Another Stagg S402 HSS Solidbody

In 2017, I had the pleasure of working on a Stagg S402 HSS solidbody guitar. I say "pleasure" because it was relatively well-built and boasted quality materials; unlike most budget guitars I'd worked on. Well, folks, today's post is about another S402 that was in the shop recently. It was virtually identical to the one I'd worked on before, save for the pickups. The bridge humbucker did not have oversized adjustable pickup polepieces, while the neck and middle single-coils were Super 5s transplanted from a 1984 Ibanez RS130. You can read about the Stagg S402's full specs HERE.

So, why was it in the shop? Well, it was grimy and sticky, and the electronics were shot. What was the remedy, then? Glad you asked that question. We gave this baby a good going-over, which included fretboard conditioning, fret polishing, hardware servicing; plus a thorough clean and polish. The guitar was also rewired with new electronic components, and set up with a fresh set of 9s. 'Nuff said, then. Let's look at some pics.

RCE HSS Solidbody Overhaul

Rumor has it that RC Stromm used to be known as "RCE" in its infancy. For those of you who aren't familiar with RC Stromm, it's a line of affordable made-in-China guitars and basses distributed in Malaysia by Kuantan Music. Which brings us to this particular RCE HSS sunburst solidbody; the owner's very first guitar. It was sent in for a major overhaul which included a good clean and polish, hardware servicing, electronics upgrade, shielding; and setup. And since the guitar was already in the shop; he also asked that the "RCE" logo on the headstock face be removed.

You know, lots of nice things have been said about Gibson Guitar Polish. Just do a search on YouTube and you'll see what I mean. And guess what? It's not all hype, this stuff actually works! As you can see in the pictures below, the whole guitar was covered in years of caked-on dirt, grime, crud and a greasy film of lord-knows-what. It was as if the guitar had been hanging on the wall of a busy restaurant kitchen for quite some time. I'm glad I had this polish on hand for this job, as it certainly got rid of all that gunk in no time at all.

Removing the RCE logo was a lot harder than I'd thought. I was expecting a waterslide decal, but it was actually some kind of thick black paint with a raised profile that you could feel with your fingertips. Trying to wipe it off with various solvents did not work, so out came the razor blade and a scrape-scrape-scrape we did go. This was followed by a thorough sanding job and refinish with Tru-Oil. By the time I was done, I dare say that no one could tell there had ever been a logo there.

Electronics-wise, all components except for the pickups were replaced. The two single coils were also rewired, as the leads were a little too short. Shielding was done in the usual manner; foil for the back of the pickguard and conductive shielding paint for the body cavities. And, of course, the rosewood fretboard was cleaned and oiled; and the frets polished. Speaking of fretboards, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this one had a radius of 14"; which is flatter than that of your typical Les Paul (12") or Strat (9.5").

2004 Fender 50th Anniversary American Deluxe Fat Strat HSS

Specifications
Finish: Three tone sunburst
Body: Alder
Neck: Maple/skunk stripe/Micro-Tilt adjustment/headstock-end truss rod adjustment/'spaghetti' logo/Schaller locking tuners (no logo)/LSR Roller Nut
Fretboard: Maple/25.5" scale/9.5" radius/22 medium-jumbo frets/rolled edges/abalone dot inlays
Bridge: Fender-Floyd Rose Tremolo System aka 'Blanda Bridge'
Pickup Configuration: HSS
Neck/Middle Pickups: Fender Samarium Cobalt (SCN) Noiseless Single Coils
Bridge Pickup: Fender DH-1 Humbucker
Special Features: S-1 Switching System/Oak Grigsby Super Switch/beveled neck-body joint/50th Anniversary neck plate

References
The Fender Stratocaster "Strat" Plus Deluxe Series
The New Fender-Floyd Rose Tremolo System
Fender American Deluxe Stratocasters

What Went Down
This guitar was de-gunked, de-grimed and de-rusted; amongst a host of other cleanup tasks. As the existing frets were worn out, the neck was refretted with Dunlop 6000s, as per the owner's request. He also had just about had it with the S-1 switching System; and was terribly unhappy about inconsistent performance, hum and crackling. In short, he missed the straightforward control configuration and 5 distinct sounds he could get out of a typical Strat, especially in switch positions 2 and 4. A peek under the hood revealed extensive corrosion, oxidation and a rat's nest of wiring; which explained the problems he was facing.

