Mymozika Frankenstrat Build | Part One

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.

 

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.