Time to come clean about why I'm asking for measurements etc.....

[zhivago]

hey guys, I hope it turns out really well...just to throw another spanner in the works....regarding the bridge....would a Bronco bridge do as well?

looks about the right size, and I get a wiggly trem!

[matthew]

By deeper, I was referring to the body thickness, but I never actually measured this, it just felt like it was thicker. This was my inital impression, before I had the neck. I've now checked properly. I was wrong  it is actually the same. The arm contour contour is different - less pronounced (probably a difference between a CIJ and vintage body rather than a XII vs Jazzmaster issue) , so that may have given me the wrong impression. The XII body is certainly heavier though.

[Coronado]

The Bronco bridge looks good, but where are you going to get it?

Angela have it, but not complete:


"1. Fender Bronco bridge assembly, includes chrome bridge plate and saddles but no parts to mount this to the body, NEW OLD STOCK '70s parts for the worst guitar Fender ever made (ROCK ON BEN BUJA!). GENUINE FENDER NEW OLD STOCK Part #092544. EACH $59."

[zhivago]

probably look around on ebay...basicaly put it on my list...because it's larger, it might fit better with the pickguard, so I'd rather go for it (if that is the case)

basicaly, with the time scale for this being about a year, I can take time and wait for the rarer parts, while getting some of the easier ones first

[Coronado]

Yeah, you'll have to wait for it. But I think this project deserves a tremolo! 

I'm also interested in the pickguard and control plate tracing, so if anyone got them PLEASE let me know. As I said before I have a "similar" idea. 

[zhivago]

I got a control plate on the way, I'll do a tracing for you once it arrives...

and if you're willing to wait, once I get the pickguard, I'll trace that for you as well

I wanna get the pickguard next month or something....

[Coronado]

Thank you, thank you, thank you  Mr. zhivago 

That would be great, when I have anything to show about this project, I will

[zhivago]

coolness

in other news, I have decided it has to be a proper XII bridge....I will search and search...maybe even buy a $trat XII and rob it of it's bridge and then sell the rest (and probably take a hit in the price)

just look at another photoshop image......it just looks right...no gaps, no nothing....






this is totaly gonna be my signature guitar when I get famous!!

[nealescott]

hey just a wild thought,

but have you seen if fender japan, or allparts japan or any of those guys have a strat 12 or electric 12 bridge available??

i seem to remember the only strat 12 i ever saw was an MIJ, so it would make sense that maybe they might have some of those parts? and i think those guys are usually very very helpful with things like that.

[mjet]

Unfortunately the newer (ie from the mid-90s, if I'm not mistaken) MIJ/CIJ Fender XII Strats have the stock Gotoh bridge rather than the old Electric XII style bridge. Functionally the Gotoh is probably superior (6 strings are through-body, the other six are top-loading). But the bridge plate is very different than the old Electric XII.

[Orang Goreng]

in other news, I have decided it has to be a proper XII bridge....I will search and search...maybe even buy a $trat XII and rob it of it's bridge and then sell the rest (and probably take a hit in the price)

just look at another photoshop image......it just looks right...no gaps, no nothing....

I take it you're going with a repro XII guard, right? What you could do is fit, say, a new MM bridge to the tracing of the guard and then re-do the tracing so there are no gaps anymore. That way you end up with something even more unique, plus you eliminate the hen's teeth factor.

And there we have it: awkwardness substantially eliminated!

Just an idea.

[zhivago]

Unfortunately the newer (ie from the mid-90s, if I'm not mistaken) MIJ/CIJ Fender XII Strats have the stock Gotoh bridge rather than the old Electric XII style bridge. Functionally the Gotoh is probably superior (6 strings are through-body, the other six are top-loading). But the bridge plate is very different than the old Electric XII.

indeed, Michaels is right...I have seen quite a few 80s Strat XIIs...there's 2 on ebay right now....I've done endless searches on trying to find the loose part on it's own, but it seems that canibalism will be the only way 

[zhivago]

in other news, I have decided it has to be a proper XII bridge....I will search and search...maybe even buy a $trat XII and rob it of it's bridge and then sell the rest (and probably take a hit in the price)

just look at another photoshop image......it just looks right...no gaps, no nothing....

I take it you're going with a repro XII guard, right? What you could do is fit, say, a new MM bridge to the tracing of the guard and then re-do the tracing so there are no gaps anymore. That way you end up with something even more unique, plus you eliminate the hen's teeth factor.

And there we have it: awkwardness substantially eliminated!

Just an idea.

so I'd have to do get two pickguards like that, you mean?...one original style and one corrected, that is.

the thing that worries me the most is the actual positioning of the bridge, in regards to the pickguard gap...I was looking at closeups of the Maverick, and the Mustang bridge it uses is quite far off



so that made me think...where would the MM bridge be actualy placed?....if it's really far off, then it'll look pants...

my main problem with looks is that I can get very anal about things like this over time, if it doesn't look right, it's bound to drive me up the walls...I'm neurotic like that

[Orang Goreng]

so I'd have to do get two pickguards like that, you mean?...one original style and one corrected, that is.

As usual I didn't express myself very clearly. Another demonstration of that will follow now ;-).

What I meant is that you don't use an actual copy of a XII guard, but make a guard based on the XII's, but adapted to another type of bridge.

My initial thought was that that way, you would only have to make the gap for the bridge a bit narrower, so the smaller MM bridge would fit snugly.

Now I see that picture you just posted, it seems the guard would have to be quite a bit longer as well, because the bridge would probably be set further back (a MM's bridge is nowhere near as long as a XII bridge, I guess). That certainly messes things up, although it still would be possible. Could be worth a PS mockup...

[zhivago]

I getcha now!

yeah, I filled in the pickguard gap on another pic of the Maverick and the pickguard's end looked too square....

hmmm....it's so weird that the particular XII bridge is not available as an aftermarket part


I'll fire up photoshop again tonight...it's just a bit like flying blind though....I don't really know exactly where to place any of the potential bridges on the mockup....