MikeS
Bengalsologist
I think I might just go through with it after all. Last night while I had the soldering iron out I gutted the electronics from the old RG and installed a Demon and a single volume control. I instantly liked it. In fact, it made me feel dirty that didn’t have a Demon installed in any of my guitars. So… great, now I’m inspired, and I think I’m sold on this (just can’t decide on the pup ring):
It’s a stupid amount of work for a guitar that cost a mere $200 almost 10 years ago, but it still plays well and it’s not as sonically dead as you’d think a $200 guitar would be. I’ll be removing finish (there’s not much there), existing lam top, filling in a pup rout (I’ve done that before), and doweling and redrilling the bridge studs because my dumb ass missed the center line of the guitar by a mm when I drilled them the first time…oops). Then re-top it, rout and glue in the binding (never done this before, and it’s got a forearm contour), shoot color on the back and sides (I’m thinking something gold or copper in color) and clear the whole thing.
Why the name? Well this guitar has been through a pup cavity filling before (middle SC), two paint jobs, a new bridge that required drilling for studs and widening of the block rout, installation of Sperzel tuners (required reaming and drilling), and several pup swaps. If this project is a success I’ll be spraying the name “Joan” into the headstock as a tribute to the queen of cosmetic surgery. Funny how I’ve owned it 10 years and it’s just now earning a name.
It’s going to be a learning experience… that’s for sure. I’ll either learn a little about what it takes to embark on a project this monumental or I’ll learn never to try anything like this ever again and leave this sort of thing to the pros. I’m probably biting off WAY WAY more than I can chew, but worst case scenario is I ruin a piece of wood that isn’t worth anything anyway. So, starting sometime this fall, I’m going to see just how high of a luster you can rub onto a turd. :rofl: Wish me luck.
It’s a stupid amount of work for a guitar that cost a mere $200 almost 10 years ago, but it still plays well and it’s not as sonically dead as you’d think a $200 guitar would be. I’ll be removing finish (there’s not much there), existing lam top, filling in a pup rout (I’ve done that before), and doweling and redrilling the bridge studs because my dumb ass missed the center line of the guitar by a mm when I drilled them the first time…oops). Then re-top it, rout and glue in the binding (never done this before, and it’s got a forearm contour), shoot color on the back and sides (I’m thinking something gold or copper in color) and clear the whole thing.
Why the name? Well this guitar has been through a pup cavity filling before (middle SC), two paint jobs, a new bridge that required drilling for studs and widening of the block rout, installation of Sperzel tuners (required reaming and drilling), and several pup swaps. If this project is a success I’ll be spraying the name “Joan” into the headstock as a tribute to the queen of cosmetic surgery. Funny how I’ve owned it 10 years and it’s just now earning a name.
It’s going to be a learning experience… that’s for sure. I’ll either learn a little about what it takes to embark on a project this monumental or I’ll learn never to try anything like this ever again and leave this sort of thing to the pros. I’m probably biting off WAY WAY more than I can chew, but worst case scenario is I ruin a piece of wood that isn’t worth anything anyway. So, starting sometime this fall, I’m going to see just how high of a luster you can rub onto a turd. :rofl: Wish me luck.
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