This article was originally published in 2021 and has been updated and revised to reflect my experience with the guitar as of 2026.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, many people were anxious about the impact of COVID-19 and the future, so some of them sold their gear to make a living. Therefore, the good gears were relatively affordable in the market.
Then, I bought a Deviser Component Stratocaster at a Yahoo! Japan auction. I was the only person who bid on the Deviser guitar, and was able to buy it for less than ¥50,000, including a hard case and free shipping.
Some people asked the seller, “Have you modified this guitar?” because the guitar appeared to have some modifications in the pictures.
I thought someone had ordered the guitar with special specifications. The neck and neck pocket has a MOMOSE stamp and what appears to be the surname of the person who originally ordered the guitar, so I wasn’t worried about the quality. The guitar is as below picture.
This picture shows that the guitar has a thin-line pickguard.
First Impression
I felt something strange when I saw this guitar in the auction. Soon after, I realized that the guitar had a thin-line pickguard, so the pickup cavity was different from that of a typical Stratocaster.
In addition, These hole-like scratches were caused by interference between the Floyd Rose saddles and the body. Some people, including a friend of mine and the staff at the guitar shop I often visit, thought that the guitar had originally been equipped with a synchronized tremolo. However, it turned out that it had an original Floyd Rose from the beginning.
Both the neck and neck pocket have a MOMOSE brand stamp, and the neck pocket also has what appears to be the surname of the person who originally ordered the guitar. This guitar is valuable because Momose-san who was a master builder and passed away in 2024 was in charge of electric guitar in that time.
Specifications
Here are the specifications as far as I can tell from the materials and other details.
| Item | Specification |
| Body | Ash 2P |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fingerboard | Pau Ferro |
| Neck | DiMarzio HS-3 |
| Middle | DiMarzio HS-3 |
| Bridge | Seymour Duncan JB Jr |
The neck is thin, which is a type of Deviser custom-order specification. The staff at the guitar shop told me that. He worked for Deviser before and now he has a connection with Deviser and Momose-san.
In addition, this guitar is surprisingly lightweight even though having Floyd Rose. This guitar’s neck is the thinnest among my guitars and I never get tired of it. However. I feel strange to play Gibson Custom Shop Historic Collection 1959 Les Paul after I play this Deviser guitar.
Here is the article about Gibson Custom Shop Historic Collection 1959 Les Paul.
Modifications
The guitar is currently equipped with:
- Pickup：Seymour Duncan Red Devil
- Pot：CTS
- Capacitor：Ceramic capacitor & Old Bumble Bee
- Bridge：EVH / D-Tune, and Ti-Block-F / Insert Block for Floyd Rose
Below are the reasons why I made these modifications and my impressions after using them.
Assembly
I asked the staff to replace the Volume and Tone pots and capacitors, and to replace the bridge pickup, a Seymour Duncan JB Jr., with a Seymour Duncan Red Devil. Then, the capacitors for neck and middle replaced with a ceramic capacitor, and a vintage bumble bee.
EVH / D-Tuna
I installed the D-Tuna because Eddie Van Halen was one of the musicians who inspired me to start playing guitar. I wanted to have something related to him, so I installed a D-Tuna soon after buying this guitar. I have since removed it as of 2026.
Ti-Block-F / Insert Block for Floyd Rose
The original insert blocks for the Floyd Rose were damaged, so I replaced them with titanium Ti-Block-F inserts. I’m very happy with the result because the guitar gained a more open, bell-like character, somewhat similar to a synchronized tremolo.
Repair
One of the Floyd Rose studs had started to lean due to years of string tension, so the guitar workshop repaired it.
Sound
I associated the DiMarzio HS-3 with Yngwie Malmsteen, I wondered what HS-3 sounds. My image of HS-3 has changed after I play this guitar, it’s really useful than I thought. The HS-3 has less of that bell-like quality than a typical Stratocaster pickup, but it has a strong fundamental tone and a noticeable compressed character.
Also, they are noiseless as might have been expected of stack type pickup.I was actually surprised that the HS-3 produces even less noise than the Seymour Duncan Red Devil, despite the Red Devil being a humbucker. I can use high-gain sounds without worrying about excessive noise.
In terms of Seymour Duncan Red Devil, it is same as full size humbucker pickup, something like Seymour Duncan SH-1. The Red Devil has alnico 5 magnet, I think it is relevant to the sound character.
Seymour Duncan JB Jr is too much power and distinctive middle EQ feature for me. Replacing the JB Jr with Red Devil make balanced sound.
Final Thoughts
Several years after buying it, this is still one of the guitars I reach for most often. Its light weight and easy playability make it very comfortable to use, even with a Floyd Rose.
Since Momose-san was involved in making this guitar and it was made locally in my area, it has a special meaning to me. I hope to keep playing it and making music with it for many years to come.