((( The Practical Seer )))

[Daraawiish]

There is no time to waste, for as how much significant the tasks at hand may seem, that which bears the real value are indisputable.

[Sacateca]

Well, I intend to have as much fun as I can along the way

[Daraawiish]

Everything has its place, well... except mind.

[Sacateca]

Sacateca wrote:


The question is:

Would I be willing to make an extra $194.98 investment

to make the Starcaster sound like a Multi-Thousand-Dollar

Fender Stratocaster guitar?


http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Fender-S ... Pickup+Set


Hmmmmm...decisions, decisions...


I mean, my biggest gripe with changing the pickups

was having to do extensive pickup replacement work


To just change the pickguard and solder a couple of wires


Well, that doesn't sound bad at all!!


Hmmm...is it worth it making a cheap guitar

sound like a multi-thousand-dollar guitar


Ya know...I THINK IT IS!!!!!


THERE ARE MANY COMMENTS LIKE THIS AT MUSICIAN'S FRIEND:


Comments about Fender Fat '50s Strat Pickup Set:

The fat 50's are THE Holy grail. Once you put a set on one of your strats you'll be eagerly waiting for the next sale so you can buy more. I have 8 Strats, ranging from 60's through 2012 and these pickups smoke them all. All! The guitar with these on them has become the one I compare all of my other Strats to and I always go back to the Fat 50's. 

The bottom end is nice and fat but articulates well with no mud; the high end is stratty but is not brittle or thin like so many so-called "vintage" pups. They are responsive and nice and poppy like a good Strat should be. I am extremely fussy about my tone and have gone through a lot of pickups. These quench my thirst. 

Blues, rock, country, the tone is aways spot on for what you need. David Gilmour has got nothing on these pups. Buy them. You will look back on it as one of the best decisions you ever made. You won't want to put the guitar down.

BOTTOM LINE Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... pickup-set


MY COMMENT:

Many say these particular pickups sound BETTER than the stock pickups on the multi-thousand-dollar Fender Stratocaster Guitars!! I'll be able to tell anyone who asks: Ah, it's just a cheap guitar. The only reason is sounds so good is that I'm a fantastic guitar player! Ha!

The main thing I don't like about the Starcaster are the machine head tuners. They are not precise enough for my liking so:







http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... ing-tuners

Oh, ****! I can sense money once again being spent. Woe is me!!!!

Let me tell you, I had to get somewhat drunk to order all this ****,

and more, for both guitars!!!

Ya know, (drunk) Mother Nature deserves

the best I can afford, in my performances!!!


Yup, I ordered them...drunk!
Well, everything I need has arrived and I'm getting ready to go to the hardware store in order to make absolutely certain I have the best tools for the job

I've decided to modify the white Starcaster
I cancelled the order for the black Starcaster

[Sacateca]

Sacateca wrote:
"Consider installing a Fender LSR roller nut, if you're a heavy whammy bar user, or just don't like the looks of the string tees on the headstock. This installation isn't just restricted to Fender guitars, it can be adapted to any guitar with with an inch and eleven sixteenths nut width, or close.
The beauty of the roller nut design is its simplicity. Each string is suspended atop two ball bearings. The ball bearings don't necessarily move, rather they provide a small, slick, contact patch for the string to slide over.
What I'm going to attempt to do here is show you the easiest way to install one of these. Meaning I'm going to use some real basic tools, and methods, to install the roller nut. I'm sure there are folks with all kinds of fancy tools, who could do the job faster, and easier. But that defeats the purpose, you don't want to spend more on tools than the roller nut itself, which by the way, can be found all over ebay for around forty bucks.



The picture on the right shows the tools you'll need to perform this installation. Many of these you probably already have. Note the file, I purchased this at Walmart for Seven Bucks. You don’t need a cordless Milwaukee hammer drill either, any drill will do with a 1/16" bit.

OK, First things first, remove the strings from the headstock of your guitar. The next step is up to you, I removed the neck from the guitar body, but if you’re not comfortable doing that, simply wrap the body with a clean towel and tape up.
Using a utility Knife and a sharp blade, carefully score all the way around the nut. This ensures that you won’t take any wood with you when you remove the nut.

Get your screw driver and a small tack hammer. Place the screwdriver against the nut and give it a gentle strike. It’s advisable to have someone hold the headstock while doing this. If no one’s around place the headstock up against a wall with a clean towel, clamp it, or just do what I do, wing it and hit the thing. The nut is held into place with a very small amount of glue. It will come out easily.


