Modding a KC Jaguar

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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Footbutt
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Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Footbutt » Sun Aug 18, 2019 5:31 am

I've been back and forth on whether or not i needed another guitar. I really enjoy my Jazzmaster, but miss the Jaguar feel and vibe.
So here i am again.... buying a Kurt Cobain Jaguar!

Mods i'm going to do:
1. New Finish, Ice Blue Metallic for the body
2. New regular control plate
3. New pickups, Shawbuckers from a tele custom pro
4. New pickguard (currently a white one, which may change)
5. Rewiring of electronics

Here's my first hiccup...
The pickups are very similar in shape to the WRHBs i'm used to, but the shawbucker is humbucker-sized. It's edges are less rounded, so i'll need to dig into the aftermarket pickguard to accommodate the new pickups. Any recommendations on how best to do that?
"There's nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster." -Dr. Evil

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HNB
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by HNB » Sun Aug 18, 2019 10:06 am

I use a small round file or wrap sandpaper around a small piece of wood to square off pickup routes that are a little small. Just do a little at a time and check until it fits. Avoid getting annoyed and using a dremel.... LOL You can always take off more.... but putting it back is not so easy.
Christopher
Lilith Guitars

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timtam
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by timtam » Sun Aug 18, 2019 5:57 pm

Cutting big sections out of a pickguard can be done in several ways, eg a coping saw. For the first one I ever did I used an old soldering iron to melt through the plastic ! It was quick but messy. You can also use a dremel to do the initial rough cutting ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyWO4ixaOPQ
With any of these fast but rough approaches, just don't go too close to the final edge location for risk of going too far. Then use a wide flat file to get the edges straight. Or sandpaper wrapped around a wooden block.

At the end of it you'll realize why people don't do DIY pickguard work more often ! Ideally you need pro tools - templates and a router with a special bit - which are only really justifiable if you are making full guards regularly. Some people have suggested it might be do-able efficiently with a cheap trim router, but I haven't seen that done yet.
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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JVG
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by JVG » Sun Aug 18, 2019 8:16 pm

Hey man, if you’ve already bought the KC you can disregard the following.

Stratosphere has quite a few lefty KC parts for sale at the moment, so it might work out cheaper just buying a body and neck there, and building it up yourself.

Cheers
J.

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Footbutt
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Footbutt » Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:09 am

well i've already purchased the guitar, got it for literally half off!
(i'm a lefty, so they are rare at that price)

I bought a loaded pickguard from Stratosphere so i'll use the old Tele Deluxe pickup cutout as a template by taping them together, i think.
"There's nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster." -Dr. Evil

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Amon 7.L
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Amon 7.L » Mon Aug 19, 2019 7:00 am

Footbutt wrote:
Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:09 am
well i've already purchased the guitar, got it for literally half off!
(i'm a lefty, so they are rare at that price)

I bought a loaded pickguard from Stratosphere so i'll use the old Tele Deluxe pickup cutout as a template by taping them together, i think.
Nice score!
I'm gonna follow this thread, sounds like a cool project.

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FenderBob
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by FenderBob » Mon Aug 19, 2019 7:08 am

Sounds like a fun project, looking forward to seeing the progress.

Courtney Barnett wants to provide you a little additional Inspiration.

Image




oh...and Ian Fowles too!

Image

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JVG
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by JVG » Mon Aug 19, 2019 2:23 pm

Tortoiseshell with Sonic/Daphne Blue looks a bit odd to me, but i’m always buoyed by seeing more lefty stuff!

Keep us in the look with this project 😀

J.

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Footbutt
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Footbutt » Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:33 am

here's some before pics, made by the seller....
ImageJaguar V1.1 by Adam Langdon, on Flickr

ImageJaguar V1 by Adam Langdon, on Flickr
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HNB
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by HNB » Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:13 am

Nice!
Christopher
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Rgand
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Rgand » Wed Aug 21, 2019 2:07 pm

That's a beautiful burst. Darker than usual. :thumbsup:

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Embenny
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Embenny » Wed Aug 21, 2019 6:14 pm

Rgand wrote:
Wed Aug 21, 2019 2:07 pm
That's a beautiful burst. Darker than usual. :thumbsup:
It really is. I'm not a fan of sunburst 99% of the time, but every once in a while it looks good to me. This is one of those. A shame to cover it up, but it's OP's dream guitar and not mine so spray away.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

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JVG
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by JVG » Wed Aug 21, 2019 8:52 pm

Sunbursts don’t seem to be very popular with OSG, but I quite like them. The KC jaguar is a really fun guitar straight out of the box, and apart from having 3 knobs crammed into the space of two, looks great as well.

That said, I understand the lure of customising :) Will you play it like this for a while, or pull it apart straight away?

J.

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Footbutt
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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Footbutt » Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:36 am

those pics are from Sweetwater, so they have been a little 'shopped and looks darker that it actually is.
But the color and wood WAS nice.
a real pleasing burst.

I actually already shipped the body for paint. It will give me time to get all the components together.
"There's nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster." -Dr. Evil

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Re: Modding a KC Jaguar

Post by Rgand » Thu Aug 22, 2019 7:16 am

When do you get the body back? IBM is one of my favorite colors and it'll be nice to see this one go together.

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