Help me mod my Fender Cyclone!

Ché

Picked one of these rare beauties up recently. Ticks a lot of boxes for me but there's a few things I need to address and some opinions I'd like to here from you guys if that's cool.

This is the dude:

First point of call:
It came without a tremolo arm. 
It's a standard synchro trem as far as I'm aware so should I pick up a std strat trem? What length? I know Gilmour favours a short trem and it's a 24.75 scale. Any advantages or disadvantages?

Second:
Lack of a second tone control. I think this is an easy one as I know Jazz Bass' in the 60's used stacked knobs and as far as I can tell the control plate on this could be the same as this:

Would be insane if I could just retrofit that and have a Gibson wiring set up.

Third point:
Colour, I think it looks okay but I was really digging my friends Mascis Jazzmaster and wondered if I could respray it. Logistics, cost etc. 

 

Fourth point: 
Pickups!
It has a Tex Mex Strat pick up in the neck and an Atomic Humbucker in the bridge. 
I was thinking I could put a Duncan SSL-1 in the neck and maybe something PAF orientated in the bridge to cop a Santana tone. Your thoughts on this would be very much appreciated.

Never modded a guitar before and I know a lot of you on here are seasoned veterans so your wisdom is invaluable.

Cheers,
Shaun  

gubble

I've never even heard of a cyclone - what a cool guitar

HAL9000

Looks great.

As I understand things, not all Fender trem arms/blocks have the same thread. However, some are nearly, but not quite, the same thread so will kind of fit for the first few turns and will then get progressively tighter and start doing damage.

Ché

I've tried to find out what arm it is to no avail. Anyway way I can find out?

ICBM

Given that the block on these is cheap alloy if I remember correctly, I would replace the block with a steel one and get a new arm with the correct thread at the same time. You will need the measurements from the bridge plate - string hole spacing and where the three big screws and the arm hole are relative to them - but I think it's the same as a Mexican Strat.

Stacked knobs are a fairly easy mod if you want separate controls.

allen

I'm assuming you have a made in mexico one so it's probably a metric thread. http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/Tremolo-Arm-for-Mexican-Standard-Strat-1273888004244.gc?source=4WFRWXX&CAWELAID=29472008 ;

Also, you might think about how little you'll get back on your investment of time and money here. It's a £200-300 guitar, plus 2-300 quid of parts, plus hours and hours of labour (everything will take twice as long as you think). 

I enjoy modding stuff, and have done quite a few, but it's only worth it if the guitar means a lot to you or it's the only way for you to get the spec you need.

And by the way, nice guitar! I've been hankering for one of those for a few years.

Ché

Yeah it's Mexican. Metric works for me... 3 and a half 1/16ths of an inch... whut?

Basically I want a HSS Strat but dislike the look. Wanted something I could make a bit more unique to me. 

It's funny before I found out these existed I envisioned having something custom built that wasn't too far off. It's got the Fender meets Gibson vibe that I really dig. Really wanted a Toronado but didn't want to have to route it for the trem. 

@ICBM, would the 920D stacked Jazz Bass control plate match up exact to the control plate of the Cyclone? 

I have a Mexican Jazz so might test it tonight in fact 

If it does what I want, sounds as I want, I'm not worried about losing money. 

underdog

That looks a really cool guitar.

grungebob

I've had two cyclones in the past, don't want to piss on your chips but you owe it to yourself to check the intonation properly before spending money on mods. The two I had wouldn't intimate as the bridge position was off and no amount of saddle adjustment would correct it.

Master tone control worked for me really well so can't help there.

As for pickups I settled on a Duncan alnico 2 on the neck and I couldn't decide between a Duncan jb or a Dimarzio air Norton. The Dimarzio HS2 works very well in the neck too

Neil

If it was me I'd just use it as it is - a nice Mustang-y type Fender.

You could put a lump of money into it and still not be satisfied.

I must admit though, I always rate guitars on what they are and not what they could be.

Ché

I'm satisfied with it already, just needs an additional tone control, everything else is just taste. Thanks for the heads up @grungebob!

Sassafras

I really like that. I certainly wouldn't ruin it by painting it purple. Purple is my nemesis.

ICBM

Ché said:

@ICBM, would the 920D stacked Jazz Bass control plate match up exact to the control plate of the Cyclone?

No, the plate is a different shape. The controls should be a drop-in fit though, if Fender had started using 3/8" pots by the time of the Cyclone - I can't remember. If not, you'll need to ream out the plate.

blueskunk

Great colour that and well cool.

grungebob

Ché;926396" said:

I'm satisfied with it already, just needs an additional tone control, everything else is just taste.



Thanks for the heads up @grungebob!

Your welcome, I'd be interested to see what you find. I really really like the cyclone and would still have one if either of them would intonate. I bought a grafiti yellow one and the bright orange one and desperately kept both for far too long after I found out they wouldn't keep tune up the neck even gigged them all the time ( got use to lots of bends to rectify the flats).
So if yours does intonate that'll put the cat amongst the pigeons and start my search all over again lol

Ché

Hmmm, it seems the bridge is placed to far forward as I can't get the string saddles far back enough to intonate it. Did you have the same problem?

Do Fender (or another company) make shorter length bridge saddles?

blueskunk

Take to a Tec dude , seen your handy work before on that revstar

Ché

Ché

So like, who fucked up when they made these and were they fired accordingly?
I'm starting to realise why they were discontinued,consider my chips pissed on!

meltedbuzzbox

it might be why they made a cyclone 2?

Ché

They just have the 3 jaguar pickup config I think.

So what are my options?
Shorter saddles, if they exist?
Move the bridge back... money + luthier + potential mess
Sell it.