TURTLE JUICE

Custom Guitar Workshop

Author: TJ

  • #024 – Jaco

    #024 – Jaco

    Fretless 5 String Jazz Bass from a kit on Etsy.

    Custom Finish:
    Neck – Danish Oil
    Body – Stain > Danish Oil > Odie’s Oil

  • #023 – Roadworn

    #023 – Roadworn

    Custom Shop Stratocaster w/ Roadworn Nitro Body

    Hardware:
    Fender 57/62 Pickups
    Fender Neck
    Fender Locking Tuners
    Fender Bridge
    Fender Switch
    Upgraded jack

  • #022 – White Heat

    #022 – White Heat

    White Super Strat with high-output HSS humbuckers.

    Pickups:
    Neck – Seymour Duncan Cool Rails
    Middle – DiMarzio DP218 Super Distortion S
    Bridge – Seymour Duncan Hades Gates Bridge

    Hardware Mods:
    Fender Neck
    Fender Locking Tuners
    Fender Bridge
    Fender Switch
    Electrosocket jack

    Wiring mods:
    Master volume/tone
    Neck-on switch

  • #021 – Stevie Ray

    #021 – Stevie Ray

    Inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughn #1

    Custom Shop Stratocaster w/ Relic Body

    Hardware mods:
    Custom Road Worn body
    Fender 57/62 Pickups
    Fender Neck
    Fender Locking Tuners
    Fender Lefty Tremolo Bridge
    Fender Switch
    Electrosocket jack
    Road worn pickup covers

    Wiring mods:
    Neck-on switch (push/pull)

  • #020 – Lil Fucker

    #020 – Lil Fucker

    Custom Shop Stratocaster with onboard Tube Amp. This one gave me the most trouble of any mod I’ve done. Hence the name.

    Hardware mods:
    Tex Mex Pickups
    Fishman 9v battery pack
    Custom sunburst body
    Fender neck
    Fender locking tuners
    Electrosocket jack
    Road worn pickup covers

    Wiring mods:
    Master Tone/Volume CC Knob
    Tube Amp MOD – Gain Knob
    Tube Amp MOD – Level Knob
    Tube Amp MOD – On/Off Switch

  • #019 – Smoking Gun

    #019 – Smoking Gun

    Leo Jaymz SG

    I bought a cheap LJ model Gibson SG clone to test out the GFS Tube Amp MOD.

    Hardware Mods:
    Neck replacement
    Grover Tuners
    Tube Amp Knob (Gain/Level)
    Tube Amp Knob (On/Off)
    Electrosocket jack

    Wiring Mods:
    GFS Tube Amp MOD

  • #018 – White Elephant

    #018 – White Elephant

    Fender P-Bass w/ Active Pickups

    Hardware Mods:
    EMG Pachyderm Les Claypool pickups
    Gold knobs
    9v Battery Compartment

  • #017 – Ghost

    #017 – Ghost

    Custom Shop Telecaster

    Finished body by: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FromTheSourceLuthier

    Hardware Mods:
    Custom Gloss Body
    Fender Neck
    Fender Locking Tuners
    Tex Mex Pickups
    Hipshot Drop D Tuner

    Wiring Mods:
    Treble bleed MOD

  • #016 – Ocean Man

    #016 – Ocean Man

    Custom Shop Telecaster

    Body purchased on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/mhcustomstx

    Hardware mods:
    Tex Mex Pickups
    Custom maple burl & resin body
    Fender neck
    Fender locking tuners
    Electrosocket jack

    Wiring mods:
    Treble Bleed MOD

  • #015 – Alligator

    #015 – Alligator

    Custom Shop Stratocaster w/ Alembic Blaster

    Based on the Jerry Garcia 60’s era strat. I bought the guitar from a builder on eBay and upgraded the wiring with the Alembic Blaster and a rechargable Fishman battery pack.

    Hardware mods:
    Vintage pickups
    Brass Nut
    Brass Bridge/Saddle
    Brass Control Plate
    Fishman Rechargeable Battery
    Alembic Blaster Boost Switch

  • #014 – Acoustasonic

    #014 – Acoustasonic

    Fender Acoustasonic w/ EMG Afterburner Boost

    Inspired by the Jack White Triplesonic (but saddened by the $3k price), I modded the cheaper $600 Acoustasonic to suit my own needs.

    I added a Gibson style knob to switch between the built-in Fender electronics (for acoustic playing) and the Humbucker with EMG Afterburner Boost (for bluesy lead solos).

    Wiring mods:
    Pickup selector switch
    EMG Afterburner Boost

  • #013 – Jerry v2

    #013 – Jerry v2

    Custom Shop Stratocaster w/ EMG Pickups & Afterburner Boost

    Inspired by first botched mod attempt, built a new strat with active pickups and an onboard boost switch to get that classic Jerry Tone.

