Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
- Thread starter tc
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trevorus
Modsterbator
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
My strat is exactly this. The body was cracked, repaired, painted purple sparkle, sanded off, and sold to me for cheap. Then the neck was used, with a shot nut, but very usable. Drop in a Wilkinson bridge, Duncan pickups, and good pots, and it's one of the best strats I've ever played.
My strat is exactly this. The body was cracked, repaired, painted purple sparkle, sanded off, and sold to me for cheap. Then the neck was used, with a shot nut, but very usable. Drop in a Wilkinson bridge, Duncan pickups, and good pots, and it's one of the best strats I've ever played.
Petie
New member
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
When I was 13, a guy who worked for my dad came over with a Tele copy with a really bad obviously homemade neck. "Hey, your kid plays guitar, right? Thought he'd like this. I found it at the dump." Uh, thanks. After cleaning it up and ordering a new neck, dad bought me a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Tele set for my birthday. And that guitar utterly kills. I'm currently in Santa Barbara but I'll be back home in Australia on the weekend. I'll take some pics after I swap the Quarter Pound bridge back in. I put in a DiMarzio Area T 615 to review for a mag or something a little while ago, but I miss the power and warmth of the Quarter Pound and I just haven't had time to swap it back in.
I'm usually a shreddy Ibanez guy (although I have Strats and a Les Paul too), but for a year when I was at college I forced myself to play only that Tele, with 10-52 strings and usually without a pick. It did awesome things for my playing.
When I was 13, a guy who worked for my dad came over with a Tele copy with a really bad obviously homemade neck. "Hey, your kid plays guitar, right? Thought he'd like this. I found it at the dump." Uh, thanks. After cleaning it up and ordering a new neck, dad bought me a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Tele set for my birthday. And that guitar utterly kills. I'm currently in Santa Barbara but I'll be back home in Australia on the weekend. I'll take some pics after I swap the Quarter Pound bridge back in. I put in a DiMarzio Area T 615 to review for a mag or something a little while ago, but I miss the power and warmth of the Quarter Pound and I just haven't had time to swap it back in.
I'm usually a shreddy Ibanez guy (although I have Strats and a Les Paul too), but for a year when I was at college I forced myself to play only that Tele, with 10-52 strings and usually without a pick. It did awesome things for my playing.
King IzzO)))
Ultimate Kitten Puncher
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
Most of my stuff falls into this category.
Most of my stuff falls into this category.
Redbowties88
New member
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
Not much of a story but a trash man friend of mine found this in the garbage...
It's only flaws were that one solder connection on the output jack had come loose, and It was in desperate need of new strings and setup. He works in one of those "rich towns" where people throw out good stuff all the time.
I ended up getting it for $100. I had the frets leveled and did a setup on her and she's one of the best playing guitars I've ever played. It has a totally unique sound, it's super lightweight, and neck is to die for.
Same guy also found my Peavey PA mixer amp in the trash.. I ended up paying $50 for that.
Not much of a story but a trash man friend of mine found this in the garbage...
It's only flaws were that one solder connection on the output jack had come loose, and It was in desperate need of new strings and setup. He works in one of those "rich towns" where people throw out good stuff all the time.
I ended up getting it for $100. I had the frets leveled and did a setup on her and she's one of the best playing guitars I've ever played. It has a totally unique sound, it's super lightweight, and neck is to die for.
Same guy also found my Peavey PA mixer amp in the trash.. I ended up paying $50 for that.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
I got this for $50 au, cheap and nasty but now after my finish and mods its a beast.
I ahve spent more then 50 on it now but still.
I got this for $50 au, cheap and nasty but now after my finish and mods its a beast.
I ahve spent more then 50 on it now but still.
Dr. Vegetable
New member
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
My brother found a 12-channel mixer on the side of the road. It was bashed up from falling out of someone's vehicle, apparently. He gave it to a friend who pulled out the bottom 4 channel strips and used the good parts to fix the damage to the other channels. Now it is a really clean sounding 8-channel board (labelled channels 5 - 12). Super quiet when you take out 1/3 of the noise sources.
I have an $80 pawn shop beater that I bought as a tear-down, but it's gonna get cold in here if I start talking about that one.
My brother found a 12-channel mixer on the side of the road. It was bashed up from falling out of someone's vehicle, apparently. He gave it to a friend who pulled out the bottom 4 channel strips and used the good parts to fix the damage to the other channels. Now it is a really clean sounding 8-channel board (labelled channels 5 - 12). Super quiet when you take out 1/3 of the noise sources.
