Bought a modded JM and want to do more

[apprentice1979]

Hi, Team,

I just bought a parts JM of sorts on Craigslist for $425. Yes, it was a steal. This solves my trouble deciding which of my other offset guitars to mod: neither! (Anyone looking for a Daphne Blue Squier JM? How much can I get for mine in excellent shape?)

It is a Mexican JM body finished in black with an off-white pickguard.

The caps and pots and been upgraded (Emerson cap). It has custom controls wiring that is pretty clever (the rhythm switch disables the neck only selection. Only the bridge and bridge+neck combo works. The rollers are completely disengaged. Whats up with that?)

It has either an American 70's Fender Strat replacement neck, or a Warmoth or other manufacturer clone.

This guitar plays like a dream and the neck is possibly the nicest I've ever played. But I'm thinking about upgrading it even further.

First, the headstock is painted black to match the body. Since it has no other markings on it I wonder if its a Warmoth instead of a true Fender. No matter, it plays like a high quality neck. Should I put a Fender decal on it? Where can I find he best looking ones? Should I put a different decal on it? Sand it down and stain it to match the 'guard?

I'll probably replace the off-white 'guard with a red tort one.

What do y'all generally think about the Mexican JM pickups? I actually like the way they sound. Which boutique pups do you like the best? I'll research some and determine if I want to swap em.

It currently has the TOM bridge that comes stock with the CP JM's. My drummer says its the best bridge for the system, but I've heard Mustang or roller bridges are better. What are your thoughts?

I'll update you with pics later. Thanks for the consideration!

[Steadyriot.]

First:


Second:
A lot of people don't like the rhythm circuit, chances are it's disconnected. You could wire it back up if you use it.
Most aftermarket necks have a stamp in the neck heel. Warmoth and Allparts both have a logo branded in. Take off the neck to see what it is.
No markings on the back of the headstock usually means aftermarket.
If you like the headstock, keep it that way. Putting Fender on it would be lying. Staining it is kinda a bad idea if you want to sell it along the way; otherwise; go wild!
If you like the pickups; you like overwound pickups. The Classic player one's are pretty hot. For alternative pickups: I really love my Curtis Novak Jazzmaster pickup.
Don't even start about TOM bridges; it'll end nasty... Consensus is dat you'll be better off with a replacement with roller saddles or a traditional JM / Mustang bridge. These are on a lot of Classic Players (had one on my CP Jag too):
Tort is always a good idea.

[Embenny]

First rule of replacement pickups: you don't need them if you like how the current ones sound!

Don't mod for modding's sake. You may discover that a more traditional JM pickup sounds less to your liking, or that it has more hum (the CP ones have pretty good signal:noise ratio as far as hum goes for JM pups). I've heard some amazing performances and recordings made with stock CP JMs.

I picked up a CP JM in a trade, and was shocked by how much I liked it stock, including the bridge. I'm one of those people who are adamantly against TOMs in principle (Gibson bridge, knife edge saddles, fixed bridge in a trem system, mismatched radius). But you know what? It plays fine, and holds up to trem use! If I had to replace it, it would be with a Staytrem - they have a drop-in AOM replacement that has a matched radius and restores the floating function of the bridge.

My two cents. My "accidental" CPJM that I acquired is still stock, and I mod the crap out of everything...and I may tinker with it with parts I already have sitting in the drawer, but I feel zero need to throw money at it. It's a great guitar as-is.