Customize Your Playtech for Under 30,000 yen! ST250 Edition #30kPlaytechChallenge

Cheena：The second #30kPlaytechChallenge, a Twitter project that gives you the easiest ways to modify Playtech for under 30,000 yen! We will consider modifying the Playtech ST250 and the Playtech JB420.

Related Articles
＜First Installment＞
Customize Your Playtech for Under 30,000 yen! PB450 Edition
Customize Your Playtech for Under 30,000 yen! TL250 Edition
＜Second Installment＞
Customize Your Playtech for Under 30,000 yen! ST250 Edition
Customize Your Playtech for Under 30,000 yen! JB420 Edition
＜Third Installment＞
Customize Your Playtech for Under 30,000 yen! LP400 Edition
Customize Your Playtech for Under 30,000 yen! AB420 Edition

Here, we are mainly focusing on the Playtech ST250, the most powerful ST type at the best price.

PLAYTECH / TL250 Maple Metallic Red

You can also try with models from the same series such as the ST250SSH, ST280, and the ST250LH.

■ PLAYTECH / ST Type / SSH List
■ PLAYTECH / ST280 List
■ PLAYTECH / Lefty (left-handed) guitars

The rules for this year's event are also as follows.

• Do not touch the wood as much as possible.
• Simple modifications such as drilling a few holes or extensions with a reamer are acceptable.
• Basically, the price should be within the range of the actual instrument.
• 30,000 yen does not include the price of the instrument itself.
• Create the most outrageous instrument that you can.

That's it.
However, we also welcome any customizations that go off the rails!

For those who do not own an ST250: The seating is cut for each pickup and is not in a bento box style. However, it has been confirmed that it is different from lot to lot, so we will treat it as “cut as shown” here.

So, let me take the lead this time. The basis is ST250.

MONTREUX / USA JG Black Cover set (2) [8993]

SEYMOUR DUNCAN / SJAG-2n Hot Neck for Jaguer

SEYMOUR DUNCAN / SJAG-2b Hot Bridge for Jaguer

ALLPARTS / PU-6938-001 SHIELD CLAW FOR JAGUAR PICKUP

Lose the middle position and replace the front and rear with a single coil for Jaguar.
The pickguard hole is slightly shifted, so adjust it by shaving the hole.

ALPHA / ALP-3W

Selector is set to 3-way. If you want to do special wiring such as phase inversion or forced full-ten, you can leave it at 5.
Then, remove the pot closest to the bridge, set the other two to Vol & Tone, and put it between them to switch between High Pass and Tone.

ALLPARTS / EP-4181-010 Chrome On On Round Bat Mini Switch

A commercially available push switch (momentary) is placed in place of the removed pot, and used as a kill switch. In short, it's for the machine gun technique.

FU-Tone / Tesi Kill Switch Stainless

You can use any size switch as long as it fits.

GOTOH / RG15 & RG30 Nickel

GOTOH / EP-B3 Chrome

Pure Tone Jack / PTT1

Load up the rest of the knick-knacks, and the Lead II-like rampant guitar is complete.
Total of 10 items ¥26,970 (price as of August 22, 2022) *Two PU-6938-001s were used.

Surprisingly, I was able to load up with a lot of stuff. (I did not account for the kill switch because the custom was over 30,000 yen at the time of posting. Use the switch of your choice.) If wood modifications were OK, I would have gone with an LSR roller nut or a modification from ST250LH.

Nemoto：No, no, no… Boy, have you already brought a lot to the table right off the bat.... Then I'll go with something like this.

SEYMOUR DUNCAN / SSL-7 Quarter-Pound Starggered

SCHALLER / TENSION CONTROLLER

Total price of the two items: ¥16,960 (as of August 22, 2022)

I liked the sound of ST280 best on the front, so I put QP on the front and not the middle and rear.
The control is 1V1T, aiming for a rampant fat sound by mounting a powerful pickup on the front. Simple, manly, and clean. The beauty of subtraction.... Let's be a little careful with useful parts. That's how I feel.

Cheena：The attention to detail with the direction is also very cool, and it is also important to be able to change the direction in detail: normal adjustment with the Schaller Tension Controller, pitch stability with the ESP Arming Adjuster, and complete fixation with the Allparts Tremol-No. is completely fixed.

ESP / ARMING ADJUSTER

ALLPARTS / BP-2005-010 Tremol-No Pin Type

If you want to load the same type of interesting items, you can also use Atlansia Yajirobei or Super Vee Mag-Lok.

(Image taken from ATLANSIA's WEB site)

SUPER VEE / Mag-Lok

Nemoto：I thought I'd give it a try, since pegs and electronic parts are so common. I miss Yajirobe. It was groundbreaking.

Cheena：Please see the details here. It's important to renovate the tremolo area because it's directly related to playability and functionality.
Now... among the Playtech guitars, the ST series has the most variants, and if we include even the discontinued ones, there are quite a few... Would you like to introduce these modifications as well?

Nemoto：Well, there are a lot of them. Shall we do it?

Cheena：I guess the one that looks fun is the Lefty: ......
Here’s the ST250LH and I’m changing the pot to an A-curve. Let’s replace the nut with a TUSQ rather than re-cutting it.

