A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

Hey all! I've decided that I'm going to build another guitar for myself after helping my son built his Tele last year. I wont be building a neck, just cutting the body, much like what my son and i did. I'm sure a few of you get the Fender emails for the Mod Shop guitars, which are basically semi-customs and cost around $1900 and up. I was playing around with the Mod Shop stuff a few times, and came up with a Jazzmaster that I liked:
I figured I could make that, but modify it more to my liking. I want a hardtail, string-thru bridge with stainless steel saddles and a Tele neck/headstock with an ebony fretboard. Most importantly for me, 2 humbuckers instead of JM pickups. I found a pickguard for the Squier Affinity JM that had humbucker cutouts, but I realized that I don't like where the pots are placed in the guard. I was thinking that maybe I could make my own template, but I kind of like the look of a Jaguar control plate for the pots and jack, but not the rest of the control plates. I ended up finding a pickguard for a Blacktop series Jaguar, which had routs for humbuckers and a 3-way switch hole, but no other cutouts.

So far, I've only ordered parts, nothing has arrived yet, but I hope to have everything by March. I'll update when things arrive.....

I love the Jazzmaster style but the trem always made me nervous. Don’t know why, I’ve never tried one but it just looks like it would give me trouble.

A hard tail would be the ticket for me!

Can’t wait to see the progress.

+1 on the hardtail!
Good Luck with project!

I received the templates yesterday. When I got home from work and saw that they arrived in a plastic packing envelope from USPS, I began to worry a little. They're MDF, and I know how packages are treated. When I opened up the envelope, I found a little damage. Not nearly as bad as it could have been, but I have some work to do on both of them. They were obviously dropped at some point on the lower bout which created a nice dent on both pieces. The last templates I ordered from that seller were for my son's Tele and they came in a box with packing materials. I notified the seller of the damage this time and the person said I could send them back if I wanted, but it's not worth the hassle. A little bondo and some sanding should fix it.

Some pics of the templates for you guys.

Apparently, it was new parts day at my house for this project! Even the neck made it here today from the People's Republic. I already had the pickups and the Well-Hung Pro-Pins in stock.

I'm watching this build with far more excitement than I should have, because I wish I was building my own.

Looking good, can’t wait to see it develop!

@BrianSkeezer where'd you get the neckplate from? I might want something like that myself.

MMmm this is punching a lot of positive buttons for me. Keep the pics coming.

glasshand wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:06 pm @BrianSkeezer where'd you get the neckplate from? I might want something like that myself.

I was looking for something on ebay and found this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Engraved-Guita ... 2749.l2649

They have a bunch of different options available too at different price points.

you had me at jazzmaster. good luck with the build!

Cool! I've had a thing for the Jazzmaster body shape since I was a kid, though I've never owned a proper Jazzmaster guitar. My "Eclipse" build (with Fender True Vintage '64 JM pickups) is pretty much identical to a Jazzmaster, though, but with a somewhat different body shape. Are you sure you don't want to use JM pickups? The reason why I ask is; for the longest time, I didn't think I cared for the sound of the Jazzmaster (which is why I've never bought one), until I realized they need their own EQ curve to really shine. If you plug in a JM using the same amp setting you usually use, it probably won't sound very good. I was pretty disappointed with the sound of the Eclipse when I first tried it, but as soon as I figured out how to dial the amp in, it sounded fantastic.

I've also gained an appreciation for the Jazzmaster vibrato. I think it's Leo's best design. But I don't have much use for a whammy bar, so I can understand going with a hard-tail bridge.

Mossman wrote: ↑Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:42 pm Cool! I've had a thing for the Jazzmaster body shape since I was a kid, though I've never owned a proper Jazzmaster guitar. My "Eclipse" build (with Fender True Vintage '64 JM pickups) is pretty much identical to a Jazzmaster, though, but with a somewhat different body shape. Are you sure you don't want to use JM pickups? The reason why I ask is; for the longest time, I didn't think I cared for the sound of the Jazzmaster (which is why I've never bought one), until I realized they need their own EQ curve to really shine. If you plug in a JM using the same amp setting you usually use, it probably won't sound very good. I was pretty disappointed with the sound of the Eclipse when I first tried it, but as soon as I figured out how to dial the amp in, it sounded fantastic.

I've also gained an appreciation for the Jazzmaster vibrato. I think it's Leo's best design. But I don't have much use for a whammy bar, so I can understand going with a hard-tail bridge.

Part of the reason for not going with the JM pickups is that I had these Giovannis laying around here. I bought them for another guitar, but decided that I didn't mind the stock pickups as much as I thought I did. I'm not really adverse to trying JM pickups otherwise. As for the vibrato, I never use one. All of my Strats have the bridge decked, 2 of my guitars have Chigsbys that I never really use, and my Warlock has the Floyd that for a long time I had blocked.

