New project body incoming

[BriGuy1968]

So, I've had a couple builds where I've purchased parts from GuitarFetish's Factory Buyout Clearance Sale and they've come out pretty good...

The neck for Ashleigh...

Before:

After:

And the body for Mary Ann...

Before:

After:

I've been thinking the next one will be an LP-style, but I was perusing the factory clearance site and had to scoop this thing up!

Ugly, huh? Looks like a cartoon cow, right?

My sixteen-year-old daughter has a talent for artwork, particularly with cartoon characters, so we're gonna make it a father-daughter project where I'll let her design and paint the rest of the face.

This one's gonna be fun!
(and maybe a little silly [emoji12])

After it gets here I'll mock up some pics including the Floyd Rose and white pups and let her start playing with ideas (including pickup colors... I figure she can "color in" on white ones if she's so inclined).

Meanwhile, I'll start working on cleaning up the dings and scratches, getting ready for painting graphics.

What do you think?

 

[BriGuy1968]

New project body incoming

One of the things about this body that I'm trying to figure out is what to look for in a neck. My other builds were easier. The Strat and Tele took necks designed for those styles, and Mary Ann didn't have any bridge routing or holes drilled, so I got a bolt-on LP neck, measured, and put the bridge where it needed to be.

This one's already routed for a Floyd, but I have no idea what kind of a neck it may have been designed for...
• 22 or 24 frets?
• 25.5" or 24.75" scale length?

How can I know?

I know I need one with the shelf cut for the locking nut, but I'm a bit mystified about the rest. How 'bout some advice?

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: New project body incoming

It appears to be rated for a 24 fret neck heel because of how close proximity the pickups are to each other, namely the neck and bridge humbucker routing.
Best advice I can give you is to put a neck on it and do a quick scale measurement to get a ball park.
Maybe get ahold of GFS and ask them what the specs are...

That'll be an awesome project for you and your daughter, I'm sure you'll have fun with this one! It does sort of look like a cartoon cow, good call on that. Haha

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project body incoming

It appears to be rated for a 24 fret neck heel because of how close proximity the pickups are to each other, namely the neck and bridge humbucker routing.
Best advice I can give you is to put a neck on it and do a quick scale measurement to get a ball park.
Maybe get ahold of GFS and ask them what the specs are...

That'll be an awesome project for you and your daughter, I'm sure you'll have fun with this one! It does sort of look like a cartoon cow, good call on that. Haha

I was kinda thinking the same thing, but I don't have any necks lying around with which to do that (although I may be able to approximate once it arrives by lining it up with other guitars).

Unfortunately, because they didn't manufacture them (or have them manufactured), with these factory buyout specials the only specs they have on file are the ones in the picture, in this case the 56mm heel route. I think they just pull them off a pile, dust them off, snap a couple pics, and go. Maybe I'll try to send them a quick email before it ships, though, to see if they can tell me more.

Thanks! [emoji41]

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: New project body incoming

Measure from the base of the neck pocket to the center of the Floyd studs. Lay something across both studs so you can measure straight down from the neck pocket..
I just measured a body I have that is 22frets/25-1/2" and a Floyd. I got 6-5/8" from mine.

 

[Mincer]

Re: New project body incoming

How do these new builds sound? I like the overlay on the headstock of the first one...and the cool nut. What sounds can you compare them to?

 

[thebingopete]

Re: New project body incoming

My guess is 25.5 scale. Those pup routes look like a 24 fret reposition. Floyd equipped don't usually use shorter 24.75 scale. If you have a Tele style neck it may fit the pocket well enough to guess.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: New project body incoming

Yea good call on the Tele style neck pocket, and it being a 25-1/2"/Floyd, as most usually are... I measured an '87 Kramer body this morning for Bri, and it has the Strat pocket shape...
Maybe somebody else on here has a bare body that they could take a second to post some other measurement so he would at least have some reference points to go from. That's mainly why I measured mine for him, and I usually don't take measurements for dudes. Haha!

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project body incoming

How do these new builds sound? I like the overlay on the headstock of the first one...and the cool nut. What sounds can you compare them to?

lol... For Ashleigh (the Strat) that "cool nut" was going to be a roller nut because it fit the shelf cut into the neck (think FR locking), but there was enough lateral pressure as the strings made their way to the pegs that a couple kept jumping out of their slots. I had a gold FR-style locking nut laying around and just put the bottom part on without the locks and it works pretty good! Ssshhhhhh... don't tell anyone or I might get ridiculed!