ALPHA / ALP-250A

FENDER / Stratocaster Knobs White

GRAPHTECH / PQ-5042-00

Total of 5 items ¥2,970 (price as of 8/22/2022) *ALP-250A uses 3

By removing the 3-4 string retainers and relocating the strap pins, you already know what to do.
Jimi Hendrix style is complete. The modification cost 2,970 yen!

The Jimi Hendrix-inspired Fender x Gitamagazine collaboration Stratocaster “Seattle” has a right-handed tremolo. The two tones have been changed to master only (the midtone position has been left blank), and the guitar has been modified to be a right-handed Stratocaster. The slant direction of the rear pickup is the same as that for right-handed players.
The adoption of the tremolo for right-handed players may vary from person to person, but the omission of the tone is quite effective in terms of ease of playability.

Nemoto：That's good, that's good.
Whether it can produce a variety of tones or not is a different concept from whether it is easy to use (JB was changed from 2V2T to 2V1T because it was too difficult to use), and it is quite easy to use.
I think that if they were going for a Jimi Hendrix sound, they would have wanted the slant direction to stay the same, but I don't know about those subtleties.

Cheena：I can’t see a reason not to do this to a lefty that you can get for less than 10,000. The playability that the Stratocaster Seattle suggests while seeking the Jimi Hendrix sound.
For even more delicious modifications, a Fender TBX or even an EXG can be useful if you use EMG pickups. If you want to change the pegs, buy the R6 arrangement.
But if you want an American look, I recommend swapping the Sperzel left and right...

Nemoto：I have plenty of budget left over, so I can do a lot of things. It would be totally possible to do this as a new foundation. I'll also try not to spend too much money.
I will do it based on SSH.

ALLPARTS / EP-4175-000 Tritan 3-Way Blade Switch

MONTREUX / Mini Switch 6P ON-ON Chrome

Total of 2 items ¥3,430 (Price as of August 22, 2022)

Use the front and middle together as humbucking. I made it to be more of a pseudo pickup because the pretech ST doesn't have HH set up.
Controls are 1V1T, coil tap, and 3-way PU selector. 1V1T and remove one tone and add a switch to it to allow coil tap. I was thinking about how to make it versatile. I have quite a bit of extra budget, so you can use whatever PU you want.

Cheena：With the ST250SSH, you have quite a bit of flexibility... Yes, you could do something like this with similar features and pickup replacement.
Uniquely for the apparent SSH arrangement, I'd leave the rear in a hum-sized P-90 and the rest in singles.

KENT ARMSTRONG / WPU900 Convertible P-90 Pickup In Humbucker Case Chrome

And this is what I'm going to introduce. Turbo blender!

SONIC / TB-402 TURBO BLENDER 4 JAPAN

It has the characteristic of blending the front output, which originally causes humbucking at 3S, but by leaving it at S-S-P90, it will sound chunky no matter what you do. That said, it sounds less chunky than a normal 2-coil humbucker.

Nemoto：Wow. I can't really imagine how it will sound, but it sure sounds great. Next up... SSH is the bass guitar.

GOTOH / GE101TS Chrome Lefty

MONTREUX / SRV 8hole Pickguard Relic [251]

Total price of the two instruments: ¥15,530 (as of August 22, 2022)

Lefty tremolo and this pickguard are...well known SRV! But the layout is SSH, for those of you who don't like to use the same instruments as others.
I couldn't buy a PU with my budget, but I think it's interesting because you can do so many things with it.
The pickguard is supposed to be modified to make it SSH. It shouldn't be that hard since I only need to shave the rear. If you have a home improvement center nearby that rents out work spaces (if you can borrow tools), you can do it nicely. Even if you don't, you can do it.

Cheena：If you just want to make a sound, a Chinese pickup will do the job.

Nemoto：Chinese PUs are totally usable, too. I can't say the same about the finish, though.

Cheena：There was a time when the pole piece screw of a hum was licked and the height did not change even if I turned it.

Nemoto：I didn't know that was possible... If it is made in China and you order 100 pieces, you will receive 120 pieces. I wanted to reproduce the EC Strat, but I couldn't do it due to the seat time. The mid booster looks interesting.

Cheena：Ask, and it shall be given to you...

Mid Boost Circuit- "Clapton- Woman Tone"

...Jokes aside, GuitarFetish has done it.

"Clapton" style mid boost circuit- Drive your amp!

And they come in two varieties. Each costs about 4,500 yen.

Nemoto：Even cheaper. That’s nice...
Would you change your PU to a noiseless one, too?

FENDER / Vintage Noiseless Strat Pickups Set

Cheena：I think it's about the same price as a TBX with this set.

FENDER / TBX TONE CONTROL POTENTIOMETER KIT

I can't reproduce the V-neck shape and 9.5R fretboard, but I can put a piece of scrap wood between the tremolo lock and the neck. Generic Clapton is completed!
Also, and this is half a personal grudge, but the only thing I won't change is the volume pot, which will also be inch size.

MONTREUX / Bourns 24mm pot A250K Split inch [1611]

SCUD / KW-240VI

Not only Nemoto, but everyone who does modifications will understand why: ......

ネモト：I know, lol.
I've written quite a bit and I think our time has come to a close.
Thank you very much. We are now running a Twitter tag project! We are looking forward to your submissions! (see below for details)

Cheena：Thank you very much!

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