And so, to give him what he craved, I gutted the innards and installed new CTS 250K pots, CRL 5-way switch, Russian PIO tone cap; and Switchcraft #11 output jack. Yes, it was back to a master volume, two tones; and in-your-face stratty goodness. Looking back, I have to admit that servicing and setting up the 'Blanda Bridge' was a complete PITA. You can download a setup guide HERE if you'd like more information on this bridge.

Squier California Series HSS Stratocaster Restoration and Upgrade

This rosewood board Strat is a fine example of how NOT to take care of your guitar. From the looks of the sweat and grime-caked fretboard, I knew it'd seen a lot of action over the years. The stock electronics (except for the pickups) were shot, and every single piece of hardware was either seriously tarnished or rusty. To make matters worse, someone had broken off the tremolo arm right where it screwed into the block, leaving an unsightly stub; and most of the saddle height adjustment hex screws were frozen in place. On the plus side, a thoughtful soul had added aluminium foil shielding in the pickup and control cavities. Testing with a multimeter revealed that continuity was good. However, there was no grounding tab from any of the pot casings to the foil.

The tremolo arm stub refused to budge despite my best efforts, so I ended up filing it flat. This means that no one will be playing "Apache" on this Strat. As for the saddle height screws, I managed to remove them after breaking the rust bond via heat/cold treatment. As expected, these 12 tiny screws needed to be replaced. The still-functioning pickups were de-gunked; and wiring, pots, 5-way switch, output jack and tone cap replaced. Besides this, a grounding wire/tab was soldered to the 2nd tone pot casing and screwed into the foil in the humbucker pickup cavity. I also added a self-adhesive strip of copper foil to the pickup cavity shielding that would make contact with the foil shield on the underside of the pickguard.

De-griming and polishing the frets was a relatively painless task compared to reconditioning the rosewood fretboard, I must say. A naptha-soaked rag didn't do much, so out came the scrapers. It was only after removing loads of crud that one could see the beautiful wood hidden beneath. The rosewood board was so dry that the first couple of applications of lemon oil were soaked up in a matter of minutes. Talk about a thirsty board!

After stringing her with a set of 9s and carrying out the usual setup procedures, this Strat was once again ready for action.

2015 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker

Preamble
The inspection tag reads 'AM DLX STRAT HSS SHAW MN 3TSB' which translates into 'American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker Maple Neck Three Tone Sunburst.' This Strat was sent in for a string change and setup. As I was granted permission to open her up, I did not waste the opportunity to have a look at the insides and take as many pictures as I could. It's not your run-of-the-mill Fender Strat, for sure; but ever having to work on the complicated electronics and wiring is not a task I would relish.

Specifications
Country of Origin: USA
Year of Manufacture: 2015
Body Material: Alder
Body Finish: Gloss Polyurethane
Color: 3-Tone Sunburst
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Shape: Compound, modern "C" to "D"
Fretboard Radius: 9.5"-14" compound
Fretboard Material: Maple
Fretboard Inlay: Black pearloid dots
Number of Frets: 22, medium jumbo
Scale Length: 25.5"
Neck/Body Joint: Bolt-on, treble-side heel contour
Nut: LSR Roller Nut
Nut Width: 1.685"
Bridge: Two-point Synchronised Tremolo with pop-in arm
Saddles: Stainless steel
Tuners: Locking, staggered-height posts
Strap Buttons: Schaller Strap Lock
Switches: 5-Way Blade Switch, S-1™ Switch, Passing Lane Switch

Pickups
Bridge Pickup: Shawbucker™ Zebra
Middle Pickup: Noiseless™ N3 Single-Coil Strat
Neck Pickup: Noiseless™ N3 Single-Coil Strat

Controls
Master Volume (with S-1™ Switch)
Tone 1 (Neck Pickup)
Tone 2 (Middle and Bridge Pickups)

Pickup Switching
Position 1: Humbucking Pickup with Coils in Series
Position 2: Middle Pickup/Inside Coil of Humbucking Pickup in Parallel
Position 3: Middle Pickup Only
Position 4: Neck/Middle Pickup in Parallel
Position 5: Neck Pickup Only

S-1™ Switch
OFF: Normal Operation (pickups in parallel)
ON: Pickups in Series

Passing Lane Switch
OFF: Normal Operation
ON: Routes bridge pickup signal to the output jack, bypassing pickup selector, volume and tone circuitry

References
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker Review
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS Shawbucker
Fender 2015 - American Deluxe Shawbucker Strat (Video)