Modified NS X175 almost done!

[Walter Broes]

I got a (barely) used Newark Street X175 for 500 Euros this summer, and I finally got around to redoing the electronics. I gutted it and made a new CTS/Switchcraft harness for it, Gibson "50's wiring", and put the pickups on it.

It has a vintage DeArmond beveled top pickup like the very early Starfires had in the neck position. The bridge pickup is a reissue DeArmond shell with a cut-down P90 bobbin in it. A luthier buddy who has a winder wound it for me.

Put the Bigsby B6 on it, Gotoh tune-a-matic, and screwed down the bridge base. So far, I like it a lot!

I still have to make a pickguard for it, but I'm going to play it some first!!

 

[Bonneville88]

Turned out great!

 

[guitarlover]

That looks great !

 

[GGJaguar]

Wow, that came out fantastic! Nicely done!

 

[sixx]

That's a gorgeous finished project! I bet those pups are going to sound amazing in it.

 

[shihan]

Very, very nice! I’ll wager that sounds fabulous!
I have a similar Guildsbyed NS X-175; my next step is a new wiring harness.
I have a set of ‘60’s P-90’s that might go in, but I‘m pretty happy with the Franz copies. New pots and wires might really wake them up. Thanks for the inspiration And enjoy your ‘new’ guitar!

 

[Rockabilly_Nick]

Nice! I love those knobs.

 

[jp]

Amazing results, Walter!

It looks so classic with the stove top knobs and the Duane Eddy arm, and I bet it sounds and feels good too. I might upgrade the harness in my NS M-75 Aristocrat soon.

Did you pin the bridge, or did it come like that?

 

[Walter Broes]

JP, I put two little screws in the bridge base in my typical crude way. It was floating originally.

Here's a very quick little clip of me going through the pickup selector some, and some aimless noodling :

 

[jp]

Got it. Sounds great!

 

[shihan]

Wow, that P-90 is super twangy! Sounds great. What kind of amp are you using?
Thanks for posting the clip.

 

[Walter Broes]

It's a tweed super (5f4) clone at low volume with a reverb tank in front of it.
I was pleasantly surprised at the twang I'm getting with that pickup too. Hum-wise, it's quieter than a regular P90 too, so I guess Harry DeArmond knew what he was doing with those metal shells.

 

[Brian J]

Love the twang. Did you relocate the bridge pickup closer to the bridge? It looks and sounds like it.

 

[SFIV1967]

Did you relocate the bridge pickup closer to the bridge? It looks and sounds like it.

Looks like that is what Walter did:



Ralf

 

[Jeff Haddad]

Great sounds! Great fingerpicking!

I dig the stove knobs too!

 

[Walter Broes]

Well, I didn't make the pickguard myself, but I had my luthier buddy make one. As Guild adopted the D'Angelico "stairstep" thing somewhere in the sixties, I figured "why not go all out" and do a proper D'Angelico style pickguard for it.
My buddy sent me this pic out of his workshop this morning, I'm picking it up later this week.

 

[GGJaguar]

Fancy!

 

[jp]

I hope your buddy irons out all the wrinkles in it first before you pick it up.

 

[Stuball48]

I would pay $$$ to see you pick that guitar in person! Love that sound.

 

[teleharmonium]

That's a lot of usable variation based on where you pick, with either pickup