Soopastrat build

guidothepimmp

So I have been busy on and off with a home build inspired by a guitar I had commisioned.

Basically it is a Guidothepimmp style superstrat modelled on the different bits I like from some of the legend brands..

Started off with a slab of Mahogany single piece and glued this Birdseye maple cap onto it (Birdseye maple cap courtesy of BvanS Custom guitars, THanks for facilitating Wayne!)

The cap:

Glued the bad boy together, got it planed, drew on the template and started routing

Then, took the ol gal to a band saw and got the rough shape cut out..

Drew on the back cavity for routing and promptly got to it

The end result (slightly rough but will clean it up with my trusty dremel

Because Im not brave enough to cut a neck, I got a neck blank from Wayne and Ben at BvanS Custom (again, thanks fellers)

I fretted it with stainless steel frets and put in the fret markers using a drill press. The stainless steel was a MISSION but I am pretty chuffed with my first fret job... no close up yet, but heres the body and neck after much sanding....

Will keep this thread updated as i progress... still have a shedload of sanding to do though first.. :-[

Gearhead

If this is to be a Strat or Superstrat, then where are the other two routs? ?

guidothepimmp

:-[

Its a hardtail :-\

No whammy escapades on this one I'm afraid... (My charvel model 2. Will suffice for those ?)

Gearhead

Think I have not made myself too clear... Was talking about two single coil pickup routs, as you find them on most Superstrats...

TomCat

Gearhead wrote Think I have not made myself too clear... Was talking about two single coil pickup routs, as you find them on most Superstrats...

Metinks this might be heading in the direction of a Frankenstrat........ ? ?

guidothepimmp

Ahh, alas Gear, not all superstrats 2 single coils haveth..

Charvel model 2 is an example.. That's the route I'm heading, single pup

costafonix

aaahh,,, there's nothing better than seeing a piece of wood coming to life like this.. :applause: :yup:

Clint-Green

Wicked stuff! Keen to see how this one develops, I have a soft spot for Superstrats (and Soopastrats)... and congrats on your first fretjob too, you're a brave, brave man to be diving in headfirst with stainless steel; much braver than I, good sir ?

guidothepimmp

cheers bud, i must admit, after they were in and i needed to file down the edges i was seriously wondering what id got myself into..

also learnt really quickly how a file over the frets stuffs up not just the fret, but the maple...

lots of lessons learnt but it turned out great... need to hit the spraying soon.

Clint-Green

guidothepimmp wrote cheers bud, i must admit, after they were in and i needed to file down the edges i was seriously wondering what id got myself into..

also learnt really quickly how a file over the frets stuffs up not just the fret, but the maple...

lots of lessons learnt but it turned out great... need to hit the spraying soon.

I know that feeling, I have a couple of ugly scratch/gouges on the rosewood fingerboard of my RG; all it takes is a split second of lost concentration and before you know it the file has left you a little present on there. Live and learn, ey, at least we know we'll do a better job next time and the time after that and the time after that...the important thing is playability, I think it takes a good bit of experience to get a flawlessly purdy fretjob going ?

guidothepimmp

ok...

So after MUCH sanding, both neck and body, I finally feellike im getting somewhere. Excuse the phone photos...

Managed to get all the little sand scraches out of the neck and promptly shot the 1st coat to seal the wood.

i am SOOOOO chuffed, just the 1 coat and the flame POPPED

For the body, got the slight carve done on the top and its at a point where I am happy,also done the contour on the back

cleaned up the control cavity

the maple and mahogany cleaned up nicely. Thetop is curious in that it has birdseye and a bit of flame.

So I am basicallyat the staining bit... done someoffcuts to gauge.

Im leaning toward the one in the middle.

MikeM

That is a hot ass neck!!

Also voting for the middle ?

AlanRatcliffe

I love the neck too!

Maybe put a little finish on that stained scrap before you decide. I like the one on the left.

Neon-Gecko

+1 to the one on the left. The middle one, although good looking, will be pretty close in colour to the mahogany when finished...

guidothepimmp

Thanks fellers

The one on the left is the middle one sanded back slightly to be a bit lighter.. I put some finish on all 3 already.. So that is the rough idea.
In better light the grain of the wood does seem more lively on the left one..

I hadn't thought of the proximity in colour of the middle one with the mahogany. Good pointer Wayne..
I'm going to procrastinate a day or 2 and think about it some more... ?

AlanRatcliffe

If the left is the middle sanded back, you are only a step away from a double stain - just add another, lighter stain, like a slight amber (and - if you're me - a trans colour coat of the same colour stain in your laquer , just to burst the edges of the guitar ?). If you've got good scrap, you might as well use it up with a few experiments to get ideas ?

Oh, ...and radius the edge of your scrap (the curvy side), so you can judge the effects of the stain and tint ideas over the grain at the edges.

shaunf

Very nice work! That neck is stunning.

Neon-Gecko

I'm pleased the neck came out looking like that too. I thought there may have been a bit of flame going on there when you collected it, I just takes the first coat to confirm it... :applause:

guidothepimmp

Yeh I'm going To play with the colour schemes..

With the neck,it took lots of sanding, eventually got to a stage where with the plain wood it was quite visible.. Then a mate of mine showed me that by rubbing the neck quite thoroughly with steel wool (effectively polishing) the grain pops.. And after the first coat, well then its just really shows..

Can't wait to get started on the other neck.. Going to glue the fret board next week and start fretting carving, shaping etc.. Should look stunning.. Drew some templates on pine to give it a whirl..

guidothepimmp

Goody goody,

My hardware arrived.. ( Well everything except the pickup)
Will snap pics another time..

All black hardware
Hipshot hardtail bridge
Gotoh locking tuners
Cts pot
Black neck plate ( getting engraved as we speak)
And a pup ring.. Not sure I'll use it though..

Pickup is a bareknuckle blackdog..

Got some bone from Ben at BvanS which I am going to start cutting and shaping this weekend.. Pics to come.. Only after I'm back from cpt though ☹