EVH Frankenstrat

[Leevis]

Hi All

I would like to make an EVH replica Frankenstrat but am struggling with where to start. What the easiest thing to do would be to purchase a cheap doner Strat guitar with a maple neck in SSS but I cannot find one. There are some available in the UK which are cheap but you cannot see under the pick guard so there is a high chance the whole block has been routed out,

The other option is to buy a maple Strat neck and a Strat body but I am worried about the neck fitting the body.

Whats the best way to jump here, I want to do this as cheap as possible (if possible)

[Leevis]

Just seen a Glarry Strat for £65.99 which is pretty cheap and would be a great doner. The question is though, if I remove the pick guard and the whole thing is hollowed out I guess I will have to build an insert to go into the hole? I guess this is possible

[Bizman62]

If there's a pool under the pickguard it's relatively easy to fill and then carve the pickup cavities. Let's hope, though, that it has the standard three cavities.

Edit: Just googled for Glarry Strat and found Darrel Braun's review. There's good news and less good news. The good news is that there's three pickup cavities and even better, the bridge cavity is already square for a humbucker! What's not that perfect is that the neck pickup cavity is also square.

 

[Leevis]

Thats awesome (kinda), I think I will order one and get this whole process moving many thanks

[Bizman62]

They've got pretty nice reviews, for the price they seem to be surprisingly good.

[Leevis]

I didn't get one of these in the end, I managed to acquire a Gear4Music Strat in black, took off the pick guard and everything and the body has the three cavities which is nice but  its a HSH and I really want it to look like the Frankenstrat which was SSS but routed to fit the pick ups so really its the bridge pickup cavity that I need to somehow infill to make it look kind of authentic. 

Anyone got any idea how to do this, the only way I can think of would be to get some wood to fill in the entire cavity and then route out the shape it the way it needs to look.

Also I need a neck, the one I have is suitable but is a rose wood (I think) fretboard and not maple. I am guessing the majority of Strat necks would fit right?

Trying to get the finish off is a right pain , using a heat gun but it looks like a really thin finish and its coming off, but in tiny flakes so going to take a while to get it all off but the next stage will be to sort the cavities out.

Any advice greatfully received.

 

[curtisa]

The principle is the same - route out the unwanted cavity oversize, plug with a wooden block, plane flush to the original height of the surrounding timber and re-route your required new shape.

[Leevis]

Thats awesome, many thanks, just need to find somewhere that sells the wood I need now, I'm guessing maple or mahogany would be best

[Leevis]

Im struggling to find the wood I need over here in the UK other than buying a body blank and using a bit of that which is quite expensive

[Bizman62]

If/since you're going to paint it you can use something else that behaves similarly. Birch is sometimes called "poor man's maple". Poplar is similar to aspen or basswood etc. Most commercial guitars are built of some hardwood but the hardness varies quite a lot.

Try to figure out what is the wood used in your guitar, find it in the Wood Database and compare it to other woods with similar properties. Janka hardness and Volumetric shrinkage are probably the most important factors when trying to find a substitute that behaves like the original.

[Prostheta]

I'd say that unless the wood is something very specific - such as Ash - then going for a softer, easier to finish and work with material would be the safest bet. @Bizman62's suggestions of Poplar/Aspen and Basswood are on the mark, however I'd add Alder to that also. None of these need any sort of grain filling, just a simple sealing and are very easy to work with.

[Leevis]

Quick update on this one, I am currently taking all of the paint off of the Gear4 guitar I have which is proving to not be as easy as I would have thought, its quite a thin coat but it is coming off with a heat gun, I've done most of the top and a bit of the bottom so should have it done reasonably soonish. The next problem is going to be sanding it down to be flat as it is quite bumpy in places.

I am going to need a filler that I can sand once its on, is there a recommended one?

I have ordered a block so once this arrives I will square out the cavity to as deep as possible and then get the block glued in an levelled, once I have that I can start to think about routing the cavities. I am going to have to get a Strat SSS template I think and then draw out the extra shaping as I can't find a template for the Frankenstrat on the internet.

I still need to get a neck as the one I have is rosewood (or similar) and not maple. I am hoping that whatever I purchase will fit

[Prostheta]

It depends on whether you want to relic the finish or not. I made an Ash VH1 Franky and simulated both the heavily-stained and oxidised wood, plus the layers of what look like what as used to seal it. In my case I used shellac because it's easy to work with. Find out what wood it is first I guess.

[Bizman62]

1 hour ago, Leevis said:

I am going to need a filler that I can sand once its on, is there a recommended one?

