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"Driftwood" Strat completed....for the most part

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scartozi

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Whewwww......this 5 week project seemed like a year! Received my neck yesterday and got everything put together and playing....the neck is freakin AWSOME! If there is anyone having any doubts about a wenge neck...DO IT,super smooth and very fast, not even the slightest bit sticky. Anyways, I still have to modify the tone knobs to fit lower and install the truss rod cover. I'm getting a matching trem cover for the back and probably some Graph Tech Saddles.

Here are a few pics and I'll try to take some better shots tomorrow. I'm VERY happy with the way it turned out and really like the 3x3 angled headstock.
 
that looks great! and good decision leaving off the dots!! it would not have looked right with them :)
 
Scar
That thing is just tooooooo TASTY, man that AXE ROCKS
I am going to move it up from tastey to just PLAIN NASTY, maybe even TOO NASTY
You need a sticker for the case that says "BREAK GLASS TO GET NASTY"
That is not the driftwood Strat, that is the NASTYCASTER
You can not bring that our at the beginning of a gig, that is a statement guitar
you wait till the audience is warmed up, Sweat is flowing and the time is right.
You walk to the mike and ask who is ready to step it up a notch, you hear the crowd cheer
You tell them it is time to get nasty and unstrap the guitar you have on, the bass player and drummer
starts up a solid beat as you walk to the side of the stage and your tech kneels down and offers up the NASTYCASTER in arms above his head and his eyes to the ground such as one would to royalty. You strap it on, walk over to your amp and drive the gain to 11, walk to the mike and growl in a low tone like dragging your voice over gravel, "HEY HEY HEY HEY"
the rest is history.
 
Man, that's AWESOME.  I love the overall feel, and especially those tuners.  Many congrats on a beautiful Warmoth.

-Mark
 
Marko said:
that looks great! and good decision leaving off the dots!! it would not have looked right with them :)
Click to expand...

+2 great looking guitar. I'm deffinately gonna have to go exotic for my next build.

Great job :hello2:
 
What a cool concept.  Looks great, and gotta say the lack of dots really stuck me for some reason (as many others have said), it really fits so well .  Awesome.
 
Thank you!!!

Some asked me why do all of the work on the body,  just leave it and get a new neck. Well......I knew I wanted a 3x3 headstock, wenge neck and since I'm not a fan of fret dots (like the clean look) I thought that this neck would really look outta place on a traditional strat.....especially and black and white one. But once the project was complete they came around :icon_biggrin: I hope to get the knobs finished over the weekend and a couple little things before I take the "glamour" shots. Did I mention that I'm VERY happy with how it turned out :toothy12:
 
Marko said:
that looks great! and good decision leaving off the dots!! it would not have looked right with them :)
Click to expand...
I concur, very nice job....wenge is also an awesome choice for a neck, I have 2 of them. If you want to slicken it up some more, get some #0000 steel wool and give it a good rub 'n'.... :laughing7:
 
actually, those nobs with just the dot, classic, I would leave them as such, it is a nice custom look
 
First off, the final product is spot on with the "driftwood" concept.  every detail works very well.  Second, agree with you and everyone else, wenge makes for a badass neck.  The only thing on this I'd change if it was mine is the 3x3 headstock.  Mine would have a CBS pornstar strat version. 
 
I wish I would have discovered wenge a long time ago, it's everything I could want in a neck wood. If any of you are "on the fence" about choosing wenge for your next build...DO IT you will love it. My original all maple neck was driving me nuts. It would squeek when I would bend a string cause my fingertip would rub the fretboard....especially with the tiny vintage frets. My thumb and palm would also squeek on the back of the neck...no matter what I did to it, sand it, 0000 steel wool....etc. The wenge with the 6100 frets and ebony board makes for smooth as silk playing and no squeeking! This is the first neck I've had with the 6100 frets and although I have a little adjustment in my playing to do, I love them, bends are 10 times easier.

I hope to get time today to get the knobs finished. They will only go on the shaft till the grooves stop so they sit like 1/8" off the body. I'm gonna drill them a little deeper and go up a 32nd at the very bottom to go over the smooth part of the shaft by the pot nut. They only sold them in pairs so I have an extra to practice on, I'm also gonna hit them with some 0000 steel wool to knock some of the shine off. Then sand the selector switch knob with some 800 grit to also knock the shine off. Take the truss rod cover screws, hit them with the wire wheel on the dremel and put a couple coats of flat black on them.....THEN I'll be done with the exception of the black Graph Tech saddles......coming soon.
 
scartozi said:
I wish I would have discovered wenge a long time ago, it's everything I could want in a neck wood. If any of you are "on the fence" about choosing wenge for your next build...DO IT you will love it. My original all maple neck was driving me nuts. It would squeek when I would bend a string cause my fingertip would rub the fretboard....especially with the tiny vintage frets. My thumb and palm would also squeek on the back of the neck...no matter what I did to it, sand it, 0000 steel wool....etc. The wenge with the 6100 frets and ebony board makes for smooth as silk playing and no squeeking! This is the first neck I've had with the 6100 frets and although I have a little adjustment in my playing to do, I love them, bends are 10 times easier.

I hope to get time today to get the knobs finished. They will only go on the shaft till the grooves stop so they sit like 1/8" off the body. I'm gonna drill them a little deeper and go up a 32nd at the very bottom to go over the smooth part of the shaft by the pot nut. They only sold them in pairs so I have an extra to practice on, I'm also gonna hit them with some 0000 steel wool to knock some of the shine off. Then sand the selector switch knob with some 800 grit to also knock the shine off. Take the truss rod cover screws, hit them with the wire wheel on the dremel and put a couple coats of flat black on them.....THEN I'll be done with the exception of the black Graph Tech saddles......coming soon.
Click to expand...


If you like the Wenge so much, you should also try a Canary neck.
I have a Wenge and two Canary necks.  I really like my Wenge, but the Canary has a smoother feel.  IMHO...

Oh yea, Nice build :icon_thumright:
 
RAW.......There is no way I could bring myself to put a finish on a wenge neck, that's just wrong. I don't see how people play guitars with glossy necks. When I went to Guitar Center to try out neck shapes I picked up a Custom Shop Tele that had a glossy neck and I couldn't even play it....felt like I coated my hand with rubber cement....to each his own I guess.

As the neck settles in it keeps getting better and better.....my fingers are getting sore :guitaristgif:
 
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