Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Homebuilt Guitar Appreciation thread


iamsuperdan

Recommended Posts

I know there's a few of us here that build and play guitar. I for one, would like to see your projects!

 

Here's one I finished a year or so ago. Started life as a destroyed EBay find. The body is original mid-90s American Stratocaster. The original neck was unsalvageable, so I ordered a new one from Warmoth. Has the SRV neck profile, but I ended up shaving it down slightly to make the profile more comfortable for my tastes. Has stainless steel fretwire and actual stone inlays. In hindsight, I would have skipped the 24 fret conversion, as that made the neck pickup position unusable. I stripped the body (was originally black,) filled the dings and dents, and rerouted for dual humbuckers and a Floyd Rose trem. The respray is Seafoam Green. The trem is a Floyd Rose Special, with upgraded brass L big block and HD noiseless springs from FU-Tone. Pickups are the EMG Zakk Wylde set. Strung up with D'Addario EXL140 strings. She plays beautifully and sounds amazing.

 

WP_20150406_18_42_01_Pro_zpsyjhwv5oo.jpg

WP_20150406_18_06_09_Pro_zpsrj2rgofl.jpg

WP_20140805_19_47_48_Pro_zpseadcphfu.jpg

WP_20150406_18_06_30_Pro_zpslpeq6jsg.jpg

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

nice work! a friend of mine built one that is almost identical to that. Same color, same pick guard, floyd rose, but I dont recall what neck/headstock. My friend also is starting to scratch build his own bodies too... check him out on facebook at R.B. Guitars. He's just kinda doing it for fun right now.

I love guitars myself and would love to build some. I'm not great at playing though. Too many other distractions that keep me from practicing. Here's a picture of the body my friend is working on.

he cut the body out out from a template he made off of cardboard. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's my first attempt...

k3.jpg

I was going for a guitar on a budget. Had traded around and collected the fender hardware over a couple years. Got the unfinished Alder body and satin finished neck off Warmoth's Showcase. The neck is maple and rosewood fretboard with jumbo frets. Prewired pickguard with Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz pickups... I finished the guitar body for a whopping $20... That's right, $20... Minwax "Special Walnut" stain and topped off with Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil... I've played this one almost exclusively for 2 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's my first attempt...

k3.jpg

I was going for a guitar on a budget. Had traded around and collected the fender hardware over a couple years. Got the unfinished Alder body and satin finished neck off Warmoth's Showcase. The neck is maple and rosewood fretboard with jumbo frets. Prewired pickguard with Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz pickups... I finished the guitar body for a whopping $20... That's right, $20... Minwax "Special Walnut" stain and topped off with Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil... I've played this one almost exclusively for 2 years.

THAT is beautiful!! The only other natural wood guitar I've seen is I think Les Claypool's "Carl Thompson" bass.........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THAT is beautiful!! The only other natural wood guitar I've seen is I think Les Claypool's "Carl Thompson" bass.........

Thanks, I appreciate it!

I covered it with just enough Tru-oil to protect it, but left just enough feeling of raw wood it feel great. And the play wear now is starting to rub through in spots so it's got that old furniture look and feel going on now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Dan I do appreciate it. It's a little darker in the pic that it really is... and it was a craptacular camera too.

I'm gonna get a pic of my kids, that I'm going to build for his graduation as soon as I dig the body out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both of those are super nice guys. I'd be proud to own either one.

 

This guitar started life as an idea to build a Super Strat with a stripped own aesthetic. To that end I purchased the body somewhere on-line. A big piece of Mahogany with single bridge HB and recessed Floyd. The neck is an eBay item that had the reverse head stock and Floyd clamp I needed. Bridge is an eBay sourced 80's Floyd that needed some love. A set of Grovers and Lace Hemi HB with hardlined Vol knob round it out. I went with a nearly flat finish to give it the Evil look I was going for.  It screams like a Banshee in the night for sure.

 

While i didn't build my 1985 Explorer I sure have customized it over the years. At this time all that is original is the wood and the paint on the face of the head stock. This guitar has had several paint jobs in the years since I purchased it new. It started white with the usual hardware when I upgraded it to the Kahler in 1986. That's a PAF Kahler as they hadn't even been awarded the patent at that time. It currently has an EMG Het Set in it and the paint is Martin Senour Sunset Orange Metallic that a friend applied 3 years ago. I went with the Gibson Custom Shop V on the back of the neck because i like the Tung Oil finish on the back of the neck. Over the years I've replaced the Grover's and it was given a fret job about 6 years ago from a very reputable Luthier in Baltimore. I own a few other guitars but those are basically bone stock or upgraded maybe a little. Certainly nothing as custom as the Explorer. I don't want to name drop but I can tell you that quite a few famous guitarists have played my Explorer over the years. Having been able to open locally for some major acts and being friends with some of the bigger acts locally has allowed me opportunities most dream about. I've been fortunate.

