Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

[daan]

So, this is my buddy Ron.

(Sorry for the artsy photo, it was the 90's and I was in photo school) Ron was my best friend in high school, we both got guitars at the same time (1984, I got a crappy Hondo LP and he got a crappy Hondo Strat) He could play all the cool stuff from the era-EVH, Rhoads, whatever. I could barely string a couple chords together. Anyway, he joined the Marines and spent way too much time in Iraq, I went off to college. Other than a couple road trips after he got out of the service, and me shooting his wedding, we kinda drifted apart. Well a couple years ago he reached out, and we made a serious effort to get together. He still played, and I have a basement full of half-completed guitars, I got the bright idea to make him one. I sold a bunch of stuff, and found a set-neck Strat copy. I painted it black, had a custom headstock decal made, and buried it in clear. I got a heavy brass tremolo block for the trem, and cut it down so it doesn't stick out the back of the body. The pups are a Fender humbucker from an HSS Strat, an SSL-1 neck pup, and what is probably a Squier type pup in the middle. It's got a 5-way switch, and I added a mini toggle to do neck+bridge on. I got it about 90% done

and just kinda stalled out.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

So finish it!

 

[daan]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

I kept having to futz with the wiring, and since the body is Palouwina (but with Maple veneer front and back) I had to get Minwax Wood Hardener to keep the bridge and trem screw anchors from pulling out of the wood. I kept scratching the paint, and burned thru the paint a couple times polishing it back out. Also, I needed to mount the tuners, and didn't want to drill thru the headstock. So I kept putting it off, or working on other stuff. (Or letting my life get busy, "oh, I'm too busy to work on guitars right now." So his birthday passed, and then Christmas. And then his birthday, again... Ugh. Aaaaaand... I got a call that another good friend of ours died unexpectedly.

The cute one, in the middle. We both had dated her at different points, and we all stayed friends. Plus she was real good at staying in touch, so we all got together a couple times in the last couple years. It was a real shock to everyone, and a total wake up call for me. I mean, none of us are getting any younger, so Now is the time to do... well, anything, because you never know when you'll run out of time. Plus, there's this phrase: "Better is the enemy of Good". I know I could just keep dicking around with the guitar and never really finish it, and god only knows how much time any of us have left. So I knuckled down on my projects to get this one done. It still has scratches and rub throughs in the paint, so it isn't perfect. I just want it done and playable (and good, it's not supposed to be a wall hanger) I took it to a shop and had them set it up for me, they said they had to re seat a couple frets to get them all level, and change the bridge springs so the trem floats better. Other than that, it's done. It plays good, it sounds nice (the bridge HB doesn't totally overwhelm the neck, and sounds REAL nice on N+B.

 

[daan]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread


So I guess the moral of the story is, don't keep putting off doing things, or calling your friends, or living your life because "Oh, we got lots of time, I'll get to it later..." because you may not have the time!
So I gotta pack this thing up, and ship it to my buddy before too long. I may want to play it a few more times first, though...

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

Very True!! Im 50 now and have lost some friends already, plus mom, dad, brother.. So yeah, I need to get my A$$ in gear with calling people..

Sorry for the lost of your friend. Let us know how your bud likes the axe! Looks good!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

Good story, and excellent words of wisdom. I know your friend will greatly appreciate that guitar, not in spite of its flaws, but BECAUSE of them. Because now it is a part of you that you are giving to him. You're a good man, Daan.

So sorry to hear about the passing of your friend. Such a great smile!! She looks like she was a joy to be around.

Thanks for sharing all of this with us, and the pics of course.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

I think guitars are the best when they come with a good story. You did a really great thing for your friend.

 

[DKSEARS]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

I think guitars are the best when they come with a good story. You did a really great thing for your friend.

I agree. I didn’t start my first guitar build until my father in law was going through treatment for cancer (he loved woodworking and got into the different tones from different woods and the look of different grain patterns). We eventually lost him to the cancer, but I cherish that guitar very much.

Four years later, we lost my dad and I built another one to honor his memory as well.

The Tele I built with my FIL, and the koa top super Strat I built in honor of my dad.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[daan]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

That Koa axe is beautiful!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

Is the koa one heavy? I've heard it is a pretty heavy wood, but I have no experience with it.

 

[DKSEARS]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

Is the koa one heavy? I've heard it is a pretty heavy wood, but I have no experience with it.

I’ve heard that koa is similar to mahogany in weight, typically.

Unfortunately, it’s not all koa. It’s solid mahogany with a koa veneer top. It’s a bit on the heavier side though. I haven’t weighed it, but it’s comparable to my Les Pauls when you hold them.


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[daan]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

So right after I posted this thread, I had the guitar on my workbench (ha ha, the floor in my basement :no: ) I was working on another guitar, using my Dremel to deepen the control cavity. One of my daughters had been standing behind me for who knows how long, and scared the crap outta me when she started talking :bigeyes: I dropped the still-turning Dremel, RIGHT ON THE BACK OF THE NECK, RIGHT ON FIRST POSTITON. :smack: Took a bunch of wood off, and scratched a lot of paint off, too. Ugh. So I spent the last couple weeks filling, sanding and clearing the neck. Just in time for same daughter to drag it off a table onto the floor, scratching up the back and pushing the strap button into the body :banghead: So more fixing ensued. I'd share pix, but I was too pissed to actually take any... So anyway, I got it finished (again), shipped to my friend, and he just called me raving about it. He's talking about him and his wife taking lessons together, now that they have 2 guitars (she bought him one for his birthday in Sept) I asked him to send a pic of him playing it, just for purely selfish reasons. Anyway it turned out pretty good, and he seems really happy with it. And no, I didn't yell at my kids for breaking it...

 

[jeremy]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

damn thats a hell of a lot of extra work man, glad ya got it all patched up and im sure your friend loves it

 

[Wattage]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

You could've made new kids easier than fixing the guitar:lmao:

 

[PS412]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread

 

[daan]

Re: Don't put stuff off, or New Build Thread



He says, and I quote, “Nothing makes ME sound good, but it plays great.”