Homebuilt Guitar Appreciation thread

[iamsuperdan]

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.

 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Beautiful machine. I know nothing about this, but I do appreciate quality craftsmanship in whatever field I encounter it. If it sounds as good as it looks, it must be pretty sweet.

[JTalmage]

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. 

[iamsuperdan]

Not my style, but I kind of dig it. It has a BC Rich vibe, and that's been my go to brand for years now. 

How's he going to finish that one? Solid colour or a translucent finish of some kind?

 

 

 

[KWT]

DAN! That is a beaut! It's kinda like a Fender/Charvel love child...

The ones in the background look wicked too. I'll have to make some pics of my 2 Homebuilds...

[KWT]

Here's my first attempt...

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.

[JollySipper]

Here's my first attempt...

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.........

[KWT]

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.

[iamsuperdan]

Here's my first attempt...

 

That looks awesome! Almost looks like the rare rosewood Strats that Fender did.

 

[KWT]

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.

[Dragline]

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.

[KWT]

Nice looking guitars.. to make one your own is an art and very rewarding. Thanks for sharing!

[iamsuperdan]

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.

 

[iamsuperdan]

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.

 

[Dragline]

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.

[Tommy Isbister]

I like to build my guitars like my models. From scratch. Here's the last one I built from a cigar box along with a custom cigar box amp.

[Dragline]

That is very sweet. What does it sound like? I gotta know.

[KWT]

I like to build my guitars like my models. From scratch. Here's the last one I built from a cigar box along with a custom cigar box amp.

ive always wanted to builda cigar box guitar.

[iamsuperdan]

Love the amp! 

[Tommy Isbister]

That is very sweet. What does it sound like? I gotta know.

it sounds like a blues slide guitar hopped up on steroids. It really wales when I plug it into my Fender hotrod amp.

[Tommy Isbister]

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.

[Tommy Isbister]

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.

[KWT]

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.

[iamsuperdan]

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. 

 

 

[KWT]

Oh yeah... I have boxes with the Stewmac tape all over the music/model area. Almost as many as the boxes that say Amazon. Glad tower hobbies and model roundup don't have logo tape.