The Tried & Tested One
Not very long ago I already did this to another guitar of mine, which I call the “SX Slowhand Strat”. Now I am about to “Claptonize” the Bullet Hardtail in a fashion, much closer to how the original Fender version is laid out.
After being so stoked about how good the SX conversion came out I decided I wanted a 2nd guitar with the same features, but in a very non-Eric Clapton way this guitar is a true hardtail and has a rosewood fingerboard… “Aaargh – Blasphemy!”
Like the Fender version, the route for the board is located on the top of the body (under the pickguard of course) and therefore the wires coming off the board do not need any extending to reach the controls, which I had to do on the SX conversion.
All Very Straightforward.
Any unkown quantities there may have been the last time round are now gone and this project is not daunting in the slightest now. The battery is going to sit under the volume and boost controls in the control cavity because I didn’t want to put a battery box on the back. It’s easy to access for replacing the battery, which I’ll do every few string changes to safeguard against any unexpected flat battery situation in the middle of a gig.
That’s About It.
There isn’t much more to this mod. You can check out the video series I already made on the SX SST57 Strat conversion (below) if you want to know any more about this kind of mod.
The Mod I am Most Nervous About.
Once a couple of things have arrived in the post I will be ready to tackle the remaining mod (which I will actually do before finishing this boost-board installation). I am pretty nervous because it is an irreversable procedure. If I mess it up there is no going back except for a complete rebuild and refinish of the body (which I really don’t want to have to do).
I’ll be attempting (or deciding I can’t risk it) to convert the guitar from a toploading bridge to a string-through-body format. It’s all do-able and within my capability, but there are some real pitfalls that have major concequences.
Yes I’m nervous, but confident all the same.
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