Jazzmasters With Rusty 'Plates, Whatever Next?

Hours of Fun With Rusty Scratchplates

Well, playing my lovely Jazzmaster yesterday, I couldn't help feel that I had hardly done right by the old thing, by, err, in general terms - generally knackering up the scratchplate when I put it on.

Don't get me wrong, I rather love it so, and I'm never one for pristine, as you may have noticed.

And the guitar itself, it sounds and plays brilliantly, so there is nothing drastic to mither about, but the 'plate was an American sized one rather than Japanese, and I ham-fistedly altered it a wee bit to "fit".

You wouldn't really know unless I pointed it out and/or you have two-working-eyes, but it niggles

It is Jooky, but Jooky for the wrong reason, if that makes sense.

Chaos without a point is anarchy, after all.

And anarchy without a scratch 'n' sniff manual is likely to be a little obtuse and only really succeed in designing a T Shirt.

Though as every revolution needs a T Shirt and let's face it a poster boy, and I'm including Maggie Thatcher in that, which is a worry, maybe that is where I am going wrong.

It is hard to say, but then I'm quite close to Wales.

Not that I'm that worried, but practicallistically, the little dially-bits at the top for the Rhythm circuit don't quite run as smooth and easy as I'd like, which is annoying as I am offish the last man in England who still uses them other than as a kill switch.

I may not be entirely correct in mentioning that.

And I did put a bit of a gougy scratch down the front of the 'plate, which is OK, but you know.

And I sort of nibbled one of the pickup holes a wee bit.

Which I don't really mind, but, well, you know that too.

Anyway, getting a nice red torty shell one to fit is a bit hit and miss, so I'm playing the long game on that.

And more to the point it is all a bit of an excuse to meddle, as the newly Mojo'd pickups make me want to play it all the time and if anything it looks too good in a lot of ways. Almost (gulp) pristine, which for twenty years old (guitars ageing like dogs, of course, 7 at a time) is almost insulting.

But I will get around to getting a new scratchplate when one pops up on ebay, I expect.

In the meantime, I have instead got a plain white one, which I was half tempted to put on in a kinda I-can't-afford-a-Johnny-Marr-Jaguar kind of way.

But then I thought, I have got a dribble of iron paint left and a gallon of home brew acid, so why not rust it, and use that until I can find a proper red one.

(I also saw a pair of old school Jazzmaster knobs on Ebay but they got to 26 quid with a week to go, so suddenly I became even more attached to my nicely time stained ones, all over again.)

So there we be, that is the plan. I could have put the original brown torty one back on, which would have been like admitting defeat rather, but then I used it as a template for my routing of the JM pup hole on The BDSM One, and rather wrecked it in the process. So that became academically silly, really.

And I prefer the red one to it, even with gouges and the odd nibbled bit and if I'm being honest, this is all because I want to see what it looks like with a rusty scratchplate and the rest is windows-dressed, as I'm sure you are fully aware.

Never simple around here.

It is just thrown together, you know.

So anyway, I roughed up the white scratchplate a bit and eeked out what iron paint I had left. I then went for a couple of acid attacks, and then once the bubbly-toxic-fumed-biz was done, grabbed the kids from the underground shelter, and basically lacquered the beejeezus out of it.

And now I've put it on my wee guitar and feel at peace with myself.

That's it there in them there fotos. With the rusty scrachplate, that looks a lot like the tortoise shell one I took off.

What do you think?

Should I try it in copper or bronze instead?

As for the rest of real life around here, the plan today was to go wood shopping, but now I'm waiting for a courier to whisk The Dust My Broom One away.

So that'll be another day of fun, then.

And yes, another 50 metres of gaffa tape.

I guess I'll just have to test my Jazzymaster isn't tonally distressed by the rust.

Very important consideration, that.

You can't be too care-filled, it has to be said.

La la laaa

That Fried-day Feeling Good

Old Parts. Not the most interesting foto, I'll admit

Well, I think I have just about descended to earth after yesterday's Mojo-Pickup-Rush. It was nice to see a few concurring voices in the comments/on forums etc. as you start to wonder whether they can really be that good.

They still sound it this morning though, so I'm assuming I didn't dream it all.

If I can work out how to do it, I'll try and record the wee thing today so you can tell me if I've gone gaga or not.

On the other side of pickup life, I have to say I had another go on a Tele laden with a set of EMGs yesterday evening, and I've come to the conclusion that they really aren't for me.

