DaveK Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 What do you do when the company that you have worked for for 9 years lays you off? If you are me, besides looking for a job, you finish the 3 projects you have been working on for over a year!! I wanted to post my finished project that I am calling the 62-03 relic. The concept was simple, I wanted the looks of a 1962 road worn strat (the "62") combined with modern playability & features (hence the "03" as in 2003!) http://fullservesite.com/davek/IM000534.JPG The Specs are as follow: USA custom guitars neck with a c contour. The frets are Dunlop 6000's.The neck width is 11/16th's but I will be cutting the nut 5/8th's to allow for more room on the e strings (this is a trick used by Tom Anderson & others). The body is also a USA custom guitars item. It is a VERY light piece of alder Hardware is all Callaham & sports their famous stainless steel trem block. http://fullservesite.com/davek/IM000527.JPG The neck & bridge pickups ar Frailins. They have an awesome vintage tone that must be heard to be believed The bridge pickup is something I am especially fond of (if I say so myself) I HATE the sound of a single coil bridge pickup. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, it just does not suit my tastes. I love the sound of a humbucker...but I wanted to keep a vintage & "real 62 strat" look to the project. Although the bridge pickup may LOOK like a singe coil, it is a Seymour Duncan J.B. junior that I got under the single coil cover & applied fake polepieces to. http://fullservesite.com/davek/IM000531.JPG It looks like a single coil, but sounds pretty darn close to a humbucker. I did a "down to the brown" relic finish on the back of the neck. It has just enough laquer to protect the neck, but it alows me the bare wood feel. http://fullservesite.com/davek/IM000526.JPG The checked nitro finish on the body not only looks cool, it also serves a purpose for better tone. When you relic, you don't apply much finish at all...furthermore, when the finish is checked, it alows for even less finish to mess with the tone of the wood. The only thing I have left to do is to put on the nut & dress the frets. I am trying to decide if I want to do the fieten system or not. I have done quite a few relics, but this is the one I am most proud of...I think it is the best of the old & best of the new! http://fullservesite.com/davek/IM000529.JPG I hope you relic lovers out there like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedy McFeely Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 kudos man, i think i looks sweet. that is a tired lookin guitar(intended as a compliment). i bet it sounds awesome too. killer job bro, really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted December 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Thanks man, I had fun with this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 And thats what it's all about Havin Fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StratDudeDan Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 props senor. the only pictures i have of my "relic" job were taken on film, and my scanner blew up a long time ago, so i never got a chance to import 'em. it was a really old harmony that my friend had that i happened to dig up. oh well, nice work anyway. i'd love to play it. it looks really user-friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Brown Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 What do you do when the company that you have worked for for 9 years lays you off? Hey, I've just been laid-off too, and in my case it's been four years, and one project... but I hear ya bro... I hope things go your way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted December 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Same to you bro..... It's been a tough year Next year is gonna be better...I just know it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Brown Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 For sure, it totally will thanks man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Very cool. The JB in a single is badass! I like relics, too. Keep it up, and dont waste the unemployment checks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Luthier Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 COOL! I myself am building a 59/60 relic Strat, probably oly white, and know how I'm relicing everything except how to check the finish. How did you do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlexVDL Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Hey Dave, it looks awesome!! You've done a great job, I love it. I like the dirty yellow parts, how did you achieve this?? The checking is super, too bad I can't get the poly relic to check Nice pics dude... I just love relics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 man,...... that's stupid... hahaha serious now..... looks great... nice nice nice...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Very nice dave. Great-looking relic job on all your artistic media (wood, plastic, metal), especially the pickup pole pieces. Could maybe hit the pickguard screws and neckplate a little harder, and wear some dirt into the exposed wood areas, but that'll come with playing anyway. The finish checking is especially nice. I've seen a lot of relic finish jobs that end up looking like broken glass, with the cracks going every which way, but your checking follows the wood grain really nicely, really authentic looking. Best of luck on the job hunt. Sometimes you need time more than cash, but building guitars takes both! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Looks good Dave, It's not beat up enough for my tastes but that's just me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted December 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Thanks everyone for the kind words on both the project as well as the job status It's a scary time for me with 2 kids a home & a tough job market...but things somehow, someway, always seem to work out. There have been a lot of questions regarding the checking & how I got it The key is that the nitro clear coat has to be thin...I then freeze it with air conditioner recharge solution It's funny as hell & my favorite part if relicing...the whole body frosts up & you can actually hear the finish cracking! Regarding the metal, I have sent out a tutorial to several folks on how to do it, If Brian wants to post it as a tutotrial, I can send it to him. The dirt & yellowing are a combination of airbrushing stu mack dyes and mixing dye & wood putty to achieve the "gunk" effect I am also going to experiment with "razor checking" on poly bodies...my thought is, if I score the finish with a razor & then freeze it, I might be able to get the poly to crack Oh, and the polepieces on the "faux single coil" are glue sticks from a hot glue gun painted with a mixture of brown dye & metal paint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted December 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Scott: If you dig REALLY beat up relics, check out the new GUITAR PLAYER magazine The Fender Custom shop is doing reproductions of Stevie Ray Vaughn's strat. They are only going to make 100 of them & they are charging $10,000 each! As a special "forum members deal" I will be offering my relicing services for HALF that price (ROTFLMAO) Can you believe that price????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DividedByJames Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 hey that really looks like a old beat up strat (i mean besides the fact that it is ) Very cool. I like the idea of the single coil looking JB...perhaps a simple tutorial with pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 that my friends... is a relic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Sweeeet Job! Looks great! Good luck on the job hunt. If this blizzard we're having in Wisconsin makes it to Detroit you can always shovel walks for little old ladies. Great way to earn guitar fun money! Seriously, I hope things work out for ya. Keep up the good attitude, it helps a ton when you're out pounding the pavement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canuckguitarist Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 that is an awesome looking relic dave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted December 14, 2003 Report Share Posted December 14, 2003 awesome man!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butnut Posted December 14, 2003 Report Share Posted December 14, 2003 I can't seem to get the pics to load...tried a lot, but from what I have seen, looks killer. Nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendelcrow Posted December 15, 2003 Report Share Posted December 15, 2003 Really nice! It looks like like it was broken in ages ago. Impressive wornout finish job. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulNeeds Posted December 15, 2003 Report Share Posted December 15, 2003 Very very impressed. the checking is tops. Good luck with the work situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 So how exactly did you get the JB Jr. to look like a 62 strat pickup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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