Fat Cat guitar (custom shape)
- Thread starter Patriot54
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Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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To answer your question about the name "Fat Cat" being used for a body shape, I'm unaware. It is used for humbucker sized P-90s though.
Made the mistake of assuming that chrome neck screws from StewMac were sold in sets of 4 and I didn't pay attention when I placed the order. :sad1: After all the chrome I put on this guitar, I can't just settle for plain steel screws now.
In the meantime, I'll lightly oil the mahogany neck then go over it with this set of 400-8000 grit polishing paper I got.
In the meantime, I'll lightly oil the mahogany neck then go over it with this set of 400-8000 grit polishing paper I got.
A: When I made my Mustang, the control area was really little and because the HB bridge PU and the singlecoil neck PU each needed their own concentric tone & volume control, and I needed the third hole in the plate for the selector switch, so I knew I'd need a side jack hole. I started with chisels (yes I know how) but that got boring pretty fast. So I "clamped" it in the drawer of my bedroom dresser, held it there with my hip and dug out the hole first with just drilling a bunch of little holes with a drill, then making some of them bigger (you could conceivably crack it that way - it's only 1 1/2" thick) - so I did some more chiseling on the parts of the hole that were top and bottom not the thinner sides, IYKWIM - but the real work was done with the sanding drum of the Dremel. It sounds kinda weird but I had my Gonzo on and it only took 45 minutes or so. If I do it again I'd probably take the shirts out of the dresser first cause it was kinda itchy for a week or two. But that kind of thing can start taking a long while if you lose your Gonzo overthinking it, so maybe not.
B) Deep panel jacks totally, and unquestionably, suck eggs. On real jacks, when they start getting loose you can just about always get through the night by sticking your finger in there and bending things back around a bit. But when the deep panel ones quit on you - and they always do - you got nothing. All you can do is stare in that little hole and cuss at it. Like that's going to work.
C) This was back in the good old days* when Warmoth would leave stuff off, like the stupid Mustang bridge spring gouged out holes but I think I remember reading that they won't anymore? Ask them to NOT do some extra work and they can't? :icon_scratch: Like why is whole wheat flour so much more expensive when it's white flour they have to do all the extra processing to?
D) Is part of your planning around a 24" neck because you do know that the !YaY! 24-fret, 24.75" scale, so-called "7/8" necks fit that body? YaY! If it isn't it should be.
*(he he well I remember back whn we used to... awsht, ifergit)
B) Deep panel jacks totally, and unquestionably, suck eggs. On real jacks, when they start getting loose you can just about always get through the night by sticking your finger in there and bending things back around a bit. But when the deep panel ones quit on you - and they always do - you got nothing. All you can do is stare in that little hole and cuss at it. Like that's going to work.
C) This was back in the good old days* when Warmoth would leave stuff off, like the stupid Mustang bridge spring gouged out holes but I think I remember reading that they won't anymore? Ask them to NOT do some extra work and they can't? :icon_scratch: Like why is whole wheat flour so much more expensive when it's white flour they have to do all the extra processing to?
D) Is part of your planning around a 24" neck because you do know that the !YaY! 24-fret, 24.75" scale, so-called "7/8" necks fit that body? YaY! If it isn't it should be.
*(he he well I remember back whn we used to... awsht, ifergit)
Cagey
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StubHead said:
Absolutely true. I don't know why anybody would use the things, other than they look sorta cool before you install them. From a practical point of view, they're an awful part to use for a guitar. The argument could be made that they add a tiny bit of shielding, but so do these if you're worried about it...
But, I wouldn't worry about it.
In any event, whether you use a football, square or rectangular jack plate, you can always have a side hole drilled for 7/8". That leaves plenty of room for a standard jack and its associated wiring, even if it's stereo. Then, you wire the thing before you install it. Just leave enough wire so you can reach wherever you need to go in the control cavity.
Finally done with my custom guitar - I'll take better photos when the sun comes out, but here's a side-by-side comparison with the original concept mockup and a closeup shot.