All of the Jookies have to be guitars I would want to own, and they just left me cold, so there is no point. So I'm going to move them on and try something different.

Though I must admit the fact that I don't like the way they look may have a little to do with it. Sad, I know.

Where that leaves The Dust My Broom One is pickupless, but I'll sort something out I'm sure. Mojo's Tele pups being favourite when I can get a few bob together.

So that is my holy trinity all awaiting parts, how daft is that?

It hasn't turned into the most productive week as far as Jookydom goes, but I'll console myself strumming away on my Mojo'd Jazzmaster, I guess. So not so bad.

As for The BDSM One, I stripped it down yesterday as far as removing all the parts goes. I'm going to keep the body and the neck but that is about it. I think a bit of fretty TLC could make it decent.

Necks on Squiers constantly surprise me, even on a lot of their cheaper guitars there are good ones to be found, though a little fretwork can pay dividends,
even when I do it.

As for what I'm going to do, well it will be covered in paisley fabric, with the top having a walnut veneer which will be distressed enough that you can see some of the paisley peeping thru.

Not quite sure whether that will work in reality, but there is only one way to find out. I might do the back the same way too - I got a job lot of veneer this time...

Pickup-wise, I'm thinking either my MIJ Jazzmaster pups, or maybe one of them with a Gretsch Humbucker at the bridge. Depends how the budget goes really - though I have a pile of Squier parts and a gigbag to flog which will hopefully help the running total.

Once it is done I'm going to raffle it off or otherwise give it somebody, because that is the kinda guy I am.

La la laaa.

Jazzmaster - Now With Added Mojo

Well, I have to say before I start that this little missive may contain a touch of excitedness.

I am trying to appear calm and professional, like normal, but am not so sure that I can pull it off.

Here goes though.

As I have mentioned once or twice, I like Jazzmasters. I like them a lot.

Over the years I have had quite a few. I have had a couple of American ones, and I've lost count of the Japanese ones. I even had a 1968 original for a while. I've not owned any of the Mexican ones or the recent Squiers, as I've yet to find one that doesn't sound more Stratty to me than what I want it to sound like, but I'm sure I will.

In that time I have also tried a variety of pickups to try and catch the real Jazzmaster sound. I love the old sound of Jazzmasters, the proper dark-yet-clear tone you got on the original ones, and with the exception of one MIJ one, it isn't something I've heard from Fender's stock pickups.

Of the after market pickups, I'd have to say the Curtis Novak ones come closest. I've tried a couple of sets and they are really good - maybe slightly brighter than I'd expect, but on the money. Tres expensivo from this side of the water, but worth it.

The Seymour Duncan Antiquities were good too, though not quite right. No banana.

And so on.

Anyway, when I came to upgrade my little MIJ JM, I was planning on trying Jess Loureiro's ones. His P90 and Tele pickups were great and it was worth a pop.

Before I got my act together and ordered some though, I came across Mojo Pickups - I was looking at their Tele pickups, and ended-up having a chat with Marc who runs them.

Cutting a long story, I took the plunge and he wound me a set and also suggested that his PIO capacitors were worth a try, being Jazzmaster specific and rather pretty

It might have been me who mentioned their prettiness.

And so today, copping out on everything else, I finally installed the pickups, caps, new pots and switches along with a proper red torty scratchplate and aged covers and knobs. The knobs are genuinely old, I thought I should make that distinction.

Obviously I scratched the new scratchplate and generally it ended-up with a hint-of-Jook, but such is life.

And then I plugged it in, and I have to say I couldn't quite believe the sound.

I'll be honest now, I wasn't sure what to expect.

I had heard somebody else rave about Mojo's JM pickups, but we all do that about new gear, if only to justify it to ourselves, so I took it with a handgrippedfull of salt.

But even strumming a few things clean I couldn't believe how good they sounded. (Not my usual response to my own playing), and then adding a bit of reverb just took me into surf heaven. From there I played a bit louder and things got fuzzier, but even with a full-on face of fuzziness, there was still a clarity to it that was just beautiful.

It is really hard to describe the change in the sound the pickups/caps have made, but I'd deliberately played the same guitar with the Fender MIJ pickups in for a while this morning, and the difference between what I thought was pretty decent to these is crazy.

Not so much taking cotton wool out of your ears as going from a 12" black and white portable to a 43" 3D HD Plasma. It just feels alive somehow that it never did before.

