Mymozika Frankenstrat Build: Part One

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Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

I seem to have a number of regular clients who are not only into run-of-the-mill kit builds; but also mix-and-match "Frankenstein" mutants. Fine with me, always give the client what he/she wants. I do get a thrill putting together one-of-a-kind instruments; such as the Frankenstrat Partscaster and Yamaha EG112C - OLP MM1 Hybrid.

So here we have an old Applause Strat copy, the body of which has been decorated front and back with Mymozika head honcho Wan's own sticker design. For those who aren't familiar with Mymozika, they're an up-and-coming local rock band. Do check out their Facebook Page and YouTube Channel. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

Back to the Applause, then. The sticker design is pretty intricate, and reminds me of the '60s for some reason. The body is all Wan wants retained. To complete this build, he's brought me a custom '70s Strat-style reverse-headstock Canadian hard rock maple neck, black pickguard, gold hardware; and three pickups. The neck and middle are from a Japanese Fender Stratocaster; while the bridge pickup is a used Fender SCN ST-BR Samarium Cobalt Noiseless.

As the leads on all three pickups are woefully short, I've removed them and soldered on longer hot (+) and ground (-) leads. And, for simplicity's sake, I've bridged the triangular and square solder terminals of the SCN for a common ground (black lead), and maintained the round terminal for the hot lead (white). 

At the owner's request, the stock black pickup covers on the neck and middle pickups have been swapped out for a pair of StewMac Parchment Pickup Covers for Strat. They do contrast nicely with the black pickguard, and more or less match the aged white SCN cover. Okay, that's taken care of. Now, on to the wiring.

I've upgraded the electronics with Alpha A250K pots, a Russian K73-16 0.022uF tone cap; and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack. The neck and middle pickups work together well, and the middle is RWRP (reverse-wound, reverse-polarity) -- nice! So far so good; or so I think. Then, when I kick in the bridge pickup; all hell breaks loose. There's only the faintest of signals, drowned in hum and noise.

What do I do, what do I do? I decide to reverse the leads on the SCN. Now the square and round terminals are the common ground (black lead), and the triangular; hot (white lead). And, who would've guessed; the SCN is behaving as it should. No more weird noises and annoying hum. I heave a huge sigh of relief!

We've settled the wiring issue, but there's still lots more to be done. Do stay tuned for future updates on this Mymozika Frankenstrat Build. See ya real soon :)

Note: Fender®, Stratocaster®, Strat®, Telecaster®, Tele®, P Bass®, Precision Bass®, and the distinctive headstock designs of these guitars are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.