Tobacco-burst-ish Chambered Strat with Carvin Neck

[bagman67]

Here it is, boys and girls.


This is a flame-maple-on-ash chambered Strat body.  I dyed it with General Finishes water-borne dyes, first their ebony, sanded back and dyed amber, and bursted with walnut and ebony.  The clear coat is Tru-Oil.


The neck is a Carvin unit, with what I think is a 14" radius, given that's the standard radius Carvin offers. 


The bridge is a Wilkinson.  Tuners are Planet Waves self-trimming lockers. 


Pickups come in the form of a loaded pickguard cannibalized from an Eric Johnson model Strat. 

 

[stratamania]

Nice. The body finish looks great and subtle.

 

[Great Ape]

I LIKE IT!

 

[Surf n Music]

Ya that turned out great. Well done!

 

[bagman67]

Thanks, guys.


I took a page out of Cagey's playbook and mounted all five springs for the Wilky, and it really changes the feel when I bend the strings -- changes it for the better.  More closely approximates a fixed bridge, I think.  Gotta tell you, those EJ pups really sound nice.  Very "sproing-y" - that classic Strat sound in spades, albeit with the accompanying single-coil hum.  I've been playing it in a room where the lights are on a dimmer, and that sucker really spews the sixty-cycle noise.  So I turn off the main lighst to play. 


Curiously, the middle position - territory I never found interesting before - really sings on this axe.  I still have some tweaking to do - a small twist of the truss rod to get just a tiny bit more relief, and a little adjustment to the saddles to get a little rounder radius at the bridge end - and then it will be truly dialed in.


Anyway - thanks for the kind words.  This one took forever (they usually do, for me) but has absolutely been worth the wait.


Bagman

 

[migetkotla]

Really nice work - beautiful guitar.  And an example of why this blog remains a great source of information.  Good stuff!

 

[anderspbass]

Nice work! When using 5 springs, do you run the bridge flat to the body?

 

[drewfx]

Nice!

 

[bagman67]

Nice work! When using 5 springs, do you run the bridge flat to the body?

It floats about 2 mm above the surface.

 

[Strat Avenger]

'Definitely looks good.