I have an $80 pawn shop beater that I bought as a tear-down, but it's gonna get cold in here if I start talking about that one.
Low_fidelity2100
New member
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
I picked up a 90's MIM strat at a pawn shop in Rockford, IL last year, for $50. There was nothing wrong with it, other than some chips in the finish on the back and sides. Gave it a good setup, put some Lace Sensors in it (which I bought used for $75, stock pickups were fine though FWIW), and cleaned it up. It's now a great playing, and sounding strat. For $125 total. I'd say thats a good deal for something I'll only ever use for recording (I hate strats).
Bought a Gator Jazzmaster case, and a Terrapin case for my bass player, for $40 total ($15 for the JM case, $25 for the bass case), at the same pawn shop. My drummer got an Old Gretch Snare (no idea what model) from the same place for $50.
I picked up a 90's MIM strat at a pawn shop in Rockford, IL last year, for $50. There was nothing wrong with it, other than some chips in the finish on the back and sides. Gave it a good setup, put some Lace Sensors in it (which I bought used for $75, stock pickups were fine though FWIW), and cleaned it up. It's now a great playing, and sounding strat. For $125 total. I'd say thats a good deal for something I'll only ever use for recording (I hate strats).
Bought a Gator Jazzmaster case, and a Terrapin case for my bass player, for $40 total ($15 for the JM case, $25 for the bass case), at the same pawn shop. My drummer got an Old Gretch Snare (no idea what model) from the same place for $50.
King IzzO)))
Ultimate Kitten Puncher
Ashurbanipal
Well-known member
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
^^ RG560, yesss, too little love for them these days. Perluss whun for the reverse headstock.
^^ RG560, yesss, too little love for them these days. Perluss whun for the reverse headstock.
Dr. Vegetable
New member
jon the art guy
Nerdy Nerd
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
My Hamer Scarab falls into this category, for sure. It was on a SD blog actually. $100 for it.
I'm still reconciling with it. At this point I'm thinking I'll put a set of GFS crunchy rails with black on black color. I'm still trying to figure out what i want to do with the NFT Floyd on it. If I can use it after blocking off, cool. If I can trade it for another humbucker guitar and hardtail the scarab, sounds good. If the Scarab et al can be trade fodder for a quality guitar with hum buckers, I'm more than down. I wish baba O'Riley was down for the trade so he can stop trying to sell the MK he has heheh
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
My Hamer Scarab falls into this category, for sure. It was on a SD blog actually. $100 for it.
I'm still reconciling with it. At this point I'm thinking I'll put a set of GFS crunchy rails with black on black color. I'm still trying to figure out what i want to do with the NFT Floyd on it. If I can use it after blocking off, cool. If I can trade it for another humbucker guitar and hardtail the scarab, sounds good. If the Scarab et al can be trade fodder for a quality guitar with hum buckers, I'm more than down. I wish baba O'Riley was down for the trade so he can stop trying to sell the MK he has heheh
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
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DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
My dirt cheap projects usually end up costing me more than they're worth :lol:
My dirt cheap projects usually end up costing me more than they're worth :lol:
Artie
Peaveyologist
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
Red . . . please take a sharper, clearer pic of this. This is cool. I'm working on an old Danelectro 12-string Bellzouki right now. I'd love to see what you do with this.
(Oddly, now that I've reduced it, it looks clearer.)
Here's mine. (Pre-project.)
Not much of a story but a trash man friend of mine found this in the garbage...
Red . . . please take a sharper, clearer pic of this. This is cool. I'm working on an old Danelectro 12-string Bellzouki right now. I'd love to see what you do with this.
(Oddly, now that I've reduced it, it looks clearer.)
Here's mine. (Pre-project.)
King IzzO)))
Ultimate Kitten Puncher
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
The neck is actually a lefty neck I got from one Lats McGee as basically a throw in on another deal. It's got some crackage around the locking nut that I've got to deal with. It seems stable, but I'm gonna do it up right. The body is a too-cheap-to-post-because-you-guys-will-flip-ebay-buy-it-now-with-free-shipping job... I almost broke my mouse.
I've got the lefty OG edge too. I've actually tried to trade it for a righty forever with no luck, so I think I'm just gonna go forward with the modification to make it a righty and put it in my Kelly (which has had about four different trems in it so far). It fits in the jt580lp hole just fine, just gotta use OFR lock bolts. I got a Lo Pro to go in the 560 off ebay.
