Rocket (r)evolution

[Mickguard]

Decided to revisit my Rocket 350 and address a number of issues with it...

For starters, the color didn't work out--I was trying for a transparent black, but really regretted that I hadn't gone for a maple top in the first place. So I stripped away the paint. Then I hollowed out the front-- now it has a single lung-shaped cavity around a central block.

Next I shaped a two-piece PLAIN maple top to match the back...I really don't understand why more people don't use plain maple...I think it's the prettiest wood of all.

I added an F-hole. There's a small cutout on the other side for the controls, but I wanted to keep as much of the maple as possible.

Rounding the edges wasn't easy because the center wood already had a rounded edge --but in the end, it worked out nicely--I used a 45 degree bit to take away the overhang of the new top, then rounded the edges by hand.

I also reshaped the heel, which was bulky and dopey looking (heya Russ! )...it's less bulky now (it's asymmetrical to fit my hand without losing stability of the joint) and slightly less dopey looking...

Then I moved the strap pin from the upper horn to behind the neck --the old position was shifting the guitar to the right while I played (because the body is shorter than a normal guitar, like a strat), and the result was I was bruising my side while playing! With the new strap location, the guitar hangs just right.

Then I recarved the neck profile-- the original neck profile actually hurt my hand to play--it was too wide or flat, or both. Now it's asymmetical and fitted to my hand.

I also took the opportunity to remove a few tooling marks I'd left on the headstock.

Instead of a two-piece pickguard, I played around with this idea...I like it, but I'm also working on a second pickguard, this one will be a two piece and it'll have a matching F-hole with the controls ranged around that. That round 'launch pad' beneath the mini switch came about because I'd slipped while drilling the hole I wanted to make...but I like the launch pad too, especially because of the stain traces that built up around it.

The pickups, originally 3 toasters (including a Rickenbacker scatterwound) have been replaced with a pair of GFS Memphis (special thanks to J. Pierce for helping me complete the set--GFS no longer sells this type of pickup). And I needed a guitar with humbuckers --these are splittable, but I decided to keep the electronics simple, one volume, one tone, and the switch. The pickups are well balanced, so the mid-position is a nice mix of the two (I keep the neck pup a little closer to the strings, using the bridge for color). I've made a huge mess of the electronics, I really need to learn how to solder...but you can't see that, can you? (And obviously, I'm only posting the most flattering pics! )

I also changed the bridge--originally I had a compensated wraparound on there. But I didn't like the tone of the guitar, and, while there was great sustain at the neck pickup, the bridge pickup just died right out. And since I added the maple cap, but there's no neck angle, I couldn't stick with a wraparound anyway. I decided to use a Schaller 3D6 --I liked the adjustibility of it, and it also has a second base plate in case I needed to raise it (I don't--but the center saddles are pretty close to their upper limit). This bridge also has a lock to hold the saddles together.

I also decided to shape a reversed Rick-style truss rod cover, to match the headstock. It's not screwed down yet, I'm waiting to see if I'll need to adjust the rod)

As for the finish--well, I still have a road to travel in this area, but I'm making some progress. I used stain this time, and that eventually evolved into a more painterly approach, rather than a typical stain job (this was in part because after I screwed up the initial varnish phase, it was too late to repair the original stain-burst I'd had).

For the varnish, I used that Le Tonkinois tung oil I've been playing with. It took me a while to figure out how to use this stuff (including sanding the guitar back four times), and the mistakes still show somewhat, although you have to be pretty close to see the worst of that It's not easy stuff to apply, although it's fairly forgiving afterwards. The major drawback is that it has a deep amber tint to it, which obviously only deepens with each coat you apply (I stopped a four fairly thick coats), so color choices are pretty limited.

But the fact that this is a non-polluting, non-toxic product that I can apply in the warmth and comfort of my studio outweighs all the disadvantages--including its less than perfect gloss. I'm going to let it dry for a few more months, then go back and buff it again, just to see what happens.

Lastly, I added a logo...using a wood-burner...I'll be playing more with that for the next build (in progress). Like I said, I'm trying to move into a more painterly approach to the guitars I'll be making, moving away from any effort--no matter how unsuccessful--to make a guitar that looks like it might have come from a store. I'll leave that to the more talented luthiers here.

I'll need to complete the adjustments, especially the saddle heights and string spacing, intonate, set the pickup heights, etc. I played on the guitar a while last night, and I'm really pleased by the difference in sound --the first version was pretty lifeless, with no real character to it. But now the guitar really sounds like I wanted it to sound --I attribute most of that to the GFS pickups though, they definitely capture that early 60s Rick jangle Who thing...the guitar also sustains really well--surprisingly well, and again, especially in the neck position.

Maybe that's because the neck pickup is placed directly over the neck tenon? Who knows...

The acoustic sound is also nice, a lot better than I was expecting (although those rollers on the bridge rattle a lot)

Band practice is tonight, which is why I kind of rushed to put it together... I want to see how it'll sound with the full band.

[thegarehanman]

I'm really digging the warm colors and the logo. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

[Mickguard]

I'm really digging the warm colors and the logo. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

Always happy to help

The colors in the photos are pretty accurate, except the pickguard isn't that much lighter than the rest (it only has one coat of varnish, which is why it's lighter). I tried to stain the maple white for the guard, but the oil completely overwhelmed that.

[verhoevenc]

Definate improvement. That color does wonders!

Chris

[Robert Irizarry]

Mick - that's beautiful!

Regards,

Rob

[WezV]

its a much nicer colour!

[johnsilver]

With the colors, the f hole, the pickups, its got a cool vintage vibe to it.

I like it.