This is my 2000/2001 Fender Telecaster (Made in Mexico). It’s the first guitar I could foresee myself keeping for years to come. I bought it back in 2012 and it was played in many iterations since then. I finally landed on a somewhat vintage-correct setup with Bare Knuckle’s sweet Richards-esque pickups and Gunstreet’s versatile wiring harness. I can stack the pickups as a humbucker and put them out of phase, alongside the standard Telecaster configuration.

Specifications and parts:

Body: Alder, Black

Neck: Stock Maple 9.5 radius neck, Graphtech nut, Fender Telecaster round string tree

Bridge: Fender Vintage-Style 3 Saddle

Electronics: Bare Knuckle Brown Sugar Pickup Set, Gunstreet 50s Wiring Harness (CTS 250k Pots, Oak Grigsby 5-way Switch, Neutrik Jack, .047uF Capacitor), shielded with copper tape

Extras: Stained Wood pickguard, Fender “F” Neck Plate, Relic’d Bronze Knobs, Brushed Nickel Electrosocket, Real Life Relics nickel control plate, thin brown faux leather strap with black ClipLock fasteners

This is my 2016 Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster. I am a Jazzmaster boy at heart, so I decided to build one that I felt represented exactly what I wanted from a Jazzmaster—something relatively vintage-correct with modern improvements and a bridge/vibrato system to give it a unique edge. Squier provided a great Jazzmaster to gut and rework. Lollar Pickups are the way to go and I feel so comfortable playing that Bigsby.

Specifications and parts:

Body: Basswood, Sunburst (sanded)

Neck: Stock Rosewood 9.5 radius neck (to be replaced with a 7.25 radius neck) with a Graphtech nut and Fender Telecaster string tree

Bridge: Fender Mustang 7.25, Bigsby B5 mounted with a Vibramate JamC, adding a Callaham Bigsby String Shaft & Roller Bar soon

Electronics: Lollar Jazzmaster Pickup Set, Emerson a250k Pots, Switchcraft Jack, Switchcraft Angled Switch, Rhythm Circuit: Fender b50k pots wired for bass & treble rollers (G&L style), .022uF Orange Drop Caps, Fender branded switch, bracket, & roller knobs), shielded with copper tape

Extras: Cream Pearl pickguard, Fender “F” Neck Plate, Prisma Guitars Skate Top Knobs, thin black faux leather strap with black Cliplock fasteners

This is my 2013 Squier Affinity Stratocaster “Surfcaster.” Fellow Squier owners should know that they lucked out with a 2013 Affinity Stratocaster because the body is made of alder instead of the cheaper wood Squiers usually come with. This guitar makes for a wonderful mod platform. I personally love the way “Surfcasters” sound and GFS pickups provided me with a super affordable way to get there, and easily swap pickups down the line.

Specifications and parts:

Body: Alder, Shell Pink

Neck: Stock Rosewood 9.5 radius neck with a Graphtech nut and an upgraded Fender string tree

Bridge: Fender 6 Bolt HiMass

Electronics: Pickups—GFS Lipstick Tube Neck & Middle in bridge and middle position & GFS Gold Foil Middle in neck position; GFS Kwikplug Vintage Strat Wiring Harness, shielded with copper tape

Extras: stock white pickguard, Fender “F” neck plate, cream knobs & switch tip, flat output jack mount, Souldier Woodstock Brown strap