Finished my guitar...
but first, I hope everyone is having a great holiday and your wishes come true.
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I feel like giving my opinion of this guitar would be bragging and that's not a good thing.
I knew when I started that if it didn't play it would be a beautiful wall clock.
I can honestly, without prejudice state that this is the finest Strat style guitar I've ever played
and that the sustain and tones are amazing.
The tones are like I've never heard from any of my Strats.
I would imagine this level of craftsmanship would be expected from Fenders Custom Shop but
I know it's not found in their "deluxe" models.
I don't believe that luthiers know how a guitar will sound when choosing the tonewoods so
I think it's all in a best guess and one will not know until it's plugged-in and played. So I got lucky.
However I do enjoy listening to them talk or reading what they think.
My goal was to build it "perfect". I didn't make it. There are a few little things that nobody would
probably ever know unless I pointed them out...
I wired the pickups backwards...I even marked the wires as I had to disconnect a pre-wired set-up
that Mark W. sent me. ( thanks again Mark) They are great pups and the weird thing is the sound matches the personality of the axe.
Well I'm leaving them wired backwards. It's a "spacey" guitar.
The six string tuner is not exactly straight. It takes a very sharp eye to notice, but still- I missed the keeper peg
a fraction. The bit probably walked just the smallest amount. It can be corrected and never seen but such a minor detail....maybe I will, maybe not.
The fret job ( and please, I'm not bragging) is amazing. I did study and worked very hard but I still wonder
how much luck played a part.
My first "nut" job too. I got the magnifying visor thing for detail work and it sure made it nice for working on the
frets and nut.
I cut all the slots 30 thousandths over the first fret and after I polished the nut I installed it and tweaked the
slots after the guitar was strung. The magnifier lenses sure made it better for filing to that precision.
No reason to give measurements as they are of personal preference. It is a part of the guitar that can make
or break it so I highly recommend if one doesn't know how to or doesn't have the tools to, take your guitar
to a luthier and have him adjust the nut to your feel. You'll be very glad you did.
I put an oil finish on it. Spraying a finish would have meant having somebody else do it as I don't have the
controlled environment required and I wanted everything about this build to be "me".
It's claimed that an oil finish doesn't effect the tonal properties as other finishes but I don't know.
I do know that it will not protect a guitar as well. It doesn't take much at all to put a mark on it. A finger nail
or pick is all it takes.
It's heavy. I don't have digital scales to weight it but it's easily 9lbs. I'd guess it's very close to a LP and maybe a little more.
It's natural frequency must a "G". It has an amazing vibration when any G note or chord is played. You feel the guitar
through your body like it's a alive!
It wasn't planned to be finished on Christmas but it was. It took me about 4 months not counting the preperation time. I gathered info and tools for a much longer time.
This is the first time I've ever felt like I gave myself a present....but I'll take it!
I'd record something but I played it so much yesterday everytime I try to play it this morning my hand cramps up lol.
I will when I can.
I don't claim photography skills but hope they get across the attention to detail that I tried to achieve.
Best wishes to everyone from my family to yours.
Michael
post edited by spacey - 2010/12/25 11:22:22