[DIY 2.0]

The grain on that body and top is just sick! The two-color binding looks great too.

Thanks one and all.

 

Yeah, even though I have had people tell me that it wont sustain well because of sympathetic vibrations that are going the other way on the neck because the grain is going a different way to the body

 

It does look cool though ;)

 

We may all find out tomorrow.

 

And yes... GREAT job there Dub.. Proper looks the business

[DIY 2.0]

Ok.. Got all the hardware on... Just needs soldering and a setup and we are done

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And almost forgot the strap pins ..

 

They didn't come with washers but I have some spare.. Gotta have a fluffy washer :)

 

Sorted

 

Hopefully barring anything weird going on I will actually get this finished tomorrow

[DIY 2.0]

Nice... Dub

 

I have a small update today.. I realise how long this build has taken so wanted to say theres a good reason.. Ive been dealing with my father whos very sick... Been happening since last November and is taking most of my time up at the moment... But im not far from finished now...

 

Today I did some extra polishing and got the trussrod cover done.. And as usual I use my offcuts to make a nice matching cover...

 

So I get an appropriate sized bit of Korina

 

This is often how I flatten and shape small bits of wood (I know, I know :))

 

 

Then I drill the holes while its in place

 

Counter sink the holes

 

And oiled

 

And did some extra polishing on the top

 

So, im so close to finishing its almost painful.. But my schedule at the moment is unpredictable to say the least. So, hopefully more very soon....

[DIY 2.0]

Cool stuff guys. Rabs that Dimarzio pot looks like it was made by CTS

 

Just wired up this Strat pickguard

 

Nice...

 

And yes I noticed that too.. That its very CTS like.. which would make it from 1979 no?

[3 Strikes Your Out, PRS Blows You Away Gibson]

I did that when someone wound Rabs up by going with Rabs2.0.

 

I thought it would be funny to join in and went with RabsVista.

 

I think I asked someone nicely and they changed it back for me.

 

And yes. Stop posting in this thread. Idiots.

Which I seem to remember was the result of a few too many drinks that night...

 

Or at least that what I was told

 

:D

[DIY 2.0]

Thanks for the Strat porn, Rabs. Someone's definitely been a little sloppy with the solder in there in the past.

You can say that again :)

 

I was doing some more looking. That other tone pot is a Dimarzio pot...

 

And looking at the paint/lacquer.. That's some proper checking going on there

[DIY 2.0]

Cool cool COOL man!!

 

Looks like 3 different pots haha. Original 3 way switch?

Lol.. Yes and yes.. :)

 

And that volume pot.. I don't know who changed it but that looks like a cheapo one to me... Grrrrrrr...

 

Ohh no.. Actually the switch was replaced from a 3 to a 5 way one. But its also old.

[DIY 2.0]

Looks like a fun guitar to work on. Looking forward to seeing those gut shots. Can you do us a favor and measure the output of the pickups whilst you have it on the bench?

Righty.. So I took her apart today...

 

 

Pickups

Bridge

 

Mid

 

Neck

 

Then neck specs

 

 

 

 

7.25" radius

[3 Strikes Your Out, PRS Blows You Away Gibson]

She showed up yesterday, flawless.

 

That is frikken SHWEEET man... Happy playing

[3 Strikes Your Out, PRS Blows You Away Gibson]

Oh man.. I somehow missed this and what can I say

 

 

The same troll back again.. and yet again just pages of nonsense from him.. Pathetic...

 

So you had no idea about the PRS weight relief and now you know you want to return it even though you loved it... You sir are an idiot...

 

And I don't normally say such things on here... But you take the biscuit, cake and all the pies.... just ridiculous...

[DIY 2.0]

You're a master of restraint, a monk or something, I would've had that sucker plugged in the second I walked in the door!

Lol.. Well actually all I have in my work area is a small Marshall MGFX so it probably wont ever sound great through that. I should bring it home to play through my tube amp but will probably wait till I finish so it has new strings :)

 

Maybe it will be one of those moments in a players life and manages to turn me to the dark side with its seductive quacking

[DIY 2.0]

I hope you enjoy playing with it while you got it! One of my buddies let me borrow an L series Mustang for a while and I have never played such a good sounding Fender but the neck was so tiny it was really hard to play. Couldn't have been more than 1 9/16" nut width. If I could get that sound with a normal neck I would be in heaven, so these L series Strats and Teles really pique my interest

 

Basically if I lived near you I would be running over to your house right now

And you would be very welcome too :)

 

Yeah its cool to be able to have the chance to examine such a specimen..

[DIY 2.0]

So screw the paint... how's the sumb!tch sound, Rabs?

Yeah I will do that before I take anything apart and see whats working and what may need a clean... I may video it and do some measurements... Its the kind of thing people seem interested in, those small details.

[DIY 2.0]

Looking at those pics I honestly don't think that was brushed on but I'm not looking at it in person. I think the tell tale would be if the edges have "brush strokes" in a different direction or some obvious indication that it was brushed on.

