$500 challenge!

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Hypothetical* situation:  Your daughter's school is having their annual fundraiser auction, and you're to either get some local business to contribute something, buy something to be auctioned off, or make something yourself.  You're itching to build another instrument, and see this as the perfect opportunity, so you put in an offer to build a custom guitar or bass for the winner of your auction.

You don't want to put (& don't really have) megabux into a guitar that's not going to be your own, but you want to get the parts/kit to build something that's decent quality, so you set a hard limit of money to spend on parts/hardware/wood/etc: $500  (you'll be charging nothing for labor/time).

What are you going to do?

Please include specific parts/products/links/etc and some detail beyond "buy cheap strat or tele on craigslist, mod the f*** out of it, replace neck with Warmoth".  :icon_jokercolor:

I already have a few fun ideas for stuff that's well within that budget, but I'm very curious to see what y'all come up with. 

* Not actually hypothetical. ;  )

 

[line6man]

We had a $100 challenge once. Search that up for some inspiration.

 

[Scuffcakes]

Start with one of these.

At under $100 you've got plenty of budget left to upgrade the hardware and pickups.  With some TLC you could make a damn nice guitar within that budget.

 

[Pelagaard]

Start with one of these.

At under $100 you've got plenty of budget left to upgrade the hardware and pickups.  With some TLC you could make a damn nice guitar within that budget.

I was going to suggest those as well.  Alternatively, you could go with one of the Carvin kits which'll run you around $500ish depending on options.  Upside to the Carvin is you'd really just need to finish and assemble it without having to replace/upgrade anything.  GFS has the upside of allowing a lot more budget for customization of pups and hardware.

Can't really go wrong with either of those options.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Well, just as an FYI, I have a ton of ideas, and it's dependent on what the auction winner wants (within the limit), but I'm super curious as to what others would do  The $100 challenge is kinda funny, but $500 allows a much wider range of options, while still being a limitation.  I would want to know what others would come up with - for them self or for others - under the same conditions. 

Example:
This neck - about $240 after adding a nut, taxes & shipping
Tele body from GFS - about $60
GFS Esquire pickguard, tuners, knobs, pots, & hardware (black) ~$100
GFS tele bridge & bridge pickup (probs a noiseless single coil) ~ $70
total $450 for a nice little strat/esquire "Stress Choir"  :icon_biggrin:

You can't tell me no one else does this.  :glasses10:  So whadda YOU gots, huh?

 

[alterbridgefan]

This neck: $40
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Unfinished-Strat-Fit-Neck-Paddle-Headstock-Rosewood-Fingerboard_p_4474.html

Body wood: $40

2 pickups: $60
http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Pro-Tube-Lipstick-Fits-Strat-CHROME-_c_188.html

Bridge/trem: $30
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Large-Bushing-Tuneomatic-Style-Chrome-Bridge_p_444.html
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Vintage-Style-Surface-Mount-Whammy-Bar-Hofner-Vibrola-style_p_839.html

Tunas: $30
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Wilkinson-Fender-Style-Nickel-Tuners-Six-for-Strats-and-Teles_p_891.html

Assorted hardware - Knobs, switches, pg material: $50

Shipping/tax/wiggle room: $100

That's what, $350? Sounds good to me... Unique, vibey. Not great quality, but a tele is very unoriginal.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[swarfrat]

Challenge?

Poplar soloist (already rear routed, single humbucker) $165
Unfinished maple neck (tru-oil counts as hard finish), $182
GFS VEH, ferrules, hardtail strat bridge, strat knob, strap buttons, one pot, locking tuners, neck plate, and curved output jack,
(splurged - all in black) $116

 

[bagman67]

I have a brand-new unfinished Warmoth strat body in basswood with a swimming pool rout that I picked up real cheap, but haven't been able to summon the motivation to do anything with it.  It's drilled for the Schaller 475, of which I have one in chrome.  Warmoth neglected to drill the ground-wire hole, but based on your proposed kits, I can see you're not afraid to fire up a drill.



Because it's a school fundraiser, I would be happy to donate these parts if you'll pay for shipping.  PM me.  I also have a spare neckplate and maybe some other parts that I can toss in.


