My Customized Guitar ... So far

DiRtyFranK38

So in a previous thread, i mentioned that i would be taking a tradition strat and totally re-vamping it. It was candy apple red to begin with.This wasn't a real lousy tradition, like a squier or anything. it was $350 when i got it, and it actually had a nice sound! however, it is a guitar i can screw with. i now have a nashville tele, and my patriot hot rod michael kelly. i figured i'd customize the whole look of the strat. i thought i would just sand parts down and see what i got out of it. well in the pictures below, you will see where it is at now. i personally think it looks insane. it needs more work, but it has this unique look, yet with balance. I sanded it down differently in certain areas. I think it looks very cool. The headstock i literally burned, but evenly along the edges with some smokeyness in the middle. As far as the electronics, i plan on putting EMG 81-85's in there so it will REALLY sound great. now, i actually plan on modeling the sound after tom morello of rage/audioslave. i love what he does with a guitar, and i wanted a guitar of my own with his capabillities. so, with that said, the EMG's are appropriate, but i plan i getting a killswitch installed and a floyd rose tremelo. But both of these things are not easy tasks. i can have someone take care of them for me, but it might not be the simplest. So, my reason for comming here, is this...OPINIONS..THOUGHTS...IDEAS..SUGGESTIONS...ANYTHING. there are always some great responses here on the pit, and i think this a neat little project that can turn something simple and cheap into a main axe. so down below are pictures so far. i did not start sanding the sides or back yet. so any thoughts or suggestions on the body, look, finish ideas (thinking clear coat), pickguard ideas (not sure if i want one, but if not .. what? if so, what color?), killswitch thoughts or ideas, and suggestions on the floyd rose (some work may need to be done). basically those are the things i'm looking for. thanks for your time, this was long and probobly hard to follow, but i wanted to be short simple and to the point. here's the pics:

BODY:
http://link.imgshare.us/acjYOj
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZHG
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZzK

NECK:
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZfX
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZxk
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZOl
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZ8c
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZo5
http://link.imgshare.us/acjZjP

THANKS

Novawind

If you like the body the way it is (colors and pattern) you could throw a few clear coats of lacquer on there and it'll be shiny and smooth. I personally would ditch that neck and get a new one from warmoth or stew-mac, then put burn-marks or whatever you like on that, but that's just because I don't like the headstock and I'm picky about necks.

DiRtyFranK38

Novawind wrote:

If you like the body the way it is (colors and pattern) you could throw a few clear coats of lacquer on there and it'll be shiny and smooth. I personally would ditch that neck and get a new one from warmoth or stew-mac, then put burn-marks or whatever you like on that, but that's just because I don't like the headstock and I'm picky about necks.

thanks for the imput. the clear coats of lacquer is a good idea. personally though i love the neck and headstock so i'm gonna keep that.

xtremehardy388

Just so you don't ruin that paint job, I'd get a pickguard. No idea what kind or even if they make a clear one.

DiRtyFranK38

xtremehardy388 wrote:

Just so you don't ruin that paint job, I'd get a pickguard. No idea what kind or even if they make a clear one.

stew mac has a see through stratpickguard

ianvomsaal

Yup, here's the Stew Mac Clear Pickguards
There's also stuff like GUITAR ARMOR

- Ian

Edward Hatspace

Novawind wrote:

If you like the body the way it is (colors and pattern) you could throw a few clear coats of lacquer on there and it'll be shiny and smooth. I personally would ditch that neck and get a new one from warmoth or stew-mac, then put burn-marks or whatever you like on that, but that's just because I don't like the headstock and I'm picky about necks.

Stewmac necks are just miteymite necks. Good for the price but there are better necks out there. USACG or Allparts for example.

this is not for you

looks cool, i'd get a different neck tho but thats just me..

PearlJamaholic

saw your post in the rage thread so i figured and look and see if you posted anything here about your task. anyways i commented in that thread but ill just restate here. i did a rewiring of a strat style for the morello style playing. if you need or want to look at the schematics i used let me know and ill find it.

DiRtyFranK38

PearlJamaholic wrote:

saw your post in the rage thread so i figured and look and see if you posted anything here about your task. anyways i commented in that thread but ill just restate here. i did a rewiring of a strat style for the morello style playing. if you need or want to look at the schematics i used let me know and ill find it.

hey, yea! i'd love any info or pics you got! thanks!

PearlJamaholic

this is the one i used. i know it shows humbuckers but i used singlecoil. i told him i was using singlecoils so its just the way he drew it out.

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/1761/stratwiringinlineswitchsb6.png

this here is another one he sent me a few days later. he said its actually clearer/better but since i started the other one he said not to worry about it. the wires seem exactly the same so i think just the drawing is different.

http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=stratwiringinlineswitchkk8.png

hope that helps. if it helps any i got these from a guy on the carvin boards. i used all carvin parts for the re-mod so i figured id ask there and he was nice enough to draw these up.

id actually like to do this to a decent guitar cause the fretboard on the guitar i did feels like a 2x4 so i dont play it much. even though its my only guitar that can do what it does.