 

What I can see looks like it could be an original finish on a well loved guitar

 

As I'm sure you know, the difference in value between a refinished vintage Strat and an original custom color is HUGE. Black is a really desirable custom color. If that is factory original, you're working on a pretty valuable guitar

 

And like you said of course it could just be an old refinish. Would be great to hear if the original owner had it painted or what. If his brother was the original owner, and thought it was refinished just because he found the sunburst underneath, it could actually be original. Then again, you know a lot of guys had to have seen Jimi or Clapton with a black Strat and got theirs refinished

Yeah.. its one of those things you need to be a REAL expert on to tell... While I know a fair amount im still learning too (as we all are :)) Which is why small projects like this are cool it makes me want to learn about the history more. But as I say, I spotted it within seconds of picking it up..

 

I will give it a good look over when I service it... And the guy is on holiday now till the 2nd Aug so when I give it back to him I will see what he knows about its history

[DIY 2.0]

Did the guy say it was a refinish or is it just an obvious hack job? The reason I ask is that the finishes from that period do not hold up to time/the elements well and many people would look at an original finish and think it looks awful

 

What happens is the finish sinks into the grain over time so it loses that mirror smooth appearance. Then of course it also checks, cracks, flakes, etc. All that stuff is normal for an original finish, but if it has runs and stuff like that and it was just obviously never a professional job then that's a shame

He just said he knows that it was a sunburst.. that's all I really know...

 

And it wasn't so bad that it had runs but you can see the brush strokes sort of thing... I need to look closer as I only gave it a quick once over but the paint job itself seemed old.. So I think it probably was done in the 60s, the second I looked at it I knew straight away so thus I know it wasn't a great job. But those strokes may actually be cracking...

 

If you look close at these pics

 

[DIY 2.0]

Looks like a fun guitar to work on. Looking forward to seeing those gut shots. Can you do us a favor and measure the output of the pickups whilst you have it on the bench?

Sure

[DIY 2.0]

That's an L series Strat, that's really cool!!

 

Sunburst was the only standard finish option for the Strat at that time period. If you wanted a different color, you would have to custom order it, and they often painted the custom color right on top of a sunburst finish. If that was an original black finish, this thing would be some real cash

 

Any way, it's probably a great guitar. I'm jealous that you have it in your posession

Interesting.. Cheers, I didn't know that.. Even though I did know that a lot of people painted over tham at the time... My first thought was oohh, wouldn't it be cool to try and strip down.. But if that paint job was done in the 60s its just as much a part of the history of the guitar as anything and should be left as is.

 

And yes, its an honour to be trusted with something like this.. Another one of those steps I had to take. Working on a vintage instrument :)

[DIY 2.0]

You 'picked it up'????

 

???? Where's the 'green with envy' emoticon??

Ha.. Sorry I should have said.. to do a service on, which is why ive posted I here rather than a New Vintage Guitar Day thread ... Lol, me with a Strat.. I don't think so :P I did have a quick strum though and have to say it was quite resonant and loud unplugged.

 

The guy hasn't played it for years and one of the pots are a bit scratchy.. So im going to try and clean it up as good as I can with some electrical lubricant and cleaner and then give the fretboard a clean and then re-string and do a set up.. UNLESS I find something else wrong with it, in which case there will have to be obvious discussion if I find I need any new (or old rather) parts which will of course have to be vintage too.

 

BUT you want to hear how much he paid for it?

 

He bought it off his brother quite a while ago for £150 :o

[DIY 2.0]

Well I still haven't managed to get back to the Korina build yet BUT I did pick this up today and thought it may be of interest.

 

Its a 62 Strat... Things of note.. Its been painted black (fairly badly) and its a burst under there... Second you can tell its age because of the thin curved fretboard.. In 63 (apparently) they went to the thicker slab boards which are flat at the bottom..

 

So here it is.. Nothing fancy but nice to get my hands on such an old instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will post some more when I open her up :)

[DIY 2.0]

Here in the US we get a little black box that says "the image you are requesting does not exist or is no longer available imgur.com" I can see Dub's photo, but none of yours. :angry:

My fault... After I realised how huge the pics were I deleted them from imgur and have just re-uploaded them smaller and am about to update now.

[DIY 2.0]

Ok cool.. let me start with the last pics from my Black Kroina build :)

 

Wiring

 

I get a small panel of wood (still from one of the doors I took apart when I started all this :)) and mark the positions of the controls by putting the guitar on top and using a drill bit to mark the holes

 

 

Always use a small alligator clip as a heat sink in order to avoid damaging the cap with the soldering iron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:D

[What the latest song you've been playing on your guitar?]

This... Its a lot of fun to play :)

[What's for breakfast,lunch, or dinner?]

Sorry I posted in the wrong thread somehow..

 

But since I am here I had an authentic Thai curry cooked for me by a friend who lived in Thailand for 10 years.. It was good :)

[CS 336]

Ohhh shweeeettt... Happy playing man.

 

A 336 is my most coveted guitar in the world.... Ive played a few.. They all played like butter and sounded amazing..

 

One day.. It will be mine :)

 

 

One day.

[Help me find the perfect guitar]

Buy a custom made Rabswood guitar made in UK.