Newbie

[chunkielad]

Firstly, WOW - you guys do some amazing stuff.

Secondly I thought I'd do some progress pics on my recent project (read FIRST PROJECT)

I bought a strat copy when I was 15 (now 29) it was a jimi hendrix looky likey - pearl white with white verything. I striped it years ago when i got bored of it and never put it back together. The neck warped, threw that away, the bits got lost and I ended up with a body.

Well, about 5 years after striping it, I've decided to work on it and return it to it's former glory but better.

First pic

This is the general layout (I'm a signwriter so the decal is cut vinyl i have laquered over. Scratch plate is paper at the mo and the green sticker isn't attached - it's going to be a domed decal ontopof the laquer.

This is the bridge I'll be using - does anyone forsee a problem having the string ball right at the back of the bridge (no ferrules in the guitar as the old trem hole was left (decided on fixed bridge after starting paintwork!))

http://signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Stor...uitar/Decal.JPG

The decal

http://signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Stor...rom%20Horns.JPG

The guitar from the hornsend - laquered up on the front (back hasn't been done - I've no where to hang it so it gets sprayed front - left to set and sprayed back)

http://signworks.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Stor...ar/FromButt.JPG

Butt end - not there is going to be a 'burst' type fade over the end of the vinyl stripes so you will not see the ends.

The body is solid wood (god knows what) with a thin veneer on the top but not pretty enough to do anything natural.

I filled the neck and mid pickups bu glueing in wood then sanding, then smearing epoxy over them and sanding again.

Comments please?

Oh and I'm not black but did like the idea of making the guitar a tribute - each monster I do will be a tribute to someone I think.

Next I will look to making my own body but still buying a neck and then who knows?

Anyone see a problem using this bridge?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Edited September 12, 2005 by chunkielad

[Mickguard]

Cool, I like graphics on a guitar although I'm not het up on tribute things (and just in case you're interested, I consider Martin Luther King to be one of the last of the few truly great Americans)

Question: why did you paint the neck pocket? I thought these were better left as plain wood?

Nice paint job otherwise!

As for the bridge --you mean you want to convert it to a top loading bridge? That's what I'm doing with my tele bridge, so I see no problems there.

Although I'd say, as long as you have the trem block route, why not keep a tremblock attached the bridge and string through that? You can still fix the bridge down. Those tremblocks are supposed to be part of the strat magic...

[chunkielad]

Question: why did you paint the neck pocket? I thought these were better left as plain wood?

Well, I reckoned on just painting the whole thing and I can always remove paint from that area if needed - plus I don't have the neck yet so it may help to get a tighter fit. Either way, it won't take much to get that back right.

As for the bridge --you mean you want to convert it to a top loading bridge? That's what I'm doing with my tele bridge, so I see no problems there.

Not quite mate - the bridge is supposed to have the strings go through it and then to the back of the guitar where they're held in ferrules (this isn't a strat part - one off unusual thingy). I want to forget about the strings going through the body and let the ball sit at the back of the bridge itself. The Whole where the trem block used to got will be left empty and leave access to the back of the bridge for stinging. The back plate will still be there and cover this whole (and the preamp i'm fitting)

Is that clear or have I waffled?

[marksound]

I don't think a hardtail bridge will completely cover the trem hole. Compare a hardtail and trem side by side and you'll see that the trem has an extra "ear" on the treble side for the bar to screw into. You could also look at SRV's #1 and see where the part of the hole was filled when he had a lefty trem installed.

If I were you I'd just do a Clapton and block the trem. It's worked for him for 30-some years.

[chunkielad]

There is a little gap bit I changed my scratch plate today so it meets up with the bridge - problem sorted!

My main concern with it is just the usageof the strings directly to the back of the plate more than anything - I would happily block up the trem - if I had one!

[marksound]

Another concern is the lack of mass where the trem block rout is. A hardtail over that hole will make less contact with the body. It might affect sustain.

A thought I've been playing with is making a hardtail bridge with a trem block grafted on. That way you still have the "springy" sound with the look of a hardtail. Something to think about.

[chunkielad]

Yeah worth a look I suppose but I wonder if it'll fit right - gotta be worth a go - maybe I'll just buy a trem and use this on my next project!

[Mickguard]

Another way to go would be to do something like this:

It'll be easy to modify your bridge and you can fill in that trem block hole.

[chunkielad]

CHeers guys - I think I'll just get a trem and use this on my next project - I've started finishing so I don't want to be filling again!

[Drak]

I think it looks great so far, and I think you showed a lot of creativity, something I admire a lot.

Just a few personal comments...when I looked at it, it looked 'undone' to me.

I was around, and very close to, the punk rock era ( ) (at least here in DC), so I remember a lot of guitars with inflammatory messages, either by stickers or other vehicles to inflame one.

MLK is such an immediately polarizing person, I was thinking it would have been cool to have a bird sitting atop a black power fist w/ the middle finger raised, like the drug-addled peace-loving hippies' Woodstock meets Public Enemy's 'Fight The Power', or NWA's F*ck The Police kinda thing...it's like that guitar is a perfect beginning to a completely f*&%in' punk ass guitar, but it's in the first chapter, it's way too polite as it is, it needs more to really get the messages across, and the messages could be many, that's what I loved about punk, it just gave raw ideas and let you come up with your own conclusions, but it got you to THINK, and any picture of MLK will get the average person's attention, one way or the other.

But nonetheless, really great job so far. I know that's not what you had in mind for it, but it's what I thought as soon as i saw it.

[marksound]

CHeers guys - I think I'll just get a trem and use this on my next project - I've started finishing so I don't want to be filling again!

←

That's what I'd do.

[chunkielad]

Well, I've bought a trem so it's going to be much easier!

The imagry was left 'simple' on purpose - as a signwriter, you learn quickly that simple is usually more effective than not.

The back still has to be done and is going to have some text on it (the famous - 'I have a dream...' speech.)

Plus I have a new product I sell - doming! So I'm going to have some black doming on the front - looks like the guitar has been vaccuum formed!

It's only the beginning so be prepared for big changes - the main thing for me is to wait a few more weeks for the laquer to set up so I can do the back and then wait again so I can sand and polish!!!

[chunkielad]

Well it's all gone arse up!

I left the body in the sun the last few days to let it set up. Idea being that the heat would work like a heat lamp and speed up the hardening process.

NOPE! It made the front of the guitar bubble like hell so I'vehad to strip it off.

Now I was using Halfords Rattle cans (I have no where to use my spray gun at the moment. But I've used them many times before with no problems so why this happened, God only knows! So flamed maple veneer may be on the cards!!!