G_urr_A Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 I've got this Strat-copy that I bought about 6 months ago. It has one hell of a nice sound, but I don't like the Strat design. So I was thinking about modifying the body to another shape. Thus, I have a few questions... 1. I'd need to start with stripping the paint, right? 2. Cutting away wood shouldn't be a problem. How about glueing extra wood on to the guitar, to accomodate parts of the body? 3. How can I find out what type of wood is usedin the body? 4. Anything else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 i would think glueing on wood would be tough since none of the edges on a stat are planed flat.a strat is kind of round everyway.seems like it would be easier to make a new body to fit the neck and electronics.when you expose the wood you can tell what it is made of if you are familiar with different woods but most strats are alder,poplar,or basswood.(i may be forgetting something)some are plywood in which case i don't reccomend modifying the body as it would be hard to reseal.but that's just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 It has one hell of a nice sound, You do realize that if you start cutting into the body you will drastically alter that nice sound right? Something to consider before you start hacking it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_urr_A Posted June 16, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2003 wes: I was thinking I would, where neccessary, plane it flat, and then glue. The main reasons I want to mdify instead of making a new body are that it will probably be less time consuming, and I don't know what type of wood is used. LGM: I do realize that the sound will be changed, but I didn't think it would be that much of a change... I mean, cutting of half the amount of wood that is there, and then glueing on the same type of wood but in a different shape, would that alter the sound that much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 LGM: I do realize that the sound will be changed, but I didn't think it would be that much of a change... I mean, cutting of half the amount of wood that is there, and then glueing on the same type of wood but in a different shape, would that alter the sound that much? in a word yes.glueing on extra pieces of wood and cutting existing wood will alter your tone very noticeably.but believe me when i say modifying your guitar body in this fasion will be more time consuming than just making a new one.i made a strat shaped body from square piece of wood to final shape in about 20 hours.that includes routing with the dremel and sanding by hand.if you are set on modifying your existing body then that's great.i have done that myself,but it takes just as long as making one from scratch. if you are going to do it the best way would be (imo)to take the body and using a table saw carefully cut the middle section out(keeping the neck pocket and pickup cavities complete)then glue on your wood "wings" and shape it however you want.then all you have to rout is the control cavity. just a suggestion.of course it's your project.show pics when your're done by the way of course you will have to plane all your edges after cutting. how much shape altering were you planning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86barettaguy Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 I think it'll be a lot more work radically changing the shape of a strat than just making a new body. and there's a great risk that you'll **** up and end up with a thrashed guitar (like I did). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_urr_A Posted June 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Well, I was thinking of making it into something like a flying V or so. But since you guys say it's a bad idea to modify a body, I'll probably make a new one in the same type of wood, and see how close it is, soundwise, to the original body. Then I'll probably sell the one that sounds worse. But it will be a while before I get started, since I'm currently working on another guitar body, and it takes a good while to get it finnished, since I have nearly no time at all to work with it. But I'll make sure I post some pics of any projects I finnish. Thanks for the advice guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingo328 Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Hi, I drew up AutoCAD plans of my Gibson invader which is like a more budget minded Les Paul built in the 80's with a bolt neck. If your interested I could easily mirror the cutaway on to the other side and send you a file. The controls on my Invader were also set up like the DC with the toggle down by the controls. Let me know if your interested. My plans may not have everything you need since I only drew in what I needed but it's a start and I could probably add more detail to them if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingo328 Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Sorry, that last post was supposed to be for Tonysch who's looking for DC plans in another topic. My bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 a flying v is MUCH longer than a strat.i would definately build it from scratch.on the upsid it has many straight edges which means you can cut alot of it with a simple table saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.