Jack's Excellent $100 Build - "Jack White Special"

[jackthehack]

Cost of goods:

Body        $27.00  (Finest Taiwanese Ash available on eBay)
Neck          12.00  (Of unknown, but dubious origin on eBay)
Tuners        12.95  (Qwik Tune from eBay)
Bridge        12.95  (GuitarFetish)
Neckplate      5.00 (Warmoth)
SC pickup    0.00  (Free, pull from Strat upgrade I did)
5way switch  0.00 (Free, pull from same Strat upgrade)
HB pickup    0.00  (Free, bridge HB from Epiphone upgrade I did)
Wiring          0.00 (Free, using re-purposed wire from old car stereo harness)
Neck screws  3.00 (Warmoth)
Vol pot          5.00 (Warmoth)
Strap locks    5.00 (Warmoth)
PU cover        3.00 (eBay)
Black Dye      0.00 (Free Sample, will dye maple neck black)
===============
Total            $80.90

I still have room in budget for rattle of black paint if the dye won't work on the maple neck!

DAMMIT!!! Can't get pics to upload from work, will add when I get home later....

 

[Nando Vallart]

HAHAHAHAHA Sounds cool!

 

[Cagey]

Not to be a party pooper or anything, but aren't we supposed to assign some value to those pickups and that switch? If you could use parts you have laying around, it would be pretty easy for some of us to build some pretty nice "$100" guitars.

 

[bbl4ck]

Not to be a party pooper or anything, but aren't we supposed to assign some value to those pickups and that switch? If you could use parts you have laying around, it would be pretty easy for some of us to build some pretty nice "$100" guitars.

I really do hate to say it, but I think you have a point there  :dontknow:

 

[Cagey]

Sure. I mean, right off the top of my head I know I've got an ebony over maple Carvin neck, a finished GFS Strat body, a stack of unidentified single coil pickups big enough to make a ski slope out of, a knock-off Wilkinson trem bridge... on and on. I could throw together something functional for maybe the price of a set of tuners and a pickguard. I'd have to look, but I think I might even have a pickguard. That wouldn't be fair. Nobody could reproduce it for the same money if I called the pricing of all that stuff $0 just because it was laying around.

 

[Tonar8352]

I love it!

 

[AprioriMark]

Really, the only things he's calling free are some pickups that he's be lucky to get a couple bucks for.  I have sold plenty of squire strat loaded pickguards for 5-20 bucks in my day.

-Mark

 

[Mor Paul]

Got some pics, Jack?

 

[jay4321]

I have to agree with a couple posters above a bit. I have a lot of extra junk parts at the house too, and it seems to defeat the purpose to use them and especially to use them and mark them as free. $100 builds are pretty impressive, but "$100-plus-leftovers" builds... not so much. Even with cheap pickups, if you spent $4 on ebay with $2.99 shipping that would use up 7% of your budget, and that adds to the challenge.

HOWEVER - I'd be okay with $0.00 for an item if it was not pulled from anything guitar-related and typically something most members could gather free, such as his use of wiring from an old radio. That seems fair game to me.

And, I think we should count everything, down to the cost of strings

 

[Mor Paul]

I have to agree with a couple posters above a bit. I have a lot of extra junk parts at the house too, and it seems to defeat the purpose to use them and especially to use them and mark them as free. $100 builds are pretty impressive, but "$100-plus-leftovers" builds... not so much. Even with cheap pickups, if you spent $4 on ebay with $2.99 shipping that would use up 7% of your budget, and that adds to the challenge.

HOWEVER - I'd be okay with $0.00 for an item if it was not pulled from anything guitar-related and typically something most members could gather free, such as his use of wiring from an old radio. That seems fair game to me.

