DIY project

  • Thread starter Thread starter thebigcheese
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thebigcheese

thebigcheese

"Hi, I'm in Delaware."
So I'm looking at building myself a guitar, but I don't have a whole lot of money. I'm mostly concerned with getting the wood and cutting it right now. Anyone know where I can get some routed 1-piece blanks for cheap? I tried Warmoth, but those are a little bit more expensive than I can manage right now (ideally I'd like less than $100 for Alder, Swamp Ash, Mahogany, or Maple). I tried Google, but couldn't come up with much of anything, so I thought I'd come here and see what you guys have used. I know USA Custom has pretty cheap non-routed blanks, but I don't have fancy tools or anything (jigsaw, normal saws, and sanding stuff), so I'm thinking it would be kind of a big pain to have to do the routing myself (is it?). Thanks.
 
Ok, so how about this. Squiers are generally POS guitars, but is it possible to mod it a little bit so that it isn't such a POS? Like, can I just change out the pickups or something? Cuz really I just want something with a wammi bar.

Also, anyone know what the stock pickups on a '79 "the Paul" are? The only place I found where people named them said they were the Dirty Fingers, but I don't know how to find out by looking at mine... Thanks.
 
thebigcheese said:
Ok, so how about this. Squiers are generally POS guitars, but is it possible to mod it a little bit so that it isn't such a POS? Like, can I just change out the pickups or something? Cuz really I just want something with a wammi bar.

Try to look for a Fernandes Strat copy, I have one that is great for gigging and recording, all I added was a bridge humbucker and its very versatile for about any music. Burny is also the company that made incredible Les Paul copies in Japan, it's part of Fernandes as well I believe.


Also, anyone know what the stock pickups on a '79 "the Paul" are? The only place I found where people named them said they were the Dirty Fingers, but I don't know how to find out by looking at mine... Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have one of the '77 the Paul guitars-and I have a Gibson brochure from 1978-but it simply refers to the pickups as "Gibson Humbucking pickups with exposed coils". In this brochure there are only a dozen variations of the Gibson Les Paul-how things have changed!
 
Mine is more like this one, (see link below) a stock looking Strat but mine is with the bridge position routed for a Humbucker..and its a slanted rout, thats how the repair guy did it. But I think it had a nicer treble response that the regular rout humbucker!

My neck is changed due to a broken truss rod problem with the original-its actually a tele style that I got for a bargain price-the original Fernandes neck was damaged by the original owner probably dropping it~ :eek:

This model of Fernandes is closer to mine ..
http://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-FERNAND...85QQihZ016QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Enclosed is a picture of my FrankenStrat.....
 

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Cool. Any idea what sort of store might carry them?
Also, any thoughts on the Carvin kits? A bit more expensive, obviously, but is there a good reason for them to be?
Also, are there any good twangy guitars with wammis that have cooler shapes and are similarly cheap? Thanks.
 
Kit guitars are a good place to start, and I've heard very good things about the Carvin kit. With a kit guitar, you'll know it very well, and be able to mod it (given you have appropriate soldering skills). Most builders start out with kits.
 
thebigcheese said:
Ok, so how about this. Squiers are generally POS guitars, but is it possible to mod it a little bit so that it isn't such a POS?.
Click to expand...

Absolutely!

Get a Squire Strat, do this to it, and add a humbucker to the bridge while you have it apart.
 
Ok, so back to the Carvin kits. Anyone here built one? I read a review that said they fit together nicely and everything, but does it have a fast neck? And how are the AP11 single-coils? I'm thinking of putting a humbucker in the bridge, and one of the options is the C22B (the other option just says "humbucker", but it seems to be either the M22T or the H22T). How does that sound? I'm looking for lots of twang with this guitar, which I imagine means I want more brightness than warmness, or more mids and upper than lows. Or I could just go with twinblade humbuckers, how are those? Worth getting over the AP11s? Thanks. (obviously, you can tell I know nothing about pickups, as I've never felt the need to replace the ones on my The Paul...)
 
Anything on the pickups of the Carvin tho? I read some reviews, and all of them loved the guitar, but one of them got the humbucker upgrade, a double humbucker set up, and said they completely sucked (both options are C series, btw). I mean, I only save $10-15 if I don't get them, but if they're going to suck I don't want them. The guy said all he really got out of them was feedback. Maybe he didn't set them up right or something? Thanks guys.
 
You can have this body for $50/ it has a route for a recessed floyg though.

pics139.jpg
 
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