*FINISHED!* Dave Murray 'Aces High' Signature Strat

[mgaut051]

I have to change my shorts....

Good job.
:headbang1:

 

[JaySwear]

wow! i knew it was going to be good, but damn. remind me not to enter the professionally finished GOTM for about a year... congrats! i know this thing is months and months in the making, hope it was all worth it!

 

[ORCRiST]

Thanks alot everyone! It sure is nice just to have it done, you know?

More pics as promised - taken this morning in a cold, wintery Minnesota. The finish is so mirror-like that it really messed with my camera, I've literally deleted
almost a hundred shots as even in natural sunlight and with a flash most of the pictures were too blurry due to all the reflections. A good problem to have, methinks!  :headbang:
Some of the pics look redundant, but I posted the angles and colors that I thought represented the guitar best.

Kitty the camera 'ho...

 

[B3Guy]

is that my Vikes trouncing without ex-head coach Brad Childress? Methinks it is  ccasion14:

 

[JaySwear]

is that my Vikes trouncing without ex-head coach Brad Childress? Methinks it is  ccasion14:

:icon_biggrin: that win was very far from "trouncing." we really handed that one away. terrible game with dumb mistakes by the redskins.

you guys will have a few wins now though. just like the cowboys, now that the head coach is gone the players will start actually trying.

 

[B3Guy]

it was trouncing in comparison to the Packers game.  :sad1:

 

[ORCRiST]

it was trouncing in comparison to the Packers game.  :sad1:

...which the Vikes would have won if someone would have thrown a red flag...  :sad:

Minor update:

The guitar ROCKS (yes, it had to be said again). I have been forcing myself to limit my playing time
lest my fingers start falling off. I took it in to a local music store thats been around forever - had the
owner (a legend around here it seems) do a proper set-up. It took him 20 minutes and cost me $25.00.
That tells me I did a passable job of assembly and I have to give mad props (again) to Warmoth and the
Gotoh side-adjustment device in the neck, which saved me time and money as the neck didn't need
to be removed. In this instance, I arrived 15 minutes before the shop closed and the owner stayed 15
minutes past closing to finish it for me. Without the Gotoh device, the setup wouldn't have happened at all.
The shop is an hour away from me and I'd never been there before but everyone and their brother recommended
thats where I bring my guitar to - and the level of service I got has made me a customer for life!

:rock-on:

ORC

 

[erogenousjones17]

Hooray for good customer service!

But boo to the computer at work that won't let me see the final pics of this guitar. I'd been looking forward to seeing it as it all came together, but I can't!  :sad: And I moved recently and haven't gotten internet set up at home yet...

 

[JaySwear]

i demand a video! :icon_biggrin: even just one holding it and not playing it.

 

[Hbom]

wow! i knew it was going to be good, but damn. remind me not to enter the professionally finished GOTM for about a year... congrats! i know this thing is months and months in the making, hope it was all worth it!

Sure wish I had read this Yesterday! I don't stand a snowballs chance.

 

[ORCRiST]

Hooray for good customer service!

But boo to the computer at work that won't let me see the final pics of this guitar. I'd been looking forward to seeing it as it all came together, but I can't!  :sad: And I moved recently and haven't gotten internet set up at home yet...

Yes, Boooo! for non-showing pics! Well, you can try Fender.com and the stratocaster forums there. I have a similar thread there (by request)
which has many of the same pictures that your work may not block or render properly.  :dontknow:  :icon_thumright:

i demand a video! :icon_biggrin: even just one holding it and not playing it.

We'll have to see about that one. I don't know if the world is ready for my ugly mug.  :laughing7:

Sure wish I had read this Yesterday! I don't stand a snowballs chance.

Don't sweat it Hbom (and thank you). There are many months in a year (and I've been waiting for ELEVEN! lol).
While of course I would love to win GoTM and, dare I hope, GoTY - there are many excellent projects out there that
deserve recognition as well. Granted, I went out of my way to make sure there is not another guitar quite like mine in
the world - but our guitars are like our children - every parent thinks their kid is the best and brightest.  

ORC

 

[jay4321]

I guess I've gotta do my Faith No More Flying Vnow.

 

[Jusatele]

this is one of the best builds I have seen. Great theme and better execution.
My only problem is will it ever get played the way it needs to be?

 

[dmraco]

I must say I have never been a fan of painted graphics on a guitar...... but this one it top notch... :icon_thumright:

Some theme guitars can be over the top and gaudy...but this is VERY tasteful.  I love the green background.