    Hardware Mods:
    EMG Active Pickups
    Battery compartment

    Wiring Mods:
    EMG Afterburner Boost Knob

  • #012 – Jerry

    #012 – Jerry

    Squier Strat w/ EMG Active Pickups

    Inspired by Jerry Garcia’s Alligator and the JerryToneStore, I bought a cheap strat and modded with active pickups and an onboard boost switch to get that classic Jerry Tone.

    Hardware Mods:
    EMG Active Pickups
    Battery compartment

    Wiring Mods:
    EMG Afterburner Boost Knob

  • #011 – Sunburst

    #011 – Sunburst

    Custom Shop Telecaster

    Custom body
    Custom maple neck with rosewood fretboard

    Hardware mods:
    Locking tuners
    Electrosocket jack

  • #010 – Flame

    #010 – Flame

    Custom Shop Telecaster


    Genuine Squier body w/ humbucker
    Genuine Fender neck w/ abalone inlays

    Hardware mods:
    Locking tuners
    Electrosocket jack

  • #009 – Francis

    #009 – Francis

    Refurbished Parlor Acoustic

    Named in honor of my grandfather, who taught all 7 children to play guitar (except my dad, who refused to learn). My dad gave me an old Yamaha acoustic that belonged to grandpa when I went away to college. That’s how I started playing guitar.

    Refinish:
    New poly finish

    Hardware Mods:
    New bridge
    New tuners

  • #008 – Beast

    #008 – Beast

    Hybrid Multiscale Bass/Guitar

    Bought a 7-string guitar from eBay, took off the bottom three baritone strings (B-E-A) and replaced them with 2 legit bass strings (E-A).

    The guitar was already wired with the split bass/guitar pickup mods.

    String Gauges: 100 – 80 – 24w – 16 – 11 – 9

    Hardware Mods:
    Bass pickups (E-A strings)
    Guitar pickups (D-G-B-E strings)
    Upgrade bridge for bass strings
    File nut for bass strings
    Upgrade knobs

    Wiring Mods:
    Bass volume/tone
    Guitar volume/tone
    Guitar pickup selector (neck/bridge)

  • #007 – Liquid Art

    #007 – Liquid Art


    Custom Shop Telecaster

    Took a smashed guitar body, glued it back together, and gave it a liquid art treatment. Hardware was put together from discarded parts. Half art. Half garbage. Plays beautifully.

    Hardware mods:
    Custom body
    Roasted pine neck (natural tung oil finish)
    Hand-wired tone volume/pots (orange drop)
    Locking tuners
    Electrosocket jack

    Wiring mods:
    3-way switch mod (neck, bridge, off)

  • #006 – Goldie

    #006 – Goldie

    Custom Shop Telecaster M

    This was a kit with mahogany neck and body.

    Finish:
    Neck – Tung Oil
    Body – 50/50 Wipe-On Poly

    Hardware mods:
    Pearly Gates Pickups (gold)
    Gold neckplate
    Gold strap buttons
    Gold electrosocket jack
    Gold bridge

    Wiring mods:
    Push/pull coil splitting

  • #005 – Pearl

    #005 – Pearl

    Custom Shop Telecaster

    Custom pine body w/ natural hand rubbed finish
    Pearl white pickguard
    Squier neck

    Hardware mods:
    Hades Gate Humbucker (neck)
    Hot Rails pickup (bridge)
    Rust hardware
    Locking tuners
    Electrosocket jack

    Wiring mods:
    No Tone Knob
    Kill Switch Button
    Treble Bleed Mod

  • #004 – Blondie

    #004 – Blondie

    SRX Telecaster w/ Active Pickups

    Hardware Mods:
    EMG Active Pickups
    Locking tuners
    Abalone pickguard
    Battery compartment
    Electrosocket output jack

  • #003 – Black Dog

    #003 – Black Dog

    Custom Shop Telecaster

    Relic body
    Canadian maple neck

    Hardware Mods:
    ’64 Vintage pickups
    Rust hardware
    Locking tuners
    Electrosocket output jack
    Through-body bridge

    Wiring Mods:
    2 Volume Knobs (no tone)

  • #002 – Woody

    #002 – Woody

    Leo Jaymz Kit Build

    Finish:
    Body – Walnut Stain / Tung Oil
    Neck – Natural / Tung Oil

  • #001 – Sweet Knobs

    #001 – Sweet Knobs

    Epiphone LP-100 Mod

    For my first project I refurbished my old LP100. It had noisy electronics, loose/broken knobs and the hardware had begun to rust. This is what inspired my foray into guitar modding and refurbishing.

    Hardware Mods:
    – Locking tuners
    – Pearly Gates Humbuckers
    – New pots, switches, wiring

    Wiring Mods:
    – Push-pull tone pots (coil-splitting)