Custom.JPG

custom1.jpg

headstock.jpg

gib1.jpg

gib2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Explorer has always been my favourite body shape, but I've never been able to convince myself to buy one, as I just can't get used to Gibson necks. At some point though, I'm sure I'll cave!

I love the Superstrat! I have two "simple" guitars, with one humbucker and a volume knob, and sometimes that's all you need. Quite often, when sitting in the basement and relaxing, those are the guitars I'll reach for.

:)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the first guitar I did a rebuild on. This was a $40 EBay find. I believe a mid-late 90s Kramer FR404SD. I bought it as a parts guitar, had no electronics, mismatched tuners, a gross Floyd Rose,l and a damaged body. As i stripped it and gutted it, I discovered it was actually a neck through, and in very nice condition!

Here's what I did:

  • Stripped it to the wood
  • Levelled the frets (probably should have replaced them, but whatever)
  • Shaved the neck for a flatter profile, especially near the body
  •  Dyed the rosewood fingerboard to an Ebony hue
  • 3M body filler, sanded smooth
  • Duplicolour paint - Jaguar French Racing Blue
  • Rebuilt the trem, with new tuning screws, new saddle blocks, FU-Tone Brass L big block
  • FU-Tone HD noiseless springs
  • Tremstopper
  • Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon in the bridge
  • Seymour Duncan Custom 5 in the neck. Yes, a bridge pickup in the neck position
  • Schaller tuners
  • new pots, knobs, jack, straplocks, etc
  • Copper shielding
  • Carbon fiber cavity covers

 

A lot of places I could improve, but overall I'm happy with the outcome.

DSC_9927_zpsa09c0c38.jpg

DSC_9945_zpse9b06756.jpg

DSC_9998_zps9a71f422.jpg

050513-004_zps178aff64.jpg

050513-008_zps22324efa.jpg

022413-008_zps9aeb808a.jpg

030913-007_zpsa7471875.jpg

IMG_2821_zps3501ff58.jpg

IMG_2824_zps2c2857ff.jpg

050513-015_zps3c44dc74.jpg

080513-004_zps3ac7ce31.jpg

061113-009_zpsb32f0102.jpg

060113-004_zps2690eb6f.jpg

060113-003_zps27db6402.jpg

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

THAT is a great resurrection! Those neck through Kramer's are very nice fiddles. And that Kramer Floyd is also a great unit. I usually only like actual Floyds since repros are usually junk [IE: Charvel/Jackson et all] but the Kramer ones were nice. They have hardened saddles which helps transfer vibration. That FU block was a great idea as well. I replaced the anemic ones on my Jackson Warrior and ESP Horizon III and it helped them sing right away. I'm not one for thinking woods have any bearing on electric guitar tone. I'm of the school that has figured out construction and pick ups are the only real shapers of electric guitar tones.

You went all out with copper shielding which really helps with passive Pups and interference. Just a great overall re-do and classy to boot.

Now if I can just get to that old Jackson I have. Non locking Floyd and the whole bit. That will definitely be this summer though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive always wanted to builda cigar box guitar.

Do it! You won't regret it. You don't have to be a luthier to make one of these. The most important part of building a cigar box guitar is the neck. It needs to be strong and straight. You can buy necks on eBay already cut and fretted for less than fourty dollars. I built my neck myself and fretted it to Gibson scale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love the amp! 

I made the amp from a twenty dollar honey tone amp I bought on eBay. The cigar box was a Cohiba if I'm not mistaken. The handle and hinges are cabinet hardware from Home Depot. The design piece on the front is a sound hole cover from an Ovation acoustic-electric guitar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Do it! You won't regret it. You don't have to be a luthier to make one of these. The most important part of building a cigar box guitar is the neck. It needs to be strong and straight. You can buy necks on eBay already cut and fretted for less than fourty dollars. I built my neck myself and fretted it to Gibson scale.

Thanks for the info! I'll definitely be looking into it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

www.stewmac.com have taken a lot of my money! And they have all the tools one would need to measure and do their own frets. I ordered the fret tool kit recently, as I have some guitars on the bench that I want to practice refretting on. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...