If it stays under a layer of paint, any filler should do! I've even read plasterboard filler being used with great success as it doesn't shrink. In places where the wood will be exposed by relicing... Well, I guess that would not ruin the spirit of a Frankenstrat as Eddie most likely used whatever he had at hand. In my experience a semi flexible epoxy putty stick works also well. You know the dual layer sticks that you cut a piece off and roll it to a uniform piece which you then stuff and shape with your fingers where ever you need it. Sands easily when dry and can even be cut like a plastic bucket.

[Leevis]

Back on the case with this one. I eventually managed to get all of the paint off which was a right pain but its off now. Got it all sanded up nicely but then decided to insert some blocks into the existing HSH holes (and bits connecting them as they are mahoosive). I have inserted and filled the 3 blocks now, just need to do the connecting bits and will have this done soon.

I have ordered some parts though, I bought a cheap trem which looks ok but was wondering how to mount it. Looking at the original, it was surface mounted which will save me a load off aggro in having to route this bit out. This means all I have to do (in theory) is drill the holes for the trem studs and I am good to go.

A couple of questions on this though

1) where do I drill the studs, the original trem was a Strat trem and I am guessing there is a specific place that the trem needs to sit. If I put the original one on I should be able to work out where the strings start and just replicate that right? Or is there an easier way?

2) as the trem is surface mounted, won't that make the action super high?

3) Other related question, when I am routing out the new pick ups, what depth should I route it at?

[Prostheta]

Measure the height of the strings over the body at the pickup (A), measure the height of your pickup (B). Select a distance of how close you want the strings to be to your pickup (C).

A-B-C

If the string height is 20mm, your pickup height is 40mm and you want a 2mm gap, that's -20mm.

[Bizman62]

1 hour ago, Leevis said:

1) where do I drill the studs, the original trem was a Strat trem and I am guessing there is a specific place that the trem needs to sit.

Adjust the pole pieces to the front (neck side) of the bridge. Measure the distance from the nut edge to the 12th fret. Measure and mark the same distance from the 12th fret to the bridge, draw a line. That line is where your frontmost pole pieces should sit. Carefully measuring the trem and the posts mark where the posts should sit to get the bridge line right. Usually you'll have to pull the pole pieces back for the thicker strings, for wound strings it's the core that matters. But it's common to leave ½ to 1 mm adjusting range to push a piece forward if needed.

1 hour ago, Leevis said:

2) as the trem is surface mounted, won't that make the action super high?

No. To clarify, "action" is how close the strings are to the frets. The distance between the strings and the body is irrelevant as long as you can raise your pickups close enough to the strings.

There's two ways to have low action with a tall bridge. On Fender type guitars you simply adjust the depth of the neck pocket. On Gibson type guitars you adjust the neck break angle.

2 hours ago, Leevis said:

3) Other related question, when I am routing out the new pick ups, what depth should I route it at?

It depends: If you're going to use a scratch plate, the depth is not critical. "Enough" will be good. If you're going to mount them on wood using height adjusting springs, "close enoug" will be good. If you're going to mount them directly on wood you'll have to be accurate,

[Leevis]

Thanks for the info.

 

Regarding the location of where the trem needs to end up. I am not too sure if it matters but I was looking at the scale length of a Strat and its 25.5in or 650mm. Not too sure if it matters but the distance from the nut to the 12th fret on mine is 320mm, I am guessing that the trem should be set at as close to 640mm from the nut or 320mm from the 12th fret.

Regarding the pole peices, I think I know what these are, they are the poles that have (on mine) two positions. When I measure it there, the part where the strings 'start' is very close to 640mm which is good, I think. not sure its possible to get to the 650mm though.

Next step is to install the locking nut and then get this trem in, whoop!

[Bizman62]

1 hour ago, Leevis said:

 I am guessing that the trem should be set at as close to 640mm from the nut or 320mm from the 12th fret.

Correct. There's several "common" scale lengths and it's also common that a Strat type guitar not made by Fender has a shorter scale length. Measuring from the leaving edge of the nut to the center of the 12th fret tells what the scale length of that neck is. Unless, of course, the manufacturer really has no idea about guitar building.

1 hour ago, Leevis said:

Regarding the pole peices, I think I know what these are,

My mistake, I used a wrong word (again!!!). Pole pieces are the pieces in the pickups. I meant saddles of the bridge that can be adjusted length vise some 10mm with a screw. The actual bridge for each string is between the two height adjusting screws. These:

[KeithHowell]

How is your EVH going?

Here's a pic for some inspiration:

This an original EVH which he swapped for one of our guitars.