Helloooo Nurse! Squier Contemporary Jag NGD

[Space1999]

This a great adventure going on here Raiyn!
Excited for you.

Loved the look of the guitar right out of the box, especially the chrome plating around the switches. Great color.

Looks like you haven’t encountered anything that wasn’t expected ahead of time.

Staying tuned in

Pat

 

[Raiyn]

Looks like you haven’t encountered anything that wasn’t expected ahead of time.

There was a lot of time for me to gameplan.

 

[Raiyn]

There was a lot of time for me to gameplan.

Apparently, a guy has to encounter things as he encounters them.
For example:
I had bought a couple Switchcraft DPDT Jag / Jazzmaster switches early one morning figuring they'd pop right on into the existing plate.

Take a good look at what's happening here. Answers towards the bottom.

I'm glad I committed to pulling everything as a unit, because I'm not even going to attempt to sort this out.

Molex and PCBs and wires, oh my!

Problem solved though.

One Johnny Marr upper switch plate. Notice that the switch screw holes are the same spacing for both switches? Yeah. It ain't like that on the Squier plate. A fact I didn't pick up on until I was showing SWMBO what I was planning.

It was right around this point when it dawned on me that the master control plate was drilled for metric, so rather than gooch the plating with a reamer or a drill I went ahead and bought one that's properly drilled for the U.S. spec pots and jack I have on hand.


I might be probably will be stashing all of the chrome bits that came on this axe. Good thing I have a bunch of painter's tape I suppose.

I know they say "it don't come easy", but I didn't think it would literally be like playing piano on a snowy mountainside wearing ski gloves.

 

[Raiyn]

The Johnny Marr plate came and it's everything a guy could hope for.

There was one downside to the Switchcraft switches: the lever is knuckle gratingly high of you mount directly to the plate (right). Fortunately, folks like Faction Guitars make spacers to correct that (left).

Two highly profitable (for them) pieces of plastic later and I'm happy.

 

[Raiyn]

I stole a little time to do a bit of the wiring I could do off the guitar.

A little ground wire action.

529K (measured) Volume with my homemade treble bleed, 500K (measured) no-load tone pot with a 0.033uF 50V cap, and a Pure Tone jack.


Pots leveled so the knobs line up.

 

[Raiyn]

Warranty: voided.
This is the techy post - the next one will be glamour shots.

Last shot unmolestered.


Various bits of sawdust and schmoo under the guard. The upper bridge post wasn't seated properly, so I tapped it down after the next step.

I had decided to pull the electronics as a unit assembly and in order to do that I had to release the ground wire. I was also having symptoms of a bad bridge ground so either way this was inevitable.

The ground wire was drilled from the bushing socket fairly high up so I made my tinned wire section long enough to reach the bottom and come up the other side. I also decided that since I was shielding the guitar I may as well incorporate the bushing into the fun.

Control package consisting of a 529K CTS volume with one of my "artisan crafted" (homemade) treble bleeds, a 500K no load CTS tone pot with a 0.033uF ±5% 50V Nissei capacitor, and a Pure Tone jack. I prefer soldering grounds to the buss wire because it's easier and I don't have to heat the pot again.

A CRL 3 way switch. I soldered the ground buss from the upper switch plate through one of the lower rivets and continued it from the other one to the main control buss.

Body buttoned up. I neglected to take any shots of the upper switches, but it's all pretty straight forward. One is a master coil split and the other is a series / parallel.
Pickups are a DiMarzio Gravity Storm Neck and Bridge.

Neck specs:

Wiring: 4 Conductor
Magnet: Ceramic
Resistance: 12.56 Kohm
Year of Introduction:2012​

From DiMarzio: Most neck humbuckers don't do a great job at reproducing pick harmonics, especially if they have a warm sound. This one's different, particularly with 24-fret guitars. The combination of fat neck position tone with harmonics is something we haven't often encountered before. It has a throaty quality that sounds like a cross between a humbucker and a single-coil.

