MCH

Me neither.... now I'm pretty P.O.'d........ still building it..... I think we're getting into the stage of guitar building where uniqueness is going to be harder to achieve; especially in the so called 'traditional' look. A lot of guitars have been built. Chances are what you may think is original, has probably been done.

Don't know if this thread is valid or not. But I can tell you a little about Summit's location. I refer to it as a slice of heaven. Vancouver Island is a gorgeous place. I live down the road from the Summit school. Is the cost worth it? The scenery sure is.

I just put in a P-90 and Vintage 50's single coil from GuitarFetish in my Strelevarius. They are very quiet in my playing area. I did shielding with aluminum tape. In addition to shielding the cavities I also wrapped aluminum tape around the pickups (don't know if that helped). I am very surprised how quiet the pickups are. They are as quiet as my humbuckers. In my current 3 builds I've used GuitarFetish pickups and have been very pleased. my experience. YEMV

Well here is the almost finished product. Missing a knob and needs a setup. I'm pleased with the final look of the flamed maple, the colour is almost relic like. The walnut bridge easily removes, compression fit. I'm quite surprised how quiet the single coils are; they seem to be as quiet as my humbuckered guitars. I did the shielding treatment. I suspect this is a style that is not for everyone. But I'm quite pleased with the overall look and feel (very comfortable holding in a sitting position). It'll be awhile before I do a next build. Summer is to be enjoyed outside. Fishing, golfing and back country dirt biking etc. cheers http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/4586/strelefront2yz5.jpg http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2589/strelebacknl2.jpg http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2044/strelesideng3.jpg http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/8931/headstockbackpf3.jpg http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1426/st...tocklogotn7.jpg

I personally like oak. Have built many pieces of furniture with oak. I love that wonderful open grain. I decided to build a guitar using red oak. I only used the oak as a cap. Here is the link to my build. Don't dismiss oak that readily. I don't always travel the well beaten path. http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...c=28607&hl=

I used the route out the cavity in a solid block to fit the pickup, then cut outside for finished size and sand. I think this is the simplest solution and the strongest. Samba: I have an affinity for Strat style necks (one of the reasons is I can buy them for a ridiculous price of $30 CAD; nice maple with rosewood fretboard). I think the design with tuners on one side is my preference. The strings are pulled directly with no off angles. I think Leo came up with a very nice design. But that is just my preference.

Just a quick update on the progress. I'm using a P-90 in the neck and single coil Vintage 50's in the bridge. I think I'm going to try some 'Butterscotchish' type of stain to enhance the flamed maple. I'm making a walnut cover for the P-90 and a walnut type of ashtray cover for the tele bridge. The cover will be clip on, able to remove when playing.

With any custom build I think the advantage is creativity and the ability to put together various aspects of production guitars that you like. If your goal is just to have a guitar to play and want to save money, then there are a lot of cheaper production guitars that will fit the bill nicely. I enjoy the creativity aspect and the actual challenge of the build. Of course the pride after you string it up and strike the first note and muse to yourself, "I built this".

Curious, what does an expensive headstock look like?

From my stand point, I don't think that is good advice. None my guitars have a glued center line where the neck joins the body. The only center line would be the cap. Hey don't worry about the shape. I'm very pleased with it after I narrowed the waist. The above posted guitar for me is too small and pointy, but it does look cool. Different strokes for different folks. This posting has certainly got some reaction.

Thx Geo. I'm too old to worry about negative criticizm. My aim in posting here is to stretch the envelope. I've built a lot of furniture and things and have learnt that everyone has different tastes. I used to dabble in the fine arts. I remember one time a nice lady commented that she liked a certain painting but wondered if I could do another one using different colours to match her decor. Hmmmm. Let me think about that one. I certainly don't get offended if someone doesn't like what I put forth. I do like constructive input. The world is based on variety.

How exactly does the cab bolt system work? Do you have a supply/vendor list? I liked the look of it when I saw it on one of your previous guitars. The cab bolt system is very well thought out. I started using it when I made large pieces of furniture like wall cabints that needed to be broken down for transport. It basically consists of a large headed 1/4" bolt (also come in meteric sizes) and a nut that is in a barrel shape. The barrel nut is inserted in a drilled hole that is perpendicular to the hole that is drilled for the bolt. The hardest part is aligning this entry hole for the nut so that is centered to the bolt hole. This barrel nut hole is drilled in the side at the base of the neck. I use three bolts because of the truss rod placement (I buy premade necks, so have no control on truss rod placement). If you have the pieces on hand you'll get a better understanding on how to use them and how the holes are drilled etc. I buy them at my local lumber/hardware store. In my area Windsor Plywood. You can torque these bolts down without fear of cracking harder woods, like maple. Plus you can remove the neck as many times as you want without damage. like threaded screws can be become sloppy and stripped. I really like this system.

Hey thanks for the positive comment. I don't use screws. I use a cab bolt system. It gives a much stronger bond with no fear of splitting when really torqued down. With the bolts, three is very adequate.

LOL! It certainly does have that plucked turkey look. Maybe I'll finish it with feathers. The neck is parallel to the center line. Natural finish using Tung oil.

Thanks Jon for the constructive input. I've taken the waist in by about 1 1/2" and I agree it has improved the look. The diet has worked on the waist area.