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View Full Version : New pickguard for the CV 50's Strat



Tig
February 21st, 2010, 09:33 PM
So maybe this isn't worth a dedicated thread, but I'm sure many of you are thinking about replacing your CV Strat pickguard. I never liked the mega-thick white one mine came with. After looking around for 8 hole pickguards (didn't want to drill too many holes for the 11 hole), I liked what Warmoth (http://www.warmoth.com/Pickguard/StratPickguard.aspx) had to offer.

While one screw hole near the switch didn't line up, the rest of the holes matched perfectly. Also, the Warmoth pickguard was shielded only at the pots and switch cavity area, while the stock was also shielded around the pickups.

I wanted to keep it looking classic, but not look like anything else I've seen lately. Vintage Pearl is the color name.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8131/8706696651_309f9116f0_c.jpg

Now it is starting to feel like my guitar! Oh, changing the .09 stock strings to .10's made a nice feeling and sounding difference.

duhvoodooman
February 22nd, 2010, 09:41 AM
Nice! Big improvement! :AOK :dude

Duff
February 26th, 2010, 05:28 PM
That looks almost exactly like my burst fifties CV with the pickguard I put on from Grizzly's.

I think it looks real good and is an improvement over the plain white one and gives it a nice mellow vibe.

Mister Boston
March 2nd, 2010, 09:03 PM
That's a honey alright. I would have gone with something in a reddish tortoise shell; but I dig that Vintage Pearl one as well.

kidsmoke
March 2nd, 2010, 09:19 PM
:aok :aok

sunvalleylaw
March 2nd, 2010, 09:39 PM
Looks good Tig!

M29
March 3rd, 2010, 02:51 PM
Sweet Tig lookin good. Congrats!

tjcurtin1
March 3rd, 2010, 08:38 PM
Works nice with the tinted knobs and pup covers. The 8 screw guard that I got also matched all holes except near the switch.

MAXIFUNK
March 3rd, 2010, 11:47 PM
A very cool upgrade I like it a lot.

bigoldron
March 5th, 2010, 06:22 AM
Very nice, Tig!!! She's a real beaut! I'm thinking the CV50 will be my next guitar, if I can ever save up enough.

Tig
March 5th, 2010, 07:01 AM
Very nice, Tig!!! She's a real beaut! I'm thinking the CV50 will be my next guitar, if I can ever save up enough.

I understand. I'm on a tight budget as well. That's what's so attractive about these new CV guitars... You get so much for so little cash.
Just be sure to check them out closely. So far, only 3 out of the 7 CV Strat's I've played were in great shape. Three had prickly fret ends, and the other one had really poor electronics.

I need to take a new photo of the pickguard in better light.

Tig
March 10th, 2010, 11:27 AM
I need to take a new photo of the pickguard in better light.

Finally got around to it while the sky was overcast for neutral lighting.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4422185705_5c5558e1e8_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4422185709_3cef8b9952_o.jpg

TS808
March 11th, 2010, 01:35 PM
Looks great! I just bought the exact same guitar a few weeks ago and ordered a white pearl guard from Guitar Parts Resources LLC.

duhvoodooman
November 15th, 2011, 09:26 AM
I plead guilty to old thread exhumation, but just wanted to say "thanks" to Tig for turning me on to Warmoth's custom pickguard offerings. I've bought several Strat and Tele p/g's in the past but had somehow never discovered that Warmoth did pickguards in addition to their well-known selection of guitar bodies and necks. But I was doing a Google search for "CV Strat pickguard" and, lo & behold, a link to this thread comes up!

I just picked up a Squier CV '50s Strat in LPB for cheap off eBay and wanted to change the stock white p/g for something more distinctive. While the Warmoth selection of colors and patterns isn't as extensive as many that I've seen, the cool part is how you can select the pickup and controls layouts, mounting screw number & placement, bridge cut (standard or FR), and left or right-handed orientation. They then machine the pickguard to your specifications. And the final price is VERY reasonable--mine was $28, including a $3 upcharge for the material I selected. A lot of the "off the shelf" Strat p/g's I saw ran in the $35 - $50 range! I won't tip my hand just yet on what I picked out, but it should be a real eye-catcher, I think. Will post a photo or two once the metamorphosis is complete...

