Upgrades and Modifications
Installed Components
Hardware and Playability
Guyker Locking Tuners – 18:1 Gear Ratio
Hand-Shaped and Polished Bone Nut
Jescar Medium-Jumbo Nickel-Silver Frets
Wilkinson WOV01 Vintage Tremolo – 52.5 mm String Spacing, 36 mm Steel Block; Downward-Only Setup
Two Mushroom-Style Strap Buttons
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky .010–.046 Strings
Pickups and Electronics
Musiclily Pro ST-TX Staggered Alnico 5 Single-Coil Pickup Set
Measured DC Resistance: Neck 5.8 kΩ; Middle 5.8 kΩ; Bridge 6.5 kΩ
Musiclily Pro A250K Mini Brass-Shaft Potentiometers
CRL-Style 5-Way Selector Switch
Gilmour-Style Switching Modification
Treble Bleed Circuit
Two 0.022 µF Tone Capacitors
Dedicated Bridge Tone Control; Shared Neck/Middle Tone Control
Switchcraft Output Jack and Original Output Jack Plate
Cloth Pushback Wiring and Silver Solder Connections
Copper Foil Shielding – Body Electronics Cavity and Underside of Pickguard
Body Refinishing and Modifications
The Indiana Pink received a complete cosmetic transformation. The body was sanded, resprayed with Krylon Gloss Mambo Pink, and finished with multiple clear coats. The new finish gives this older Strat-style guitar a bright, distinctive appearance.
The tremolo opening was carefully enlarged by routing the body to accommodate the new Wilkinson bridge. The neck-mounting screw holes through the body were also enlarged to improve the fit and clamping of the neck-to-body joint during reassembly. These are permanent modifications to the original body.
Neck, Fretboard, and Frets
The neck was progressively sanded from 220 to 1500 grit, then sealed using a blend of shellac, boiled linseed oil, and denatured alcohol.
The original plastic nut and frets were removed. The fretboard was sanded and resurfaced, and its edges were lightly rolled for greater playing comfort. New Jescar medium-jumbo nickel-silver frets were installed, and the fretboard was conditioned with lemon oil.
A new bone nut was individually shaped, fitted, and polished to replace the factory plastic nut. New Guyker 18:1 locking tuning machines complete the upgraded tuning hardware.
Custom Headstock Logo
The original Indiana headstock logo was damaged during cleaning. A custom pink reproduction logo was applied to complement the new body finish, then protected under multiple coats of Varathane Crystal Clear Gloss Polyurethane.
This is a replacement graphic, not an original factory-applied logo.
Pickups, Wiring, and Tone Controls
The factory pickups and electronics were replaced with Musiclily Pro ST-TX staggered Alnico 5 single coils, A250K mini brass-shaft potentiometers, a CRL-style five-way selector, and a Switchcraft output jack.
The installed pickups measure 5.8 kΩ at the neck, 5.8 kΩ in the middle, and 6.5 kΩ at the bridge. These are DC resistance readings, not direct measurements of pickup output.
The bridge pickup has its own dedicated upper tone control. The neck and middle pickups share the middle tone control. Each tone circuit uses a separate 0.022 µF capacitor.
A treble bleed circuit was added to help retain high-frequency clarity as volume is reduced. A Gilmour-style switch provides two additional pickup combinations—neck plus bridge, and all three pickups together—bringing the total to seven combinations.
A hole was drilled in the pickguard for the added switch. The electronics were rewired with cloth pushback wire and silver solder. Conductive copper foil shielding was installed inside the body electronics cavity and on the underside of the pickguard to help reduce electrical interference. The output jack and tremolo claw were connected to the grounding system.
Bridge, Assembly, and Final Setup
The original tremolo was replaced with a Wilkinson WOV01 vintage-style bridge, with 52.5 mm string spacing and a 36 mm steel block. It is configured for downward-only operation, rather than floating.
The original output jack plate was retained and reused. Two mushroom-style strap buttons were installed, and the refinished neck was reattached to the body.
After reassembly, the guitar received Ernie Ball Regular Slinky .010–.046 strings and was tested and adjusted for playing, including the neck, bridge, string action, and intonation.
Restoration Summary
The Indiana Pink Resurrection Tier combines a newly refinished Mambo Pink body, custom headstock logo, renewed frets and nut, locking tuners, upgraded Wilkinson bridge, Alnico 5 pickups, expanded switching, and extensive electronics work.
The result is a distinctive, heavily upgraded guitar prepared for regular playing. The permanent body modifications and replacement headstock graphic should also be considered when evaluating its originality; they are part of the restoration, not factory features.
