First Build - JZ-1

[coachcov]

Hi all,
First build & first Post. Very excited. Received the parcel last Friday 23/11 and I decided to forfeit the standard P90s and splash out on a pair of Tonerider Hot 90s. I've downloaded the "Instruction Manual" (RTFM) and have already started. Being a newbie, I am KISS and will go for the 'traditional aged cream' solid body cover with a maple (stain) neck. I've enclosed a couple of photos, but they're not that exciting at the moment: Delivery box, open box, loose assembly, dry assembly & shaped headstock. I've completed a couple of coats of stain on the neck and a water based primer on the body, which I'll post later. Hoping to get a few more coats on the neck this weekend and a couple of coats of the 'cream' on the body.
Thanks, CC.

[FrankenWashie]

Ooh yeah, love me some offset goodness! Welcome aboard Coach!

[Andyxlh]

Nice, looks like a great start!

[coachcov]

Hi all,

Firstly an update: I have masked & stained the neck with a maple stain. Not the best photo (bit dark), but I have a few sands & coats to go. I have also timber primed the body and have applied the first spray coat of "aged cream". That photo to follow later, but I have noticed that my brush stokes from the wood primer are showing through.
1. Will these disappear the more coloured coats and sanding I do? Note to self: Next time get a spray undercoat/primer!



A couple of more questions if I may and I apologise, as there are no stupid questions, just stupid people (or something like that)...

2. Here is one (of my two) Tonerider pickups:

I have two long screws, two springs and lots of foam; one piece split in two (lengthways) with a self adhesive back. How do I install them? Do the screws go through the pickup (obviously there are two holes), through the split foam and drilled into the pickup cavity of the body?

3. I couldn't find a wiring diagram for two P90s, 3-way, tone & volume, so I am using the "2 Humbuckers, 2 pots and a 3 way switch" wiring diagram. I think one of our Forum colleagues Tommycarlos had the same problem too. In the picture below, from the pickup, which is the 'hot wire' and which is the 'ground wire'? I assume the outside covering is the ground and the 3 small inside wires (all 3) are live? If so, it seems very tricky to solder the outside shield to anything. Obviously I am not an Electrician and the most wiring I have ever done is a 3-way English plug!


4. Ok, bad picture below, but by counting the wires, it looks like I need 7 wires/connections. I'm sure I can cut a few up, but I am just curious that with the kit, came the following wires:
One thick, long black wire (left red in the picture), one shorter thick wire (second red from the left), one thick blue wire and one thin black wire (right red in picture). Are they for specific connections?


Any help is greatly appreciated & thanks again, CC.

[coachcov]

I'll post more pictures of my painting-and-staining progress (boring part), but I thought I would update my findings to the questions I asked. Maybe useful for others.
1. Yes, the brush strokes do fade. I have 4 coats of spray paint and I will be doing at least one more. I'd still recommend a spray undercoat/primer.
2. With the Tonerider pickups, I think you use the springs OR the foam, since they are really doing the same thing and allowing vertical adjustment. I will use the springs aswell as placing some foam under the pickup and between the body for a bit more stability.
3. Wiring. What a pain. My soldering mess looks like someone combined spaghetti with lumpy concrete and threw it against a wall. Next time I'll buy some new solder and probably a new iron, as I think mine is pretty done for. Even though the pickups only have one wire, I have had to cut, peel back, twist, tin and solder the mesh shield as the earth, which being quite thick, was a real pain to solder on the back of one of the pots, especially alongside the 2nd pickup's earth and a couple of other wires. Hence the lumpy-concrete-solder job.
4. Gave up on the wires supplied, so used some old 'standard' wires I have lying around. Seems to do the job. Again, the wiring is all "theory" at the moment, as I haven't tested it as yet, so if you're in Inner West Sydney and your lights flicker sometime later this week, then consider this build 'complete'!

[FrankenWashie]

so if you're in Inner West Sydney and your lights flicker sometime later this week, then consider this build 'complete'!

Yes! Yes, inner west power grid fluctuations, all CoachCov’s fault, nothing at all to do with the FrankenLab!
<Igor! Fetch the electrodes!>

[coachcov]

Been a while between drinks, but after a few issues, I'd like to say the JZ-1 construction has been completed.



My first issue was I did not take the suggestion of screwing a "handle" into the body to make it easier to spray, so I had to balance the body on tins after each coat of spray. That was fine, but after my 5 coats I balanced it in my garage for its final dry only to discover that overnight it had fallen onto the ground and was chipped & scratched. I also noticed in a certain light, that there were lots of finger prints in the paint where I'd turned it over! So, I screwed in the 'lollipop', wet sanded it all back, puttied up the chips and restarted. Sigh. A week lost.
5. Screw in a handle. Makes it much easier for spraying.



6. When it says let it dry for over a week, let it dry for over a week. The spray paint really does need to cure and I left it for 10 days while I went away.
7. The solder supplied is sh!t, so get your own!
8. According to the wiring diagram, the wiring needs to be earthed to the bridge, but there is no drill hole from the wiring cavity to any of the bridge holes in the JZ-1 body. Perhaps I missed something there? I ended up drilling a hole into the lower bridge hole from the wiring cavity and threading the wire through there & wrapping it around the bridge screw. Seems to work ok & I'm still alive. Anybody have any suggestions on how this could have been done better?



Now the next step is to set it up, which is quite daunting. My intonation seems ok (open & 12th fret), but the action at the nut/1st fret is waaayyy too high, making open chords unplayable, yet the action at the 7th fret onwards is fine. Any suggestions on resolving this?

[Fretworn]

It would seem to indicate that you have backbow in the neck.

[Sonic Mountain]

Pretty sure the earth wire is supposed to go to the trem spring mounts in these. I haven't built this specific kit so not entirely sure - but on the strats and JMAs the earth is soldered to the spring claw. If what you have done works then don't worry about - there is zero danger of shock.

And yes seems like back bow in the neck, a piece of flat aluminium bar (about $8 at the big green shed) and an angle grinder and you can knock up a notched straight edge in about 10 minutes. Like this






Very handy for truss rod adjustments.

[Fretworn]

Pretty sure the earth wire is supposed to go to the trem spring mounts in these. I haven't built this specific kit so not entirely sure - but on the strats and JMAs the earth is soldered to the spring claw.

No spring claw in a JMA. The hole for the earth wire should be in one of the bridge post holes I imagine.