Tig
November 15th, 2011, 01:50 PM
Cool! Can't wait to see it...
http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/images/smilies/1263956585453.jpg

duhvoodooman
November 15th, 2011, 03:00 PM
Prolly won't be until next week. Just ordered the p/g last night, and they take a few days to ship, per the Warmoth website. I also ordered an LPB touch-up pen from Guitar ReRanch (http://reranchstore.stores.yahoo.net/guitrertoucu.html), because the guitar had a pretty good sized ding down to the wood on the lower edge of the top. Also planning to wire in a push-pull pot for adding the bridge pickup in series to whatever else is selected.

riverrick
November 15th, 2011, 05:46 PM
Nice job Tig the 2nd set of photos much better. It's a BIG improvement!!! NICE!

Eric
November 16th, 2011, 02:21 AM
I just picked up a Squier CV '50s Strat in LPB for cheap off eBay
That's your fourth CV axe now, isn't it? I guess they must be nice guitars, eh?

deeaa
November 16th, 2011, 05:11 AM
Funny, I was just about to comment on my 'used to be' CV strat, now 'frankenstrat'.

Because I'm having fret issues now...it's been played NOT that much, I mean, just 3 string sets or so, but there's already quite noticeable wear on the frets. They aren't very good material, but that can be guessed already from how they look. The metal is kind of iffy and the frets kinda vintage thin - which is fine, because it's nice to play anyway.

But, upon close examination, the 11th fret high end seems to be ever so slightly up as well. Not enough to cause any problems with playing, as I haven't gone to extremes with action on this one, but just enough for it to be visible upon closer examination.

It is kind of worrying...well, they are cheap axes so something's got to give anyway...but it's a bit of a bore to have to start thinking about refretting and/or replacing the neck so soon. The neck is very nice, though, but being one-piece and all, and so new, and not apparently the best to withstand big temp changes, it's a bit iffy if it's worth it to do a complete refret even. If the culprit for the frets getting uneven is the actual wood (maybe not so well aged/stabilized as in more expensive axes) it might cause problems even with new frets.

I do love & prefer cheap guitars, but the thing is, I usually buy very old and beat-up guitars that were of better quality. Like the Davette - I've played that for like, I don't know, five-six years now quite extensively, and all I've ever done to the original 80's frets is give 'em a slight filing and recrown. Same with the old Yamaha; frets will last for a looong time still. And of course the strat, those frets are from the 90's but proper quality. Same used to be with my Gibson - 13 years of hard playing and still got away with just some fret restoration.

But these Epiphones like my GX, and Squires...really nice guitars, but pretty soon you always end up with the choice whether to shell out money or labor to replace them frets...or would it make more sense to buy a better guitar in the first place? What is the price difference to a CV strat and the cheapest U.S. made strat? If you factor in a refret for the squire and possibly some pickup upgrades, will it be worth it? By the time I've replaced the (also now already a bit worn) frets on my Epi, will the overall price be on par or near that of a Gibby? Although arguably the Epis are actually even better finished etc. in some ways.

Something to think. I've never bought a new axe really, except when I've gotten it dirt cheap...but, I'd really consider hard if I did, I mean, on what would I put my money on. The CV's are really great strats, but how about their future usability, value and the repairs to be expected?

NWBasser
November 16th, 2011, 11:12 AM
Deeaa, I agree with you that the neck makes or breaks the guitar and so your points about the fret/neck quality of the imports seems very reasonable. I'd guess that the fret material is probably the same stuff on either MIA or import, but maybe the wood quality and/or finishing processes may have a significant effect on the stability of the frets.

FWIW - I recently played a CV jazz bass when I was auditioning amphs and was very, very impressed. This particular one had a nice flame pattern to the neck and very low action - even in a Guitar Center!

duhvoodooman
November 16th, 2011, 12:51 PM
That's your fourth CV axe now, isn't it? I guess they must be nice guitars, eh?Yep, my 4th Squier CV guitar. I think they're just incredible guitars for the money. I haven't had any functional or workmanship issues with any of them. If there's a problem with the fret material, I haven't seen it, but then again I'm a hobby player and I'm pretty easy on my guitars.