Bridge specs:

Wiring: 4 Conductor
Magnet: Alnico 5
Resistance: 15.19 Kohm
Year of Introduction: 2012​

From DiMarzio: A high-impact pickup doesn't need a tremendous output level to make its point. Where the Evolution® Bridge Model is about power and sharp-edged tone, the Gravity Storm™ is more about depth and warm highs and mids. It's very much a plug and play pickup — it doesn't require a lot of tweaking to get a great sound. Because the highs are very fat, it's possible to increase treble response on your amp without losing tone and sustain on the high frets.

 

[Raiyn]

Glamour shots.

Hipshot open gear locking tuners, and a GraphTech TUSQ string tree.

Vintage Radio Shack knobs (SWMBO picked them from a bunch I had). I added a B5 Bigsby with a Callaham string bar, sealed roller bearings (in place of the bronze bushings) in the front roller, and an arm stop delete mounted to a Vibramate plate which all feeds to a Tone Pros roller bridge.

The upper control plate is a Johnny Marr. Main controls are on an inch spec lower plate (stock is metric) and the switch is on the stock "Marr" style plate as SWMBO wasn't down with the Wronski.
The strap is a Steve Vai Blue Universe ClipLock from DiMarzio.

I finished a bit after midnight and managed to take the pictures quietly so as not to wake SWMBO.

Hellooooo Nurse!

 

[IGRocker]

Warranty: voided.
This is the techy post - the next one will be glamour shots.
View attachment 16206
Last shot unmolestered.

View attachment 16207
Various bits of sawdust and schmoo under the guard. The upper bridge post wasn't seated properly, so I tapped it down after the next step.
View attachment 16208
I had decided to pull the electronics as a unit assembly and in order to do that I had to release the ground wire. I was also having symptoms of a bad bridge ground so either way this was inevitable.
View attachment 16209
The ground wire was drilled from the bushing socket fairly high up so I made my tinned wire section long enough to reach the bottom and come up the other side. I also decided that since I was shielding the guitar I may as well incorporate the bushing into the fun.
View attachment 16210
Control package consisting of a 529K CTS volume with one of my "artisan crafted" (homemade) treble bleeds, a 500K no load CTS tone pot with a 0.033uF ±5% 50V Nissei capacitor, and a Pure Tone jack. I prefer soldering grounds to the buss wire because it's easier and I don't have to heat the pot again.
View attachment 16211
A CRL 3 way switch. I soldered the ground buss from the upper switch plate through one of the lower rivets and continued it from the other one to the main control buss.
View attachment 16212
Body buttoned up. I neglected to take any shots of the upper switches, but it's all pretty straight forward. One is a master coil split and the other is a series.
Pickups are a DiMarzio Gravity Storm Neck and Bridge.
Neck specs:

Wiring: 4 Conductor
Magnet: Ceramic
Resistance: 12.56 Kohm
Year of Introduction:2012​

From DiMarzio: Most neck humbuckers don't do a great job at reproducing pick harmonics, especially if they have a warm sound. This one's different, particularly with 24-fret guitars. The combination of fat neck position tone with harmonics is something we haven't often encountered before. It has a throaty quality that sounds like a cross between a humbucker and a single-coil.

Bridge specs:

Wiring: 4 Conductor
Magnet: Alnico 5
Resistance: 15.19 Kohm
Year of Introduction: 2012​

From DiMarzio: A high-impact pickup doesn't need a tremendous output level to make its point. Where the Evolution® Bridge Model is about power and sharp-edged tone, the Gravity Storm™ is more about depth and warm highs and mids. It's very much a plug and play pickup — it doesn't require a lot of tweaking to get a great sound. Because the highs are very fat, it's possible to increase treble response on your amp without losing tone and sustain on the high frets.

Nice work! I’ve been meaning to try a Gravity storm out. I have an old Ibanez RG in need of some love that I’ve been thinking of dropping one into. The only pickup I’ve had much luck with pinch harmonics is the Wizz neck pickup in my black LPC. You’ll have to give a tone report!

 

[IGRocker]

Glamour shots.
View attachment 16215
Hipshot open gear locking tuners, and a GraphTech TUSQ string tree.
View attachment 16214
Vintage Radio Shack knobs (SWMBO picked them from a bunch I had). I added a B5 Bigsby with a Callaham string bar, sealed roller bearings (in place of the bronze bushings) in the front roller, and an arm stop delete mounted to a Vibramate plate which all feeds to a Tone Pros roller bridge.

