my USACG strat project (pics)

  • Thread starter Thread starter GONZO-X
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GONZO-X

GONZO-X

Well-known member
i call it....... [strongbad voice-ON]
cream machine.[strongbad voice-OFF]

LOL ;)

thought i'd share this here....

i built this over the summer, just got it done about a month ago.

the stats:
body: lightweight Alder 2-piece, contoured heel, contoured treble-side bout.
Trem: Hipshot with 2-1/16" string spacing, 2-post, chrome, with contoured design.
humbucker-single-single.
side jack
neck: hardrock maple neck, pau ferro fingerboard, 6150 frets, 1-5/8" nut width, pre cbs fender headstock.
Gibson scale length neck 24.75", 22 frets.
fingerboard radius, of 12".
profile: thin "C" shape, with a .78"-.85 neck thickness (1st-13th fret)
mother of pearl dot inlays.
headstock: 13 degree tiltback design, graphtech nut
(3) Bill Lawrence pickups: (2) L-280s for neck and middle, and
(1) L-500L humbucker for the bridge.
Lawrence "Q" filter for the bridge pickup.
1 volume, 1 tone.
finish: neck: 2 coats wipe-on satin poly
body: ultra thin cream nitrocellose lacquer.
custom ordered pickguard.

see attached photo

here's a link to the prep of the body from raw to finished:
https://photobucket.com/albums/b219/gonzo-x/gonzos%20guitar%20project/
 
GONZO-X said:
i built this over the summer, just got it done about a month ago.
Click to expand...

just when I thought I'd spent my summer doing things that were worthwhile...like mowing the lawn and sitting at baseball games...

Nice job...how does it sound?
 
yes, it's got an amazing acoustic ring to the body...

very lively, very loud without plugging in...
the neck is very responsive...

the lawrences sound great in it, though the 500L in the bridge is pretty aggressive!!
LOL
 
a couple more better photos, that show the color a little better:
 
Beautiful job, congratulations. The frets look inviting.
Clive
 
Gonzo, nice job! Did you do the paint job yourself or get it done professionally? (assuming you're not a pro). I'm currently working on a Tele and it's slow going. I got my neck from USACG also and can't wait to try it out. How do you like your neck? I'm a few weeks from finishing up (hopefully!).
 
A friend of mine just completed his. It is Purple Heart wood, very heavy, and it has Texas Special single coils. He put the same bridge in his that you put on yours. Excellent machine work on that bridge. Good choice.The guitar sounds fantastic, although extremely heavy. I've never heard A guitar sound that bright and loud not plugged in. It's half as loud as my Taylor acoustic. His next project is to build one (Strat) with no pickguard on the front, and all the electronics will be accessible from the back. Thats A very nice job you did on that guitar. Is this your first project guitar?
 
thanks for the interest, and the replies everyone...

mr. C-
i paid my local luthier, to put on the thinnest nitro finish that could possibly be put on it...
so thin, it should start to wear immediately...
and have little impact on the natural sound it had before the finish.
it was worth the cost..... ($200)
the neck, was exactly to my specifications.... my luthier did a little more roll-off on the edges, to match my 21 year old Carvin, and thin did a thin finish of wipe-on poly... feels like a tung-oiled neck, very natural and wood-like.

it really sounds good.
certain combinations of wood, and how light and/or responsive they are, it's a magic combination...
i mean, if i could actually go into a storeroom, and hand select the pieces, maybe i could have dialed it in even better...
but i talked directly with tommy at USACG, and told him what sound characteristics i was looking for, and he pretty much hooked me up exactly right!

G-string (what a great moniker!)
purple heart, i've actually played an Alembic guitar, that was made out of that wood.
my bridge, had a bit of issue where the string breaks over the saddle, i had strings breaking there, and the luthier took some wire brushed to it, and got rid of whatever burrs were there...
but it is a nice piece, solid, with a solid steel trem block.... makes it feel very reponsive.
this was my 2nd project guitar...
the first, i built myself, with pieces i bought at Venemans music in DC.
it was a frankenstrat, with a single piece Zebrawood neck, and a 5-piece strat body with 2 humbuckers and a standard trem route.
 
Nice looking guitar indeed. How much did the entire project cost you?
 
hm.
let's see......

body= 170
pickups=157
Pickguards=42
bridge=67
knobs=10
finish=200
tuners=(60)
neck=(240)
setup=(125)
-------------
1071

still way cheaper than a comparable Fender custom shop, or a Suhr or Anderson....

but, factor in some savings that i got by having the luthier order some hardware at his cost...
namely, the bridge and tuners.
 
Gonzo,
I have to say that Tommy at USACG is great to work with. He was very patient as I emailed him numerous times about the neck I wanted and he made some recommendations that really helped me out. I felt that his interaction was much more personal than Warmoth, which is one reason I went with USACG. The neck I bought is maple with ebony fretboard and abalone inlays. Neck thickness is .780-.850, 1 11/16" nut width, 12" radius, 25 1/2"scale with C contour.
 
mr c

i got pretty much the same thing from tommy..
though, i think at the time, they were a bit overwhelmed with orders...

my luthier, bought a neck at the same time that i got mine..
he's customizing it, by hand sanding it down to the depth that he wants, and even bringing in the width....

but it's built exactly like mine, with the tiltback headstock, pau ferro fingerboard, one piece hard rock maple neck, and the single truss rod accessible at the headstock...

he's about finished....
i'll see if i can get ahold of some pics of that one as well......
 
That is a fantastic looking guitar! Good job. I'd like to build me a custom tele myself someday.

Rock

bford
 
i've put a 3rd spring on the trem, helps with the flutter...
and it still floats enough, to pull up a full step on the g string.....
 
Think we can hear some samples? I want to know how the Bill Lawrence pups sounds, I'm tempted to get that L-500L. It seems too good to be true.
 
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