What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
Post Reply
User avatar
Horsefeather
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2017 9:47 pm

What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Post by Horsefeather » Thu Feb 13, 2020 3:04 pm

So I'm working on swapping a gold J Mascis guard onto my CP or VM Jazzmaster (not sure which it is, since it was modified when I got it) and god damn if it isn't trying at every step of the way.

The roller wheel bracket had to be replaced since the mounting holes were too close together. Then I had to drill them out and go with nuts. Then I had to drill them out farther because the beveled underside of the machine screws protrude well past the underside of the guard and become spacers that prevent the bracket from sitting tight against the guard.

Ditto with the rhythm channel slider switch. Only there's barely enough meat around the mounting holes on it to enlarge them and the nuts are going to have to be ground down on a side to sit against the body of the switch.

What the hell do they use in the stock application? The guard is so thin and the countersinks so deep that standard machine screws can't be what they put in there.

User avatar
alexpigment
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 845
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 3:02 pm

Re: What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Post by alexpigment » Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:55 pm

The pickguard's thickness does change a few things, but the hole alignment seems to be pretty standard, since I swapped my guard out with an AVRI mint one. The VM is way out of spec though (including the rhythm circuit brackets), so if it's a VM, that would explain the problem. Note that CP is Fender and VM is Squier.

User avatar
Horsefeather
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2017 9:47 pm

Re: What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Post by Horsefeather » Thu Feb 13, 2020 8:01 pm

Oops, I meant CV. Classic Vibe!

I've finally conquered the pick guard and I'm now waiting for the glue to dry on my screw hole fills. All but one if them needed filling...

User avatar
alexpigment
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 845
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 3:02 pm

Re: What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Post by alexpigment » Thu Feb 13, 2020 8:13 pm

Ah well that answers it. The original Classic Vibe series guitars (Tele, Strat, Jazz Bass, P-Bass, Duo-Sonic) were made in China (just like the Mascis) and you could swap American parts easily. The Jazzmaster Classic Vibe was never made in China - it was just a revamp of the Indonesian VM series. I assume it's got all the same out-of-spec features.

So the real title of this thread should be "What the %$#@& is up with the VM/Classic Vibe Jazzmaster pick guard?"

User avatar
Horsefeather
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2017 9:47 pm

Re: What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Post by Horsefeather » Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:55 pm

Well, not really because the phenomenon of the machine screws protruding through the thickness of the guard is the real issue. The other stuff is not too tough to address.

User avatar
tammyw
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 804
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 4:21 pm

Re: What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Post by tammyw » Fri Feb 14, 2020 1:51 am

I don't know about the Mascis specifically, but that's not a new phenomenon.

Even on Fender US gold guards you might see that issue, except they should typically have the aluminum shield (the one made from actual sheet aluminum, not foil) to add the extra thickness behind the pickguard so it's not a problem.

One time I got a ToneGuard pickguard and didn't want to order the Fender shield, so I just added some little washers between the pickguard and the bracket.
All pain and troubles melted away like lemon drops beyond the contrails across the sky.

User avatar
Horsefeather
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2017 9:47 pm

Re: What the %$#@& is up with the J Mascis pick guard?

Post by Horsefeather » Fri Feb 14, 2020 8:05 pm

Finally got this thing back together and while it's temporary--as I somehow managed to disable the rhythm circuit--I can say that the aluminum guard really affected the sound of the guitar, in that it reduced the brightness dramatically!

And it also all but eliminated hum, which is a very welcome change.

Post Reply