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my journey into the blues #10½ - guitar abuse   You are logged in as Guest
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Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

my journey into the blues #10½ - gu... 

I spotted an interesting ad in the local online classifieds. A rather flamboyant flame veneer Strat in bits. When I enquired, the seller offered to include another quilted Strat for £50 more ($80). I added up the component costs retail and it came to around £800 for both ($1250) so I offered £200 ($311) plus £10 shipping and they arrived very well packed.

Last weekend I took at look at my assembly options. Here's what I found on one of the guitar sets. The other has hardly been touched, thank goodness:

  • Neck pocket bashed about
  • Neck too narrow for pocket
  • Neck pocket packed upwards with pick guard scraps
  • Neck truss rod unadjusted and therefore bowed
  • Gold Gotoh tremolo unit with incorrect vintage string spacing
  • Body routed/hacked and drilled for Gotoh tremolo (too wide for neck pocket and neck)
  • Neck drilled off-centre to try and align to Gotoh - no chance
  • Pick guard hacked to fit when 22 fret neck in place, rather than loosening neck and slipping it under extended last fret lip before attaching.
  • Pick guard screw holes therefore out of position
  • Shoddy cheap wiring
  • Great blobs of solder from an underpowered iron
  • Volume pot burnt out
  • Tone controls wired backwards
  • Wrong capacitor
  • Plastic nut with wrong string spacing and too low for playable action - hence packing up the neck pocket?
  • Tremelo fitted does not allow arm to pass over controls

    The only things not messed up are the top quality, locking tuners which may have come with the necks (special order, because the decals bear his name!). I checked him out and this guy has published a book on Fender guitars and claims guitar restoration as one of his skills on LinkedIn.

    I have managed to assemble one almost-playable guitar from the parts, with lots of clamps, drilling, desoldering, orange drop cap, vintage spec. wire, micrometer and bits from my parts bin. You want to talk about intonation!!

    I have another tremolo on order to try to get the other one running. They both came with all the accessories, including genuine Fender screws, springs etc. and brand new ToneRider City Limits pups (very nice), though I have installed a hot custom bridge pup in the working guitar. The bodies are both routed for humbuckers, so I might get my pup guy to come up with some special HSS magic sauce.

    Here's some photos of the flamed guitar in progress. When I have done a little more fettling of both guitars I will post a sound sample. I prefer the quilt but they are both very handsome and the working one shows a lot of promise in both playing and tone.

    I reckon he bought everything all over again to make amends but lost heart. The moral of the story? Know your guitar tech. before ordering a bunch of bits from eBay and invest in some decent tools!!





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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 11 2015 22:58:22
 
estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009
 

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to Escribano

I see a man becoming gripped with a fever to rebuild guitars.

It begins like this, a few innocent eBay purchases, some books, an amp or two. Then eventually whole sections of the house are stacked with tour worn guitar cases and pickguards and toggle switches get mixed into kitchen cupboards with the forks and plates.

It's not too late to get out while you still can.

__________________

So what you really did was buy two messed up Strats and then combined the parts to make one hot rodded Strat and you still have stuff left over to make another guitar?

I'm sure it will look better than this:



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https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 12 2015 3:13:55
 
Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to estebanana

Too late Stephen, but I will be selling up when I have decided on my favourites

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 12 2015 14:17:53
 
SephardRick

Posts: 358
Joined: Apr. 11 2014
 

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to Escribano

Nice find.

Good grain pattern and paint job to build upon.

Going to be a fun project for sure.

I'll be interested in seeing future post on this...

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Rick
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 12 2015 14:50:59
 
Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to SephardRick

quote:

Good grain pattern and paint job to build upon.


It is a beauty but you should see the quilted one, it's pure bling

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 12 2015 19:38:13
 
El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to Escribano

its a blues guitar Escribano ... it's suppose to look like that ......

rock n roll dude ....

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Don't trust Atoms.....they make up everything.
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 12 2015 20:15:33
 
tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012
 

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to Escribano

I hate GAS (gear acquiration syndrome), it's like pringles, once you pop you can't stop. It's like being a teenage girl buying clothes or a fatty in mcdonalds

Now if I would be in your situation I would use as much as I spent on the guitar for the parts.

I love flamenco, all you need is a good guitar. With electric guitars there's at least five more things you need and then tens of more you don't need but want to have.

But it's fun as hell, customizing a guitar. I've built a strat myself and have upgraded guitars for over 10 years

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  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 12 2015 21:56:29
 
Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011
 

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to tele

quote:

teenage girl buying clothes or a fatty in mcdonalds


Now I know where teenage girls buy their fat friends.

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"Ya no me conoce el sol, porque yo duermo de dia"
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 12 2015 23:35:59
 
SephardRick

Posts: 358
Joined: Apr. 11 2014
 

RE: my journey into the blues #10½ ... (in reply to tele

quote:

I love flamenco, all you need is a good guitar. With electric guitars there's at least five more things you need and then tens of more you don't need but want to have


No truer words were ever said about guitars.

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Rick
  REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |  Date May 13 2015 15:14:32
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