WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

[Closed Eye]

Howdy, I have these parts:

-Strat pickguard HSS
-Seymour Duncan '59 Humbucker
-Duncan Designed Jazz (covered)
-Seymour Duncan Cool Rails (maybe HR, not too sure)
-2 500k pots
-Stratocaster 5 way switch


I need my Strat pickguard cut in the neck for a hum and wired together with all these pieces! Can you give me a better price than the techs here in San Antonio?

These parts MUST go in THIS guitar! I love the feel of the neck and the weight of the body and most of the tech guys here in SA-town toss all kinds of stupid questions and "well, you'd save more money if you used a little '59 and a neck single coil" or "we can't cut pickguards" or blah blah blah. I love this guitar! Please help a brotha out!

Trusted bros with tech references preferred, fair pricing, I pay shipping both ways. We'll discuss the details when you send me a PM or post in this thread! Thanks!

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Good luck dude!! If it didn't require cutting I would DEFINITELY wire it up for you DIRT cheap. Hopefully someone else will chime in!!! Nice pup selection!

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Just a thought, but wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new guard than have some dude cut it for you?

 

[Ayrton]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Just a thought, but wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a new guard than have some dude cut it for you?

Not only that, but you will have an extra set of holes in the neck position.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Not only that, but you will have an extra set of holes in the neck position.

Indeed, but do you know how hard it is to find a HSH pickguard without ordering one online for more than I can afford? I've got a really SLIM budget and I picked this HSS one up for about $17 even. I also want my ax to have that "thrown together" look because, honestly, it's been thrown together over the course of the last 6 months. I've been on a quest collecting parts with my meager leftover earnings (bills are huge and all other money is going towards a wedding). NOTHING has yeilded a trade for an HSH Stratocaster pickguard and I haven't seen anything in pawnshops, despite my attempts.

This is my only guitar, it's sort of an oddity, and I love it to death since I pulled it out the garage. I bought it as a pluncker but it slowly became the main attraction and now I can't put it down. [Funny story, most people, guitar techs or guitar players, don't know sh*t about Protone Strats, how well they play, or what they sell for on Ebay. They aren't cheap pieces of crap, so if you can find one grab it!]

So, hey, if any of you know where I can get an HSH Fender guard (twelve hole) for dirt cheap (free is good too) throw me a line!

Until then, the offer still stands! Please cut and wire my pickguard!

BTW, thanks Fender_Punk!

 

[jerryjg]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

What you do is get a [pickgaurd cut for you from USACG i believe or allparts, maybe warmoth. Im not certain who cuts custom pickgaurds. Then you order the parts neceesary to insatll it like springs and screws, from like Stewrat Mcdonald or allparts or ebay(better prices off ebay for me). Then you throw everything in there the way you want it. If youve never done it or dont know how, buy me a few beers, or introduce me to a hawt chick, and I will come down and show you.Ive had great luck with the guys at KrazyKat. I take them my assembled pickgaurd and they wire it up. Its not that expensive, altho they arent perfect ( they wired up a dead pickup once without checking the final results , they are very satisfactory. I ve done a few wrirings myself from just hooking up stuff with alligator clips to see if it worked rihgt, but i never do it with expensive guitars with new parts. Looks like youre off to a great start! Nice parts!( Don't get frustraded with your build . Its easy to do> You gotta wana do this, cause ive got several guitars layin around here in various sates of disrepair,and it can get frustrating, although I have definite plans for all of em. Even if I dont like one after its done, it can go on ebay. and dude, i just reread your OP, and i didnt realise what a tight budget you are on.Ive got a H-S-S, and for christ sakes, we can get and exacto knofe and cut her out or something. Yea, im poor too, probably not like i once was, but relatively still poor so im down with your circumstances. Yes, but how come you can afford all thsoe great parts and not a pickup cut for you? AnywayIf you want we can open up one of my H-S-H guitars and try and wire it from looking at whats going on in there.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Stemac and USACG are options, but a little upwards of what I want to pay...

As far as buying the beers go that sounds good! Hit me up if you're ever in SA!

KrazyKat Music was one of my favorite places to hang out when I worked around N. St. Mary's St. (location undisclosed!). The dude's are pretty awesome and pretty much can do anything, and I thought about it, but my two current jobs are sort of getting in the way of me getting down there. they close early, I work late! Sucks! I'm also exploring my options, here and KKM seem to be the best two at the moment...

Anywho, I'd like to say I have a bunch of guitars in disrepair, but I only have one in a semi-playable state that I keep banging on. hard times these are, hard times...

