This Strat Brought to you by . . . Pabloman

[B3Guy]

First of all, many thanks to Pabloman, who is sending me all the non-wood elements for this guitar body. Any unused parts will be available to anyone on the forum starting on their first Warmoth build, as will any parts that I replace later. Thanks Pabloman!

In Chronological order:

1. The Neck. 
Im always watching Warmoth's Showcase, and over the last month, there was a huge influx of Pau-Ferro necks (my choice of neck wood). Imagine my surprise when a neck to my exact dream specifications shows up in the showcase! (I had let on to my desires here on the forum, and I know this place is "unofficial", but thanks to any Warmoth employees who may have given the nudge-nudge towards the new Pau-Ferro necks.) Anyhow, after some rather feeble debate over wether I should spring for the neck, I decided $380 now versus the $500 I would pay later (for a custom order of the same thing) was enough savings to warrant snatching this baby up. Without further ado:

pau-ferro on pau-ferro, Warmoth Pro, vintage oval tuners, SS6230 (vintage stainless) frets, Graphtech nut, 10-16 compound radius fretboard, mother of pearl dots:

 

[B3Guy]

2. Pabloman's Generosity:

1- Black VS100 w/Bar
3- Springs
1- Claw w/screws
2- Studs
2- Inserts
1- Fender Atomic Humbucker Black
2- Fender Hot Alnico II Singles w/ Black Covers
1- CTS 500K pot
2- CTS 250K pots
1- Capacitor
1- CRL 5 way switch
1- Black Switch Tip
3- Black Knobs
3- Cream Knobs
1- Tortoise HSS pickguard
14- Pickguard Screws
1- Nickel Jack Plate
1- Black Jack Plate
1- Switchcraft Jack
1- Nickel Neck Plate
4- Neck Screws
2- Strap Buttons w/screws

 

[B3Guy]

3. The Body

As a direct result of not having to buy all that hardware, I was able to cough up enough dough for a Showcase body as well!

Chambered swamp ash Strat body, black-red-yellow burst front, gloss black back, HSH pickup routing (for 2 P-Rails down the road), recessed Wilkinson tremolo route.

 

[B3Guy]

The body should arrive on Tuesday, and the body I just ordered this weekend. I will update as stuff arrives and as assembly progresses . . . with lots of pictures ccasion14:

 

[B3Guy]

The degree to which I am able to assemble this my self will be greatly dependent on the amazing knowledge base here on the forum . . . aka YOU. I don't know the questions I will have, but I've never assembled a guitar before. Here is my plan:

1. Electronics. I will have my cousin wire up the guard for me. He is experienced with this, as he's built several very nice guitars from scratch. He does clean work, and he needs work.

2. Neck to Body. You just line stuff up and bolt it on, right?

3. Bridge. Same thing, right? Put the body on a padded surface and gently tap in the inserts, drop it in.

4. Tuners. I have access to a drill press, but I don't know what size bit to use or how to space things out and do it right. Do you think I can do this part? I'll need a "for dummies" play-by-play. Or, I may have a pro shop do this.

5. Jackplate. Line up, drill holes. Insert screws. easy. Only question: what size bit?

6. Strap Buttons. Once again, I have access to a good drill press. Can I pull this one off? "for dummies" instructions, anyone? what size bit?

7. Drop in the pick guard. IS this easy, or critical? Do I just eyeball it? Line up at the pocket and at the bridge? What size bit for pilot holes? "for dummies" breakdown? Or have a pro do this?

8. Set up. I'll have a professional luthier in town do final setup and whatever that involves . . . fret dressing/nut cutting/trussrod/pickup height/intonation/action, etc.

 

[crash]

Damn, that's going to look nice!

I can answer some of your questions:

#2 - yes

#4 - See your first post, the tuner holes are already there.

#5 and #6 - I just use a cordless drill for these.  Not critical for the pilot holes to be perfectly perpendicular for these items.  I use a drill bit slightly smaller than the screw.

 

[line6man]

Pabloman is awesome! Very generous about sending parts. :icon_thumright:

Btw, Pabloman, did you get the routing templates yet?

 

[NonsenseTele]

Very nice of Pabloman this!  :icon_thumright:

This is going to be a nice strat!

 

[pabloman]

Joey....I'm pretty sure they arrived today. I'm at work but there's a package at the house. There's an envelope on its way to you as well. Thank you sir. ccasion14:

 

[jlegnor]

Remember the neck "drops" into the neck pocket of the body.  Don't try to "slide" it in.  If that doesn't make sense, it will when you try it.