I haven't bought any of the four new--got one second-hand at my favorite local guitar shop, and the other three were used instruments off eBay. This new one was just a lowball bid I put in for the heck of it and ended up winning the auction--got it for a couple of dollars over half the cost of a new CV '50s Strat. The other three are a '60s Strat, '50s Tele, and Tele Custom (l. to r. in photos below). Cosmetically, the '60s Strat is dead stock, the Custom Tele has an upgraded pickguard, as does the '50s Tele. That latter also has a GFS mini-humbucker installed at the neck position--it's kind of my "Keef" Tele, and I leave it tuned to open G (though I did leave the low E string on). All have had some pickup switch wiring mods done to be able to run the pickups in series. Photos:

http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/CV60s_Strat/CV_60s_Strat_full2.jpg http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/CV50s_Tele/CV-50s_Tele_mod_full.jpg http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/CV_Tele_Custom/CV_Tele_Custom_full.jpg

deeaa
November 17th, 2011, 12:03 AM
Deeaa, I agree with you that the neck makes or breaks the guitar and so your points about the fret/neck quality of the imports seems very reasonable. I'd guess that the fret material is probably the same stuff on either MIA or import, but maybe the wood quality and/or finishing processes may have a significant effect on the stability of the frets.

I don't think they are anywhere near US strat quality for instance...neither is the wood even close to MIM as far as I can tell. Again, this is NOT to say I don't like them - quite the contrary, I think they are very nice indeed (Mine is a Classic Vibe 2009 model) - BUT if you compare the frets on a MIA or MIM to these, you instantly see that not only the fret profiles are quite different, the metal is clearly quite a bit more brassy/yellowish and not nearly as shiny; obviously of much lesser quality metal.

The woods are looking fine but the lacquering is really thick in places, making it hard to see what it is really like, but I would guess the woods they use in the Americas is also quite different batch than what they use in China...they likely do not ship them accross the pond but each use more local wood varieties.

So I'd be amazed if they have ANYTHING more in common than the basic shape really. You get what you play for, and while it's a good deal for the money, it's starting to look like I could not recommend one for any player who really plays a lot and needs a really stable instrument. Better off getting some old guitar which has proven to be stable and has good quality frets.

But, I do like my CV neck...it's really too bad if it will require a fret job soon. I'd be leery of sanding off the thick lacquer too. The emerging woods might react quite adversely to the climate here when exposed. Maybe it'll work as a backup guitar for a good while still, but right now I'm already quite keeping it off the circulation. I have played one entire gig on it and it worked well, but now it looks like it's gonna need some neck adjustment again, which also indicates little less stable neck material.

Eric
November 17th, 2011, 12:15 PM
You get what you play for
I don't imagine you intended that as a pun, but I kind of like it anyway. Now if only I knew what it meant...

deeaa
November 17th, 2011, 12:26 PM
Well, it's of course what you pay, combined with the idea of if you play merely as a hobby, or in a studio/home or such, those frets will likely work for years just fine no problem...but I would be worried using it in varying humidities and temps and rigors of the road and playing hours almost daily etc...so you get what you play for; if you play for a touring band, you get the best possible, maybe even SS frets, or a guitar tech to keep 'em fine, but if you play for fun, you can just get a guitar that sounds good and plays fine no worries what torment it can take.

duhvoodooman
November 17th, 2011, 12:58 PM
....if you compare the frets on a MIA or MIM to these, you instantly see that not only the fret profiles are quite different, the metal is clearly quite a bit more brassy/yellowish and not nearly as shiny; obviously of much lesser quality metal.As a chemist, I can tell you that inferring the quality of metal just from its physical appearance is not a valid approach. Physical properties and appearance are distinctly different parameters. While the fret metal in the CV guitars may indeed be different than what is used in the MIM and MIA guitars, the difference in appearance could also just reflect differences in the finishing & polishing processes. Just sayin'....

I've read a lot of very positive comments about the CV series guitars posted by musicians that gig with them routinely. Makes me wonder if your experience is the exception rather than the rule. As I said above, I'm not hard on my guitars, but haven't run into any of these issues with any of my own CV's. Nor have I come across fret quality or neck stability being mentioned as chronic quality issues with these guitars in the forum reading I've done. In fact, to the contrary, I've read multiple comments about the Squier CV quality being perceived as superior to the MIM and lower-end MIA Fenders. I guess it all comes down to personal experience in the end....