All right, this is what you have left with the nut gone. Wild huh ?, now you know how Lance Armstrong feels. As a foot note this nut removal process is pretty much the same on any guitar with a bone/plastic nut.




Take the directions out of the package along with the roller nut. Be careful not to lose the two small screws. The additional piece is not used unless your replacing a Wilkinson nut that was installed on some older Strats. With a small machinists ruler, which I neglected to show in the picture, measure the nut slot depth. Per the instructions, on each edge of the fretboard, you want to be .105 inches down. If you’re shallow file out the pocket, if you’re deep there are small shims included with the kit.

Lay the roller nut in the existing pocket, and mark each end of the roller nut toward the guitar body. We need to remove .094" of material toward the guitar body to get the nut to fit. Once you’ve marked each side of the fretboard, lay your machinists ruler between the two marks and gently score with a knife. This step is probably not necessary but it isn’t a horrible idea.
Once the fretboard is scored, tape to the score line with a double helping of masking tape. Tape to the center of the score line to be conservative.

Once you get down to the proper depth make sure you're still strait down. You can see in the picture to the left that I had to file towards the body a little.

It’s not a bad idea to try the nut in the groove. A snug fit is really the most desirable. Once you get the nut to snugly seat all the way to the bottom, it’s time to drill the holes. Remember to tape the bit so that you don’t go too deep.

With the holes drilled remove the roller nut, blow away the saw dust, and give the edges of the nut pocket a really light sand with some 220 grit paper. Your pocket should look something like this. Now insert the nut and carefully install the two screws provided with the kit. I’d suggest a little bees wax or soap on the threads.

With the roller nut seated tightly measure for proper reveal, and your done.
As a footnote here’s a few things you should do once the nut is installed. Once you’ve re stringed the guitar check that the intonation is still right. You may also remove the string tees, and fill the string tee holes. If you do remove the tees, and don’t have locking tuners, make sure you add a few extra turns of wire to the tuner posts. Good Luck J."





COMMENT:

I intend to memorize this to the point where I can do it in my sleep while blindfolded!
Actually, this is the project that has me friggin nervous! I want to have extra special tools for this job

The best I can find!!!

[Sacateca]

I just couldn't resist the sale price of $69.00 from Monoprice

http://www.monoprice.com/Product/?pg_no ... 4#feedback

The guitar has really great reviews and I have a second set of everything
to modify a second Fender Stratocaster copy guitar!

[Sacateca]

[Sacateca]

Hey dude! Chill out!
I'm not that upset about my decision!!

[Sacateca]

The Fender Starcaster guitar had much shallower holes for the tuners

((( MUCH SHALLOWER ))))

I had to go size by size up to the point where the tuners would fit

When I got to the last size the top of the headstock of the Starcaster broke off!!









The guitar is ruined. I'm going to have to throw it away!!

I can't believe it!!!!

((( THE GUITAR IS RUINED!!! )))

Talk about reaching the don Juanian "Place of No Pity"

I was so shocked then angry I went right off all scales of being angry

All that was left was a calm, 'cold as the Arctic wind' type of peace


My only consolation is that the Fender Starcaster only cost me about $130.00

If you can call that a consolation. If this had happened to my ACTUAL Fender Stratocaster

...I don't even want to think about it!!!!!!!

[Sacateca]

Sacateca wrote:
Strange how I posted this and then broke my guitar by trying to improve it
I didn't even want to cry about it, but...I am tempted to take the fucking guitar

and do a Pete Townshend on it and smash it to fucking bits!!!

((( I JUST MAY DO THAT AND FILM IT!! )))

[Sacateca]

I went to Musician's Friend and found a replacement Fender Stratocaster neck
FOR $199.00!!!!!

WITH NO GUARANTEE IT WILL FIT PROPERLY ON THE STARCASTER

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... umbo-frets

Or...

I could order yet another California Classic from Monoprice for $89.00 in white








So, I decided to order another guitar and

NOT MODIFY IT AT ALL!!!!

*** MODIFYING CHEAP GUITARS!!!

THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!!!!

((( MOTHER FUCKING SON OF A ****!!!! )))

((( I'M SO FUCKING ANGRY!!! )))

((( TIME TO GET FUCKING DRUNK!!! )))

[Sacateca]

WHAT A FUCKING NIGHTMARE!!
IN ONE FELL SWOOP I'VE LOST ALL FAITH IN MY ABILITY TO FIX ANYTHING

I STARTED PLAYING AROUND WITH MAYBE TRYING GLUE AND THEN USING SCREWS 

TO HOLD THE VERY TOP OF THE GUITAR IN PLACE, BUT I HAVE NO CONFIDENCE

THAT THE SOUND WILL NOT BE AFFECTED

THE VERY THOUGHT OF DOING ALL THAT WORK

ONLY TO BE DISAPPOINTED...