Don't get me wrong, I loved playing this guitar anyway - there wasn't really anything that big that I felt needed 'fixing' which has only shocked me more.

(This isn't meant to be turning into an infomercial, even though I can feel my hair waving and teeth whitening as I type.)

I really don't know what else to say about them. I will do some recordings so you can see what I mean, but over the last couple of years I've built 50ish guitars, used all sorts of pickups from god knows how many different winders and gurus, but I can honestly say that this is the biggest change in any guitar I've ever known. Tis as simple as that.

I think you know where this is going, I'm going to be having to check out some more of this chap Marc's wares. The geezer has got something going on that's a bit special.

Yours, gobsmacked of Portishead.

Check out Mojo HERE

Getting Jazzier By The Day

Oohah, top excitement here today as the bits I was finally waiting for so that I could sort out my gorgeous lil ol' MIJ Jazzmaster are here, and forgetting the fact it won't be until next week that I have a hope of doing it justice, it is feeling rather good.

From the top, there is:

1. A nice red tortoise-shell scratchplate. This just looks right to me - though I must admit the brown one looks cool too, but the deed is done now.

2. A pair of proper aged '70s knobs. I am soo very authentic. All nicotine and spilt Banks'. (OK, I know nicotine is a clear and odourless liquid and that the yellow is tar, but you know what I mean.)

3. Some creamy not at all authentically aged pickup covers, but that look a lot better than the white ones. Though I guess a switch tip, and the funny end on the trem arm won't match now, but what the 'eck. Maybe I'll start smoking again or something.

4. Some Cool as Funk pickups from that winder-meister Marc over at Mojo Pickups. Can't wait to hear them in action.

5. A selection of Jazzmasterly-groovesome capacitors that reek of Mojo like Tom Waits' hankie.

(Now with all the correct numbers attached. Thanks to Marc again for dealing with my numptitude and pointing me in the right direction without laughing too much.)

6. Some cloth-clad wire and CTS pots and Switchcraft switches and stuff that I forgot to get out for the foto call.

And there we are.

Expect a load of swearing and WIP fotos, and fone calls and general idiocy and back tracking and yet more numptiness before I flourish finalised fotos sometime next week.

I should also mention that the switch for The Dust My Broom One, the retaining string bar thing and yet another nut for The Iceblink One also arrived, but who cares about them?

Obviously, I'm still waiting for UPS to take The Old Burny and Gypsy Ones to their new homes, kinda goes without saying.

La laa laaaaaaa

New Pickup Daze

Ooah, top excitement in Jookyland today as I got a little package from the postman.

(They are far more obliging since privatisation).

And rather pleased I was to find a pair of Mojo-in-excelelsis-ified Jazzmaster pickups, handwound by Marc at Mojo Pickups.

Man they look cool.

Don't they look the dog's?

I have to say that I love the presentation of them too - very nicely done.

As you can see from the fotos there were also three pretty looking Paper In Oil capacitors, which will add a bit more to the mix. (I only need two for the Jazzmaster of course, but as soldering isn't my strongest suit, three is clearly wiser.)

Anyway, with a bit of luck the new pickguard and pickup covers might arrive sometime soon and I can get my baby re-fettled right and good and proper.

Cheers to Marc, by the way, great and knowledgeable service and a real pro.

He is well worth chatting to over at his web site, and has something interesting in the humbucker dept. coming soon, which I'm kinda hoping will be available by the time I come to do The Foxy Roxy One.

Can't wait to try these,
the attention to detail is spot on
and I get the feeling they
will be good,
don't you?

Sticking Twisted Mouse Tails

The Firebird and The Marauder
Like a Heavy Parable

Well, despite looking all forlorn, I've still not braved The Dust My Broom One's EMG wiring, maybe tomorrow.

However, I did remove the gleam from The Foxy Roxy One, which now looks kinda like the old Tokai violin finish, and rather nice.

I've been dithering, but am definitely going to finish the top with tortured copper as I think the blueyness will bring out the green in my eyes, and it is as simple as that around here.  End of.

In other news, the Marauder also arrived. This is one solid piece of maple, man it is lovely, and it has some serious heft to it. Or I am getting weaker, or have been playing my feather-of-weight Gordo too much recently.

Tick as you feel able to deem appropriate.

Either way it is a quite beautiful looking guitar, and I can see me being in trouble once it is done, as I can't imagine letting it go.

