Guitarlopnik: Out from storage edition (story and pics after gap)

"Bandit" (2bandit) 08/08/2013 at 23:36 • Filed to: guitarlopnik

1

23

After 3 years of sitting in a gig bag with the wood work and first coat of paint already done, I decided to revisit my Frankenstrat build. Tonight I taped up the pin striping using some full scale high res pictures of the real guitar I printed off for reference. It's ready for a white coat of paint (then some sanding and denting, and then more striping, then a red coat of paint, and then some more sanding and denting).

Back in time three years:

This is what the body looked like when I started.

I had to sand the areas where I knew I was going to have to get down to the wood, I also had to shape the body pockets a bit.

Some paint

What it will look like:

Also: I've made shoes!

Sn210 > Bandit 08/08/2013 at 23:41

0

Looks good so far!

Decay buys too many beaters > Bandit 08/09/2013 at 00:11

0

Looks Good!

As someone who built about half a dozen guitars during the time I was in high school and college, I'm curious what you used as a donor guitar for this project. Did you buy the parts separately, start with a whole guitar, fabricate certain pieces?

ddavidn > Bandit 08/09/2013 at 00:31

0

I think yours will be one of the few EVH-colored Frankenstrats I respect. Keep us updated.

The Real Dacia Sandero > Bandit 08/09/2013 at 00:46

0

I vaguely remember seeing posts about something like this on oppo one time. Were you posting back then?

RMudkips > Bandit 08/09/2013 at 03:11

0

Schweet. Staying true to the original for pickups and hardware?

McMike > Decay buys too many beaters 08/09/2013 at 05:22

0

I'm also curious what the donor was. Those thru-body string holes right in front of the bridge are curious....

Bandit > Decay buys too many beaters 08/09/2013 at 10:15

0

The only strat style body I had lying around that I wouldn't mind wrecking was a Kramer Focus. I guess it is sort of okay since Eddie and Kramer had a buisness agreement in the 80s. Sadly, it's a plywood body.

Bandit > McMike 08/09/2013 at 10:15

0

The only strat style body I had lying around that I wouldn't mind wrecking was a Kramer Focus. I guess it is sort of okay since Eddie and Kramer had a buisness agreement in the 80s. Sadly, it's a plywood bod

Bandit > The Real Dacia Sandero 08/09/2013 at 10:17

0

No, this was about two years before I signed up. I signed up for an account the day I bought my car, about a year and four months ago.

Bandit > ddavidn 08/09/2013 at 10:18

1

I'm trying to get it as close to the original as possible. I've even found the correct 1971 quarter to screw into the body.

Bandit > RMudkips 08/09/2013 at 10:22

1

Pickups wise I'm not going to find an original PAF gibson humbucker, those are stupid expensive now. I'll probably end up using a pickup out of this ovation (the ovation has stock style pickups ready to be installed); the pickups are quite vintage (yellowed face) and sound wonderful.

I'm looking for a cheap Floyd Rose tremelo, but I don't have one yet.

Bandit > Sn210 08/09/2013 at 10:23

0

Thanks!

McMike > Bandit 08/09/2013 at 10:27

0

I forgot how cheap those strikers got later in production. I also forgot that they did a strat knock off...

Kramer introduced two Japanese series (Striker and Focus) in the early 80s, and the Focus had a locking Floyd Rose... the Striker did not have a locking nut or fine tuners in its Floyd Rose. I had both when they were new. A Striker 200 (two humbuckers) and then later, the Focus 1000 (single humbucker) Still have the Focus.

Bandit > McMike 08/09/2013 at 10:48

0

Talk about cheap, we got this guitar off of ebay with all the hardware and stuff for $30.

McMike > Bandit 08/09/2013 at 10:51

0

I'm shocked that Focus 1000s still trade for $2-300 on eBay. SHOCKED!

RMudkips > Bandit 08/09/2013 at 10:56

0

Pretty awesome. Some quick Googling lead me to suggest an Ibanez Edge unit, if that counts as a "Floyd Rose" unit.

If you're willing to do some additional routing for the pickups, good luck on that process.

Bandit > RMudkips 08/09/2013 at 10:58

0

Thanks, I'll look into it. I did the routing about 3 years ago, there is enough room for the one humbucker that is required.

ddavidn > RMudkips 08/09/2013 at 10:58

1

If there's any way to get a real Floyd Rose, I would recommend it. There's just no comparison to anything else. The Ibanez is kind of sketchy. I'm a hardtail kind of guy, though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

RMudkips > ddavidn 08/09/2013 at 11:06

0

Ha, thanks. I'm actually thinking of my first electric at the moment, settling on getting a used MIM Tele. Pretty much hardtail from the get go, although a Bigsby trem looks badass on a Tele.

ddavidn > RMudkips 08/09/2013 at 11:19

0

I love the Bigsby. I want a Gretsch with a Bigsby, but you don't want to get a cheap tremolo bridge. My American Strat has a tremolo bridge and I don't like it very much. MIM Teles are a great value for a good sounding guitar. Replace the pickups and there's nothing you can't do.

RMudkips > ddavidn 08/09/2013 at 12:21

0

Bigsby tremelos are just really cool. Heck, it's at home on almost anything (especially a 335). Thinking of getting some mini neck humbuckers, going to base my tone sort of off Andy Summers, maybe make it more versatile.

ddavidn > RMudkips 08/09/2013 at 13:22

0

Not a bad idea at all. I agree that Bigsbys look great on lots of guitars. I wouldn't put one on a strat, but anything with a bigger body or countryish shape (Tele!) would work. And they're just comfortable to play.

RMudkips > ddavidn 08/09/2013 at 13:56

0

Yeah I see what you mean. Bigsby are pretty versatile, just don't put them on a Strat. I sort of wanted a tremelo back when I was into Brian May's playing style, and might consider one if I really want to try Floyd solos.