BrianSkeezer wrote: ↑Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:24 pm

Mossman wrote: ↑Sun Jan 17, 2021 4:42 pm Cool! I've had a thing for the Jazzmaster body shape since I was a kid, though I've never owned a proper Jazzmaster guitar. My "Eclipse" build (with Fender True Vintage '64 JM pickups) is pretty much identical to a Jazzmaster, though, but with a somewhat different body shape. Are you sure you don't want to use JM pickups? The reason why I ask is; for the longest time, I didn't think I cared for the sound of the Jazzmaster (which is why I've never bought one), until I realized they need their own EQ curve to really shine. If you plug in a JM using the same amp setting you usually use, it probably won't sound very good. I was pretty disappointed with the sound of the Eclipse when I first tried it, but as soon as I figured out how to dial the amp in, it sounded fantastic.

I've also gained an appreciation for the Jazzmaster vibrato. I think it's Leo's best design. But I don't have much use for a whammy bar, so I can understand going with a hard-tail bridge.

Part of the reason for not going with the JM pickups is that I had these Giovannis laying around here. I bought them for another guitar, but decided that I didn't mind the stock pickups as much as I thought I did. I'm not really adverse to trying JM pickups otherwise. As for the vibrato, I never use one. All of my Strats have the bridge decked, 2 of my guitars have Chigsbys that I never really use, and my Warlock has the Floyd that for a long time I had blocked.

Heh... Yeah, I have the trem decked on the one Strat that I own, and I have to admit, the main reason I decided to have the Eclipse routed for a JM trem was mostly for aesthetics and weight relief (though the weight of the vibrato unit probably negates that). I also think the long string run from the bridge to the tailpiece contributes to the sound and feel of a JM. I never really intended to use it that much, but once I learned how to balance the trem properly, it worked great. It stays in tune (even if you break a string), and it's nice to have for those times that I want a little wobble.

Damn! Time sure does fly by! Today was the first day that I wss able to get out and work on this project instead of just looking at the parts. I got the body cut and started on the routs for the pickups and controls, but it started to rain, so I packed up for the rest of the day.

Only 2 pictures because I was by myself out there and when I'm working I forget to take pics.

I thought I might have gone a little too deep on the neck pocket, but after checking measurements and putting a straight edge over the frets, the bridge saddles need to come up about half of the travel, so hopefully, it's gonna work the way it should.

Looks good so far! What kind of wood is that? And why is the grain running horizontal?

Mossman wrote: ↑Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:35 pm Looks good so far! What kind of wood is that? And why is the grain running horizontal?

It's just some marine plywood that I stacked and glued together years ago. The grain is running that way because that was how I was able to get 3 bodies out of the sheets. I know it's not ideal, but it does work for a solid painted body. Back when I made the first one, i couldn't see spending upwards of $50 on a body blank that I might end up messing up, so this is what I did. I think I had the cost of each body blank around $12.

Another day of working. Got all of the routing done. The scariest part for me was doing the arm and belly carves. Took an angle grinder with 80 grit paper to it. It cuts quick, so mistakes can be quick too, but I got it! After that, all the test fitting began. I will have to shim the neck a little, just so there's enough clearance for the strings at the bridge pickup ring. I sanded the bottom of the ring down a good bit too. Other than that, everything seems good! Now for some sealing and a lot of sanding!

Ok guys! 3 coats of polyurethane as a sealer, sanded,. One coat gray primer, another coat black primer, sanded,. Then another coat gray primer and then black primer, sanded again. This is where it's at. It still has some high/low spots as you can see, but it's definitely smoothing out. The gray primer is a primer/filler, so it's helping with the imperfections. After it sits in the sun to dry out a bit, I'll hit it with 2 more coats again, then sand again tomorrow to see where it is. I also plan to hit it with gloss black at some point to see more imperfections and waves before the actual paint goes on.

I'm in total awe of you guys who have the skills to pull these kinds of projects off. What color is it going to be and what kind of paint are you using?

tobijohn wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 1:24 am I'm in total awe of you guys who have the skills to pull these kinds of projects off. What color is it going to be and what kind of paint are you using?

Thanks TJ, but I'm certain just about anyone with the right tools and some tips from the right people could do this. It does take a lot of patience at the stage I'm in now, though. Had to talk myself out of putting the final paint on it yesterday. I kept saying, "It's good enough," but it's not there yet and I know it.

I wanted Fender's Mystic Seafoam Green, so I got what I could that's close. The color on Fender's site is different than the in-person color, so I went for close to the in-person. I'm going with Duplicolor Perfect Match again. Hamptead Green Metallic. I'm also trying a new to me clear coat called 2k. It's supposed to cure very hard as it has an activater you have to use before you spray.

BrianSkeezer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 6:06 am
I'm also trying a new to me clear coat called 2k. It's supposed to cure very hard as it has an activater you have to use before you spray.

I have no experience with that product but a YT paint and finishing guy I follow really likes it and did a two part series on using that same combination. I'll be really interested in how that works for you as I've got two kits and a couple other guitars I need/want to paint:

tobijohn wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 8:38 am

BrianSkeezer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 18, 2021 6:06 am
I'm also trying a new to me clear coat called 2k. It's supposed to cure very hard as it has an activater you have to use before you spray.

I have no experience with that product but a YT paint and finishing guy I follow really likes it and did a two part series on using that same combination. I'll be really interested in how that works for you as I've got two kits and a couple other guitars I need/want to paint:

That's where I heard about it. Brad seems to know his stuff about paint.

Here's where it is today. Color is on!