I actually did a couple simple demo vids and posted them on the original thread:

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/sho...D!-BriGuy-Georgiecaster-GFS-Gold-Foil-Content

Mary Ann's pickups are pretty awesome actually, but I don't have any recordings of her. They're basically a humbucker-sized P-90, but "chimi-er" than what you might expect from a typical P-90... so someplace between normal single coil and P-90. As chimey as they sound, though, they also have a bottom-end that rumbles through quite nicely.

Been meaning to make a vid, but life's been a little crazy lately!

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project body incoming

My guess is 25.5 scale. Those pup routes look like a 24 fret reposition. Floyd equipped don't usually use shorter 24.75 scale. If you have a Tele style neck it may fit the pocket well enough to guess.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

I was kinda thinking the same thing about it probably being a 25.5" scale... just not 100% sure on 24 or 22 frets.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: New project body incoming

Kinda looks like a rounded up Parker Fly body (emphasis on kinda.)

Should be an awesome project!

 

[thebingopete]

Re: New project body incoming

Looks like a 24 fret reposition to me. If you can just barely fit a trio of buckers in there without rings, most likely a 24 partly why many 24 fret guitars are either HH or HSH because a middle HB doesn't fit well. And pool route looks ****ty without a pickguard.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Artie]

Re: New project body incoming

Love that GeorgieCaster. Especially the way the wood grain seems to fan out from the bridge.
The Mary Ann is sweet too, but I gotta be honest. Hate the controls. Neither the plate or knobs seem to fit the lines or color of the guitar. But, to each his own. Nice axe's regardless.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: New project body incoming

I've been looking at doing something like this. How much work do the bodies and necks require before they are ready to be used?

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project body incoming

I've been looking at doing something like this. How much work do the bodies and necks require before they are ready to be used?

Lots and LOTS of sanding!

This black and white body that I just ordered is the first one I've gotten that actually has some type of finish on it. I am hoping that I can just sand and/or buff out the scratches and scuff's. There's one spot along the bottom edge where it kind of looks like it was dropped or something, because there's a little bare wood showing… That will take a little extra TLC. I'm hoping that I don't have to completely repaint it, so that I can just put some clear over top after I've cleaned it up and my daughter does the graphics.

The other neck and body that I had gotten previously both needed to be finished as well, so you may have to add that to your list of things to do.

There's definitely some work involved to get them ready, but so far I've found it to be doable and quite enjoyable. [emoji1303]

 

[Chistopher]

Re: New project body incoming

So other than the finish it's very straightforward? I assumed at this price level you might require some work to get the neck and body to join correctly (sanding and shimming). Also if you don't mind me asking, how much did both your previous builds cost in total? I kinda want to get into making guitars on a budget. I find building guitars rather therapeutic, but with my current sources of parts leads my wallet to think otherwise.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project body incoming

I feel the same way, and am doing them on a budget as well.

Keep in mind that you're not necessarily getting top quality woods from the factory clearance (although it's possible... the neck for Ashleigh was pretty damn nice). Necks scare me a little more than bodies just because you can turn almost anything into a guitar body with reasonable success.

I have indeed had to make adjustments for neck/body matching... so far no shims, but I had to take some wood away on each one.

Ashleigh cost me approximately $340 (Factory Clearance neck was $15 and I found the body used on Reverb.com for $50).

Mary Ann was closer to $400 (Factory Clearance body for $25 and new GuitarFetish LP neck for about $60)

Then there's electronics and hardware of course...

 

[Chistopher]

Re: New project body incoming

Some times when it comes to guitars I prefer cheaper parts with poor quality control. You can have a $5,000 PRS with all these clever electronic tricks and the best craftsmanship ever, and that's okay, but a truly magical guitar is one that can be had for next to nothing and works well not because of extreme workmanship, but just because it does. I find its a whole lot easier to get that experience if you just find decent quality parts and build your guitar yourself. Another big plus is that you can practically destroy them without any adverse effects on you mental health. Even EVH's Frankenstein cost only $130 to make.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: New project body incoming

Well, it came today. The finish is in pretty tough shape, but salvageable and it's solid enough. Everything seems to be routed fine and ready... right down to the holes for the strap buttons.

The insides of the routs are kinda rough , but hell... they won't be visible once everything's installed. [emoji12]

I think this body was once fully assembled but then torn back down for parts. It "rattled" when I picked it up. I turned it over and found this still in there:

So I guess I have an extra claw now... yippee!


All in all I like it... gonna be a fun adventure! [emoji1303]

 

[Adieu]

Re: New project body incoming

What is that wood???

Got a trashy looking strat body laying around just like it, right down to the blown out interior routs....got it for like $10 but always felt reluctant to use it, suspecting that putting effort into it would only yield disappointing results