jt001
Sr Member
It's been many, many years since I first toyed with the idea of building a Frankie replica (or something that looks like a Frankie, for that matter). Why now? Well, I got accepted at Law School and will be starting in August. I'll be SO damn busy that I had to start this right away or wait 4 years to do it!!! So I finally took the plunge.
Although I would have loved to make a 100% die hard replica, I had to cut some corners here and there due to lack of funds. I got an alder body from ebay to start with. I'll be fitting my guitar with the following:
Gotoh Floyd
OFR would have been great, but I decided to go with Gotoh for mainly 2 reasons:
1. These suckers are very, very well made and work awesome!
2. Sadly, some of the new OFR are lacking a bit on the quality department. Money was not an object here, it was just a matter of taste.
EVH humbucker
After thinking over and over and over and over again I decided to go with the EVH Frankenstrat pickup. I was between the EVH, SD custom custom, and a SD '78. The more info I read on them the more confused I got. I read so many contradictory things that I got to a point where I was totally lost, so I decided to go with my gut and went with the EVH. I still haven't got it, but a got a nice deal with free shipping on ebay so I went for it.
EDIT: I just received the humbucker! Nice! I was thinking about relicing, but it looks so pretty! LOL!
I also ordered a pickup base and some black and white cable from Stewmac which, by the way, it has just arrived!
Gotoh tunners
This was due to a budget cut. I wish I could go with Schallers, but these Gotoh's are pretty good and get the job done. I'll sand them a bit to get rid of the brand new finish. Had to replace the posts because they were to big and might have cracked the pickup wall.
Neck
I got one of those Mighty Mite's Fender licensed MM2928 maple Strat neck with jumbo frets. It has a skunk stripe but what the hell. Gets the job done. Might not be as accurate but it was a nice fit. I'd like to sand it a bit and weather it. Still not sure how to accomplish that, so I'm looking for some more info on that.
Pickguard/Pot/Knob
I decided to go with Divebomb on this one. They look dead on and saved me the hassle of getting all those separate parts. Besides, it's ready to go. I still haven't got it, but I've heard many good things about it.
I also like to add that I am no wood worker and I've NEVER used a router in my life, so I got one of those Dremel Router attachments, read as much as I could on the web and prayed for the best. I think I pulled it through, tho. Only two finger cuts!
Sanding almost complete!
Neck and tremolo set!
Had to replace the original posts because they were to big and might have cracked the pickup wall.
First time using a router!
Now my guitar, just like Steve Vai's will have some of my DNA in it. :lol
Guitar has been filled with acrylic based sanding sealer and ready to sand. I used an electric sander in some places and the rest was done by hand
Beginning the taping process
Thanks for the idea Sc0rch!
I messed a bit in some of the taping, specially the ripped section on the front bottom. It should have been a little more angled to the bottom.
Ready for some white. I applied one ultra light black and 2 white dustcoats. After that I went with 4 or 5 thin coats until white was achieved.
Peeling the tape off. In some threads I read to wait a day, in others to wait an hour. I waited about 7 minutes after the last coat and everything came out pretty good.
Relicing and weathering
I went with some dremel, X-acto, sanding and dry brushing technique to achieve a little dirt on some white spots, specially on the bottom of the guitar. Doesn't look like much now but if my calculations are correct, once the red is applied it'll look much better. For the tuners scuffed them with sanding paper. I believe it was 220 grit.
Well, that's it for know. I've already shoot 2 light coats and one medium coat of clear on the guitar, to prevent the pinkish color. I also began the process of taping for the red. I'll be posting pics soon. So far I've only applied the thick ones.
Your tips, constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome!
jt
Although I would have loved to make a 100% die hard replica, I had to cut some corners here and there due to lack of funds. I got an alder body from ebay to start with. I'll be fitting my guitar with the following:
Gotoh Floyd
OFR would have been great, but I decided to go with Gotoh for mainly 2 reasons:
1. These suckers are very, very well made and work awesome!
2. Sadly, some of the new OFR are lacking a bit on the quality department. Money was not an object here, it was just a matter of taste.
EVH humbucker
After thinking over and over and over and over again I decided to go with the EVH Frankenstrat pickup. I was between the EVH, SD custom custom, and a SD '78. The more info I read on them the more confused I got. I read so many contradictory things that I got to a point where I was totally lost, so I decided to go with my gut and went with the EVH. I still haven't got it, but a got a nice deal with free shipping on ebay so I went for it.
EDIT: I just received the humbucker! Nice! I was thinking about relicing, but it looks so pretty! LOL!
I also ordered a pickup base and some black and white cable from Stewmac which, by the way, it has just arrived!
Gotoh tunners
This was due to a budget cut. I wish I could go with Schallers, but these Gotoh's are pretty good and get the job done. I'll sand them a bit to get rid of the brand new finish. Had to replace the posts because they were to big and might have cracked the pickup wall.
Neck
I got one of those Mighty Mite's Fender licensed MM2928 maple Strat neck with jumbo frets. It has a skunk stripe but what the hell. Gets the job done. Might not be as accurate but it was a nice fit. I'd like to sand it a bit and weather it. Still not sure how to accomplish that, so I'm looking for some more info on that.
Pickguard/Pot/Knob
I decided to go with Divebomb on this one. They look dead on and saved me the hassle of getting all those separate parts. Besides, it's ready to go. I still haven't got it, but I've heard many good things about it.
I also like to add that I am no wood worker and I've NEVER used a router in my life, so I got one of those Dremel Router attachments, read as much as I could on the web and prayed for the best. I think I pulled it through, tho. Only two finger cuts!
Sanding almost complete!
Neck and tremolo set!
Had to replace the original posts because they were to big and might have cracked the pickup wall.
First time using a router!
Now my guitar, just like Steve Vai's will have some of my DNA in it. :lol
Guitar has been filled with acrylic based sanding sealer and ready to sand. I used an electric sander in some places and the rest was done by hand
Beginning the taping process
Thanks for the idea Sc0rch!
I messed a bit in some of the taping, specially the ripped section on the front bottom. It should have been a little more angled to the bottom.
Ready for some white. I applied one ultra light black and 2 white dustcoats. After that I went with 4 or 5 thin coats until white was achieved.
Peeling the tape off. In some threads I read to wait a day, in others to wait an hour. I waited about 7 minutes after the last coat and everything came out pretty good.
Relicing and weathering
I went with some dremel, X-acto, sanding and dry brushing technique to achieve a little dirt on some white spots, specially on the bottom of the guitar. Doesn't look like much now but if my calculations are correct, once the red is applied it'll look much better. For the tuners scuffed them with sanding paper. I believe it was 220 grit.
Well, that's it for know. I've already shoot 2 light coats and one medium coat of clear on the guitar, to prevent the pinkish color. I also began the process of taping for the red. I'll be posting pics soon. So far I've only applied the thick ones.
Your tips, constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome!
jt
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