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Other Mods

1 - Installation of Graphtech Ghost Acoustic / Hexpander system - see below  (Aug 2011)
2 - Internal installation of  Roland GK-2A into Parker Fly Deluxe  (Sept 2011)
3 - Installation of GK-Kit-GT3 into Witkowski Strat  (Oct 2011)
4 - Internal installation of a GK3 into a PAC 120SD  (Dec 2011)
5 - 'Fender Telecaster' project  (Feb 2012)
6 - James Tyler Variax JTV-69 mod (Nov 2012)
7 - Internal installation of a GK3 into a Peavey EXP Signature (Jan 2013)
8 - Internal installation of a GK3 into a Squire Strat (July 2013)
9 - Fret King 'Black Label' JD GK-2A mod (August 2013)

10 - Installation of a GK-2A into a Mexican Strat (Feb 2016)

Installation of a Graphtech Ghost Acoustic and Hexpander system into a customer's Stratocaster: The customer requested the installation of a Graphtech Ghost Acoustic and Hexpander system in his, so called 'BITSA Strat' (it was a very nice no-name strat with a lovely 'capped' body weighing very 'light', and with an interesting reverse headstock with Sperzel locking tuners and a Buzz Feiten compensated nut).  The guitar came to me with the neck removed and the client had carefully sent me everything, including a 'shim' that had fallen out of the neck pocket.  He also requested that I change the bridge pickup (one of 3 Bare Knuckles) for a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails and when I sent him a photo of the pick guard with this installed, he further requested that I change the 'cream' Bare Knuckle pickup covers for 'white' ones to match up with the 'white' SD Hot Rails. He also requested that I fit 'threaded inserts' into the neck screw holes, which were quite worn from several previous neck removals. The Graphtech stuff is all 'modular' - meaning no soldering is needed (except to existing pots etc.)

This is what you get when you order the 'full kit' from Graphtech - the Ghost saddles are extra because they are peculiar to 'your' guitar This is how the guitar came to me - lovely copper shielding already in place.
This shows the extra 'routed' cavity,  the 13 pin socket, and the Graphtech saddles in place This one shows the wires going to the new 'switched' jack socket and the replacement Hot Rails pickup.  Luckily the guitar had, at some stage, been fitted with active pickups which meant that a rear battery cavity was already present.  I was able to thread wires through to the jack cavity and then on to the main cavity.
The two circuit boards, one for the Hexpander (the GK converter) and one for the Ghost acoustic pickups, can be 'piggy-backed' together to save space but it still required the routing of the cavity to accommodate these boards.  You can see it's quite 'tight' in there!

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