Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

simonbaker

New member
I've bought an SSL-6 Custom Flat, for the middle position of my recent build.

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I originally put a Vintage Rails in the middle, but it is too quiet for what I need, although it is a good sounding pickup.

The guitar has a Little 59 in the neck position, and a TB-4 (Zebra) JB Trembucker in the bridge.

Here in the UK, I could buy a Custom Flat for Strat, but only with a white pickup cover.

I know that Strat single coil covers are largely interchangeable, and I really wanted a cream cover to match the Zebra coil on the bridge pickup.

If i do this, I then get cream/black (B), cream (M) and black (N).

These things are important, and definitely make the guitar sound better (!?).

I picked the pickup up from the post office tonight, and was thinking about how to get a cream cover (with a Seymour Duncan logo) here in the UK.

It got me thinking, and I remembered staining covers years ago with coffee.

Here's what happened tonight:

About 5 minutes in (forgot to take a reference shot before)-
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After an hour -

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...and at two hours twenty -

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I took them all on my phone, and they're not the best images in the world, but I've stopped at 2:20 with an almost perfect match for the cream of the zebra coil.

I believe it's columbian coffee (not instant - I don't drink coffee, only beer, so I don't control where it comes from in this household).

I believe that Brazilian is the ultimate coffee for tone, but I had to use what was in the cupboard.

I'm really happy with the way this looks.

I'll post pictures in a few days of it in place on the guitar.

I made the coffee up in a cafetiere (press) really strong, and put three large ice cubes in the mug to cool it down, before putting the pickup cover in with it. Hot water will deform plastic so be careful with the temperature!

Oh, and don't put the actual pickup in coffee - just the cover!!
 
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Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

You're lucky.

I've had covers in coffee for a week and no difference.
 
Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

Wow, that came out great! And it will probably always smell like coffee!
 
Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

Oh, and don't put the actual pickup in coffee - just the cover!!

Stupid question, but what happens if you did put the pickup in cold coffee/tea? It seems like if the coffee is cold, it wouldn't melt the wax. It's not an electrical piece connected to power, so no shorting or blowing it up. If you let it air dry, why couldn't a pickup be submerged? They are submerged in hot wax in manufacturing. The only thing I can think is it might cause oxidation on the coil windings & baseplate, which could affect tone. I have some parchment humbuckers that I want to darken to cream.
 
Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

Seymour and Billy Gibbons once left a pickup submerged for two years and it still worked.
 
Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

Stupid question, but what happens if you did put the pickup in cold coffee/tea? It seems like if the coffee is cold, it wouldn't melt the wax. It's not an electrical piece connected to power, so no shorting or blowing it up. If you let it air dry, why couldn't a pickup be submerged? They are submerged in hot wax in manufacturing. The only thing I can think is it might cause oxidation on the coil windings & baseplate, which could affect tone. I have some parchment humbuckers that I want to darken to cream.
Not sure about doing the whole thing in coffee. I probably wouldn't myself.

I put the pickup in today and it looks like this!
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Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
 
Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

Tea will actually stain the Strat plastics quicker than coffee in my experience, but great job on this one looks really good and SDs cream Strat covers are darker and with a more pinkish hue to them than the humbucker cream parts, so I think you were better off to start with the white and DIY!!
 
Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

Wow! That really looks sharp. Great job and great looking guitar!
 
Re: Custom Flat only available in white? Not a problem!

Thanks! I rescued that maple from becoming a painted kitchen door at work.

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If I were a piece of wood I'd rather be a guitar than a painted kitchen door. lol
 
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