Chord Solidbody Bass Upgrade and Makeover

Happy New Year folks :) This is my first post for 2021, and it features a "Chord" solidbody bass that looks a lot like a typical Jazz Bass. Construction-wise, this bass sports a plywood body, three-ply white/black/white pickguard, bolt-on maple neck; and 12" radius rosewood fretboard with 21 frets. The electronics consist of two single-coil pickups wired to two volumes and a master tone.

As the owner didn't quite like the stock red finish, he requested that the bass be refinished in flat black. He also wanted the "Chord" headstock label removed, for obvious reasons. And so, the headstock face was sanded down to bare wood; and refinished in Tru-Oil. Meanwhile, any visible dings and gouges in the body were filled with Elmer's Wood Filler and sanded flat. Then, after scuff-sanding the whole body, it was refinished in flat black; with a top coat of flat clear for added protection.

Although the stock electronics were working fine, I was instructed to upgrade them, and while I was at it; shield the body cavities with conductive shielding paint. New components added included Alpha 250K pots, a Russian K40Y-9 0.033uF tone cap; and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack.

Hardware-wise, all rusty components were replaced. Luckily, the bridge, as well as control and neck plates; were still in useable condition. They were given a good de-gunking, lube and polish; and reused. The open-gear "elephant ear" tuners, however, just had to go. The gears were worn and would not turn smoothly even after servicing. One of them even had a loose ear which would not stay in place. As such, they were honorably discharged; and a new set installed. And, as expected; it was not a simple drop-in job. The old tuner mounting screw holes had to be plugged and trimmed flush, new holes drilled; and the tuner holes reamed a bit to accommodate the slightly-larger tuner posts.

Well, folks, that's it for this post. Thanks for visiting, and do drop by again soon. Meanwhile, stay home, stay safe; and God bless :)

1991 Ibanez JEM77 BFP

This is a genuine 1991 MIJ Ibanez JEM77 BFP (Blue Floral Pattern). I'm certain it's a 1991 based on the six-digit serial number engraved into the neck plate. It still has the original blue pickups, namely a trio of DiMarzios in a HSH configuration. Unfortunately, one of the bridge humbucker's coils has shorted out internally; effectively cutting its output by half. As such, the neck humbucker is way more powerful. Now, the owner wants these pickups retained, and so I'll be isolating the broken coil from the circuit; and swapping the neck and bridge humbuckers.

The electronics are totally shot, save for the barrel output jack; which appears to be brand new. I'll be putting in Alpha 500K pots, a CRL 5-way switch, K40Y-9 tone cap; and Gavitt wire. The over-sized black machine screws someone had used to secure the pickguard and cavity covers will be replaced with ones of a more suitable size. This means that I'll have to plug the old screw holes and drill new ones, but it's all part of the job. The original blue volume and tone knobs do not fit the Alpha pots, so I'll be putting on a pair of  black metric Strat-style ones; which should match the black CRL switch tip nicely.

All hardware, including the Lo-Pro Edge tremolo and locking nut; will be cleaned and lubed for optimum operation. Finally, this guitar will be set up with a set of 10s. You might have noticed that I have not included detailed specs concerning the JEM77 BFP in this post. For more information concerning this fine instrument, do check out the Guitar Chimp and Ibanez Wiki websites.

YouTube Videos: Demo One (Armz-3D) | Demo Two (Armz-3D) | Demo Three (Armz-3D)

Sunburst Stratocaster Copy Upgrade

Let's call a spade a spade. This guitar was by no means a genuine Fender Stratocaster, as the headstock decal would have you believe. In any case, the mismatched decal script and small headstock was a dead giveaway. This script style was only used on late '60s - 70s "big head" strats. You would think that the guys who made this would've done some research beforehand. Then, there was no walnut plug lining the truss rod access channel, although the neck sported a "skunk stripe." The walnut plug is one of the features that most copiers do not bother implementing.

Yes, it was merely a copy, albeit a well-made one. The body was solid wood with good weight, while the 9.5" radius maple neck was straight as an arrow, and fitted with medium-jumbo frets. I'd rate the fretwork at 8/10, which isn't at all bad for a copy. The neck angle wasn't correct, but a neck pocket shim took care of that. The plastic nut wasn't in good shape cosmetically, and the string slots needed a lot of work. I'd initially planned to replace the nut, but budgetary constraints would not allow that. So out came the nut files and sandpaper.

The guitar hadn't been played nor serviced in years, and the neglect had taken its toll. The scratchy and/or barely-functioning electronics needed to be upgraded, but before doing that I had to deepen and widen the existing control cavity. Once that was taken care of, I was able to wire in a new 5-way switch, Alpha A250K pots, K73-16 cap, and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack. Hardware-wise, the jammed string saddles, rusty trem claw and trem springs were all replaced. The end result was deeply satisfying, thankfully.

I've never met the owner, as he's a real busy guy. He did, however, call me later to tell me how much his guitar sounded like a "real Fender." Do I support people buying fake/copy/replica guitars? Absolutely not! However, with one ringgit merely worth around 20 US cents nowadays, it's become nearly impossible for the average Joe to own a genuine Fender Stratocaster. And if a copy is all he can afford, the least I can do is to tweak it to its maximum potential.

      

Fender Japan ST-33R Stratocaster

Work done on this olympic white Japanese strat included a light "relicing" job, shielding, and fretboard reconditioning. As the original electronics were worn out and noisy, I replaced them with a generic PCB 5-way switch, Alpha A250K pots, Russian K73-16 cap, and Neutrik/Rean NYS229 output jack.