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Corny, I know :P
Anyway, after what seemed like a month or more, I've finally finished modding my 3 SoCals:
This one was originally going to be monstrously modded, but it didn't pan out. I'd need almost a swimming pool route to make it happen.
I was going to put 5 Duncan Jrs in it in an H-S-H pickguard with a Jackson Special 5-way/SuperSwitch, a push/pull, and a 3-way mini toggle to get tons of options.
The wiring took two weeks to work out, but what finally killed it was the amount of wood I was going to have to chew out of it. I shaved it a bit with a Dremel and sanding drum but not enough, and didn't really feel like grinding out the required amount of wood. It simply wasn't worth the damage.
Anyhoo, I settled on regular H-S-H using the original DiMarzios and a Duncan Custom Shop Custom Jr (which I ordered a few years ago).
I was going to put a Hot Rails in the middle, but apparently it bit the dust somewhere along the way.
Standard 5-way switching here (even though I'm using a SuperSwitch) -
Bridge full
Bridge split + Middle split inverse phased
Middle full
Middle split inverse phased + Neck split
Neck full
Since it's already got the extra hole from the originally intended mods, I might throw in a push/pull just to split everything or swap the phase of the middle.
Nothing fancy here - 3 singles with standard 5-way wiring, though the middle isn't phased. Might throw in a 2-way mini for that.
Jackson J-150 ceramic in the bridge and 2 Duncan Designed SC-101Ms (I think those are the Middle pickups? One should be a neck model, but I've got 3 that are identical and there's no way they all came out of 2 guitars).
Might swap these 3 out for a DistortionJr (B) and JazzJr (N) (the other 2 I had built with the C-Jr) and a JBJr in the middle. But then I'd want switching options galore, and that's more headache.
This one was originally going to have a Classic Stack in the bridge, and I had to cut a chunk out of the body to fit it, but the CS was DOA. Had it in another guitar not too long ago and it worked fine. Guess the Parts Box killed it
Last but not least - this one just got a very simple mod - 3-way blade to select B-B+N-N and the 3-way toggle selects which one is split when the blade is in the middle. Down is Bridge split+Neck full, middle is both split, up is bridge full+neck split.
Like I said, simple
Between these 3 guitars, I have tons of tones available.
Oh, and yes, that nasty scratch on the pickguards is where I cut the control section off so I could rewire anything without having to take the whole guitar apart. It's ugly, but when the rest of the world catches up to the idea that a Jazz bass-style pickguard with separate control plate is how Strats should be done, I'll stay out here on the bleeding edge, blazing my own trails. Call me crazy now, then call me a genius when these go into production.
Anyway, after what seemed like a month or more, I've finally finished modding my 3 SoCals:
This one was originally going to be monstrously modded, but it didn't pan out. I'd need almost a swimming pool route to make it happen.
I was going to put 5 Duncan Jrs in it in an H-S-H pickguard with a Jackson Special 5-way/SuperSwitch, a push/pull, and a 3-way mini toggle to get tons of options.
The wiring took two weeks to work out, but what finally killed it was the amount of wood I was going to have to chew out of it. I shaved it a bit with a Dremel and sanding drum but not enough, and didn't really feel like grinding out the required amount of wood. It simply wasn't worth the damage.
Anyhoo, I settled on regular H-S-H using the original DiMarzios and a Duncan Custom Shop Custom Jr (which I ordered a few years ago).
I was going to put a Hot Rails in the middle, but apparently it bit the dust somewhere along the way.
Standard 5-way switching here (even though I'm using a SuperSwitch) -
Bridge full
Bridge split + Middle split inverse phased
Middle full
Middle split inverse phased + Neck split
Neck full
Since it's already got the extra hole from the originally intended mods, I might throw in a push/pull just to split everything or swap the phase of the middle.
Nothing fancy here - 3 singles with standard 5-way wiring, though the middle isn't phased. Might throw in a 2-way mini for that.
Jackson J-150 ceramic in the bridge and 2 Duncan Designed SC-101Ms (I think those are the Middle pickups? One should be a neck model, but I've got 3 that are identical and there's no way they all came out of 2 guitars).
Might swap these 3 out for a DistortionJr (B) and JazzJr (N) (the other 2 I had built with the C-Jr) and a JBJr in the middle. But then I'd want switching options galore, and that's more headache.
This one was originally going to have a Classic Stack in the bridge, and I had to cut a chunk out of the body to fit it, but the CS was DOA. Had it in another guitar not too long ago and it worked fine. Guess the Parts Box killed it
Last but not least - this one just got a very simple mod - 3-way blade to select B-B+N-N and the 3-way toggle selects which one is split when the blade is in the middle. Down is Bridge split+Neck full, middle is both split, up is bridge full+neck split.
Like I said, simple
Between these 3 guitars, I have tons of tones available.
Oh, and yes, that nasty scratch on the pickguards is where I cut the control section off so I could rewire anything without having to take the whole guitar apart. It's ugly, but when the rest of the world catches up to the idea that a Jazz bass-style pickguard with separate control plate is how Strats should be done, I'll stay out here on the bleeding edge, blazing my own trails. Call me crazy now, then call me a genius when these go into production.
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