Sunday, March 27, 2011

Scalloped Sunburst









This guitar was put together using a Fender scalloped neck, this snazzy sunburst body, and all gold Fender hardware.

Bandito II Guitar









I put an actual Fender neck on the Bandito body.

PRS COPY











I spent a summer building this guitar by hand. It started with pieces of wood.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Clapton "Blackie" Fender Stratocaster






























Hello! I have an interesting guitar here for sale. This is a Fender Strat that I relic'ed to look like Eric's iconic, beat up soloing machine. First things first- The body, neck, and pickups I used are from a Fender Squire. Hence the low price. That being said, I've bought different parts and made some modifications that really spice things up. Here are the specs:

* Fender Squire Strat body (the body is not plywood- it's several pieces of solid wood- even the upper tier strats are made of a few pieces)

* Fender Squire Strat neck (all Fender necks are apparently made in the same factory. This one just originally had "Squier" on the peghead, but not anymore!)

* Official Fender Stratocaster waterslide decal applied to peghead- This means that it looks legit! Nice gold lettering... pristine.

* Official Fender "Blackie" neckplate serial no.- This reaaally makes it official: the actual serial number-20036. It's those extra details that make the difference!

*Peghead cigarette burns! These were not done by a cigarette, but they are burnt in all of the right places, and at the right level! Probably not a good idea to stick a cigarette in your peghead... but apparently Eric thought it worked well enough!

*Fender Squire Strat pickups (three single coils, nothing fancy- but it has a nice spanky-Strat tone. Could you tell the difference between these and a MIM Strat? I doubt it.)

*Maple blocked tremolo- I blocked the tremolo, just like on the Fender custom version of Eric's guitar. 5 Fender springs and all. It improves sustain AND helps to avoid annoying tremolo tuning issues!

*Relic-ed body details- Specially applied body abuse to reproduce Clapton's famous guitar. Buckle rash from hell on the back, chips, dings, and wear everywhere else.

*On top of this, I scalloped all of the frets beyond the 12th fret. This was an experiment I was interested to try- you can REALLY get a hold of those strings when bending during solos... and I had heard this could cause tuning issues, but I have had absolutely NO tuning issues from the scalloped frets. It actually gives you greater control. I was so pleased I'm going to be scalloping some of my own personal guitars! I think guitar makers must not do this on a larger scale just because of the extra cost.

* MIM Fender Strat tremolo bridge- This is NOT a Squier bridge. This is from the more expensive MIM line, and has FENDER stamped into all of the saddles.

* MIM Fender Kluson tuners- Again, these were NOT from the Squier. These tuners came from a more expensive MIM Fender Strat and work perfectly.

* Shielded control pickup / control cavity- Helps avoid extra electromagnetic hum. Great sound!

Retro Bandito Fender Stratocaster with Scalloped Neck
















































This is a totally unique guitar that I put together using ALL Fender parts. It has a vintage Western theme with an awesome handmade leather pickguard (that alone cost me over $100) AS WELL AS brand new Fender Samarium Cobalt noiselss pickups installed. Check out the specs on this wild guitar:
* Relic'ed American Fender Strat body- check the photo. The serial # indicates it was made in February / March of 2000. Light wear applied to the finish overall, heavier wear over some of the contours to simulate aging and a lot of playing.
* Licensed Fender Strat PROFESSIONALLY SCALLOPED maple fingerboard neck. Before I had ever played a scalloped neck, I was concerned that this may cause tuning issues (by stretching the string too far, as the wood is carved out lower). After playing some scalloped necks, I have not experienced any tuning issues- even when playing chords. It really allows you to grab a hold of the strings for bending during solos- it gives you better control. I love it!
* Chrome Fender / Schaller tuners- Avoids tuning issues that some people blame on the standard Kluson tuners
* NEW Noiseless Fender Samarium Cobalt single coil pickups- No more annoying Strat hum in any position!!! Sound good? You bet it does.
* Chrome Fender tremolo bridge * Hand-made black and white LEATHER pickguard- This is one of the coolest things about this guitar: this pickguard is out of this world. If you are into rockabilly, the old west, 50's era themes... this REAAAAALLY sells it. The pictures hardly do it justice! The detail is phenomenal. *"Bandito" neckplate- A very cool custom image on the plate that completely goes with the Western theme
*Matador pinup girl on the tremolo cavity cover- Again, that 1950's era Western theme... it's the details that really make a guitar stand out!
* All of the hardware is of Fender origin, including the tremolo bar.
* ON TOP OF THIS, you will get the BRAND NEW TWEED CASE with a PLUSH RED INTERIOR that is pictured.