1 Topic by NPB_EST.1979 (edited by NPB_EST.1979 2008-01-18 20:39:49)

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Topic: strat project

I have this guitar body that was given to my by my (hopefully) future father in-law. Its a strat body (very heavywood) with really nice flame maple looking stripes on it. It seems too heavy and hard for maple though. It doesn't have a particular smell either. The body is two pieces (front and back joined together) and the grain forms a really cool "V" all the way around the sides of the guitar.

But everything routed execpt for a med. sized chunk of the neck joint area. It looks like the person who made it just stopped routing the rest of it out. Everything looks tip-top, and measures out seemingly well, I've parted strats together before...but never on a home-made body.

Do guitar techs charge a super amount of money to  route that out?  what should I expect?

I don't have my tools here with me in Michigan, and I'd like to make it so the next time I go home to Wisonsin, all I'll have to do is sand the roughness out, and stain it/finish it... No holes were drilled for the neck either.

I have a really nice Saga strat neck for it, I just need that chunk routed out.
i can email pics if you want...this body is a beaut!

"Look at the FLAME on that one..."- Nigel Tufnel

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Harrison, Arkansas
  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 3,155

Re: strat project

Good luck with that. There's nothing cooler than having a guitar that you've seen built yourself (either by your hand or not) rather than just buying one off the rack.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

My ReverbNation page for Dees & Friends - check us out!
www.reverbnation.com/deesfriends
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: strat project

I have a "thing" about strats - why buy one when you can make one?

Gibsons on the other hand, are a little different...!

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Was NY now FL/GA line
  • Registered: 2007-12-16
  • Posts: 2,855

Re: strat project

Find a good custom cabinet shop where your at. If you give them the correct dimensions for the neck pocket I'm sure they'll router it out for you. Good Luck!






Spider

  • From: Southwest MI
  • Registered: 2006-06-05
  • Posts: 87

Re: strat project

Since you live in Lansing, why not run it over to Elderly's? I bet one of their tech's could do it or tell you who could.

These guy's could do it for sure, http://www.galloupguitars.com/repair/acoustics.htm it will cost ya, but they are the very best there is in all things Guitar!

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: strat project

Redhouse wrote:

Since you live in Lansing, why not run it over to Elderly's? I bet one of their tech's could do it or tell you who could.

These guy's could do it for sure, http://www.galloupguitars.com/repair/acoustics.htm it will cost ya, but they are the very best there is in all things Guitar!

the neck pocket is 90% routed out. I have the neck that it's going into.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: strat project

Spider wrote:

Find a good custom cabinet shop where your at. If you give them the correct dimensions for the neck pocket I'm sure they'll router it out for you. Good Luck!
Spider

Finally found somebody to do it for me.

http://www.dajosguitars.com/

will let you know how it turns out!

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Oklahoma
  • Registered: 2008-03-28
  • Posts: 263

Re: strat project

Sounds pretty cool man.  I'm into modding my own gear so I have something that no one else has and its MINE!  smile  Post some pics of the guitar!

  I actually just modded the hell out of an older Marshall combo I've got sitting around.  That was my project for the day while I recover from my surgery.  Only need one hand for amps anyways!

Don't play leapfrog with a unicorn
  • From: Upper Yukon, Alaska
  • Registered: 2006-12-05
  • Posts: 128

Re: strat project

Ron Kirn outta Jacksonville is building me a strat now from some wood I have had stashed for years.   I have seen a few built from this same wood and they turned out nice, but ya know I'll have 2 gran into this guitar too when it's all said and done.  One can find real sweet used deals on Craigs List for that kinda money.  I just wanted a strat outta this particular wood, one of a kind thing.

I had another guitar built by local luthier which didn't go the way I wanted her, still cost me 1400 in the end.

I have talked to a few luthiers & parts companies about doing some of the body/neck work and they didn't want to have anything to do with it without it costing me big money.  Kirn was honest with me and said, ya know he spends all kinds of time fitting it all together (more than you'd imagine) and without doing the entire guitar it was just a waste of his time.  He couldn't economically do it.   Probably why all the custom guitar builders get 2-3-4 gran for their builds.  But Kirn also mentioned that if you want a special build and want it done right with a luthiers 40 years of building experience just how it is.

If you go to anybody involved with guitars, I think you will find the same deal. I'd do it myself as a project.   One of my guitar neighbors and I are building our own strats at home over the summer, we'll buy a neck but everything else will be done on the cheap.  We look at it as "well at least we'll learn something here" and maybe do some more down the road. 

I figure I'd try to finish it myself, all kinds of how to guitar books on building out there.

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: strat project

I've bought the Saga build it yourself strat kit. I basically parted out all the junk and replaced it with ok parts. It still needed to be setup and such - so I got it playing ok, and took it to my guitar tech to setup. Really fun project. Now that I'm in MI. I'm without tools, so it'll be interesting to see a professional do it.  This guy graduated from that Gould school too so it should be alright!

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

11 Reply by ken (edited by ken 2008-05-14 15:42:06)

  • ken
  • ken
  • Titanium
  • Offline
  • From: Orlando, FL
  • Registered: 2007-05-28
  • Posts: 949

Re: strat project

Ron Kirn has a few books on guitar building for the do it yourselfer on his website. http://www.ronkirn.com/shop.htm

For $12 shipped you can't go too wrong.