 

[B3Guy]

Remember the neck "drops" into the neck pocket of the body.  Don't try to "slide" it in.  If that doesn't make sense, it will when you try it.

ok, gotcha. frets toward the back, right?  :icon_jokercolor:

 

[Jusatele]

Remember the neck "drops" into the neck pocket of the body.  Don't try to "slide" it in.  If that doesn't make sense, it will when you try it.

ok, gotcha. frets toward the back, right?  :icon_jokercolor:

only if you got the 420 mod, otherwise frets toward the top so you can see them as you play. if you get the 24 fret extension you can put the head in the pocket cause the scale will still be correct. that is where Stienbergers came from

 

[dNA]

that thing's gonna be KILLER

 

[B3Guy]

Damn, that's going to look nice!

I can answer some of your questions:

#2 - yes

#4 - See your first post, the tuner holes are already there.

#5 and #6 - I just use a cordless drill for these.  Not critical for the pilot holes to be perfectly perpendicular for these items.  I use a drill bit slightly smaller than the screw.

#4 I know the large holes are drilled . . . its the small ones I'm worried about, what with all the horror stories of screws breaking off . . . WAX! I gotta remember wax.

 

[crash]

I see, you were talking about the screws that hold the tuners on the back of the neck.  What I do is put the tuners in, line them up and tighten them down.  Mark the hole, remove the tuners then drill the holes.  Put a piece of tape on the drill bit to mark the depth of the hole.  You don't want to go through the neck.  When you are tightening down the screws, if you start to feel a lot of resistance, stop and back the screw out.  Ream the hole out a little bigger.  These screws do not have to be very tight.

 

[B3Guy]

I see, you were talking about the screws that hold the tuners on the back of the neck.  What I do is put the tuners in, line them up and tighten them down.  Mark the hole, remove the tuners then drill the holes.  Put a piece of tape on the drill bit to mark the depth of the hole.  You don't want to go through the neck.  When you are tightening down the screws, if you start to feel a lot of resistance, stop and back the screw out.  Ream the hole out a little bigger.  These screws do not have to be very tight.

gotcha. my father (wise handyman that he is) suggests I just go out and buy a brand new bit and a prober collar for it if I'm that worried, which is likely what I'll do. should I use the drill press for these? how in the world would I keep the neck secure and flush? I know hand drills work, but they have this uncanny propensity for worming their way across a surface before biting into it.

 

[Cagey]

The tuner screws are actually much easier to do with a portable drill than a press. As for the bit walking, that generally doesn't happen with wood like it does with metal. But, if you're worried about it, use an awl or a nail or something to poke a dent where the center of the hole should be, and that'll keep the bit aligned until it bites.

 

[llmtelecaster]

Few tips I thought of when I installed a set of the vintage tuners...

1. If you have access to one of those squeeze-action vice grips, use it. The one I have is made by a company called Irwin and it has rubber tips. I reamed the holes out with sandpaper until I could push the bushings in about half way with my fingers then used the vice to squeeze them in the rest of the way.

2. When you're getting them lined up, try using rubber bands to keep them in place. They are flexible enough so you can still make tiny adjustments if you have to and they won't scar or damage the headstock.

3. Probably the most important thing. Do whatever you have to to keep yourself from drilling all the way through the headstock. Putting tape on the drill bit is a great way to do this. Also, check to see if you can feed the drill bit far enough into your drill that you can set the depth by using the chuck on the drill. That way you physically can't drill too deep.

Just take it nice and slow.

 

[line6man]

I see, you were talking about the screws that hold the tuners on the back of the neck.  What I do is put the tuners in, line them up and tighten them down.  Mark the hole, remove the tuners then drill the holes.  Put a piece of tape on the drill bit to mark the depth of the hole.  You don't want to go through the neck.  When you are tightening down the screws, if you start to feel a lot of resistance, stop and back the screw out.  Ream the hole out a little bigger.  These screws do not have to be very tight.

gotcha. my father (wise handyman that he is) suggests I just go out and buy a brand new bit and a prober collar for it if I'm that worried, which is likely what I'll do. should I use the drill press for these? how in the world would I keep the neck secure and flush? I know hand drills work, but they have this uncanny propensity for worming their way across a surface before biting into it.

What you do is place a piece of wood under the headstock to hold it up so the neck won't hit the table, then you get someone to hold up the neck while you position and drill.
The trick to keeping a hand drill's bit from walking is to first mark the hole with a center punch. Get a nice deep indentation for the bit to "sit" into, as you slowly begin drilling the hole.

 

[B3Guy]

Picked up the stuff from Pabloman at the campus Post Office . . . had a little green slip in my PO box that had my PO number with a ? next to it saying "you have a large item to pick up". The lady handed me the package and said . . . "are you B3 Guy?", accompanied with a look showing that she obviously thought this all was something shady or risqué.

Thanks again, Pabloman!

All I can say is . . . The VS100 looks absolutely KILLer in black!

(Now I need to decide on Crome or black for the jackplate, though . . . Suggestions?)