Musicmaster to Mustang conversion (with Jaguar vibrato)

spenc2ma

Hey all, I'm new here.

I've got a project 1976 Musicmaster that I'm looking to modify. I plan to route the body to facilitate Mustang electronics and bridge with a Jaguar/Jazzmaster floating tremolo tailpiece. I don't want to add a Mustang Dynamic Vibrato tailpiece because I've played both styles and prefer the tremolo found on the jaguar/jazzmaster. That being said, I like the comfort of the musicmaster/duosonic/mustang body and the sound of the mustang electronics.

Any ideas where I can find templates for routing the body for these electronics and hardware? Any information that you can provide to help me with this project would be greatly appreciated.

And, no worries, the guitar isn't original and is in pretty rough shape, so I'm saving a life rather than ruining one!

Thanks a lot for the help.

Dougler

I'm not really sure if the body is thick enough for the jag/jazzy trem route. But I could be wrong. But it sounds like a cool idea, very MBV

😁

gilmourish

bilindas aren't Fender Mustangs. They're made by some builder... Can't remember the name so maybe thicker body?

Either way I think it could be a very close shave.

spenc2ma

Wow, I didn't realize MBV used Mustangs. I thought it was solely Jags/Jazzes. Then again, I guess I've always paid more attention to Kevin Shields' gear. Thanks for passing the photos along.

Does anyone know (off-hand or measuring their vibrato) how far the assembly reaches into the route of the body? Or, how deep is the route in your Jag/Jazz?

If the cavity I'd need to route in the Musicmaster body would leave only a few millimeters of wood, I might route it all the way through and custom-cut a backplate from the same material the pickguard is made out of. If it came to that I'd probably trace the shape of the trem assembly base plate and just stagger the screw holes so they clear one-another. Does that make sense?

Also, any ideas where I can get the body routes for the jag/jazz vibrato and the Mustang electronics (pickups/switching) and bridge. I've called Stew Mac, Allparts, and looked on eBay.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the help. Sorry for the long-windedness. I get excited...ha.

gilmourish

shields has never used mustang styled guitars iirc.

spenc2ma

It looks like the jazz/jag trem on Bilinda's "mustang" is actually an All-Parts or other non-Fender unit. I say that because the All-Parts trems don't have the trem-lock on them - and in the pictures, it's apparent that Bilinda's doesn't either.

Is it possible that the All-Parts or other aftermarket trems don't require a route that is as deep as the factory Fender units?

gilmourish

As i've already said. There bodies are probably not Mustang bodies and could therefore be thicker. So in answer to your question, probably not.

spenc2ma

Okay, but any word on templates?

spenc2ma

Okay, in case anyone is interested in this project, I routed the Musicmaster body for a jazz/jag trem, Mustang bridge, and two P-90 pickups. The body wasn't too thin for the trem route! 😁 In fact, there was enough depth to leave 1/4" of wood between the bottom of the route and the back of the guitar.

With the trem and bridge installed, I ordered new electronics - including two Jason Lollar P-90 pickups. I also plan to pick up a set of Sperzel locking tuners at Elderly Instruments next week.

I strung up the guitar with GHS .011s and I'm having a problem with the tremolo. It seems to bind a bit and doesn't operate very smoothly. It is a Fender American Vintage Reissue trem, so it is decent quality. the ferrule that the trem arm pushes into seems to drag a bit on the trem plate hole, if that makes sense. But I think it may be binding somewhere else, too. Has anyone else ever had this problem? Are there any online resources that can help with these issues? I've found a lot out about adjusting the trem and setting it up, but not much with trouble-shooting. Any help is appreciated.

biographers

hey spenc2ma, I sent you a PM. I'm working on a similar project!

spenc2ma

biographers said:
hey spenc2ma, I sent you a PM. I'm working on a similar project!

Tried responding to your PM but something strange was happening. Response is below:

I bought the guitar ('76 Musicmaster) on eBay and it was basically just a neck and body with a few pieces of mismatched and corroded electronics and hardware. I disassembled the guitar down to just the neck and body. I installed a set of Sperzel Trim-Lock tuning machines, a Fender American Vintage Jazzmaster/Jaguar tremolo, a Fender Mustang Bridge, a WD Music Products BWBWB pickguard and two Lollar P-90 soapbar pickups. I had the guitar setup and the frets leveled by Mike Koontz @ Koontz Guitar Repair in Ferndale, Mich. Now it plays and sounds amazing.

I noticed while I was working on this guitar that there isn't a lot of useful information on the Web about installing the Fender Jazz/Jag trem system. There are a lot of people interested in that, though. A family friend and I did all the routing work and we're pretty proud of it. We were careful when routing (measure twice, cut once). All that's left to do is a re-finish, but I have to be honest, I sort of like the grittiness of the original black finish.

To hear the guitar, listen to my band's music at www.wearefawn.com. This guitar is all over our debut LP, to be released Summer 2011.

Where are you at with your Duo-Sonic? What problems are you encountering? Is it a reissue or a vintage instrument?

Link to a photo of the guitar is below. Not sure if it will work. If it doesn't, I'm happy to e-mail.

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f4c4844bb6&view=att&th=12f63e821fe07352&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_gmm2y0dw0&zw