The upper control plate is a Johnny Marr. Main controls are on an inch spec lower plate (stock is metric) and the switch is on the stock "Marr" style plate as SWMBO wasn't down with the Wronski.
The strap is a Steve Vai Blue Universe ClipLock from DiMarzio.

I finished a bit after midnight and managed to take the pictures quietly so as not to wake SWMBO.

Hellooooo Nurse!
View attachment 16213

Looking at it a bit closer, are those knobs the same as the ones that Boss uses on pedals? They look like the ones I have on my 15-20 year old DS-1!

 

[Raiyn]

Looking at it a bit closer, are those knobs the same as the ones that Boss uses on pedals? They look like the ones I have on my 15-20 year old DS-1!

The Radio Shack knobs are quite similar. Bigger obviously, and set screw. I have another set of four that are destined for a future pedal build.

 

[Davis Sharp]

I finished a bit after midnight and managed to take the pictures quietly so as not to wake SWMBO.

?? Do you have one of those 19th century cameras with the exploding flash?

The guitar looks terrific, excellent work.

 

[Raiyn]

?? Do you have one of those 19th century cameras with the exploding flash?

No, no. Don't be daft. Mine sounds like the camera effect in the opening of Duran Duran's Girls on Film.

I meant that she fell asleep in the living room, and I had to tip toe past her and the cats to the office with guitar and stand to get my traditional "door" shots.

The guitar looks terrific, excellent work.

Thank you. I'm quite pleased with it myself. Now to get some amp time with it.

 

[Raiyn]

In my best Ikea: Kabeldragningens schematiska.


The switches are clearly in the upper horn and not push pulls, but you get the idea.

 

[Space1999]

I love that guitar strap! It’s like it was made for that guitar.

Pat

 

[Raiyn]

I love that guitar strap! It’s like it was made for that guitar.

Pat

Thank you. I've had some good luck matching straps with guitars the last couple tries.

I've changed the switch tip to a chrome barrel, (it fits better than the black one) and I've ordered a set of chrome Mighty Mite metal rings to break up the sea of black plastic in the middle of the guitar. It may prove to be too much bling, but... that's what eBay / Reverb is for.

 

[Space1999]

Had to look up the Gravity Drop pu’s. Very smart decision on your part Raiyn. The specs and reviews say these pu’s are going to be perfect for Hello Nurse!

Pat

 

[Noodling Guitars]

wow that's an amazing looking guitar and nice upgrades too (just finished reading the thread)!

 

[Raiyn]

Had to look up the Gravity Drop pu’s. Very smart decision on your part Raiyn. The specs and reviews say these pu’s are going to be perfect for Hello Nurse!

Pat

wow that's an amazing looking guitar and nice upgrades too (just finished reading the thread)!

Thanks guys. It looks as though I'm to be banished to the cave while SWMBO completes her Christmas shopping, so I'll be installing those rings. Probably also snap an upper switch plate pic while I'm at it.

 

[Raiyn]

As promised, here's that upper switch section.


While I was in there, I also changed the neck shim to one from the Evil Empire. I found a guy that breaks packs and will ship whatever you actually need. I did attempt to replicate a "roasted" appearance on the edge with a butane torch lighter but only managed a bit of a blackened singe - which works for me.

I did have to break out the sanding sponges and massage the fit a bit - as well as add the proper hole for the contoured neck. While I was at it, I polished the fret ends, and rounded the fingerboard edges a tad. I then cleaned and oiled the fretboard with Crimson Guitars products. For the final setup change, I took the nylon washer out of the Bigsby - I've got a Reverend spring in there and it was just too dang tall.

Due to my own lack of surface preparation, I did have to redo the case sticker, and add "a touch of home" while I was at it.

That's a DM&IR railroad roundel. A pretty common sight when I was a kid.


Now for the big cosmetic change:

A pair of Mighty Mite chrome pickup rings. Actual proper chromed metal, not that plastic ish. They've got some gravity in them for sure. I had to massage the pickguard *a bit* to get them to fit (sanding sponges again) - but I'm digging it.

A full length shot:

 

[Space1999]

I’m loving it Raiyn!

Pat