ShortScale.org

I'm toying with the idea of putting together a lefthanded jazzmaster (or jaguar ??) with vintage specs.

This will take some time getting a budget and knowing sources (preferably EU as i'm not santa to customs).
On my list i have Guitarbuild.co.uk and SC relics (i heard they source their parts from guitarbuild).

Still haven't found anything like it outside UK that also offers lefthanded options.

I really like the flat wide pickups jazzmasters have (and am enjoying 25.5 scale..).
I'm upgrading parts on my squier classic vibe JM that will be swapped over if i do go for a parts build.

A jag seems a lot more headache inducing sourcing lefthanded parts to be honest.

I'd like it to be pretty much stock vintage spec. I've ordered some '58 spec jm pickups from q pickups that should arrive this month.

Nut width i'd go 1-5/8" and 7.25 radius neck.
I like the vintage tall frets on the squier (6105) but 6230 ...not sure, i don't think i have any guitar with them (maybe on my cij '69RI mustang ?).
Thin C ?


Body i'd like ash (1 or 2 piece depending on budget) with a nitro blonde finish (mary kaye), like the proper blonde that looks like a burst going from white to transparent towards the centre.
Classic wiring scheme, probably.

Sourcing a lefty anodized gold guard will be another headache.
Also, no mastery, NO mastery

I don't know how much a custom made gold anodised guard would be from somewhere like http://www.sims.guitars/custom-shop/pickguards

Kim wrote:Also, no mastery, NO mastery

StayTrem?

Yeah they're already more pricey than plastic ones so that'll be hefty, then again, i've seen this for €11 :


Only righty though, but if it can be done..it's just aluminum

I bought my gold guard (and a bridge, and a torty guard) from http://www.customworldguitarparts.com/ in the Netherlands, they might be able to sort you out what you need?

Noirie. wrote:

Kim wrote:Also, no mastery, NO mastery

StayTrem?

just your good old stock jm/jag bridge

I didn't want to spend another €100 on a 'genuine' fender one as i bought an avri trem but ordered a hosco jm bridge instead for €30. Should be fine.

Doog wrote:I bought my gold guard (and a bridge, and a torty guard) from http://www.customworldguitarparts.com/ in the Netherlands, they might be able to sort you out what you need?

I had that shop bookmarked, no lefties listed but might try asking about it.

Awesome - can't wait to see this! You should definitely do it!
Check out my partscaster build I did earlier this year LINK. I used guitarbuild.co.uk and was pleased with them overall - I know Euan had some issues, but my body was good quality and '65 specs. Sourcing the tremolo was the hardest, I was lucky to find a Squier trem on eBay. I used Rexter guitars in the UK for the finishing and it is really amazing.

This guy charges £35 for a custom guard but warns you it's going to have a silver edge (i.e. it's cut from an anodised sheet, not cut then anodised).
http://jacksinstrumentservices.com/cus ... tting.html

custom pickguards site bookmarked, looks promising.

Thom, that lefty jazz is pretty ! inspiring !

I could save on body wood (alder vs ash) and construction (2 or 3 pieces) and go for a covering finish but i'm kind of sold on mary kaye blonde haha.

From what i've been mocking up i'm looking at around €400 body, €400 neck which is doable and worth it.

I'm pissed at fender finally offering some US jm's lefthanded but then going for a modernised option only for lefties and at a similar price than the vintage reissues (€2000), like they're just having a good laugh so i don't want anything fender on my dream jm's headstock

I’ve got a strat body coming from SC relics. Bit of a wait, but his prices seem very fair, and his work looks phenomenal.

I'm wondering if i should just try to source it all through SC relics (neck, finished body and pickguard) as with an aluminum pickguard it's a bit of a bitch adjusting if it doesn't fit.
Actually not too keen on the idea of an anodized pickguard with bare aluminum bevels. Either bare brushed aluminum or fully gold anodized.

Also i should get my 5 string bass and hondo II sold to make some room. I never use them.

kim wrote:Actually not too keen on the idea of an anodized pickguard with bare aluminum bevels.

Snap.

I did look at a site talking about anodising at home, but as it involves purchasing quantities of battery acid, caustic soda and lead sheet I decided it was a non-starter. The colour comes from dying the anodising layer, which I did not realise before (so if you find a silver anodised one you can probably dye it with Dylon Multi-purpose dye).

Can you buy a righty and just countersink the screwholes on the underside? The screw will cover most of the 'bare' metal, right?

Seems my gold guard doesn't have a bevelled edge anyways.

I have a reversed righty anodized gold guard on my precision bass, it's not pretty. Call it an 'industrial' look.... :/
The bevel is on the underside so it sticks up a bit. Countersunk on the side i use i'm not risking as it might just become one big hole as the underside is countersunk.
The backside isn't brushed, the bevel sticks up underneath and the screws are wonky because they have nothing to sit in..all things i've accepted with the p bass but not if i'm doing a proper build this time. No compromises on this one.

Maybe bare brushed aluminum would look alright on blonde, need to check that. Or try to find a nice red tort instead and ditch the aluminum idea.