I can't even explain to you guys how satisfying yet easy it is to design and build a guitar shape from a Warmoth blank. My roommate even said he couldn't believe this came from a slab of swamp ash. Other than a little more sanding needed in the cutaways and edges, it's perfect. I've been playing it acoustically and it really rings out loud and twangy, like a big fat hollow Jazzmaster even though it's solid. The name Fat Cat definitely fits the sound and style. I have thick strings on it right now so everything just sounds and feels big on the Gibson roundback mahogany neck. And I'm loving the idea of the stealth selector knob. All chrome with customized Dangerous neckplate and truss cover. A pimped-out hot rod rock n' roll machine. I'm sexually aroused by this guitar. :guitaristgif:
It has all Dimarzios - a Super 3 at the bridge, Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 in the middle, and a D-Activator Neck. Master volume, master tone and 5-way rotary selector. Since it has that naturally twangy sound, maybe I'll split one the humbuckers in position 2 or 4.
I can't even explain to you guys how satisfying yet easy it is to design and build a guitar shape from a Warmoth blank. My roommate even said he couldn't believe this came from a slab of swamp ash. Other than a little more sanding needed in the cutaways and edges, it's perfect. I've been playing it acoustically and it really rings out loud and twangy, like a big fat hollow Jazzmaster even though it's solid. The name Fat Cat definitely fits the sound and style. I have thick strings on it right now so everything just sounds and feels big on the Gibson roundback mahogany neck. And I'm loving the idea of the stealth selector knob. All chrome with customized Dangerous neckplate and truss cover. A pimped-out hot rod rock n' roll machine. I'm sexually aroused by this guitar. :guitaristgif:
It has all Dimarzios - a Super 3 at the bridge, Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 in the middle, and a D-Activator Neck. Master volume, master tone and 5-way rotary selector. Since it has that naturally twangy sound, maybe I'll split one the humbuckers in position 2 or 4.
Cagey
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'Tis a fine thing you have built, Mr. 54!
Without seeing them installed like that, I'd have thought the chrome bobbin pickups would be a bit much, but they work well on there.
The "stealth" selector switch is pretty cool, too, but how do you know what position you're in? You just go by sound?
Without seeing them installed like that, I'd have thought the chrome bobbin pickups would be a bit much, but they work well on there.
The "stealth" selector switch is pretty cool, too, but how do you know what position you're in? You just go by sound?
Thanks - I like the chrome pickups more every time I look at them, especially after the trouble I went through putting them together. The chrome humbuckers are usually on backorder for a while and the chrome (painted plastic) pickup cover from Stew Mac didn't fit at first and I had to sand out the inside with a Dremel and grind down the sides of the pickup a little to get it all together and in the mounting ring. The chrome coating sometimes has little specks if you look close, but after being polished up it all looks good in the end.
I positioned the selector switch with the allen screw facing up when it's in the neck position, but from there I'll just have to remember where it's set. By the way, those switches are tight as hell - I'll have to play a lot to loosen it up.
I positioned the selector switch with the allen screw facing up when it's in the neck position, but from there I'll just have to remember where it's set. By the way, those switches are tight as hell - I'll have to play a lot to loosen it up.
Jack Michaelson
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Looks great, congrats!
ihavenothingprofoundtosay
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Patriot54 said:
I dunno, that seems a little extreme...
Ok, maybe not. :icon_thumright:
I once had this wierd idea for a guitar specifically designed for fourteen-year-old boys that would have kind of like a... special... fitting, ahem, routed into the backside of the body. You'd have to go like, semi-hollow, offer a few different sizes... with a little creativity, I could foresee like, warmer coils, lube pumps, faux fur (hell, mink for the Europeeans!) the sky's the li... well; I'm sure glad I forgot about it. Something about "slipping" it by on mommy's credit card stated seeming like a big, hard, even insurmountable problem. Thank goodness.
SustainerPlayer
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Another thread down the drain ... :binkybaby: :icon_biggrin:
