I have started a customized Stratocaster copy project. A couple of months ago, I bought this knock-off version of a Strat. I already had the guitar holder.





It was on craig's list as a Squier, but I didn't realize it wasn't until the guy I got it from had driven off. That doesn't matter, because :

1. I paid him with a check drawn on a Nigerian bank ( $100 for a $40 price ) and I told him to keep the change.
   
2. Fender would probably sue me if I were actually seen holding a real Strat.
   
3. I planned from the beginning to use the parts for a project.
   

Anyway, I had originally planned to build a new body and transplant the electrics and neck, but I decided to use the body and make it a dual humbucker guitar with a new paint job.
The blue had a pretty red under it, but I have other plans, so I took 'er 'ead off. ( Bad puns and literary references for all occasions; PM for prices. )




When I get the body sanded bare I will put two coats of shellac on it to seal it. Thing is, the can says not to use the stuff when the humidity is over 85%. Since the humidity is always that high here, I wonder if Linda will let me work inside? We can get high together.

I figured you were building one of these from scratch from the title.
http://www.evhgear.com/frankenstein/#Home

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Dealing with failure is easy: work hard to improve. Success is also easy to handle: you've solved the wrong problem, work hard to improve.

That is nice wood grain there. The tuners look ok too.

Try here for parts at a good price and good luck.

http://store.guitarfetish.com/

Arn

http://store.guitarfetish.com NO relation , I hasten to point out
FIEROfetish

[This message has been edited by fierofetish (edited 08-30-2009).]

Wonder where he went?!


I hear that shellac leaves a nasty hangover.

Not that I would know about such things.
Really.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 08-30-2009).]

cool! keep us updated!

Randye mentioned to me he would rather see a Stradivarius built. Aside from the obvious lack of breadth in his musical taste and the basic truth that I can't come anywhere near that ( not related to old Tony ), it occurred to me to ask: Is the Fender Stratocaster a modern equivalent of the Stradivarius violin? The Strat is widely regarded as an exceptional guitar, and some of the best guitarists in the world play/played one, including the best rock guitarist who ever lived. Not only that, but some models are highly sought after and have sold for incredible prices. Eric Clapton's " Blackie" sold for $ 959,500 in 2004. No, the comparison isn't exact, but still. . .

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: The Strat is widely regarded as an exceptional guitar, and some of the best guitarists in the world play/played one, including the best rock guitarist who ever lived.

So, if some of the best play the Strat, does playing one make those that aren't as good better?
Not having a single musical gene in my body makes me ask.

Ron

quote Originally posted by blackrams: So, if some of the best play the Strat, does playing one make those that aren't as good better? Not having a single musical gene in my body makes me ask. Ron

It has been my experience that some guitars do make the player better, but initial talent has to be there. I have seen a lot of kids give up in frustration trying to learn on sub standard instruments. I personally prefer the Les Paul but have played some nice strats, of course there are always the exceptions.

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Dealing with failure is easy: work hard to improve. Success is also easy to handle: you've solved the wrong problem, work hard to improve.

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Randye mentioned to me he would rather see a Stradivarius built. Aside from the obvious lack of breadth in his musical taste and the basic truth that I can't come anywhere near that ( not related to old Tony ), it occurred to me to ask: Is the Fender Stratocaster a modern equivalent of the Stradivarius violin? The Strat is widely regarded as an exceptional guitar, and some of the best guitarists in the world play/played one, including the best rock guitarist who ever lived. Not only that, but some models are highly sought after and have sold for incredible prices. Eric Clapton's " Blackie" sold for $ 959,500 in 2004. No, the comparison isn't exact, but still. . .

Unfortunately the two are not even close. The Strat is electronics based on 1950's electronic technology and mass production.

The Strativarius is a violin which was hand built using select woods and engineered in the 17th century. The technology for producing sound with vibrations in wood, is very different from the technology for producing sound from electrical pulses generated by a magnetic field.

The use of the single coil pickup like the Strat is one sound but, many equally talented musicians prefer the humbucking sound made famous originally by Les Paul. I have built guitars of both technologies, but, my preference is the humbucking pickup.

As for the guitar making you sound better? The inverse is true that a good guitar player can make a cheap guitar sound better. A poor guitar player can make the most expensive guitar sound terrible.

Arn

WARNING: If you are a serious photographer, you may be offended by a joke made in this post.

First, I want to thank Arns85GT for his advice on electrical parts, and fierofetish for his advice on paint.

Finished sanding off the paint today. Lots of paint dust. I should have worn a dust mask. ACHOOOO! Other lesson learned: don't use anything more coarse than 600 sandpaper with a palm sander. Anything else will just tear your skin right off.





The grain is well defined, but with a pickguard covering 2/3 of the front, there doesn't seem much point in staining to accent that grain. I plan to paint it, maybe day-glo orange with a black edge accent.

I radiused the edges with sandpaper.


You don't think I've lost any of that legendary profile, do you?


This picture is a little grainy.


I will be sealing the wood Monday. Now I am off to a birthday party for Phillip, who will be three on the 7th.

Indeed.

I knew a guy who used a wood plane on a guitar body.
But he went across the grain and it slipped, and gouged a big hole in the back of his hand.

He realized that there was pain with planes when going against the grain.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 09-05-2009).]

Your nose is a little red.....whatcha been huffin'?

I play a mean air guitar if you ever want a challenge. With that said.......do you play..........air guitar?

[This message has been edited by kyunderdawg (edited 09-07-2009).]

When you see him, pull his finger and find out. I'm guessing at his age, he's got you beat.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by kyunderdawg: Your nose is a little red.....whatcha been huffin'? I play a mean air guitar if you ever want a challenge. With that said.......do you play..........air guitar?

When I read the title, I thought you had purchased or were going to build a replica of this

http://www.evhgear.com/frankenstein/

" Frankenstein" has become a generic term for guitars modified with various parts, although all electric guitars these days can be assembled with pretty much any combination of a neck, pickups, and other electronics. Eddie Van Halen patented the color scheme of his original Frankenstein but not the name. I'm sure Eddie and I have quite different aims for the sound of the finished instrument.

HA! Surprised by the profile pic, I guess i couldn't say whether you have lost any of that legendary profile or not!

That guitar is starting to look good.

btw, I can play...air bass.

[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 09-28-2009).]

2.5, can you play a big airbase, like Eglin Field here in NW FL, or do you play a small air base?

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: The grain is well defined, but with a pickguard covering 2/3 of the front, there doesn't seem much point in staining to accent that grain. I plan to paint it, maybe day-glo orange with a black edge accent.

Very nice looking wood, the grain is really nice, can't imagine why anyone would want to paint over it. Well, except for the last pic, needs more sanding to smooth out the features and then several applications of heavy paint to cover up flaws.

Ron

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 10-02-2009).]

Very cool.
I'm with Ron... I would be tempted to stain the body with something transparent.
Seems a shame to cover the grain completely.

quote Next step will be staining the body. I wanted to go with a Minwax color called Sangria, but that meant buying a quart, so I decided to go with Cabot Red Oak.

Does it have a screw top?
Should have gone with the Mad Dog instead. Seems appropriate, somehow.

quote Originally posted by blackrams: ...Well, except for the last pic, needs more sanding to smooth out the features and then several applications of heavy paint to cover up flaws.

Oprah would be less work.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 10-02-2009).]

stainless steel pick guard... COOL!!!!

I'm not planning to cover up the grain. That's why I mentioned stain, not my original idea to paint it black. "Paint It Black", there's a song title for sure.

I can't leave the pickguard listening to Oprah for a week, Raydar, while I'm working. It would probably throw itself under Linda's bus, and I would have to start over.

Oooh, a nice dark cherry stain would look nice on it. I think you ought to just polish and clear the stainless steel pick guard and leave it as is

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: 2.5, can you play a big airbase, like Eglin Field here in NW FL, or do you play a small air base?

How much ya payin?

If you go to Lee Valley Tools, they sell packets of aniline dye. It is a powder you mix with water. You can stain the wood almost any color, keep the grain, and then coat it with a clear coat. I prefer lacquer. Any good hardware store sells lacquer in a spray can. It does just as well as the expensive stuff from Stewart MacDonald. You can also use urethane but, it is not as forgiving and is much harder to touch up.

Hope this helps.

Arn

PS, the ss really needs to be buffed. That is a matter of elbow grease and then some buffing compound.

[This message has been edited by Arns85GT (edited 10-02-2009).]

Alibi and grkboy707, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the stainless pickguard, but I don't want it to be flashy. I want to emphasize the wood, so I plan to paint the pickguard black.

