Hey all, it has been a long time since I even thought of building another guitar. I need another guitar like I need a hole in the head. Apparently, I need two holes in the head. :icon_biggrin:
This started when I decided to return my Jackson SL2H for warranty. I bought the thing over 6 years ago and noted soon afterwards that the holes for the Floyd mount must have been drilled a bit off center as the high E string was much closer to the edge of the neck than the low E. Occasionally when playing, if I fretted a high E string note above the 15th fret, the string would slide off the fret edge. It got quite annoying, and I was going to do something about it "someday." I had swapped out the silver hardware for gold, and used the silver hardware on one of my Warmoth builds. I would need to put the original hardware back on to return it, so there was a definite impediment to returning it.
About eight months ago, I had had enough. The Jackson has a lifetime warranty, so I took apart the Warmoth and put the silver hardware back on the Jackson. The gold hardware went into a box. I took the guitar into the local Guitar Center (ie., Authorized Jackson Service Center) and they kind of balked about me returning it six years after buying it. I pointed out that there was no question it was a manufacturing defect, I had my original receipt, and the warranty is a lifetime warranty. They contacted Jackson/Fender, who also balked, but had to make good on it. Eight months later, I got what looks like a brand new guitar. And the strings now are perfectly aligned with the neck.
When I went in to pick up the Jackson, GC was having a "Strat-a-Thon" event. I decided to take a look at the Made in USA Fender P-Basses. I found one that was marked down. It was brand new sunburst Fender American Special P-bass, but a blem. Unfortunately, the blems consist of gouges in the body on lower cutaway. They're not so obvious from a distance, but up close the gouges are not subtle, at all. Anyway, it was marked down to $929 from $999. I pointed out the gouges and said they needed to do better on the price. It came with a gig bag. After some back and forth, the salesman offered me the bass, the gig bag, a hardshell case, and $80 in GC gift cards for $800. I saw a project in this and decided to go for it. A bonus to me is that the sunburst P-Bass usually comes with a rosewood fingerboard. I prefer maple over rosewood. This one just happened to have a maple fingerboard.
I'm a die-hard Maiden fan and have a couple of Warmoth guitars that are my interpretations of the Jackson Adrian Smith Strat and the Fender Dave Murray Strat. I was going to make my interpretation of the Fender Steve Harris P-Bass. After all, I don't really care for the metallic purple and mirrored pick-guard that comes on his signature model. There's nothing wrong with it. I just wanted something different, much in the way my Maiden Strats don't really look like the guitars that inspired them.
But I do like the Leo Quan Badass II Bridge and the Duncan Steve Harris pickups that come on the Harris Bass. I found these on Guitar Center online and used the gift cards towards them. Since I was at it, I might as well get a set of the Harris flatwound strings. I've never done any guitar body finishing, but I was going to strip the finish, fill the gouges, then finish the body in black. I read up on guitar body finishing. It sounds like a lot of time and work...time I don't really have. Oh well, it will be a long-term project. Anyway, the white pickguard just wouldn't do, and I remembered Warmoth had quite a selection of pick guards. BIG MISTAKE!!! LOL!
I found the pick guard I liked to go with a black body. It's black pearl. I don't have any pearloid pick guards on any guitars, so this will be something different. While I was at the Warmoth site, I decided to take a look around, since I hadn't looked at the site in over 4 years. BIG MISTAKE #2! While looking around, I found an alder P-Bass body finished in black in the Screamin' Deals section for $290. I was then envisioning hours of sanding and painting and sanding and profanities because of runs and spatter. I pulled the trigger on the black P-Bass body. That was just this morning. Project #1 in motion. The other parts are in my desk drawer, now just waiting for the new body to arrive. I also need to get an Eddie-themed neck plate (DangerousR6's ears should be ringing about now :icon_biggrin
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Going back to the Jackson, I have decided to leave it stock and not put the gold hardware back on it. But now I have what was my Dave Murray Strat without any hardware. So, I continued searching the Warmoth site and ordered all the necessary silver hardware to put this guitar back together. But now I have a box with all of this gold hardware. What to do with it? Hmmm, I wonder what is in the Screamin' Deals section? BIG MISTAKE #3!!!
"What a sweet body!," I thought when I saw it. I couldn't believe it was in the Screamin' Deals section. Chambered mahogany Strat body with a Cocobolo top and ivoroid binding, rear routed, clear finish, with all the contour cuts, already routed for a Floyd. I couldn't say no. Into the cart it went. Then came the search for the neck. I didn't find anything I liked in the Screamin' Deals section, but in the Showcase I found a very reasonably priced neck. It is made from quartersawn goncalo alves with an ebony fingerboard and MOP inlays. The grain on the face of the headstock is amazing. Also amazing: it had not yet been cut for a nut nor did it have frets yet installed. R2 Floyd shelf...check. 6115 SS frets...check. And since it is goncalo alves, it doesn't need to be finished! Into the cart it went.
Now I'm going to need a second neck plate, Doug. :headbang1:
I forgot to nab pictures from the Warmoth site before purchasing the body and neck, so I guess I'll have to wait to post photos when it's done. I'll put up pics of the pseudo-Harris bass, as well, once it is done.