Eric
November 17th, 2011, 01:05 PM
I've read a lot of very positive comments about the CV series guitars posted by musicians that gig with them routinely. Makes me wonder if your experience is the exception rather than the rule. As I said above, I'm not hard on my guitars, but haven't run into any of these issues with any of my own CV's.
I guess that means that for guys like you and me, Squier CVs are a good deal and we should just enjoy them as that. I do want to bring mine out to play with some other folks one of these days...

deeaa
November 17th, 2011, 10:46 PM
Exactly Eric - I think they _are_ a good deal thru and thru, and I really dig mine too.

BUT I think it's only good to have an open mind about their (possible) shortcomings. I mean, they have only been sold for what, 3-4 years? Clearly not enough time to find out whether the woods and materials will stand the test of time.

For what they are, they are very good. But let's not forget we're talking about roughly $300 guitars here, and nobody seriously believes Fender/Squier didn't cut any corners making these vs. the more expensive models? I think fret materials are one, much like on Epiphones, which also do not have any Dunlops or such, but wear out much quicker. And still loads of people use 'em for years even in hard use despite that.

One thing I find these CV's to be is great examples how how woods and such matter very little, because these do sound really good, despite cheap pickups, the very liberal use of 'plastic' type lacquer, very thick body lacquers and body woods being either pine or basswood - that's a good 'in-yer-face' for tone fanatics raving about tone woods and thin finishes etc. cellulose lacquers being pivotal to the sound.

So let me remind you that I haven't yet run into real issues either, and it IS a great player and I like its sound, it's very responsive and lively (pine I guess does that to some extent, it's the traditional violin wood after all...Fender didn't use it because it's clearly more reverberant and feedback prone than ash)...all I'm saying is I think I may have found the spots that make the guitar fit into the lower price bracket.

I have no doubt it will work fine for years to come, but remember I use my guitars VERY roughly. My CV has been hacksawed to a new shape, it's spent weeks lying on the floor of our training facility, it's suffered temp changes from -25 to 100F and humidity changes from 15 to 99 etc...it's a hard life for a guitar. I don't even have a bag for it. I've had two guitars develop a twisted neck during my ownership in a very short time, probably much due to my hard use. I'm not saying I'm a professional guitar tech, but I have played and set up hundreds of guitars, and this for a year now, and I think I can with some conviction now say I have some doubts on how it will fare in the years to come as opposed to a MIA or MIM for instance.

These things often develop into almost religious issues, sometimes people just reject realities and substitute their own when they become real fans of something. Same with some Epiphones, no matter how easy it is to spot the differences (lacquers, laminates, frets, etc.) - AND those differences may really have NO impact on the guitar's actual playability, at least on short term and for hobbyists - it's weird how people simply may just dismiss the notions entirely. Rave about how great the woods on their Epiphone are and how it sounds like '58 Korina for real, and when pointed out that it's actually a photo-thick veneer over assorted bits of wood which isn't actually even Korina, they just bypass that entirely.

NOT saying it's a bad thing, and NOT saying these things actually even matter usually - hell I'd take an Epiphone over Gibson any day, I really dig my Prophecy for instance, it looks and plays better than most gibsons - BUT I'm the first to admit that it'll likely need a fret job much quicker than a gibby would, and whatever the woods are, they probably make very little difference because the lacquer is like 1/2" thick in places so it might as well be made of plastic entirely...and that the neck joint doesn't reach nearly as far into the body as on a gibby and the woods have way less grain than a gibby...yet I think the fret softness is the only thing I'm concerned with, really.

I would definitely still recommend a CV for anyone looking to buy a 300-400 dollar classic guitar; they do sound terrific and are very playable indeed.

NWBasser
November 18th, 2011, 11:27 AM
I have no doubt it will work fine for years to come, but remember I use my guitars VERY roughly. My CV has been hacksawed to a new shape, it's spent weeks lying on the floor of our training facility, it's suffered temp changes from -25 to 100F and humidity changes from 15 to 99 etc...it's a hard life for a guitar. I don't even have a bag for it. I've had two guitars develop a twisted neck during my ownership in a very short time, probably much due to my hard use. I'm not saying I'm a professional guitar tech, but I have played and set up hundreds of guitars, and this for a year now, and I think I can with some conviction now say I have some doubts on how it will fare in the years to come as opposed to a MIA or MIM for instance.


