hardware. I seem to recall there being a way to do that and i've tried choosing "save image as" and copying and pasting into a new graphics file but i always only get part of the image. I tried in both Chrome and Internet Explorer. Is there a way to do what I'm trying to do?

I just took out all the copper shielding from the cavities. It came out pretty easy after I let it warm up for a bit under a work light. Guitar looks better already without all those layers of copper tape in there.

 

[DangerousR6]

It occured to me at dinner that I could use the body builder to mock up the Tortoise and Parchment pickguards on  a Jazzmaster body but I can't find a way to save the final image of the body with the PG and Hardware. I seem to recall there being a way to do that and i've tried choosing "save image as" and copying and pasting into a new graphics file but i always only get part of the image. I tried in both Chrome and Internet Explorer. Is there a way to do what I'm trying to do?

I just took out all the copper shielding from the cavities. It came out pretty easy after I let it warm up for a bit under a work light. Guitar looks better already without all those layers of copper tape in there.

If you have a photo editing program, such as Photoshop, you can use the "Print screen" button on your keyboard. Then open the program and paste the image into there. This will also work with Microsoft paint, if you don't have photoshop or any equivalent type of program.

 

[Cagey]

Another option, if you don't have the $12,495 they want for copy of Photoshop, is to download The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). It's most of what a full-blown version of Photoshop is, but it's free and there is a version that will run on <shudder> Windows.

Once you've got that, you can simply select File->Create->Screenshot and select the area you want to create an image from, and grab it. Stash it wherever you want, and you're good to go. You can also scale it, resize it, crop it, edit it, modify it, on and on ad infinitum. It's a real handy program that's capable of probably 500 times as much as you'll ever use.

 

[Danuda]

+1 for GIMP.  I have used that for all my builds including making full size plans for my scratch builds.

 

[drewfx]

I seem to recall there being a way to do that and i've tried choosing "save image as" and copying and pasting into a new graphics file but i always only get part of the image. I tried in both Chrome and Internet Explorer. Is there a way to do what I'm trying to do?

Programs-Accessories-Snipping Tool

 

[ezas]

Thanks for the input(s)

The screen capture is a great idea. I have only recently come back to windows from Linux so I'm aware of GIMP. On Windows I like IfranView. It does not have the features of GIMP but I find it more intuitive than GIMP which suits the work I need in a graphics program.

I didn't know about the screen snipping utility in Win7, I've been using Gadwin Print Screen. When I post some pictures I hope some of you will help decide which of the two you like better. I'm leaning towards Parchment.

 

[DangerousR6]

Another option, if you don't have the $12,495 they want for copy of Photoshop, is to download The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). It's most of what a full-blown version of Photoshop is, but it's free and there is a version that will run on <shudder> Windows.

Once you've got that, you can simply select File->Create->Screenshot and select the area you want to create an image from, and grab it. Stash it wherever you want, and you're good to go. You can also scale it, resize it, crop it, edit it, modify it, on and on ad infinitum. It's a real handy program that's capable of probably 500 times as much as you'll ever use.

Adobe must really think they are the shyt now, I had my first copy of PS with a puter I bought several years ago, and it was in the software bundle. to be honest PS SUX, I have many other programs that are a 1000 times better than PS and didn't cost 12k... :dontknow:

 

[ezas]

Here are my two choices in Pickguards as represented in the W body builder. I'll actually be getting the fender branded PG. If you are wondering why I don't do something else,like making my own I'm not sure yet I'm going to keep this guitar. I might just 'fix' it and turn it over. If I like the 'fixed' version I'll make more changes that take more time and money.

For me the Tortoise brings out the red in the burst but the Parchment is the one I dislike the least. The fender version of Tortoise is particularly cheesy looking. It's really hard to pick something from two choices that you don't particularly like so any and all opinions are welcome.

 

[Cagey]

I like the parchment better. To me, tortoiseshell guards are more for solid color bodies, and even there they only work with a few colors.

 

[ezas]

I have a feeling I'll will eventually use the parchment, or whatever color I get, as a template for something different. But I feel like I need an accurate PG before going down that road.

 

[AutoBat]

I like the tortoise better. To me, parchment guards are more for overly fancy bodies, and even there they only work with a few colors.

 

[ezas]

To me the parchment accentuates the more timely/classic quality of the Jazzmaster body shape which I'm Ok with. But i'm not super crazy about the black pickups with the parchment. I'm pretty sure I'm going to order the parchment today. My final 'filter' for choosing is which would make me more likely to pick up the guitar to play, and I think that is the parchment.

 

[drewfx]

If it were a J bass, I'd definitely say tortoise (a classic combo). But for that guitar, I tend to like the parchment better.

 

[AutoBat]

Change the pups to double cream and you've got a grunge classic.

 

[Tipperman]

But who cares about grunge?  :laughing7: I kid. Mint green pickguard on any sunburst/Lake Placid Blue/Fiesta Red instrument. Replace pickups with Lindy Fralin p92s. Replace neck with something awesome. Rock the fork out.  :icon_thumright:

 

[ezas]

I ordered the Parchment . . .

The plan for this guitar is:

Replace the horrendous wiring job and put it back together with the some Ibanez PU's I have left over from my current project guitar.
String it up and decide if I'm keeping this guitar or turning it over.

I'm kind of sorry I bought this thing. While I wanted a short scale, off-set guitar, and the price was right, I really wanted a body to refinish, and that would open up the design to some frankenmods. Also since buying it I found out it's not full width its only 1 5/8ths which limits what Trems I can put on there.  So I'll take it step by step and decide as I go. My brain is trying to convince me to refinish it so that it can become the project guitar I wanted.

Thanks for the opinions on Pickguard