I also tracked down an original NOS pickup for the Marauder, the single coil one - a proper old fashioned Gibson jobbie - which should be cool. Be nice to get close-ish to the original spec and then trample all over it. I'm thinking that a similarly aged humbucker would be nice too, though the original Gibbo ones weren't meant to be all that.

The Ronin One - 3 Tonnes of Maple And Some Tinny Bits

 My only real concern over it is finding a bridge as it would have come with one of those boxy '70s Gibson ones you see on old SGs. The only place I've seen them in living memory is at Fake58 and they are about £60, and I'm poor. Might have to bite that bullet though if I can't scavenge one elsewhere, I guess. Though would a normal ABR be the end of anything greeny-blue-planet-like? Dunno.

I was kinda wondering whether I could do the Marauder as part of the MR $100 Challenge, but no chance now as my parts bill is mounting far and widely. So back to the drawing board on that one.

I haven't taken the router out of the back of my car yet either, which might be an alternative, but such is life.

Other than that, Marc at Mojo Pickups has been hard at work and has sent me a couple or three shots of the Jazzmaster pickups at different stages of the winding process, and they are now complete. Which I thought I'd share with you, so here they be.

The daft thing is he'll probably get the pickups made and to me before the scratchplate or other bits show their mugs.

Such is my life of Internet shopping, it never used to be like this down Denmark Street.

La la laaaa

Step 1: Get Your Bobbins Together

Step 2: Wind Your Wire Around and Around and
Around and Around and Around and Around etc.

Step 3: Hang Twisted Mouse Tails Out The Back For
Mucho Mojo Pickup Delightedness

Pimping My Ride (And Other Shoegazery Bobbins)

Well, not a particularly Jooky thing to talk about, but it is guitar-like, and I'm sadly all a flutter about it, so here we go.

As I may have mentioned once or twice, I have a bit of a liking for all things offset, with Jazzmasters being the main event of my little mental circus. I am a bit of a grungy shoegazer, it has to be said.

A Cute Jazzmaster Earlier Today

I have a rather lovely, early '90s Made In Japan one, and I love it so.

However, unfortunately, I don't quite love the scratchplate - which is fine and does the job, but is brown tortoise-shell, and I prefer red.

OK, call me King Shallow, but given the amount of time I spend agonising over how Jooky guitars are going to look, well, you can't be surprised by that, can you?

So anyway, I decided to get a new scratchplate. And whilst I was doing that it seemed a shame not to get some lovely creamy aged pickup covers, to match the, err, aged '70s knobs I seemed to acquire from somewhere (ahem).

And while I was doing that I figured that if I'm going to be taking the 'plate off, well, the pickups are really good on the MIJ Jazzmasters, but the neck one on this one seems a bit brighter than normal. Not a big deal, just a touch on the tone knob, but these things niggle, don't they?

A Foto of some cool Jazzmaster Pickups
shamelessly nicked from Mojo Pickups on Ebay

So, I've tried Lollars and Novaks before, and they are fine, but not quite the full ticket, which set me thinking about a review I'd read about Mojo Pickups, so I went-a-looking, and had a chat with Marc who runs them and winds all the pickups and very pleasant he was too. And in the end I decided to go ferrit, as the saying goes.

So anyway, Marc is now winding me a set of his pickups (tweaked to my individual whims and wants) and they should be with me soon. He also sells some gorgeous looking paper in oil capacitors, and one of them is coming too. So I might as well, err, rewire it while I'm at it. (This may be an odyssey in itself, and Homer could prove an accurate name for this wearisome traveller).

But there we are, I'll no doubt talk about this as I go along.

I mentioned Mojo Pickups before as I had been tempted to try their Tele pups for The Dust My Broom One, but Jazzmaster pickups are cool and there is no better place to start. I like dealing with the smaller British winders too. In some ways Bare Knuckle and their like have got a bit big, like Kent Armstrong before them, and it loses that wind-to-order feeling and gets a bit box-shifter-ish. Not that they don't make excellent pickups, they do, but you can't really beat talking to the geezer who is going to do the work, can you? So Mojo, like Catswhisker and Wizard are getting my vote more and more often...

(I won't mention the Jooky factories opening in China and Indonesia, 

best leave that for another day.)

Oh, and you can find Mojo Pickups on Ebay Here or via their web site Here. Well worth a look, methinks.


La la laaaa