The neck is actually a lefty neck I got from one Lats McGee as basically a throw in on another deal. It's got some crackage around the locking nut that I've got to deal with. It seems stable, but I'm gonna do it up right. The body is a too-cheap-to-post-because-you-guys-will-flip-ebay-buy-it-now-with-free-shipping job... I almost broke my mouse.
I've got the lefty OG edge too. I've actually tried to trade it for a righty forever with no luck, so I think I'm just gonna go forward with the modification to make it a righty and put it in my Kelly (which has had about four different trems in it so far). It fits in the jt580lp hole just fine, just gotta use OFR lock bolts. I got a Lo Pro to go in the 560 off ebay.
King IzzO)))
Ultimate Kitten Puncher
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
This is the '83 DT150 body that some whack job took a blowtorch to, I know I posted the pic when I got it, but it's long gone now. It was pretty ****ed. Basically the original finish is underneath there except on the top, which I had to do a lot of filling and sanding on. The original control holes have been dowelled and I moved the jack to the side. Top re-painted metallic red, fairly close to original, and then black over the whole thing and sanded through around the edges. The only ****ter is that over the winter the wood has shrunk and the dowels are now visible at the right angle, but other than that I think it's pretty solid.
The neck is the 12" Warmoth quartersawn 59 roundback that I got from Drew a few years ago. Real thin nitro finish with the tint on it. The bridge is original as far as I know, huge block on it, and the saddles are graphtechs I got for free. Used Schallers from somewhere, RG buttons and a random non-original Ibanez neck plate I had to redrill for the front button, a graphtech nut... and a borrowed RTM.
This one I'm really amazed at how well it turned out, one of the best guitars I've ever played as far as feel and resonance. It's up there with the MIJ ESP's, etc I've owned. A lot of it is that damn neck, I'm sure.
This is the '83 DT150 body that some whack job took a blowtorch to, I know I posted the pic when I got it, but it's long gone now. It was pretty ****ed. Basically the original finish is underneath there except on the top, which I had to do a lot of filling and sanding on. The original control holes have been dowelled and I moved the jack to the side. Top re-painted metallic red, fairly close to original, and then black over the whole thing and sanded through around the edges. The only ****ter is that over the winter the wood has shrunk and the dowels are now visible at the right angle, but other than that I think it's pretty solid.
The neck is the 12" Warmoth quartersawn 59 roundback that I got from Drew a few years ago. Real thin nitro finish with the tint on it. The bridge is original as far as I know, huge block on it, and the saddles are graphtechs I got for free. Used Schallers from somewhere, RG buttons and a random non-original Ibanez neck plate I had to redrill for the front button, a graphtech nut... and a borrowed RTM.
This one I'm really amazed at how well it turned out, one of the best guitars I've ever played as far as feel and resonance. It's up there with the MIJ ESP's, etc I've owned. A lot of it is that damn neck, I'm sure.
stringbender11
New member
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
I love these kinds of threads.
And yeah most of my guitars fit this thread too, lol.
I got the black Strat in the pic free with an amp I bought on CL. The seller said I could have it because it was 'just a Squier Affinity guitar' and was 'not worth anything'. But when I got it home I realized it had a full size body and nut, and the lowest action I've ever seen on a Strat. And the neck was fantastic.
It also had/has a HUGE crack in the back from being dropped, and multiple dents and scratches. I did a basic set up on it, replaced the white PG with a US pearloid style one, and replaced the stock single coil bridge PU with a US fender version. It plays beautifully, honestly the nicest Strat I've ever owned from a playing POV.
I love these kinds of threads.
And yeah most of my guitars fit this thread too, lol. I got the black Strat in the pic free with an amp I bought on CL. The seller said I could have it because it was 'just a Squier Affinity guitar' and was 'not worth anything'. But when I got it home I realized it had a full size body and nut, and the lowest action I've ever seen on a Strat. And the neck was fantastic.
It also had/has a HUGE crack in the back from being dropped, and multiple dents and scratches. I did a basic set up on it, replaced the white PG with a US pearloid style one, and replaced the stock single coil bridge PU with a US fender version. It plays beautifully, honestly the nicest Strat I've ever owned from a playing POV.
MetalManiac
Li'l Junior Member
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
Mine;
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?213385-Squire-51-PROJECT-COMPLETE&highlight=squire
Mine;
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?213385-Squire-51-PROJECT-COMPLETE&highlight=squire
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Tell me about your dirt cheap guitar projects.
Basswood? POS crap worthless junk blah blah blah ****ing blah blah. junk poo crapturd ****ty wok dat^^
Basswood? POS crap worthless junk blah blah blah ****ing blah blah. junk poo crapturd ****ty wok dat^^
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