The Fender Bullet Project

LEAVE IT ALONE!!!! It's a lovely guitar and your suggestions strike me as vandalism. Sell it and use the money (which won't be a small amount if you find the right Fender-knowledgable buyer) to buy a guitar that you like without fucking with it.

The fret buzzing is your poor technique, btw.

It's not a lovely guitar at all, even if you're 12. I destroyed mine long ago by painting it with acrylics. All I'm doing is putting better pickups on it, giving it a better look (since it currently looks destroyed) and adding a missing tuner. The fret buzzing is your poor technique, btw.
You're a dick, btw.

Cool, thanks Martin!

BTW, Colin, I was just kidding, btw. Btw! Although, it really isn't my technique (though I admit my technique isn't the best). I've seen/heard it in videos of bands playing backstage. Fenders got that "buzz".

Oh, you weren't kidding. And neither was I. You could sell this guitar to a collecter and get some do-re-mi -- but your suggested pick-up replacement really is a bad idea, especially because you've admitted not knowing what you're doing in this area.

If the note doesn't buzz when you're fretting it "very deliverately", it seemsto me you out to be fretting "deliberately" more often.

There are lots of cool players with for-shit fretting technique anyway.

OK, this has become a dick-waving contest. I'm out.

Wait, look at my dick!

But seriously, your reasoning makes no sense. I think you must realize it at this point. I'd rather hold onto what is essentially a USA Fender than spend a lot of money overhauling some piece of shit Squier which has no sentimental value for me whatsoever. This thing was the guitar I learned on. It's only problems were that it was ugly and the pickups sucked.

Guitar is stripping as I type!

Maybe I won't switch the pickups just yet. They have no holes in the covers, so maybe I'll just buy covers with holes. That should make them brighter and louder, right? But will it make them too damn noisy I wonder.

This is exciting. You don't realize how easy Fenders are to modify until you have one you're not afraid to fuck up!

i think the difference a good set of strat style pickups, say, holy grails, would make will be well worth it.

a long time ago my father had a bullet. it was weird but played alright. that bridge was really strange. it could be the plastic component of it adding to the buzz. that's something you might want to look at swapping for a more for-real part.

That bridge/pickguard is actually rust-proof METAL. It's coated with something that seems like plastic, but isn't (and can't be scratched, either, except with something very sharp like a razor).

Before I spend time and money investing in new pickups, I decided I'm going to buy some new covers with holes in them first to see if the holes make the pickups better. The main reason is because once I looked at the soldering, I had no idea how to rip off the old pickups. Like, do I rip of the entire soldering metal "bubble" or just pull out the old wires and solder the new wires to the old bubble?

seriously? my god that's even weirder. i guess that saves them from having to shield the pickguard, not that they would.

you have to desolder. it's pretty easy. you just heat up the existing solder and pull out the wires. for best results, pick up an one of those little bulbs that works like a turkey baster- that will allow you to suck up the existing solder gunk and make a fresh joint with the new pups in place.

I had this exact same guitar, and I recognize many of the things you say, guitarist. Yes, the bridge is awful, the pickups are very weedy and the intonation/action is hard to keep in line. Unless you really like messing around with parts, I wouldn't bother trying to turn it into a hybrid. Why don't you try and sell - I think you're underestimating the market. Mine was in a worse shape than yours, I reckon and I made £240 ($400)thru e-bay. Maybe there are more of these around in the USA, than over here, but I had a LOT of interest in mine.

I'll be back when I have more time, but until then, a couple of tips:

Different covers will make no difference in the sound of the pickups...magnets don't care if they're sitting underneath plastic or not. Before you start desoldering things, I just wanted to make sure that you knew that you should be desoldering at the switches and pots, not at the pickup. Also, I think that your guitar is probably worth a little more than you think, but I'll try to do a little more research and get back to you on it.

Those cold solder things are a total pain in the ass, and are useless (in fact damaging) to anything with active components, which wouldn't be a problem in this case, but will be if you keep working on geetar stuff. Go to radio shack and get a normal soldering gun, preferably one that's switchable between 15 and 30 watts.

More later.

You should probably look at this before proceeding...there are more examples of similar values:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1981-FENDER-USA-BULLET-brilliant-example-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ7385530665QQcategoryZ33039QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That's interesting - about the same price that I got for mine.

That's crazy! Mine was all painted with acrylic paint (aliens, lips and eyeballs) and the pickguard was covered with butterfly and flower stickers. It looked really retarded (as was intended), so if anything, what I'm doing would only improve the resale value if indeed it was my intent to sell it, which it isn't.

No. Any hobby-modified guitar is worth less than a professionally modified guitar is worth less than an unmodified guitar. That's a fact.

Refinishing isn't exactly hobby-modified if it was previously hobby-modified with acrylic paints.

If you put acrylic paints on, a pro can take them off. If you strip the original finish, it's gone.

Too late now! I wonder how much a pro would've charged me to take off the acrylic paints...

It's looking really cool, by the way. I need to get another can of stripper today to take off the remaining redness, but there's beautiful wood under there! The sides have that nice stripe and the top and back have some nice wood grain. I think I'm going to give it a natural or golden finish like Prince's Hohner telecaster. I've never had a yellow-ish guitar.

there's a product designed to make natural wood look JUST like prince's hohner tele- it's supposed to be for aging maple necks to make them look aged:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/reranchstore/fennecam.html

Cool, thanks. I was looking at the ReRanch products, but hadn't figured out if I wanted to go this route. I was also looking at Tru-Oil, but I have no idea what colors it comes in (if any) and if it rubs off that would be just gross.

My artist rendition of

BEFORE (well not really, I will post actual before w/crazy acrylic paintjob and stickers once the project is completed)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e33/rolocoaster/bullet1.jpg

AFTER (predicted outcome)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e33/rolocoaster/bullet2.jpg

Let's see how close I come to my goal. And don't you agree it will look 100x more awesome?! If not, you really got to see this dinky thing in person. That black and red was fugly.

without the actual before and after pics i dont believe that i can really tell.

Actual photos will probably be a few weeks.

I think you'd also have to see the original in person. It looks like a kid guitar with the black pickups/pickguard and red body. Almost like it's made out of plastic. Especially with the shortscale neck. In the image above, I'm not sure it looks as dorky as it really does in person.

LEAVE IT AS IS DO A BIT OF RECEARCH ON THE COLOUR AND MATCHING PICK UP COVERS AND SCRATCH PLATE YOU MAY HAVE SOMETHING A BIT SPECIAL CANT COMMENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE STANDARD USA BULLET BUT IDO KNOW AFEW PLAYERS WHO WOULD NOT PART WITH THE DELUXE MODEL STRING THRU BODY FOR ANYTHING STICK IT IN THE CLOSET FOR A FEW YEARS MAYBE THEN YOU WILL APPREICATE ITS A BIT OF FENDER HISTORY

I am wishing I hadn't got rid of my bullet now (isn't that always the way?). I have just been listening to some live recordings of my 'other band' from 2003 on which I used the bullet and it sounds really good - sort of percussive and 'plinky' on arpeggios up the neck, and deep and throaty on big chords. Hmmm.

I didn't think the black pickguard with the red body looked too bad at all! Not too different from my Hagstrom.

It's 25 1/2 scale which is not a short scale.Yours looks like a phase II which is worth a hefty sum besides what you think of it ....that is if it is left original.The pickups are not the problem.You need a good amp and overdrive pedal.A Russian muff fuzz will turn that into the sound you desire through any mid level Fender amp that has reverb.

John Page of Fender’s custom shop designed the Fender Bullet. The production team at Fender wanted a guitar that could be produced for around $65.00 .By making a pickguard from aircraft grade aluminum that incorporated the tailpiece right into the design held the production costs to a minimum. It was powder coated. No routing was required for the body except for the pickups,pots and 3-way switch cavity. Manufacturing was a breeze as you just dropped the pickguard assembly right into the guitar body and screwed it down and bolted the tuner ready Tele-inspired neck on. No chrome plating, polishing, or beveling of the of stamped metal pickguard. June of 1981 introduced the Fender Bullet for about $189.00. The pickups were leftover Fender Mustang models as 1981 saw that model discontinued as well as 3-bolt neck plates with the micro-tilt. They were now replaced with the old Fender 4 bolt pattern design. The first 6 months all guitars were made offshore in Korea. They were the first models to be made outside of the USA but over 50% of the costs were American incurred as well as being assembled at the CBS owned Fender plant in Fullerton California. So they were, and still remain, considered to be “Made In USA” as the logo states. The Fender decal was on top of the headstock finish as in vintage Fender guitars. After six months time passed Fender Bullets were manufactured “in house” at the Fender facilities that late December and changes were now being added. Walnut wood strips that once was placed into the truss rod slots were now replaced by maple wood. By removing the pickguard and looking to see if it is Lauan mahogany plywood reveals it is a Korean made neck and body model. However a lot of those were dressed and finished at Fender’s Fullerton California plant. Original Bullets also used plain plastic molded Stratocaster knobs [Volume & Tone] with no painted lettering. The headstock logo was designed for the Fender ad campaign that went…”#1 with a Bullet“, like in Billboard music magazine, with the silver star .In essence what you get with the Fender Bullet is this…a full scale more or less Tele shaped Mustang with no tremolo or phase switching. Page feels the best Bullets are the first USA “stage two” ones that were made in late December of 1981 throughout ’82 & ‘83. In 1983 the Fender Bullet Deluxe guitar and the Fender Bullet S-3 guitar models were basically economy Stratocasters. With their chrome tremolo bridges and parts and plastic beveled pickguards it made the costs too high to keep them in production so the Fender Bullet guitar got priced out. The original no frills Fender Bullet used all existing tooling already in operation at Fender except for a new pickguard / bridge die and the manufacturing of the bridge pieces. From an engineering point of view that was quite a reasonable feat. Contrary to John Page’s expert observations, those very first models that ran from June 1981 to early December 1981 however are some of the most sought after ones. Because the necks and bodies were historically made for Fender for the first time outside of Fullerton California being imported in from Korea but mostly finished ,dressed and assembled at the Fullerton plant at a very limited run of 6 months makes those issues very rare birds and one should hold onto one if you have it. If you own one that is from the Fender Fullerton plant that is the same design as those Korean ones, then they too are even rarer and worth much more as later changes to the pickguard changed over to it being plastic and the tailpiece was a bolt - on to the body design.. Despite what you perhaps may have once read in guitar publications or where told by a “guitar collector”, these are great guitars and are catching on because of their unique R&B tone and sound. That is attributed to the guitar’s unique metal bridge design and those distinct Mustang pickups’ response combined with the reality of a low supply and increasingly growing demand for them .Odds are you may never see one except on ebay as they are few and far between seldom seen. Many people have taken them apart and made “Frankencasters “ or exchanged the pickups or repainted them or used Telecaster bodies to upgrade them and re-decaled the headstocks and such ,so to find one original is becoming increasingly less eventful as twenty - five years have slipped by since it was introduced. It was not intended necessarily for children as it is a true 25 ½ scale. A self confessing Tele freak , John Page’s non contoured telecaster styled body is unique to the Fender Bullet. John Page left his Page Guitar Works to become a guitar designer in Fender Research and Development with Fender legend Freddie Tavares and he was co-founder of Fender ‘s Custom Shop with Michael Stevens and managed it until 1998.He then started the Fender Museum of Music & The Arts. He is starting again into building guitars after semi-retiring from that expertise. He will always be famous for the Fender Bullet he gave us. At the time it was introduced in 1981, it was a bare of frills guitar offered by the cost cutting CBS owned Fender guitar company. Now it is a much desired plain Jane in the world of super hyped guitars. It’s Telecaster momma will suddenly seem elegant in comparisons. They’re great bare knuckled American guitars from a company that was in transitions galore that year. It was more bang for your bucks and a genius design of less is more.

Hey; I just found this string because I wanted to fix up my 1980 Bullet for my son (11) who decided he wanted to be a rockstar. I have always loved it and I plays better then any other guitar I have owned or played. Well to me. It has great action and just fun to play. Its all whit like the first picture by the way and everything is original. Well actualy its a bit yellow by now. What I need are the saddles. The are coroded from the sweat on my hands. Can anyone tell me where to get them?

telecaster saddles might work. ask the guys at guitarfetish.com.

Hey, Thanks Dregan2. I ordered them. They do look like they will work. I will report back.

Sorry to show up to the thread late, but I'm not sure those will work because of the width. Hopefully I'm wrong.

I HAVE OWNED MY FENDER BULLET SINCE 1983-84, NOT EXACTLY SURE. IT WAS MY FIRST NAME BRAND GUITAR PURCHASE. I LOVED IT THEN AND I LOVE IT STILL TO THIS DAY. IT IS UNIQUE IN MANY WAYS. FIRST, IT HAS A STRAT BODY WITH A TELE NECK. THE PICKUPS AND PICK GUARD/BRIDGE ARE THE SAME AS THE OTHER MODELS. IT IS BEIGE WITH MAPLE NECK. I HAVE PLAYED STRATS, TELE'S GIBSONS, GRETSCH'S AND THEY ARE ALL FANTASTIC GUITARS AND MUCH BETTER MADE (DEPENDING ON THE MODEL) THAN THE BULLET. BUT THE BULLET ALWAYS HAD IT'S OWN PERSONALITY AND SOUND AND I THINK THAT MADE IT SPECIAL AND A STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD. REMEMBER, ALOT OF PEOPLE GOT RID OF THEIR GUITARS YEARS AGO THINKING THEY WERE SHITTY MODELS ONLY TO SEE THEM BECOME SOUGHT AFTER MANY YEARS LATER. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW.

I have an '81 cream Bullet. these guitars are beauties and require nothing but regular maintenance and someone who appreciates what awesome little blues-monkeys they are. I would love to have and restore you gorgeous vintage USA Bulle . One of my jaming mates has a red one and they look and sound great together.

In my opinion, you are nothing more than a self-egrangizing vandal and are not even worthy to be in posession of such a great example of an American made budget instument that has turned out to be a classic.

"awesome little blues monkey."

i'm sorry but that's my new name.

i have the same guitar but mine has a maple neck and is cream in colour do not mess with it too much because they are rare if you do modd it make sure to keep the original parts good luck loz

i didn't get a chance to read your whole site yet but i'm going to
(i have two kids in diapers)
- but i still have my first guitar- fender bullet strat shape- 1 humbucker and metal pickguard that served as a bridge-
i put a new bridge, tele neck & lace sensor bridge pickups in and stripped the paint and stained it-
i love it and for more than sentimental reasons too- since i have tendonitus i keep coming back to this guitar for playability- i own a strat and a les paul and i still dig my first bullet!
i can send you pics if you're interested
good luck