ralpal Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Hi all, I've been reading this site for months now in anticipation of building my own guitars, and it has been a tremendous help. Since I'm not yet confident (nor competent) enough to build my own necks, I've stuck to building generic Strat and Tele type bodies that I can drop a replacement neck in without too much bother. I've kept most of my early bodies, but I decided to sell one on Ebay (needed to generate some cash for more wood ). Anyway I asked him to send me a picture of the finished article, but since it had been a few months ago I had forgotten all about it. So you can imagine my surprise when these pictures fillen my inbox. I was really surprised, so I thought it was about time that I let you guys run your eyes over my efforts, and brace myself for your comments and advice. http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l235/ralpal/guitar8.jpg http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l235/ralpal/guitar10.jpg http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l235/ralpal/guitar9.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurits Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 The guy you sold it to did a good job on this one, I like it. That's a very good looking body too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Memphetic Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Tell him he should stain the headstock to match the darkness of the body. Then it'd look real sexy-like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 (edited) Tell him he should stain the headstock to match the darkness of the body. Then it'd look real sexy-like! +1. The headstock looks awefully virgin at the moment. Nice veneer would do wonders too. Edited August 13, 2006 by RGGR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurits Posted August 13, 2006 Report Share Posted August 13, 2006 Or some of the old Kiwi shoe pollish, that usually does the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted August 15, 2006 Report Share Posted August 15, 2006 Yep, agreed to the headstock, but boy, doesn't that wood look nice? I love the grain pattern, makes the guitar look more alive and swirly. It's got some nice character to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralpal Posted August 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2006 Thanks for all the replies guys. I sometimes wonder what happens to the individual bodies that I sell, do they ever become guitars or do they lie on some shelf as 'must do' project that never materializes. I have to say that I was really chuffed (do people still use this expression) when I was sent these pictures. It's nice to have played a part in the constuction of (at least what I consider to be) a fine looking instrument. I will pass on your comments about the headstock, and will get back to my drawing board in preparation for my next project. A mahogany, maple capped PRS style body. I'll post the pictures when I get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurits Posted August 15, 2006 Report Share Posted August 15, 2006 Oh, there are more people using chuffed than you might think at first. This one of the best unique strat-based guitar I've seen. You can be very proud of this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illuwatar Posted August 15, 2006 Report Share Posted August 15, 2006 Hi everyone! I'm the one who bought the Strat body from ralpal and made that guitar out from it as the pictures show. I'm very satisfied with the final result and it plays very nice. Good sustain and tone. The components used in this build (except for the ash body): * Neck - 22 frets, maple with rosewood, medium jumbo frets. Also an eBay buy. Neck is made by Mighty Mite. * Pickups: Bill Lawrence (all three) * Bridge: Vintage Strat tremolo (arm not fitted at the pictures) * Pickguard/scratchplate and rear covers: all custom design, CNC-cut in 2 mm anodized aluminium (two colors - two pieces at front). * Controls: single volume control, 6-way switch and split-switch for the humbucker. * A lot of work, headace and fun moments... The design idea was to have the vintage look of old age electronics. I also liked the control position of a Tele - that affected the design of the scratchplate as a two-color design with all controls in a single row. And yes - I know that the headstock looks unfinished. I have plans for it, but I had to bring the guitar together so I could use it. I will do something with it later. But first, I have to finish my amplifier build before doing anything more guitar related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunkielad Posted August 15, 2006 Report Share Posted August 15, 2006 It's a good job from both of you. Have a go at making a body next time though mate - you'd be surprised at how doable it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illuwatar Posted August 16, 2006 Report Share Posted August 16, 2006 That body I bought wasn't finished when I got it - it was rather a lot of work with it until it become what you see at the pictures. It was raw wood, cut to shape and basic routing was done (contours, pickup cavities, neck pocket and bridge hole). I did a lot of sanding to make it smooth and rounded (I wanted it to have a smoother contour than a standard Strat shape), I had do adapt the bridge routing to fit a Vintage Tremolo (it was made for Wilkinson/Gotoh Traditional) and I made some adjustment to the neck pocket (it wasn't 100% tight fit). Of course, no holes was drilled for pickguard, bridge and strap-buttons (thanks for that - I wasn't forced to use a standard Strat pickguard). The interconnection channels between pickups and rear cavities had to be drilled. Output jack hole had to be cut. And finally, finishing was done without any professional tools or aids - all was done home at my workbench, using items and materials from nearby hardware store. Final verdict of the ralpal-body? Full score from me - buying a all-complete body aren't that fun. The body was fun to work with and I learned a lot doing it (as this was my first electric guitar ever). The clean body gave me the freedom to shape the design in my way, I wasn't forced to follow a standard Strat template for the design. It is actually a good idea to provide "almost blanks" for own designs, basic cut bodies that allows full freedom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunkielad Posted August 16, 2006 Report Share Posted August 16, 2006 For your first project it's a great place to start - you have to be comfortable with what you are doing. It does seem you've done a lot of work to this one already then so that next step of making the shape yourself won't be that big of one to take. You can make your own template quite simply with some plywood or MDF and a jigsaw, a file and some sandpaper. If you are after a standard strat/tele body etc to start from, Simo sells great accurate templates. I have some myself ready for my Tele project. It saves you messing about with them yourself if you'd rather get straight onto making the guitar itself. All in all, you've done a great job with this project - lets see another one then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illuwatar Posted August 16, 2006 Report Share Posted August 16, 2006 Be sure - there will be more. This was just a starter, to give me something to play on and learn at. I'm already planning the next guitar and this time, I will do everything from scratch except from the neck. I just want to finish my amp before making more guitars, so I have a complete rig... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chunkielad Posted August 16, 2006 Report Share Posted August 16, 2006 Excellent - remember the photos for us all when you start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illuwatar Posted August 17, 2006 Report Share Posted August 17, 2006 I had the guitar tested out by some friends that plays a lot. They confirm my findings - this guitar have an extreme sustain. The high density body certanly plays a big role in this. One of the friends were suprised by the sheer weight of the guitar. It seems like ash comes in different densities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazingblake Posted August 18, 2006 Report Share Posted August 18, 2006 That looks great the grain pattern with the stain bringing it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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