I must admit I have never seen 5 springs used on a floyd.  I have always used three.  I suppose I should experiment with the number of spings and tention to create different feels.

anyway....nice job....

 

[ORCRiST]

I must say I have never been a fan of painted graphics on a guitar...... but this one it top notch... :icon_thumright:

Some theme guitars can be over the top and gaudy...but this is VERY tasteful.  I love the green background.

I must admit I have never seen 5 springs used on a floyd.  I have always used three.  I suppose I should experiment with the number of spings and tention to create different feels.

anyway....nice job....

Thanks DMRACO.

I knew from the beginning of the design (and I'd like to think I have a pretty good background in art and
composition) that there is a VERY fine line between 'totally wicked!' and 'Holy f-ing CHEESE...'.
I think we've all seen too many examples of the lame kind, so I was very conscientious of that. But really,
I set out to design a guitar that (conceivably) Dave Murray himself would want to play. Not only that, but I
was dealing with some very serious themes. The Battle of Britain, the Supermarine Spitfire itself a work of
art - stalwart defender of a nation beseiged in a very dark time, and Iron Maiden themselves all demanded respect.
Iron Maiden (whether you love or loathe them) are one of the iconic bands of an era, helped define a whole genre of
music, and are one of the best live performing bands ever. I wasn't about to make anything that I felt didn't
honor every one of them. And I don't mean that in any sort of arrogant way, its simply out of love - for one
of my favorite guitarists, my favorite band, and one of my favorite pieces of history, all of them united by one
song (a hit single at that! ). I think thats one of the main reasons I've received so many positive responses and
encouraging words during the build and now the guitar is done - I think people can see and feel how much love and
care I tried to put into every aspect of its construction, even over a 'medium' like the Internet. Granted 'love' is a double-
edged sword in this case as I was throwing money at everything left and right because I was determined not to 'half-ass' a
single detail because it all meant so much to me personally.

Regarding the springs, I agree - my other Floyd-equiped guitars, a Jackson and ESP both use three springs.

The springs on my Aces High strat are from: http://www.rawvintage.com/eng/item_springs.php

They are designed to be used in sets of 4 or 5. I initially only thought I'd use four, but when I was setting up
the bridge to be level with the body, I was still getting to much forward pull/dive from the string tension. Obviously,
I could have compensated with more spring-claw distance, but it got to a certain point where adding the fifth
spring made more sense than more spring-claw adjustment - and I knew from the company's view thats how they
recommended that they be used/installed.

Now that I've had some time to really play the guitar and get to know it - I'm surpised by how much difference
the Raw Vintage springs actually make (vs. just being the stereotypical marketing hype companies love to make
about tone). First off, I can easily tell that the springs are markedly different from my other trem springs in terms of
their actual thickness and tension (and I'm talking 'feel' here, not just their appearence). Second, more springs
attatched at the trem block means more mechanical energy is transfered into the body via the claw and anchoring
screws, and I can tell you - I am absolutley floored at how well and long this guitar sustains (on an Alder body no less).
I can't tell you if the Raw Vintage springs or the brass sustain block have more of an influence, but I don't care - I know I
just love the result!  :icon_thumright: The third thing I found that while doing string bends the strings really feel as if they're
at an overall lower tension at standard tuning, like I've got the guitar tuned to drop D (or lower) for example. I'm literally
surprised every time I make any bend (2-step for instance) and its just so effortless. I know I've got five springs back
there, but if I didnt know better I'd think it was more like two! Now, I've never had stainless steel frets and I know I have
to account for them in the 'feel' category, but I just can't shake the impression that I'm really glad I decided to buy some
'gimmicky' tremolo springs and installing all five. So far, the springs are doing exactly what Raw Vintage said they'd do,
in my opinon thats $20 well spent!

Up the Irons!

ORCRiST

 

[dmraco]

Lets hear it rip....Aces High!

Number of the BEAST!!!!!!!!!

 

[m4rk0]

I set out to design a guitar that (conceivably) Dave Murray himself would want to play.

you should get him to play it!! and sign the back of the headstock

 

[JaySwear]

that thing sounds amazing clean! :icon_biggrin: thanks for the clip!

 

[m4rk0]

Sounds very good!!! now let us hear some overdriven tones!!!


PS: Killer of Giants?

 

[Disco Scottie]

You should have lit yourself better... nobody can see the awesomeness of your guitar.