Leaderboard

First build. Heavy metal strat.

GuitarNoob said:
Ok so I've gone ahead and bolted/screwed everything I was comfortable with together, and it's starting to feel more like an instrument and less like a bunch of parts.

The neck is on, so is the bridge. The tuners and pickup frames are still just sitting there, but I've gone and mounted/wired all the electronics now too - taking off the plastic connector did the job!

All that's left for the luthier is the pilot holes for the aforementioned, the enlarging of the jack hole, a couple of string trees, and the strap locks. I suppose I'll get him to set it up and give it a polish while I'm at it ha.

Picture attached with progress so far.
Click to expand...

Looking sharp!
 
I am also of the belief that they look fairly ****. Can I get away with not using them?

I was under the impression that a strat needed at least one, for the B and E strings. What are peoples thoughts on this?

Happy to be convinced I don't want/need them ha.
 
http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=392
These have the staggered post option, and you don't need to drill.
 
Unfortunately I've already gone and installed a set of Schaller m6 minis, which I think are fantastic, but aren't staggered.

Guess I will need to use a tree or two. Good thing I picked a couple up already.
 
GuitarNoob said:
I am also of the belief that they look fairly ****. Can I get away with not using them?
Click to expand...

String trees? Absolutely. I never install them unless a customer forces me to.

The string tree was an invention of Leo Fender back 100 years ago when he first started using straight headstocks. Production volumes put time constraints on neck setup that precluded the amount of attention a well-cut nut requires. As a result, the high strings had a tendency to pop out of their slots while playing. Rather than add time to setup, a 10¢ tree could be quickly poked onto the headstock to hold the strings down tighter to the nut. Problem solved! Cheap and fast, too!

However, the trees presented a new problem in that they tended to cause the string to hang up either due to friction or a biasing bend in the steel of the string, so tuning reliability suffered. Better trees could eliminate the friction issue, but not the bend bias. Still, OEMs and some independent builders continue to use them for the same reason Leo did: time is of the essence. You can't bill inventory that's sitting on the bench - you have to ship it.

So, what's a mother to do? Not much you can do if you're buying OEM instruments. But, if you're building your own, simply use a nut of good material and cut it (or have it cut) properly. It takes some time, a little skill/understanding of the geometry involved and some surprisingly expensive nut files, but you end up with a better-performing instrument that doesn't have the operational and aesthetic drawbacks of the string tree kluge.
 
GuitarNoob said:
Unfortunately I've already gone and installed a set of Schaller m6 minis, which I think are fantastic, but aren't staggered.
Click to expand...

Did you pick your Schallers up from Warmoth? If so, you won't need string trees with them.
 
No trees then! I'm sold.

And no, I bought all the hardware from Schaller directly.

So one problem down one to go. How would I go about drilling into that gorgeous finish? I still need to fit the strap locks.
 
GuitarNoob said:
So one problem down one to go. How would I go about drilling into that gorgeous finish? I still need to fit the strap locks.
Click to expand...

Take it slow and steady–I would recommend a very small hole just to get it started, the screws will take care of the rest. And don't go too tight either.
 
treyhaislip said:
GuitarNoob said:
So one problem down one to go. How would I go about drilling into that gorgeous finish? I still need to fit the strap locks.
Click to expand...

Take it slow and steady–I would recommend a very small hole just to get it started, the screws will take care of the rest. And don't go too tight either.
Click to expand...

And countersink in order to prevent tear out from screw threads.
 
I decided to drink a tall glass of cement and get this thing done myself. With everyone's advice I'm happy to say my dream guitar is now (all but) complete, and I was able to make that happen myself which is a great feeling.

I'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped out, I could not be happier with the result.

I ended up MK1 eyeballing the strap locks and they turned out perfect. I measured and remeasured the pickup rings and they're spot on. Finally there's the matter of that stubborn jack hole, which I'll be rectifying this weekend; then I'll only have to wait for the football plate to arrive and screw it on.

I will most definitely be posting some quality finished product photos for anyone who's interested.
 
GuitarNoob said:
I decided to drink a tall glass of cement and get this thing done myself. With everyone's advice I'm happy to say my dream guitar is now (all but) complete, and I was able to make that happen myself which is a great feeling.

I'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who helped out, I could not be happier with the result.

I ended up MK1 eyeballing the strap locks and they turned out perfect. I measured and remeasured the pickup rings and they're spot on. Finally there's the matter of that stubborn jack hole, which I'll be rectifying this weekend; then I'll only have to wait for the football plate to arrive and screw it on.

I will most definitely be posting some quality finished product photos for anyone who's interested.
Click to expand...

Congrats dude! Looking forward to pics of the finished product!
 
Here it is. All issues solved and plays like a dream.

One final thank you to all of you who helped, I really appreciate it. Can't explain how happy I am to have finally completed the project after 15 weeks of waiting.

HARDWARE:

Schaller M6 Mini Tuners
Schaller 3D6 Bridge
Schaller Pickup Rings Flat
Schaller Tone Knobs Round
Schaller Strap Locks

EMG Tone and Volume Pots
EMG 3 Way Selector Switch
EMG 81 Bridge Humbucker
EMG 85 Neck Humbucker
EMG Stereo Jack

Dunlop 10,46 Strings
Dunlop Celluloid Picks

NECK:

Modern Construction
Maple Two Piece
25 1/2 Scale
Standard Thin Profile
1-11/16" Nut Width
Black Graphtech TUSQ XL Nut
22 Frets
6150 Frets
9.5" Straight Radius
Black Face Dots
Black Side Dots
Clear Satin Nitro Finish

BODY:

Solid Construction
Rear Rout Control Cavity
Mahogany Two Piece
HH Style Pickup Routs
Master Tone and Master Volume Routs
3 Way Switch Rout
Side Jack Rout
Tummy Contour
Forearm Contour
Black Gloss Finish
 

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damn, haha. Well, at least I just ordered my VIP body and neck, as a bit of a "happy birthday to me" purchase.. haha
 
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