I CAN'T HANDLE IT

I can't handle it!

****!

Where the *** is that vodka!!

[Sacateca]

It's an amazing thing to have my confidence in myselfso completely shattered. I guess it's for my own good
I guess...

Well, at least the cheap vodka hasn't let me down...so far
Fucking world!!

[Sacateca]

Who knows! Maybe the Monoprice tuners are so much better than the one's 
on the Starcaster that I won't even want to change them!!

I've read no real complaints about the pickups
Maybe this is the best way to go!

Heck, me fixing anything sure isn't!

[Sacateca]

I swear, I've been fantasizing
smashing myself over the head with a baseball bat

over and over and over and over and over

until there is nothing left but a soft pile of bloody gore

where my head used to be

fucking ****!!

[Sacateca]

SO, IF ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN TEMPTED
TO CALL ME A FUCKING ****

TODAY, I WILL WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE!!!!

[Carla Pop]

OMG! I have ))) u're so confusing, niice.. crazy not ****, but I'm willing to call u **** if that fills ur heart lol

[Sacateca]

HOWEVER, IF THE SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM
WAS TO ORDER A MONOPRICE STRATOCASTER COPY

HOW WOULD THIS BE ACCOMPLISHED OTHER THAN

ME BREAKING MY FENDER STARCASTER GUITAR

WHILE TRYING TO IMPROVE IT??
I WELCOME ALL COUNTERPOINT COMMENTS

[Sacateca]

Sacateca wrote:


Who knows! Maybe the Monoprice tuners are so much better than the one's 
on the Starcaster that I won't even want to change them!!

I've read no real complaints about the pickups
Maybe this is the best way to go!

Heck, me fixing anything sure isn't!
This much I know for certain:
The tuning machines on the Monoprice Route 66 Les Paul are excellent!
They are much better than I expected them to be. They hold the guitar in tune more than adequate for my needs
It is logical to assume that the tuners on the Monoprice California Classic Fender Stratocaster copy guitars
will follow the same overall standard of quality as the tuners on the Route 66


So, I'm going to blindly believe that breaking the Starcaster guitar
was exactly what I needed to do to save me money
I call this, "A blind hangover belief"


ALL THIS UPGRADING HARDWARE IS GOING BACK TO AMAZON!!!

In the long run, I will end up saving money by my decisions and actions!

[Sacateca]

[Sacateca]

Sacateca wrote:


The Fender Starcaster guitar had much shallower holes for the tuners

((( MUCH SHALLOWER ))))

I had to go size by size up to the point where the tuners would fit

When I got to the last size the top of the headstock of the Starcaster broke off!!









The guitar is ruined. I'm going to have to throw it away!!

I can't believe it!!!!

((( THE GUITAR IS RUINED!!! )))

Talk about reaching the don Juanian "Place of No Pity"

I was so shocked then angry I went right off all scales of being angry

All that was left was a calm, 'cold as the Arctic wind' type of peace


My only consolation is that the Fender Starcaster only cost me about $130.00

If you can call that a consolation. If this had happened to my ACTUAL Fender Stratocaster

...I don't even want to think about it!!!!!!!
For your information:
Expanding the size of holes in order to fit new tuners is a job for a drill press

((( NOT A HAND DRILL!!! )))

I found this out the hard way as I keep widening the holes



The job was proving to be sloppy and unispiring

When the top of the headstock of the guitar broke off

I was jolted into a profound state of inner-silence

I was so shocked I could not believe it!!!!

It was indeed the most mind-blowing event of the year!!



I hit rock bottom so fast. Well...it was quite an experience

One that I NEVER, EVER WANT TO REPEAT

NOT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!!

[Sacateca]

[Sacateca]

Holy ****!! My Starcaster isn't THIS broken!!

[Sacateca]

((( THERE IS HOPE AFTER ALL!!! )))

[Sacateca]

I should not have impulsively ordered the new white Monoprice California classic guitar
It's too late. I can refuse the package when it gets here and will not have to pay return shipping

However the initial shipping charge of $27.00 will be lost to me



There is the concept of taking something that is hopelessly broken

and fixing it to the point where it becomes better than it has ever been



It's kind of like my relationship with the Spirit

I feel like demonstrating to the Spirit how I would never want the Spirit to give up on me 

no matter how broken I may be from life