New To This Forum (the Building Bug Got Me)

[The_Crimson_Ghost]

Hi,

like I said, i'm new to this forum (at least posting in it). I've been lurking around since a big two months.

I'm going to be called The_Crimson_Ghost around here, but you can also call me Max. I thought i'd show

you my first attempt at refinishing my guitar.

The victim was my trusty ol' Squier Affinity Strat in Arctic White. It had a couple of deep dings in the finish

so I thought I could make it a little more like I want it to be. I had never played a guitar with humbuckers

equipped in it, so that might be something i'd like to get. I bought a prewired pickguard from GuitarFetish

for 34$, a Les Paul rewiring kit and a new jackplate. Another thing also is that I wanted to be able to have

a killswitch (à la Tom Morello). It's also a first at wiring (I think I have set the bar a little high, anyway).

I wanted something to look cool. I think the finish I made is kind of reminiscent of the Jackson Custom

Shop Model of the 80's. (which is kind of rockin')

Here what I came up with...

Here's the headstock

Enough of this...

The main reason I did this FIRST post is to know what you scientists at ProjectGuitar think of my choices

for the first guitar electric or bass i'd build from the ground up. The building bug bit me I guess. I also got

the book from Melvyn Hiscock (i know he posts on here sometimes)

I've got three interesting models:

• Mosrite Mark 2 (Johnny Ramone)
  
• Yamaha EGV300
  
• Gibson EB-3
  

Here's drawings of them

The Yamaha i'll probably put a Bigsby Tremolo and 2 P-90. The other 2 guitars will probably be stock.

I just want to know what model is the most unique. The one I would do (I think) is the Mosrite because

those guitars have such a cool vibe.

Mahogany Body

Hard Rock Maple Neck

Set neck Construction maybe bolt-on

Probably GFS pickups & hardware

White Body, black pickguard & maple headstock.

Anyway, let me hear those comments (sorry for the poor grammar, typos, or weird sentence twist, i'm

from Québec (if you'd like to know))

I hope to learn a lot from this forum. Bye & See Ya

Edited February 9, 2007 by The_Crimson_Ghost

[Mickguard]

What do you care about unique? Go for the guitar you want.

It's no fun at all putting all that work into building something you don't really want. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Besides, the moment you start building a copy of an existing guitar, you give up all hope of being unique. So that's one less thing to worry about during the build.

[biliousfrog]

yeah, what he said

I love those yamaha's, they're such a cool shape in a Parker Fly kinda way...you'd be able to use one of those in any band & it wouldn't look out of place.

[aidlook]

yeah, what he said

I love those yamaha's, they're such a cool shape in a Parker Fly kinda way...you'd be able to use one of those in any band & it wouldn't look out of place.

I thought they looked kinda like a mirrored scott french with a parkerish headstock..

[biliousfrog]

I've been very close to buying one a number of times but they don't turn up very often & when they do I'm broke

[westhemann]

The one I would do (I think) is the Mosrite because

those guitars have such a cool vibe.

well then that is what you should do..no reason to please us,it's your guitar in the end

[The_Crimson_Ghost]

I'm going to build them all one day but I don't know, all I wanted was maybe a Top 3.

Thanks.

[The_Crimson_Ghost]

Just to say, Biliousfrog there is always 2 or 3 of these that are floating on the Bay.

Theyre called the EGV103.

They go for about 140$ but thyre in a kit with a little amp.

[biliousfrog]

I just had a look...wow, that's cheap! They're not as nice as the originals but I might get one if they turn up in the UK for that price.

[The_Crimson_Ghost]

Just so you all know, for me building an already popular and established model is kind

of a practise. Because, if can pull it off and it's as good or even better than the original

then I guess you can say that you succeeded.

That's my 2 cents (canadian)

[Hector]

The mosrite has a carved top or something like that, and the SG has the bevels. because of this, I would say go for the yamaha. but it really doesn't matter what I think, you should choose whatever model you like to build.

good luck and I like the humbuckers in the strat!

[darwinphilosophy]

I like the yamaha...but yeah choose what you like. But the yamaha would be pretty b/a

[WAK Guitars]

Yeah I'm gonna echo what a lot of people have already said and say, Do whichever one you want. But my favorite is the yamaha, personally I think it might be a little out there with a bigsby (just my opinion), maybe a floyd or something would be cool.

[j. pierce]

I love the old Mosrites, and they did do flat-topped version (like the one Johnny Ramone played). But again, build what you want.

There's something to be said for going simple - learn the basics on a tried-and-true platform. I wouldn't suggest that a new builder immediately jump in and try one of the more out there designs that some folks do. (By "out there", I don't mean weird shapes like some of the metal axes, but the more out there materials and construction techniques.)

But all these, even with their intricacies are still pretty standard. If you're patient, you can get it right. There are a lot of folks on this board who've made some really amazing first guitars. It might take a while, and heck, you might have to start over at some point, but wood is cheap, and it's pretty hard to destroy the hardware, which is the expensive bits.

Me, I've made some great sounding, great playing guitars that are *decent*, but I've already gone back and rebuilt one, with plans to redo the others. While I'm more happy with my builds than any guitar I've built, I have to say, after seeing the work of others here, I've let too much slide in the past, with the attitude that I learned something and the next one will be better. Well, I did, and the next one is, but looking back, I'd rather have built one really amazing guitar than 4 or 5 good ones. I'm building that really amazing guitar now (or, at least, I hope) and I've been backtracking where the need be, so I can get there.

So yeah, if you dream is a 1-inch thick chambered guitar made out of the rarest tree from the top of the himalayas, with a 15 strings and a weird scale length and fanned frets and a light show and a blender, well, maybe step back a bit. And of course the second build will always be better. But make sure whatever you make, you're happy with, I guess. If you need a guitar *now*, go buy one, and take the time on the ones you build. Don't be afraid to redo. It sucks having a guitar that you love playing, but look at everyday and think, "damnit, that could have been better".

Sorry, this is rambling, but I hope my point came across. I just feel more and more like a guitarpenter than a luthier lately, and I don't want to be that.

Also, plan plan plan before you ever make your first cut! Full-scale drawings can help you avoid so many mistakes, as can going into each task with enough forethought to know what you're doing. And with a resource like this place, we can help you avoid mistakes in the planning stage rather than try and figure out what do after you get halfway through something and realize it's not going to work.