Although I've chosen to not really post too much on this forum after feeling misjudged and subsequently ostracized, I still wanted to share this project with others that may at some point contemplate doing something similar. I mean... What's an online community if you don't occasionally contribute something? Fwiw... sincere apologies for ever speaking out of turn or for being overly harsh on this board. I honestly never intended to offend anyone.
Anyway... This is a 2014 Am.Std. with solid rosewood neck. Love the guitar but after a few years, it was time for some upgrades. Now that I've had this project completed for a few days and have been playing her almost exclusively, I have to say that the final result is beyond what I'd expected. Although still in the honeymoon phase, this guitar is currently just about my most favorite of the entire family.
FENDER LOCKING TUNERS: The factory tuners weren't the worst but over the years I've just grown to hate wrestling with perfectly wrapping strings around posts. The new Fender lockers are a direct drop/ fit with 2 pins. I had purchased a set of locking Shaller's but even with the seeming direct-fit, they didn't work and left the factory-drilled pin-holes exposed. The Fenders are a perfect drop in replacement and line up precisely. After some initial string stretching and tuning, these tuners seem perfectly stable and solid... 3 long/ 3 short btw although still using the tree. Very happy with these tuners.
GOTOH 510T TREMOLO UNIT: Nothing awful about the tried-n-true factory trem but the arm bugged me... wobbly and hard to keep consistently positioned where I wanted... lost the ball-bearing/ spring tensioner long ago anyway. Very happy with the Gotoh replacement and after comparing it side by side with the Wilkinson VSVG, it was no contest ... Solid, sleek, notched saddles, excellent trem-arm engagement, and I like the little touches like the set-screws inside of the studs that extend down to contact the base of the anchors. All in all, this unit is much more comfortable ( and maybe more performance-oriented?) than the original. One thing that's definitely noticeable, is that when I pluck or strum the guitar while unplugged, it sounds much more resonant and harmonic than it used to... almost like a hollow-body. It's amazing. I also am using Fender Bullet strings for the first time. Whether these strings have anything to do with the increased sustain, I dunno. Fender claims: "patented bullet-end creates sonic coupling between string & bridge block for increased tuning stability and sustain". Before hearing these strings for myself, I would have thought that to be a marketing gimmick.. now I'm not so sure. Regardless... the resonance is much more pronounced and overall this Gotoh 510T is simply phenomenal. Also fwiw, the Gotoh trem-springs are a bit more stiff than the originals so I'm only using two of them along with one of the original Fender springs. I may ultimately switch them out again for 2 soft/ 1 firm for more sensitivity but we'll see. All 3 springs are dampened with silicone tubing. I did this simply to combat any flutter/ noise from the springs.
SEYMOUR DUNCAN SSL-5 BRIDGE PICKUP: This guitar came equipped with CS Fat 50's but I wanted a little more heat and the SSL-5 appeared to have what I was after. For what it's worth: SD recommends reversing the wiring if you're mating it with the factory middle & neck pickups... black to pot/ white to switch. I'm still tweaking the action as well as all 3 pickup heights but at least so far, I'm really digging the SSL-5 over the Fat 50 at the bridge. Driven dirty, the SD definitely sounds more sculpted and warm so consider steering clear of this one if quacky vintage sound is your thing. I'm impressed with the SSL-5 when pushing gain but I was pleasantly surprised how incredible it sounds when clean. Rolling off the volume knob really showcases the tonal aspects of this thing. It sincerely wakes up this particular guitar and produces more pronounced lows/ mids now. Overall I'd say it has much more dynamic character now. It's just about exactly what I was after so... super satisfied with this choice.
FRET POLISH & FRET-BOARD CONDITIONING: While I was at it with the strings removed, I decided to tape off the board and hit the frets with some 0000 wool and finished them off with a thorough polish. Lastly, I hydrated the rosewood board/ neck/ head-stock with some Guitar Honey. Much smoother and supple-feeling now.
CHROME DOME KNOBS: I had intended to simply switch out the parchment Strat knobs for the same style in black. But while the black Strat knobs did indeed look okay alongside the now "more modern" look of the guitar, I ultimately chose to keep pushing the aggressiveness and opt for some generic chrome knurled knobs instead. I'm sincerely satisfied with the metal chrome knobs on this particular axe. They fit in very well with the Gotoh trem and they feel so solid. They're also easier and quicker to subtly manipulate compared to the traditional plastic knobs.
Everything else that I did was simply related to aesthetics/ appearance:
Black generic scratch-plate from Stratosphere
Black pick-guard screws.
Black trem-cover.
Black trem-cover screws.
Black switch-tip.
Black switch screws.
Black pickup covers ( neck & mid).
Black Seymour Duncan pickup cover ( bridge).
For what it's worth: I was going to do a few other things to this guitar but ultimately decided for one reason or another, not to. Plans were cancelled for the: black jack plate, black pickup screws, black strap buttons, TusqXL nut, and graphite saddles.
The obligatory "before" pic:
Under the knife:
Finished: