Walnut/maple Piezo Strat Build

[kucoyote]

All,

About a month ago I received my box from Warmoth and posted the pictures.  I was going in for hernia surgery a couple of days later.  Well, I am through surgery and things are going fine.  Last weekend, I started work on my build.
Background:
Body: Maple/Walnut veneer. chambered, f-hole
Neck: Modern strat, Maple/Pau Ferro, Stainless 6150 frets, Nightswan black pearloid, custom neck plate
Hardware: Schaller-Hannes Piezo bridge, Graphtech Ghost Acoustiphonic preamp, D'addario Auto-trim locking tuners, single coil pickups I had on a spare strat guard (think they came from StewMac, but not sure).  Will probably replace with others down the road.

So since Warmoth does not do Schaller-Hannes bridge set-ups, last weekend i spent at a friends wood shop, drilling the holes for the bridge.  Yesterday, completed the routing for the string plate on the rear and the slot for the piezo wiring on the front.
Also yesterday (92 deg/35% humidity), I sprayed the headstock to cover/protect the waterslide decal.  I did not want to level it out, just protect the decal.

Today, I finished up mounting the bridge.  realized that I don't have black, button head pickup height screws, so ordered those.  Next step is soldering

 

[JPOL007]

Looks nice. I have been interested in a Piezo type build for some time. Looking forward to watching your build :icon_thumright:

 

[kucoyote]

Working on this slowly.  Still have the electronics to complete.  I am soldering them up on a working board, then will make the last solders in the guitar.

 

[vetteman]

Really like the Walnut!  Don't know why you don't see more of it, it is a beautiful wood with nice character (at least on chambered/hollow bodies).  Have 2 guitars with piezo systems and I don't use either piezo system.  Just couldn't  find a good use for it.  Hope your experience is different.

 

[PhilHill]

That's looking very nice, great job!........ :icon_thumright:

 

[kucoyote]

Really like the Walnut!  Don't know why you don't see more of it, it is a beautiful wood with nice character (at least on chambered/hollow bodies).  Have 2 guitars with piezo systems and I don't use either piezo system.  Just couldn't  find a good use for it.  Hope your experience is different.

I play at my smaller church and sometimes they want the acoustic sound, but having had shoulder surgery I don’t have an acoustic guitar.  Throws my shoulder into an uncomfortable position.  Hoping this will suffice.

 

[kucoyote]

Finished up the wiring.  It is a bird nest with the addition of the piezo wiring in the control cavity.  Plan on getting some mini zip ties to clean it up.  Awaiting on some black pickup height adj screws before I string it up. 

Also awaiting some maple volume/tone knobs.  Don't like the traditional Fender Hat knobs, besides the fact that one conflicts with a pickup ring.

Thinking of possibly a somewhat traditional shaped maple (birds eye?) pickguard instead.  Thoughts? (see third picture-concept)

 

[kucoyote]

Found my zip ties.  Control cavity.