Model 1178

[mark1178]

Hello folks,
Finally completed (sort of, just need to get a fret dressing done).

Here's the breakdown:

Body
Swamp Ash body blank from Warmoth.com
Finish - Wudtone Amaranthine
Body template design - me
Template made by - www.guitarbuildingtemplates.com
Body blank cut by - Brian at www.BrianPaulGuitars.com

Neck by Warmoth
Style: Vortex
Construction: Warmoth Pro Angled
Orientation: Right Handed
Neck Wood: Maple
Fingerboard Wood: Indian Rosewood
Nut Width: 1-3/4"
Back Shape - 59 roundback
Fret Size - SS6150 (Stainless)
Tuner Ream - Schaller (25/64" 11/32")
Radius - 10-16" Compound
Scale - 25-1/2"
Frets -  22
Mounting Holes - Standard 4 Bolt
Pre-Cut Installed String Nut: GraphTech White TUSQ
Inlays - No Inlay
Side Dots - White Side Dots
Finish - Wudtone clear

Hardware
Tuners - Hipshot Locking Tuners
Bridge - Locking Roller Bridge from StewMac.com
Tailpiece - Gotoh Stop Tailpiece from StewMac.com
Strap Buttons - Dunlop Straplocks from I don't remember 10 years ago

Electronics
2 GFS Loudmouth Pickups
2 Seymour Duncan Triple Shot Humbucking Rings
2 500k Volume pots from Warmoth.com (Upper volume is bridge, lower is neck)
2 Chrome Top-hat knobs from Stewmac
3-way switch from Warmoth.com
Switchcraft Jack from StewMac.com
Les Paul Style Metal Jack Plate from Stewmac.com

Now for what people kinda care more about:










Little dust on the body after I opened the photos up on my PC. But there you go.

Story of the guitar you ask? Of course!

Ok so I like Strats, Ibanez Talman's, [name withheld for legal reasons] SG"s and Tele's growing up learning how to play guitar. Never got a Tele or Talman, but had a couple friends who had one. After a while I wanted a Talman, bad. But, they didn't make them anymore and it's hard to find someone selling one for a fair price. Then Eddie Van Hagar came out with his Ernie Ball guitar. Loved it. Wanted one. Couldn't afford one.

After a many drunken nights, I had a dream of a pit fight between a Strat, Tele and SG on a LP. They kicked the living crap out of the LP, then someone ended up pregnant and out came this body design. 8 years later, got married. 9 years later, built the Model 1178. "11" stands for my wife and I, "78" is the year I was born, representing my parents. I had a bunch of female names for it but I think my wife would kill me if I named it some random girls name. That and I already named my old acoustic after her.

Took it to Guitar Center earlier and finally played it through real amps, wasn't too busy so I was actually able to hear myself. Too shrilly bright on any Marshall, not too shabby on a Fender Twin, but just right on a Blackstar, yes everyone was gawking and no I didn't let anyone touch it. It's my private area.

The end.

 

[mark1178]

No love....

 

[line6man]

Needs a Canary neck, but the body is cool.  :kewlpics:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

That's weird, I really thought I'd posted. I love it - the colour is so vivid, what a great finish. Good story too. Gonna do a video or a clip?

 

[stratamania]

It's always good to realise a dream.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Vol. Knob]

That's unusual.  Dig it!  What genre of music gets played on this thing?

 

[mark1178]

Thanks guys! I feel loved now.

Would have gone with the canary neck but budget would not agree, but I'll probably do that in the future. I'll have a video of it soon, just gotta find the time between, work, wife, hockey, sleep.

It's probably the comfiest guitar I've ever played, Brian at Brianpaulguitars.com did an absolute perfect job with the cutting and forearm cut. Super lightweight. I really didn't want to finish the neck, but maple needs the finish, so wudtone it is. I think I might hit the back if it with more steel wool.

Type of music is mostly rock based. The pickups and neck give it a nice twang when I split the coils, so blues gets played a lot. For a while I was afraid that no tone control would limit my tones, but this guitar really doesn't need one...unless it's going through a Marshall amp, them it sounds like a Boss metal zone using a paint can as an amp. After hearing it on a Blackstar 2x12, I now want one, but have to remind myself that I'm not in a band and don't really need one.

Been mostly playing it through Amplitube 3 with the Soldano and Jet City amp and the OCD drive, get some really nice tones from it. I'm a big gear nutjob, so I have a different setup for every guitar I have, but I don't touch my other guitars now so it's just minor tweaks here and there.

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Yowza that is PRETTY!  If you have any more details on the finishing process, please post - that's a stunning job there.  I might have to use me some of that Wudtone on my next build....

The body design looks like it might be neck-dive inclined, especially if it's super lightweight, but I've obviously not played it.  If it works, excellent!

Well done!

 

[mark1178]

Yowza that is PRETTY!  If you have any more details on the finishing process, please post - that's a stunning job there.  I might have to use me some of that Wudtone on my next build....

The body design looks like it might be neck-dive inclined, especially if it's super lightweight, but I've obviously not played it.  If it works, excellent!

Well done!

Thanks!

The finishing process wasn't tough at all. The only problem I had was the wait time and some uneven splotches, but I'm actually happy with it. The deep color coat was tiring more than anything because the ash just soaked up a lot of the stain., I tried to get it on there as even as possible, which was tough because the temp at my place is around 60's in wintertime, so I assume it would be much easier to apply when it's warmer. I would have waited but I didn't want to. The color coats were a little easier to apply since the deep color coat seals much of the bare wood. It got too dark for my liking after the 3rd color coat, so after a week of curing I sanded the front of the body down a bit to take some color off then started with the clear top coat. I applied three coats of the top coat and became really happy with the gloss on it. Just remember to use thin coats, on a test piece of wood I tried to put a lot on at one time and it easily came off after it cured. The smell wasn't too bad at all, did it in my closet, prompting my wife to yell out "coming out of the closet yet dear?" In a warmer climate it probably would have taken a much shorter amount of time for me to finish, this took me 4 weeks, but I will try again on one of my other guitars this summer.

After I had the guitar shaped, I was afraid of the neck dive, but since the body is still pretty wide, it sits perfectly where I need it to, and I use a 3" leather strap with a very rough bottom side that helps keep it in the same playing position. Quite possibly the most balanced guitar I've ever played.

Depending on how the night goes tomorrow I'll try to record a video of it.

Thanks again.

 

[Surf n Music n Ski n Bike]

Never saw this one. Awesome. Super different. I see you want to put a floyd on it. Other then that you still loving it? Great job.

 

[mark1178]

Yeah it's still my número uno guitar. Re-thinking the floyd situation. I might just have another one built next year with the floyd routed on it already and just have this one refinished.

Or have a Warmoth Z built, or both I dunno, I just want a metal machine.

 

[mark1178]

Refinishing the old girl:
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=24676.0