Michael Kelly CC60's Burl Burst - 1 year update

Pete C · April 01, 2024, 06:42:28 AM

Last March I posted a review of this guitar which I'd just bought - a Michael Kelly Strat-style, HSS with 11 pickup combinations - coil-tapping push-pull pot, one master tone and a micro toggle switch to bring in the neck pickup on every combination.

Recently it's developed a fault - crackling and all sound cutting off. I opened it up but the wiring looked to complex to start searching through it for a bad solder joint so I decided to turn it into a modding project.

I decided to replace all the wiring and pickups. I didn't really want to go the HSS route again but after printing a template for a SSS pickguard and realisng it wouldn't quite fit it was obvious I'd have to keep the original pickguard. I ordered a Stratocaster wiring kit - CRL 5-way switch, 3 CTS pots, orange drop capacitor,Switchcraft output jack and vintage cloth wire. For pickups, I decided on Wilkinson Vintage 60's Alnico V for the neck and middle and a humbucker-sized P90 Alnico V for the bridge and Stratocaster style control knobs.

I had to ream out the existing volume, tone and toggle switch holes in the pickguard to 10 mm to take the CTS pots and a little filing of the HSS hole to take the P90. I'd not used a soldering iron for a long time but everything went well and the cloth wire is a breeze to use. None of that stripping off the plastic sheathing and twisting all the copper wires together. You just cut it to the length you need, pull back the cloth and the inner wire is already twisted together and pre-soldered.

The guitar now looks like this.

Now just the normal Strat 5 pick-up combinations with a beefier bridge sound than a single-coil. I prefer how it sounds now and it even made its gigging debut last weekend !