[BGood]

I've been looking for a nice 25½" scale C shaped neck and found one this morning. Real cheap and bonus ... it's attached to a Jay Turser JT300 Vintage Series Stratocaster copy body with trimmings. Just got it the studio and plugged it in. Nice tone, but bridge and middle pups are squealers. It needs a good clean up over and under the pickguard. Scratchy pots and switch. Might have to rethink those.

That neck is one good chunk of wood with nice frets. No sharp ends and intonation is good. Neck might get shimmed to lower the action, or maybe I'll shave the heel. Doesn't need much. Bridge is solid dense metal. I haven't opened up the back yet to look at the block.

Body is thick and heavy, I'd say near 8lbs. If I remember my research, it's not plywood and might be mahogany on those Vintage. Once under the spotlight, I discovered it has a real deep blue flame. I'll see if it's veneer or a cap when I go inside. I didn't see the flames before, it's so dark.

Anyway, nice project and here are some pics.

 

[Chitmo]

That's a nice score man, congratulations. I have to say though I followed a previous thread of yours that had much debate on values and different perspectives. If you don't wanna have your thread derailed again by senseless arguing I would suggest not inviting such debate by instigating with such a title. You'll notice that there are some of us here that believe guitars can be good at $100 or $1k and price point is just a matter of what you're comfortable with.

 

[BGood]

Thanks.
I know, I'm such a teaser ...

 

[vadsy]

My guess is the pickups aren't wax potted and you'll have feedback issues because of it.

 

[BGood]

Potted single coils ? I never seen any, I thought only humbuckers were. Makes sense. Potting they'll get then.

 

[BGood]

Look at the size of that neck ! A handful, like I like them.

 

[zontar]

Cool--if you like it--that makes it worthwhile--especially if it was a bargain.

Enjoy!

 

[Rollin Hand]

I have actually heard nothing but good things about these, especially for the price. On another forum, someone contacted US Music (they own Jay Turser), and they said the wood was either Poplar or Basswood, depending on what they could get at the time.

A trip to Guitarfetish or bezdez on eBay, and you can make these into something pretty cool.

 

[Ronbeast]

I purchased a Jay Turser in a pawn shop a few months back for $30. Other than the thick orange-ish poly on the back of the neck, it was a great guitar. Even the pickups in it were decent.

 

[BGood]

This is where I'm at now.

Tried to gently strip the top finish with a heat gun. It's like a real thin dark blue vinyl lacquer of some kind. Sooo thin it's hard not to go through the thin veneer. Looks like bacon in this pic.

​

So I sanded a little more surface and the wood seem nice, Probably basswood.

​

So I went for it ...

​

Color is all gone, most of the sealer too. Some left here and there to be scratched off.

Next I'll test some colors on the pickguard section. Maybe a nice rich blue, maybe it'll stay natural with some oil finish. I'll try things in Photoshop before I go live.

 

[greco]

@BGood Pics aren't showing for me.

 

[Guest]

Me neither.

 

[BGood]

All of them ? OK, I'll fix that, gimmie a moment ...

...

...

...

There

 

[Guest]

All of them ? OK, I'll fix that, gimmie a moment ...

...

...

...

There

I can see!

The wood looks nice.

 

[SaucyJack]

Nice find. Loves me a big chunky neck!!!

 

[zontar]

Looks like bacon on this pic.

​

Now you're making me hungry

 

[BGood]

So ...
Been tweaking the neck finish. Using Scotch Brite, I got the back of the neck all smooth and it got me thinking ... why not do the whole neck and get rid of that headstock and fretboard mega glossy finish. Well ... I did and am real happy I did. This neck now looks and feel like a million bucks. The by-product of bringing down the luster on the fretboard is some nicely polished frets.

Tuners are nice, but one is all loose even after re-tightening all I could. They might have to be replaced. Shouldn't be hard to find cheap replacement, they look pretty standard to me.

Nice attention to detail on the string trees. See the different spacer heights.

 

[BGood]

Even though all the metal on this guitar is pretty heavy and solid (scratched spots are a brass or copper color), the trem block was a small one. Not so anymore. What's the deal with a big block ? To add more mass to ? I cut a piece of ¼ inch iron and Super Glued it to the block. TADA ! Instant big block for nothing.

Body color/stain/lacquer is mostly done, but that's for next time

 

[Rollin Hand]

This is where I'm at now.


So I sanded a little more surface and the wood seem nice, Probably basswood.

​

That ain't basswood. The grain looks like mahogany to me. Maybe the information I read about these guitars was incorrect.

 

[BGood]

I don't know what it is, but it's damn heavy.