JZ-6 Build No 7

Thought a baritone guitar would be nice so ordered the JZ-6 kit. Since the pickups are not well spaced I though I would rout out a space for a humbucker i had left over from another kit. The lower 2 single pole pickups I will wire in series and maybe add a switch to be able to choose each single pole individually. Should allow for a wide range of possible tones. I think I will paint this one sea foam green. The kit is quite good and the neck fits snugly. Being ash it will need plenty of grain filling. Head stock shape needs some thought.

I have always wanted to try a baritone, looking forward to seeing this build eventuate!

You were doing so well until you got to 'sea foam green'. ;)

Just a bit concerned that 4 pickups might provide a lot of magnetic pull on the stings and cut down on sustain. It may also increase the tendency to get wolf notes unless the pickups are dropped down quite low (which will then give thinner and quieter sounds). All big 'mays' and you'll probably be fine. But if it does happen, and the singles are stock kit ones, then there's always the option of having one as a dummy pickup, not wiring it in and removing the magnet that's stuck on to the back of it, so it still looks the same. Or if its a RWRP pickup, leave it so that it's connected up when either of the other single coils (only) are selected, so you get a degree of hum cancelling. Even if it's not RWRP, as you've removed the magnet, you could just swap the coils output wire connections over.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

You were doing so well until you got to 'sea foam green'. ;)

Just a bit concerned that 4 pickups might provide a lot of magnetic pull on the stings and cut down on sustain. It may also increase the tendency to get wolf notes unless the pickups are dropped down quite low (which will then give thinner and quieter sounds). All big 'mays' and you'll probably be fine. But if it does happen, and the singles are stock kit ones, then there's always the option of having one as a dummy pickup, not wiring it in and removing the magnet that's stuck on to the back of it, so it still looks the same. Or if its a RWRP pickup, leave it so that it's connected up when either of the other single coils (only) are selected, so you get a degree of hum cancelling. Even if it's not RWRP, as you've removed the magnet, you could just swap the coils output wire connections over.

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Thanks Simon all good points. I had originally thought to keep one of the pickups as a dummy one. How did they get the position of the pickups so wrong? Even if I keep one as a dummy which one, the one nearest the bridge or the middle of the three?

Cost. It's just a standard sized guitar pickguard, so the pickup positions are fine for that, but not for a true baritone. Had the neck been a baritone adapter neck, it would have been longer than the one you have fitted, and the bridge would have been a lot closer to the pickups. But it's a proper 21-fret baritone neck, so the extra 4.5" of scale length over a 25.5" neck is split over the neck and body, so the bridge position gets moved back (and the pickups should be moved back too). With a conversion neck, all the extra scale length has to go on the neck, so you end up with more frets to compensate. With a 30" scale, you'd probably end up with 24 frets.

Making dedicated templates for correct baritone position pickup routs and a matching scratchplate should have been done, but hasn't. I'd imagine that the scratchplate is bought in from another factory and that is the sticking point here, with the cost of a bespoke one just for this guitar kit being too high from their supplier. I expect these kits are done in the minimum run of 100, and a new scratchplate shape minimum run may be 1000 or even 10000 (obviously it's the shape that's important, as it's easy to substitute different base pickguard materials).

Making your own pickguard isn't too hard, it just takes time.

To Simon, I was thinking of getting a tortoise shell pickguard blank in case there are problems. Guitars such as Les Paul Customs can have three humbuckers (equivalent of six single coils) and still have good sustain so I will try it as it is first. Routing the humbucker hole will be a first for me but I have a template to guide me.

Standard humbucker designs with a single bar magnet underneath the coils and steel slugs/screws generally have less magnetic pull than a rod magnet single coil for the same magnet type.

From someone's reply to a magnetic pull question on another forum: "Using a Gauss meter to check strength at the pole, most A(lnico) 5 rods usually read 800 to 1200 gauss. A(lnico)3 will usually read 500 to 700. Humbuckers don't read so high at the poles. They usually read anywhere from 200 to 500 at the poles, though a thick ceramic type pickup like a super distortion can read 500 to 700 at the top of the poles".

Ceramic magnets underneath steel pole pieces in a single coil (like the standard kit single coil pickups have), will have the field weakened by the steel pole pieces, but ceramic magnets are more powerful than Alnico 5, so you generally end up with slightly more field strength than with rod magnets.

So like most things 'it depends'. But given the same magnet type in all the pickups, and the pickups set the same distance away from the strings, single coils will have a greater magnetic field strength than humbuckers, and so will affect the strings more.

So, one humbucker is probably equivalent to one single coil in terms of pull, but the amount of pull is very dependent on the magnet type used.

Had a busy day today and routed out a place for a humbucker near the bridge. The humbucker template I got off ebay was very good and made routing quite easy although still scary. I finally decided that 4 pickups was not for me so I got the Triton router table out and made a pickguard template using WeirdBits method. I roughly placed the middle pickup half way between the neck and the humbucker and it turned out ok but not quite square but I dont think it will be noticeable. Have some brown tortoise shell blank pickguard on the way so there is no turning back now.

Found some craft paint in Spotlight that is very close to a Sea Foam colour and painted the guitar body using a brush. it covers very well and can be smoothed out by sanding. Ready for the clear coat.

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Originally Posted by stansby40

I roughly placed the middle pickup half way between the neck and the humbucker and it turned out ok but not quite square but I don't think it will be noticeable.

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It feel it will be noticeable, especially to you. It may be worth making another template and get it right now. You could of course angle both the single coils slightly, where any slight deviation from similar angles will be far less obvious.

You could always try making a basic pickup rout template that you stick over the pickguard one (enlarging the hole in that first) so you can get it fully square.