And everyone else:  The gauntlet's thrown down.  What can you contribute?  Any of you artists up for decorating this body?  Anyone got a neglected neck lying around waiting for some project that never seems to start?  Any pickups?  What's washed up on shore of the island of misfit toys lately?

 

[Phinox]

I am willing to toss in a stock set of epiphone humbucker pickups.

 

[Alfang]

When is the fund raiser?  I think you should have the guitar already built, and on display, it will raise more money that way.

I may be able to contribute tuners, and a few odds or ends.

Set a deadline and what parts you need and lets get er going.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

First: you guys are AWESOME.  I was planning on doing this myself, and was just curious what others would do under the same conditions, and suddenly people are offering parts to put a guitar together!  THIS is the best part of the internet, folks: willingness to help relative strangers.  :hello2:  ccasion14:

Seriously, I'm going to have a warm fuzzy the rest of the day (for more than one reason, but I'll get to that).

I think you should have the guitar already built, and on display, it will raise more money that way.

I was going to put up my thinline Firebird as an example of what I could do, and have a paper explaining that I would build what they wanted within the $500; have pics of various bodies/necks/options/etc.  I figured building a guitar that someone in attendance might want would be harder to do than offering to build something specifically for whoever actually wants a guitar.  I'll just build one ahead of time next year.

Here's the wack part.  Not just regular wack, but wiggety wack to the Max: they didn't want it.

Seriously: I heard back today from the auction organizer, and was told basically "the contribution for your family is already entered, nothing more is needed."  I'm like: "Really?  They don't want me to effectively give them hundreds of dollars?!?!".  My wife said her impression was that the organizer was particular about the order & placement of the items, and didn't want to change anything.  My wife got the idea that this lady doesn't want to deal with any more auction items or changes, since she's already overwhelmed trying to get the venue & dinner sorted out (the auction is 3/30).  I think if I did have a guitar to just drop off, she might have just added it in, but it's a tad late for that.  We've already put our contribution in, but I wanted something extra on top of that, because spending money on others feels pretty damn great, as does building guitars.  I'm kind of astounded, but whatever.

Let's sum up the good news:

- There are people willing to sell stuff at deep discount and/or donate for the sake of another's child's school.  Serious eudaimonia, folks.
- My daughter's school auction is not at all lacking in stuff to sell.  They were just over the goal last year, and from all accounts, they'll easily meet the auction goal this year.
- I already had the money set aside just for this....

.... and since I don't need to spend any money on the auction, I spent it on a new neck, which my wife actively encouraged me to do! :cool01:

Just ordered today: Deluxe 5 straight paddle, 1 7/8" wide fretless w/o lines, all purpleheart - and my next bass is well underway.

Also good news: I'll need to build another guitar by next February in order to make sure it gets in the auction.  :toothy12:

But cast aside all this reality!  Just speculating now: what would/could you do with just $500 to build as quality an instrument as possible?

 

[Cagey]

... and since I don't need to spend any money on the auction, I spent it on a new neck, which my wife actively encouraged me to do! :cool01:

Sounds like grounds for divorce to me. Either that, or you should build a shrine. Depends on how you feel about the whole thing.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

No shrine, but I do appreciate her.  I've been putting much more cash into home repair & debt over the past year; paying against principle on top of the mortgage, car repairs, etc.  All responsible adult stuff, not a lot for myself.  My wife's birthday present to me was to allow me to buy whatever I wanted to build another instrument.  I had planned on doing this auction thing, but they apparently have more than enough.  I don't know that the lady quite understood what I was offering either, but her loss if she doesn't want my contribution.

Once it was clear that I wasn't going to build for the auction, my wife said "you want to build somthing cool, just do it for yourself."  About an hour of contemplation later, Rob was taking order for the neck.  :toothy10:

And because I have no reason to stop, the $500 daydream challenge continues:

KNE '58 V body, poplar ~$150 w/shipping,
Carvin bolt on Flying V neck $190
TOM/STP, tuners, chrome hardware, knobs, pots (also from Carvin) - ~$100 w/shipping
Carvin M22T (cream) bridge HB - $45
$485

:guitarplayer2: