Show us your DIY guitars!

Sporky · August 2013

TTony said:

The order from then on gets a bit hazy. But I think this was #3, made-in-Wales when Neil Morgan was running courses. This one happened alongside Sporkaster 1, I believe.

It did indeed - I remember that one.

Paul_C · August 2013

Built on a Baileys course.

My two basses

Andyjr1515 · August 2013

Sporky said:

Some of mine - the ones I finished, at least.

Sporkaster 1 - a Variax rehouse in flip-flop green/blue:

http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/morgancourse/sporkaster1_1.jpg

Sporkaster 2 - 7-string with Sustainiac in marbelized finish:

http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/sporkaster2/IMG_1837.jpg

Sporkaster 3 - P90-sized 'buckers, Freeway switch. Now refinished in a trans green/blue, but needs reassembly...

http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/sporkaster3/sp3 finished 1.JPG

Sporkaster 5 (4 isn't finished yet!) - this was a £100 challenge, but I then put in nicer pickups and made a new neck:

http://monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/builds/sp5/finished.jpg

That's all that's finished so far.

Actually, Sporky, I've seen very few of the fully finished articles before (although quite a few cakes :-) )! They all look great. And everybody else's - some real talent about, folks Andy

EdGrip · September 2013

Took a pic to show you the new knobs. Because it's important.

fatherjack · September 2013

I prefer the original ones - the fact that the new ones stick outside the control plate just niggles.

Megii · September 2013

There is some astonishingly good work shown on this thread, I am awed! However, I'll put up my humble couple of partscasters I've done. Both use one-piece swamp ash bodies from www.guitarbuild.co.uk and necks I got from www.axesrus.co.uk . I first made this tele:

I used some dark grain filler, and finished with Birchwood Casey Tru Oil (about 20 coats IIRC). The pickups were made for the guitar (alnico 3) by Chris Hernandez (aka "chrisher") who can be found on ebay.

Then I wanted a strat, and went for a similar formula, although no grain filler this time and just 11 coats of Tru Oil. Pickups are an "Eric Johnson" style set, again from Chris Hernandez, alnico 3 in the neck and bridge (5.9K and 6.1K), and a 6.8K alnico 5 in the bridge slot. Ebony fingerboard on this one.

EdGrip · September 2013

Love those guitars! I'm all for woodgrain, especially when you can still feel it... How are those axes'r'us necks?

fatherjack said:

I prefer the original ones - the fact that the new ones stick outside the control plate just niggles.

Yeah, I suppose the points do a bit. It's hard to see in the first pic, but the skirts on the silver knobs completely overhung the plate. It was the main thing that annoyed me about them. That, and I felt they perhaps overdid the turned-finish bit. Also, anyone can buy them from bitsbox, so they're hardly unique....

There were 8 knobs in total on that machine in that factory. They all sat in matching plastic surrounds, with dials numbered 1 to 10 moulded in, like an old cooker. I carefully unscrewed those too - I'm hoping to use a pair, complete with the dial surrounds, on my bass build if I ever get round to it!

Man, I love knobs. Knobs knobs knobs.

IvisonGuitars · September 2013

Here's mine:

No prizes for originality but I was trying to get as close to a Blackguard spec/look as poss but still with modern functionality.

2 piece Ash body, Allparts TMO-Fat neck (and it is MASSIVE!) Nitro finish all round, faux bakelite pickguard finished with clear nitro, Wilkinson bridge with compensated saddles, MOJO '52 Blackguard Set and CTS wiring loom, cloth wire throughout.

I love the look of an aged guitar but not the belt sander relic brigade so, using a friends battered blonde '76 as a reference, I tried to get an authentic aged look with the tinted laquer top coat, I think it came out really well. I also sprayed a very thin coat of tinted nitro on the fretboard so hopefully over time this will wear in all the 'right' places and not look like some of the fake wear marks you see on some of the 'professional' relic guitars.

OilCityPickups · September 2013

axisus said:

Flippin heck! They all look amazing!!! I love them all!

Some of you may remember mine from MR:

I bloody LOVE that guitar .... glad you revived pics of it!

Megii · September 2013

EdGrip said:

Love those guitars! I'm all for woodgrain, especially when you can still feel it... How are those axes'r'us necks?

Thanks! You can still feel the grain a bit on the tele - guess I wasn't too heavy with the dark filler, and liking the result on that, when I came to the strat I just thought I'd not bother with filler at all, so the grain texture is a feature on that one if you like. The Axesrus necks are both the "True Modern" ones they used to sell for £100. Really great quality for the money I'd say, although they did both benefit from a fret level and dress. Actually the one on the strat is about my favourite neck of all my guitars to use - nothing low quality about either neck. Sadly Axesrus no longer selling this line, they've gone to more expensive, though I'm sure excellent Musikraft ones.

EdGrip · September 2013

Axius. That guitar is beautiful. And cool as fuck. Everything about it is unexpected and it all works.

GuitarMonkey · September 2013

I did make this about 10 years ago.

Rich · September 2013

This is an amazing thread. All these guitars look like they've been built by pros! Pretty inspiring. I think I shall have to have a go at this building lark...

breadfan · September 2013

Some incredible work on here!

This is a beautiful looking guitar! Didn't you have a build thread on MR?

Any chance of some more pics?

Gulliver · September 2013

My strat - Swamp ash, Gold Lace Sensors, Mighty Mite Compound Radius Maple Neck, Planet Waves Auto-Trim Locking Tuners

GuitarMonkey · September 2013

Here's my 2013 Challenge build, with neck slimmed down, refinished properly and the controls re-organised.

I originally had the 2 volumes at the top, thinking it would be logical, PRS/Rickenbacker style. After a lifetime playing Les Pauls though, I couldn't get my head around it and now the layout is more Les Paul-like.

I also fitted Sperzel tuners which do a great job.

ThePrettyDamned · September 2013

Took me a while, and I can't source a gold bridge, but other than that, this is a nice guitar. Needs a string tree (still) and nut cutting and a fret job, but it plays acceptably and sounds fantastic thanks to oil city.
http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=9184430036

GuitarMonkey · September 2013

ThePrettyDamned said:

Took me a while, and I can't source a gold bridge, but other than that, this is a nice guitar. Needs a string tree (still) and nut cutting and a fret job, but it plays acceptably and sounds fantastic thanks to oil city.
http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=9184430036

Bridge for Jazzmaster®/Jaguar® with mounting cups in Gold £27.99

EDIT - just noticed you have a Mustang bridge fitted. In that case, no idea sorry!

ThePrettyDamned · September 2013

Haha yeah, the mustang bridge is a little easier on me. I need to get a new one in 9.5" radius to match the neck, should make it fractionally more playable. But it won't be gold, sadly.

Which is a shame, because I loves my bling. I want to build another soon, a tele, strat or les paul alike with mega high output buckers from oil city (throbbing violators?) and an ebony board.

With gold hardware and a quilt maple cap, naturally.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Show us your DIY guitars!

Comments