Well, what about instead of polishing it, give it a nice brushed finish? Black would be nice too though

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Alibi and grkboy707, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the stainless pickguard, but I don't want it to be flashy. I want to emphasize the wood, so I plan to paint the pickguard black.

oh well. i was just thinking that a metal pickguard is rare. have you considered just glazing the guitar though? i dont know about you, but im a sucker for glossed wood.

How aggressive you play will dictate if you should paint the pick guard or not.
What you may want to do is cut a second smaller pick guard that you can install where the pick strikes the guard. Kind of two tone.
I like brushed steel myself, you can use a drill and rust removing pad from any car parts store to put a nice brushed look on the pick guard.

From what I see on one of the Telecaster forums, metal pickguards aren't really rare, at least, not when we customize our own axe. When pickguard plastic is $15 a sheet, or more, and a piece of metal is half that ( or free like mine ), and no harder to work, why not?

I do appreciate the encouragement all of you have given me on this. Your comments made me decide to go with showing the grain instead of painting the whole thing black.

Here is the first coat of stain. This is a tung oil stain, and easy to apply, but it leaves a terrible taste in your mouth. At least, that what Linda tells me. Made her tongue darker, too, but it's not unattractive.
I thought I had done a better job of sanding, though. Sand with, not against, the grain.

Wow!!! That looks NIIIICE!!!!!!!!
Yes, it was ME ME ME who said stainless would be too hard to cut unless you had the correct tools No shame in being wrong!! And I am happy to admit it BUT....I STILL wouldn't paint the stainless But Heybjorn is..Heybjorn!! Just ask Linda!! hahahaha!!
Good job Mike
Nick
PS...that 5th hole where the neck joins on..is that an adjuster screw for the aspect of the neck to the body???

[This message has been edited by fierofetish (edited 10-03-2009).]

. . . . .

[This message has been edited by heybjorn (edited 10-03-2009).]

okay, i was wrong too... at first, i didnt see where you were going with it, but now that its stained, i totally agree with you. that color with a black pickguard is gonna look great!!!

You are coming along nicely, grkboy707. Obi-Wan has taught you well.

If you paint the pick guard, it will wear and start to look unsightly in a few months of normal playing.

I use plastic but that is entirely subjective. If you go to a shop that produces name badges, you can generally buy the blank stock at a reasonable price. They have a brushed stainless steel look material that has a black or white or red lining. It is easy to work with and keeps its looks for an extended period.

If you want black, I highly recommend the black pickguard material that Stewmac sells. I have recently replaced the black pick guard on my customized 64 Melodymaker and it is pretty much a snap to work with.

If you are still intent on using the ss piece there is a strategy to help with wear. Use cold gun blue on it. The gun blue (you can purchase at any gun shop) actually looks pretty sharp on its own. You can paint over it and if the paint gets scratched it will have the dark gun blue finish under it to keep the looks better.

Hope these few suggestions help

Arn

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: You are coming along nicely, grkboy707. Obi-Wan has taught you well.

haha

quote If you paint the pick guard, it will wear and start to look unsightly in a few months of normal playing. I use plastic but that is entirely subjective. If you go to a shop that produces name badges, you can generally buy the blank stock at a reasonable price. They have a brushed stainless steel look material that has a black or white or red lining. It is easy to work with and keeps its looks for an extended period. If you want black, I highly recommend the black pickguard material that Stewmac sells. I have recently replaced the black pick guard on my customized 64 Melodymaker and it is pretty much a snap to work with. If you are still intent on using the ss piece there is a strategy to help with wear. Use cold gun blue on it. The gun blue (you can purchase at any gun shop) actually looks pretty sharp on its own. You can paint over it and if the paint gets scratched it will have the dark gun blue finish under it to keep the looks better. Hope these few suggestions help Arn

it wont if you use strong enough paint...

You must be referring to baked automotive paint, or possibly epoxy paint. It would look good with powder coat though, but pricey for the application.

Arn

More pictures of the guitar and less of the guitarist.

Jim

quote Originally posted by heybjorn: Rough cut. Used a metal cutting blade in my jigsaw, which someone who shall remain nameless told me I couldn't do. I worked over the edges with a file, then tried a sanding disk on a Dremel tool. That worked very well.

That'll buff right out!

Sorry. Had to...