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Originally Posted by stansby40

Found some craft paint in Spotlight that is very close to a Sea Foam colour and painted the guitar body using a brush. it covers very well and can be smoothed out by sanding. Ready for the clear coat.

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And it was all going so well up to now. My eyes, my eyes! ;)

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

And it was all going so well up to now. My eyes, my eyes! ;)

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You don’t like the colour, I was trying to go for an old fender colour. It will look better with a clear coat and a tortoise shell pick guard attached at least I hope.

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Originally Posted by stansby40

You don’t like the colour, I was trying to go for an old fender colour. It will look better with a clear coat and a tortoise shell pick guard attached at least I hope.

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I was only really standing in for FrankenWashie whilst he's taking a break from posting here. It's almost mandatory that someone here posts an anti-Seafoam Green post every time it's mentioned.

It's not my favourite colour and I certainly wouldn't get a guitar in that colour, but then I love my Daphne Blue Strat and several of my friends don't like it at all. You can't please everyone all the time.

Aah I see. I will now refer to the actual colour on the bottle which is "Sea Breeze" and will refrain from calling it Sea Foam Green. By the way its not my favourite colour either but I could not think of another single colour that would better conjure up 60's Fender guitars. Also I had not done many painted guitars and this was different trying a water based paint this time.

Hey, stick to your guns! Sea Foam Green is the best and don't let any of the anit SFG gang get to you.

(It is almost a running gag on here re that colour with staunch views on both sides, but all in good fun)

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

I was only really standing in for FrankenWashie whilst he's taking a break from posting here. It's almost mandatory that someone here posts an anti-Seafoam Green post every time it's mentioned.

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Your kind assistance greatly appreciated Mr. B.

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Originally Posted by stansby40

Aah I see. I will now refer to the actual colour on the bottle which is "Sea Breeze" and will refrain from calling it Sea Foam Green. By the way its not my favourite colour either but I could not think of another single colour that would better conjure up 60's Fender guitars. Also I had not done many painted guitars and this was different trying a water based paint this time.

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At the end of the day, the colour you choose is your preference, and it’s your guitar, so bollocks to we naysayers! SFG has many ardent fans and admirers, so you aren’t alone.

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Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain

Hey, stick to your guns! Sea Foam Green is the best and don't let any of the anit SFG gang get to you.

(It is almost a running gag on here re that colour with staunch views on both sides, but all in good fun)

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Where SFG is concerned, it’s definitely a gag.🤪🤣

Glad to see you back on the board Frankie.

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Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain

Glad to see you back on the board Frankie.

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Cheers mate, been a hectic couple of months. Finally getting some sawdust made again.

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I am of the pro-SFG contingent. There are lots of variations within that family too. And then there's the whole seafoam vs surf discussion...

I do have a few questions about the paint though. I presume it is the Decoart Americana brand I see on the Spotlight website. As it is a water-based acrylic, what did you use for a primer, and what are you going to use for a clear?
Also, in the photo, there appears to be what looks like a paint cup of a spray gun in the right of the frame. If I'm correct, why did you choose a brush?
Lastly how was the coverage?

They have a pretty good range of colours. Looks like their Light Buttermilk could be close to Arctic White.

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Originally Posted by McCreed

I am of the pro-SFG contingent. There are lots of variations within that family too. And then there's the whole seafoam vs surf discussion...

I do have a few questions about the paint though. I presume it is the Decoart Americana brand I see on the Spotlight website. As it is a water-based acrylic, what did you use for a primer, and what are you going to use for a clear?
Also, in the photo, there appears to be what looks like a paint cup of a spray gun in the right of the frame. If I'm correct, why did you choose a brush?
Lastly how was the coverage?

They have a pretty good range of colours. Looks like their Light Buttermilk could be close to Arctic White.

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Yes the paint is Decoart and I have used it before on a guitar build for my oldest son. I had based it on a youtube video I had seen in the past about painting with acrylic paints, Highline guitars I think, although he used a different paint. The good thing about Decoart is it will bond to just about any surface and I have found this to be true. Therefore there is no undercoat but 3 coats of paint and it builds up the colour nicely. The previous guitar I brushed on the paint as well. Yes I have spray gun capability but the acrylic paint is quite thick and would have to be thinned to spray. I found brushing to be OK previously as you can sand the final coat to smooth it out. Clear coat this time will be 2K Spray Max rattle can (my go to at the moment) previously was acrylic lacquer spray from a gun which was good but takes a lot of setup and makes quite a mess (overspray) in the shed and produces a lot of toxic vapours, which may just reflect my lack of knowledge how to spray properly.

Thanks for info Stan.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

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Yes, Man Glitter. that's exactly what I meant.

The new pickguard arrived and routed into shape using the template. Turned out OK not completely square but probably only obvious to me. Looks very old school and would be at home in the 60's. A good friend of mine came over to look at another one of my guitars and played the baritone and liked its unusual low sound. He thought he would like to record it as a solo instrument in the future. He is a very good guitar player. The bridge only just makes intonation on the low E string and I may buy a wilkinson tuneomatic bridge which allows for a wider range on saddles for intonation. The bridge appears to be slightly offset but i am not sure if that was meant or just a slight mis drilling of the bridge posts. Anyway I am happy with the "Sea Foam" colour and the new tortoise shell bridge and the quirkiness of the guitar. Oh I tuned it BEADF#B.

Looks good. The pick guard material matches well.

Yep that has a very sixties surf vibe to it, nice work!

Nice looking guitar. I agree the tortoise shell works really well. Good work.

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The bridge appears to be slightly offset but i am not sure if that was meant or just a slight mis drilling of the bridge posts.

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It may just be the angle of the photo, but it looks to me like the neck alignment could shift a smidge toward the bass side.
That would take the curse off a little bit at least.