Wow, it has been over five years since I built a Warmoth. I thought the addiction was cured. My name is Brent, and I'm a guitar addict... :laughing7:
This started when I decided to return my Jackson SL2H for warranty. I bought the thing over 6 years ago and noted soon afterwards that the holes for the Floyd mount must have been drilled a bit off center as the high E string was much closer to the edge of the neck than the low E. Occasionally when playing, if I fretted a high E string note above the 15th fret, the string would slide off the fret edge. It got quite annoying, and I was going to do something about it "someday." I had swapped out the silver hardware for gold, and used the silver hardware on one of my Warmoth builds. I would need to put the original hardware back on to return it, so there was a definite impediment to returning it.
About eight months ago, I had had enough. The Jackson has a lifetime warranty, so I took apart the Warmoth and put the silver hardware back on the Jackson. The gold hardware went into a box. I took the guitar into the local Guitar Center (ie., Authorized Jackson Service Center) and they kind of balked about me returning it six years after buying it. I pointed out that there was no question it was a manufacturing defect, I had my original receipt, and the warranty is a lifetime warranty. They contacted Jackson/Fender, who also balked, but had to make good on it. Eight months later, I got what looks like a brand new guitar. And the strings now are perfectly aligned with the neck.
When I went in to pick up the Jackson, GC was having a "Strat-a-Thon" event. I decided to take a look at the Made in USA Fender P-Basses. I found one that was marked down. It was brand new sunburst Fender American Special P-bass, but a blem. Unfortunately, the blems consist of gouges in the body on lower cutaway. They're not so obvious from a distance, but up close the gouges are not subtle, at all. Anyway, it was marked down to $929 from $999. I pointed out the gouges and said they needed to do better on the price. It came with a gig bag. After some back and forth, the salesman offered me the bass, the gig bag, a hardshell case, and $80 in GC gift cards for $800. I saw a project in this and decided to go for it. A bonus to me is that the sunburst P-Bass usually comes with a rosewood fingerboard. I prefer maple over rosewood. This one just happened to have a maple fingerboard.
I'm a die-hard Maiden fan and have a couple of Warmoth guitars that are my interpretations of the Jackson Adrian Smith Strat and the Fender Dave Murray Strat. I was going to make my interpretation of the Fender Steve Harris P-Bass. After all, I don't really care for the metallic purple and mirrored pick-guard that comes on his signature model. There's nothing wrong with it. I just wanted something different, much in the way my Maiden Strats don't really look like the guitars that inspired them.
But I do like the Leo Quan Badass II Bridge and the Duncan Steve Harris pickups that come on the Harris Bass. I found these on Guitar Center online and used the gift cards towards them. Since I was at it, I might as well get a set of the Harris flatwound strings. I've never done any guitar body finishing, but I was going to strip the finish, fill the gouges, then finish the body in black. I read up on guitar body finishing. It sounds like a lot of time and work...time I don't really have. Oh well, it will be a long-term project. Anyway, the white pickguard just wouldn't do, and I remembered Warmoth had quite a selection of pick guards. BIG MISTAKE!!! LOL!
I found the pick guard I liked to go with a black body. It's black pearl. I don't have any pearloid pick guards on any guitars, so this will be something different. While I was at the Warmoth site, I decided to take a look around, since I hadn't looked at the site in over 4 years. BIG MISTAKE #2! While looking around, I found an alder P-Bass body finished in black in the Screamin' Deals section for $290. I was then envisioning hours of sanding and painting and sanding and profanities because of runs and spatter. I pulled the trigger on the black P-Bass body. That was just this morning. Project #1 in motion. The other parts are in my desk drawer, now just waiting for the new body to arrive. I also need to get an Eddie-themed neck plate (DangerousR6's ears should be ringing about now :icon_biggrin
.Going back to the Jackson, I have decided to leave it stock and not put the gold hardware back on it. But now I have what was my Dave Murray Strat without any hardware. So, I continued searching the Warmoth site and ordered all the necessary silver hardware to put this guitar back together. But now I have a box with all of this gold hardware. What to do with it? Hmmm, I wonder what is in the Screamin' Deals section? BIG MISTAKE #3!!!
"What a sweet body!," I thought when I saw it. I couldn't believe it was in the Screamin' Deals section. Chambered mahogany Strat body with a Cocobolo top and ivoroid binding, rear routed, clear finish, with all the contour cuts, already routed for a Floyd. I couldn't say no. Into the cart it went. Then came the search for the neck. I didn't find anything I liked in the Screamin' Deals section, but in the Showcase I found a very reasonably priced neck. It is made from quartersawn goncalo alves with an ebony fingerboard and MOP inlays. The grain on the face of the headstock is amazing. Also amazing: it had not yet been cut for a nut nor did it have frets yet installed. R2 Floyd shelf...check. 6115 SS frets...check. And since it is goncalo alves, it doesn't need to be finished! Into the cart it went.
Now I'm going to need a second neck plate, Doug. :headbang1:
I forgot to nab pictures from the Warmoth site before purchasing the body and neck, so I guess I'll have to wait to post photos when it's done. I'll put up pics of the pseudo-Harris bass, as well, once it is done.
Wow, it has been over five years since I built a Warmoth. I thought the addiction was cured. My name is Brent, and I'm a guitar addict... :laughing7:
