A Custom Fender Ghost MIDI Install
With A Special Bridge Modification

Having a Bridgeport in the shop allows for precision work that can be held to 1/1000th of an inch.

Here, this later model Fender Strat has had the 13 pin MIDI connector cavity milled into the body.
 
 
 

Here you see the precise cut made by the Bridgeport milling machine.
 
 

The 13 pin MIDI connector has now been installed.

Because of a poor factory string alignment problem and the type of tremelo bridge
that Fender used on this model, some design engineering had to be applied.

A slot had to be cut into the bridge plate to properly run each of the six Graph Tech pickup wires into the control cavity.  This had to been done to prevent any unsightly pickup wire exposure, bending, or physical stresses being placed on the wires by the tremelo bridge action.

By looking at the round string hole and the height adjuster marks on the bridge plate,
you can see how far off the factory string alignment problem was.

With the slots properly located in the bottom of the bridge plate... more slots had to be cut at the rear of the bridge plate.  This would allow the Graph Tech pickups to be moved to the correct positions to yield the proper string alignment for the full length of the instrument's fingerboard.
 
 
 

A close look at how the wires now have stress free clearance to travel under the pickguard into the control cavity.

The Hexpander MIDI Interface board cavity has now been milled into the body with room for the future addition of the Acousti-Phonic Modular Pre-amp board.
 

The brain busting and machine work is now done.
 
 

Now, let's fast forward through many hours of changing the factory original rat's nest into something that follows a higher standard in wiring convention.

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