Holy cow Deeaa, you are brutal to your guitars!

I'd think those temp and humidity changes would wreck nearly any wood instrument!

I'd think a graphite neck guitar would be best for those conditions.

deeaa
November 18th, 2011, 12:05 PM
Good quality instruments take it with stride. The Davette is getting nearly 30 years old and the neck is straight as a razor still, and original frets! Same with the Yamaha.

Also I never had any problems with my Gibson...although I hauled it accross the country hundreds of miles in an open car trailer under tarps in its case in -30 zero moisture winter conditions to gigs, and then played gigs in 100 degree heat under stage lights and the air thick with sweat and moisture...never any issues in 13 years. The mahogany neck did require adjustments biannually, but that was all.

I had a cheaper backup 'Fenix' copy guitar with me for a while too...nice guitar but after a year of use the neck was totally propeller twisted, could not take the variations in condition.

Basically all my guitars ever suffered from hard use are a few bruises and dings from lying on the floor...a few times I've dropped 'em...Davette once over 6 feet to concrete, but luckily in a soft case...and my Gibson once so I had to replace a fret that got knocked way too deep...but a few dings and scratches never bothered me. I even let my kids toy with them, the worst they can do is give 'em a few more scratches.

I've only managed to break two guitar necks in my career, both Gibsons (a Nighthawk and a '73 Custom LP) and neither my own axes :-)

duhvoodooman
November 18th, 2011, 01:00 PM
I've only managed to break two guitar necks in my career, both Gibsons (a Nighthawk and a '73 Custom LP) and neither my own axes :-)Since you're still walking around on this Earth, you must have understanding friends. Especially the guy who owned the '73 LP Custom....

Bookkeeper's Son
November 18th, 2011, 01:12 PM
Looks good! A couple of years ago, when I got my black/white Affinity Strat, Sean/Frankenfretter was kind enough to give me a 3-ply pearl pickguard, and it snazzed up the Strat quite nicely. Just minor mods for the 11-hole guard on the 8-hole Affinity.

deeaa
November 18th, 2011, 03:09 PM
Since you're still walking around on this Earth, you must have understanding friends. Especially the guy who owned the '73 LP Custom....

Heh, yeah...well they both had insurance...and funny enough, that '73 was repaired and so well you could not tell it was damaged in the first place. But luck would have it, some 15 years later, the owner's son knocked it over and again the insurance company to the rescue...only this time, they took the broken axe and gave him a brand new Custom,

duhvoodooman
November 20th, 2011, 08:02 PM
Here's my CV '50s Strat, bought the week before last on eBay, with its new Warmoth pickguard. Ordered the p/g on Monday nite and got it Sat. afternoon--from the other side of the US. Not bad, esp. considering that they make them to order. The color pattern is called "blue shell"--prolly not everyone's cup of tea, but I really like how it looks with the LPB body color. Also installed a push-pull pot for the volume control and wired it to put the bridge pickup in series with either or both of the other two--my favorite Strat wiring mod.

http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/CV50s_Strat/cv_50s_strat_full2.jpg http://duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/CV50s_Strat/cv_50s_strat_body.jpg

Spudman
November 20th, 2011, 09:55 PM
Wow! That's pretty hot looking. The swirls and that shade of blue work really well on that guitar. Very drool worthy.

Tig
November 20th, 2011, 10:49 PM
Normally, that pick guard would be nasty, but it works perfectly with that blue body.
Excellent match!

sunvalleylaw
November 21st, 2011, 08:10 AM
Normally, that pick guard would be nasty, but it works perfectly with that blue body.
Excellent match!

I agree. I would never have picked it up at the store, but it looks good!

syo
November 21st, 2011, 08:52 AM
Wow. Very nice DVM. It really is a perfect fit.


...Very drool worthy.

I can attest to that. I actually did drool a bit...

Monkus
November 21st, 2011, 12:28 PM
i really would not have thought it would look that awesome......good choice....

Duffy
November 22nd, 2011, 02:09 AM
That pickguard really compliments that LPB body. I personally don't usually like white pickguards and this blue shell type one really makes that guitar look special.