And, I think we should count everything, down to the cost of strings

I say no cost for strings, because when I change strings, I don't feel my guitar's value goes up.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Per the contest, it was $100 give or take a few buks.  The meat of the guitar is being done on the cheap, and that's the point.  A switch and a few pickups being called free, so what.  It was even said a Squier loaded PG could go for 5 to 20 bucks, and the build is hovering around $80 thus far.  I'd say it sticks with the intent of the contest.

 

[Cagey]

Per the contest, it was $100 give or take a few buks.  The meat of the guitar is being done on the cheap, and that's the point.  A switch and a few pickups being called free, so what.  It was even said a Squier loaded PG could go for 5 to 20 bucks, and the build is hovering around $80 thus far.  I'd say it sticks with the intent of the contest.

I agree. As long as it's cheap. Who cares where it comes from or what it costs? A body and a neck being called free... so what? I've got a '58 Telecaster I got for next to nothing. A MIM Strat could go for 5 to 20 bucks, and I'm not even up to $50 yet. Should be within the spirit of the contest. Right? [/sarcasm]

This is why I didn't even enter the contest. The rules were never etched in stone, and are changing as fast as we breathe. You never knew exactly what was allowed, and to the extent you did, the boundaries keep changing. What about the people who are trying to build something according to the "spirit" of the rules? They're now working their asses off because they didn't think some things were allowed. Others didn't enter at all for the same reason. Others are making compromises they didn't have to make.

I'm not happy, and I don't even have a horse in this race. So, shut my mouth. I just had to bitch.

 

[jackthehack]

Near as I can tell, any "rules" on this "contest" are dubious/questionable. If you bring me an axe to upgrade the electronics on, you get ZERO credit for the crap I'm replacing and it goes in the junk box where it will sit for perpetuity unless I give it away. Ergo, my cost for these items is ZERO. F*cking sue me, I don't care, this was supposed to be fun?

See the pics of almost all of the parts below, I forgot the hardtail bridge/tuners at work, but here are pictures of them:

Bridge: http://www.guitarfetish.com/Black-Hardtail-Bridge-for-Teles-and-Strats_p_112.html

(Have to use the flatmount due to wood cracking/instability from the relic'ing process).

Tuners: http://cgi.ebay.com/6-R-Black-Inline-Guitar-String-Tuning-Peg-Machine-Head-/250680422730?pt=Guitar_Accessories (these are same tuners, but got from another auction shipped from US for $12.95)

Forgot to add $3.00 for the jackplate, so total is now $83.90. Going to spray paint that black, and either dye or spray paint the maple part of the neck black as well. I got the neck off eBay to practice spraying on for $12, pretty sure it was pulled off one of those horrible $99 retail Squire "Strats" they used to sell at MARS music around $10 years ago, or something.

Decided to use the pulled Gibson 3 way switch instead of the 5-way, as it will be easier to mount in the cavity.

Due to the warping in the body, the action may have to be set up impossibly high, but it should still work when done as a passable dedicated slide guitar.

 

[jackthehack]

Here are better close ups on the body:

Can't figure out why they don't all come out full size; full size pics here: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=6902.0

 

[Nando Vallart]

You're really going to use this body?? :toothy12: This is AWESOME!

Have you gled the parts where it cracked or going to go really barbarian way?

 

[jackthehack]

You're really going to use this body?? :toothy12: This is AWESOME!

Have you glued the parts where it cracked or going to go really barbarian way?

Barbarian; going to use the body pretty much as is, might have to pound a couple of nails through here and there....

 

[bbl4ck]

You're really going to use this body?? :toothy12: This is AWESOME!

Have you glued the parts where it cracked or going to go really barbarian way?

Barbarian; going to use the body pretty much as is, might have to pound a couple of nails through here and there....

Truly in Jack White fashion!
I can't wait to see her finished.  Lookin' good...
:rock-on:

 

[bpmorton777]

give 'em hell, Jack!!!! :headbang:

Brian

 

[erogenousjones17]

I am so glad you're using this body, especially as-is.

 

[m4rk0]

Fantastic!!
I have been waiting for this one!