 

[jerryjg]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

well, i live in kerrville and and am down to San Antonio all the time.Actually i dont need a few beers, I need , like 6 or 7...but , no , really, i would be glad to come and we can try and cut up that pickgaurd. Find out what kind of knife to use cause its really thick plastic, and i dont think an exacto would work.If youre really broke, then we can try , like i said wiring it up using alligator clips, altho I dont currently have a wired H-S-H as an example . What I can do,cause actually i need to wrie up an H-S_H also at the present, is I will ask the gurus on the guitar forum how to do it. I will take pictures and they can probably show me. And just rememeber, the worst day at 25 is better than the best day 45! Unless of course you happen to be Uncle Jerr scoring a 26 year old hawtie.Buahhhhhhhh!

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Have you looked on Ebay at all? You can probably score one from Warmoth for around $35 in most of the cool colors.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

If you can find an HSH pickguard I'll wire it all up for you for $15. I'm desperate for cash right now.

All Parts should be able to cut you a pickguard cheap, and e-bay is another option. And you can recoup a bit of that money by selling the HSS guard on here or e-bay.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Have you looked on Ebay at all? You can probably score one from Warmoth for around $35 in most of the cool colors.

You can buy direct from Warmoth for $29 shipped.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

I, like others you mentioned, "don't know sh*t about Protone Strats". Is it some sort of Fender? If it's not, do you know for sure that a standard guard cut and drilled for a Fender will fit? Is the body routed to accept a neck HB?

Assuming a standard pickguard fits, I highly recommend getting one from Warmouth. I think my Nashville-Tele-with-neck-mini-humbucker one cost $24.

Cutting a pickup route into a pickguard by hand is tedious if you want it to look good. It takes a lot of careful hand-filing and test-fitting.

If you're ever down Houston-way, I might be convinced to wire it up for you, but I doubt I can find time for the pickguard work.

 

[ErikH]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Rich, the Pro Tone was a Squier Strat. Pretty darn good Strat too.

Jerry, DO NOT use a knife to cut a pickguard. You'll have better luck taking a finger off that way. You need a jigg saw and a very sharp and fine blade to get a clean cut.

To do it cleanly, just mirror the neck single coil route right next to it on the bridge side and cut slowly. Cut from the bottom as well so as to not scratch up the face of it. When done, it'll look like two singles next to each other without a separation in the middle, just one big route that'll hold a humbucker. The sides can be straightened out with a small cut.

The pickup mounting holes will have to be redrilled. Use the pickup that'll go in to line them up, mark and drill.

Then just smooth out the inside edges with very very fine sandpaper (sand lightly) and there you have it.

If you lived close to me, I'd do it. But to he honest, with all that involved, it'd be cheaper to just get a new HSH guard. Sell the HSS you have and turn around get the HSH.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

hmm...another option would be viable if any of you have got a GOOD/DECENT Strat single coil you'd be willing to trade for a DD Jazz pup?

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Wiring a guitar is easy. I figured out how to do it when i was 16. Why not just get a cheap radio shak soldering iron and get it done yourself?

 

[jerryjg]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

Wiring a guitar is easy. I figured out how to do it when i was 16. Why not just get a cheap radio shak soldering iron and get it done yourself?

wiring a guitar is NOT easy! Dudse, Its a freaking ghastly experience! But i agree its time to learn tho, but to say it comes easy to a begginer is just not true, especially one without any experience at all. Ive got quite a bit of practical experience and I still make a mess, fry pots, cant get the wiring right because i dont read schematics. But i still do it, however there is a huge difference between a pro and me. Its hit or miss with me, i can make a mess or if im lucky i can do a neat job, but i will never do a pro job, especially witrh stuff like vintage clothg wiring. Plus theres irons, tips, do you have a safe palkce to solder so you dont breathe those freakin carcinogens (if you care).A pros a pro. I will try and wir eup a cheap guitars, but a expensive guitar? Nah, it goes to a pro tech- and they are awesome!!!!

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: WTB: you wiring and cutting my strat pickguard

wiring a guitar is NOT easy! Dudse, Its a freaking ghastly experience! But i agree its time to learn tho, but to say it comes easy to a begginer is just not true, especially one without any experience at all. Ive got quite a bit of practical experience and I still make a mess, fry pots, cant get the wiring right because i dont read schematics. But i still do it, however there is a huge difference between a pro and me. Its hit or miss with me, i can make a mess or if im lucky i can do a neat job, but i will never do a pro job, especially witrh stuff like vintage clothg wiring. Plus theres irons, tips, do you have a safe palkce to solder so you dont breathe those freakin carcinogens (if you care).A pros a pro. I will try and wir eup a cheap guitars, but a expensive guitar? Nah, it goes to a pro tech- and they are awesome!!!!

Horse pucky! When I started I had zero experience and a desire to learn. So I grabbed an iron, solder and my gat and went to it. Now I do better wiring jobs than all the "pro" techs around here. Pickups take about 15 and I can completely rewire a guitar in under 45 depending on the setup. LPs take a bit longer. All you need is a desire, some common sense, and a forum like this to help you when you're stuck!