Number One Son - Sanox

AlanRatcliffe

I had to take some pics today, so I squeezed in some new ones of my Sanox to pop on my site when I get some time. It's seriously battered and beaten, but I've never found anything with even the potential to match this guitar. I'll refinish it one day, but a through neck is a serious job and I don't know if I can do without it that long anyway.

Some of the wood is original:

The (serious) business end:

You can see where I've filled in a hole (next to the 13-pin socket) I had for a DB25 socket (Yes... a PC serial plug) I had fitted for a GK-1 I fitted internally years ago. Good shot of the rosewood knobs, switch tips and pickup rings as well as the Neutrik Jacks and the 13-pin.

The back:

Yes, the centre strip is Honduran mahogany. The control cover is a temporary one. Planet Waves AutoTrim tuners, BTW.

FatBoy

That looks like a serious piece of kit you have the Dr Ratcliffe, very nice indeed!

NorioDS

Beautiful piece of wood! Strange shape for my tastes but, wow, it's pretty.

Reef

Norio wrote Beautiful piece of wood! Strange shape for my tastes

yes, yes we know. You like yours Ibanez shaped ?

Norio wrote but, wow, it's pretty.

It is. Very. Where do Sanox guitars come from?

AlanRatcliffe

Japan in the mid-'80s. I suspect it was made in the Matsumoku factory, but there is no way of telling. The company is long gone.

Originally a Les Paul control layout and all the flame maple and inlays are my additions.

CornFlakes

Sweet Guitar Man!

Wessel

Awesome guitar.Your fingers must fly over the higher frets.There is no restriction between the neck and body.

Gray

Wow, nice.

What are those two thingy’s by the owl? ?

And the output plug close to them? ?

AlanRatcliffe

Wessel wrote Your fingers must fly over the higher frets.

Well, Maybe not my fingers LOL!

Gray wrote What are those two thingy’s by the owl? ?

Those are the output jacks. Neutrik brand - the only ones I use. One piezo output, one normal magnetic.

And the output plug close to them? ?

13-pin output for guitar synth.

Gray

and the cicular silver thing close to where the fret board starts?

AlanRatcliffe

That's an inlay covering the old hole for the three way selector switch. The owl covers an old pot hole.

Gray

I would never have known had you not told me.Im assuming you did all the work youself?

I know you said you did the inlays and maple etc but did you install the jacks and synth or were these guitars built with them already installed?

Edited

AlanRatcliffe

It's a bit more obvious on the back (It's on my "to-do" list dammit, along with a rosewood control cavity cover, its fourth refret, a Plek job, recessing the 13-pin plate and a complete refinish ? ).

Inlays are premade things I picked up from the shell shop (a pendant and a badge) and inlaid whole - I'm not enough of an artist to be able to conceptualise those kinds of things. The flame maple is also an inlay to cover the hole left by one of the three bridges it's had - if you look closely you can see where it joins with the original maple right in line with the neck pickup height adjustment screws. The top is a refinish job after the inlay work, but well past it's prime.

Gray

Sorry I edited my previous post just before you replied. Im interested to know, did you install the jacks and synth or were these guitars built with them already installed?

AlanRatcliffe

Yeah - I did all the electronics.

Originally it looked like this (aside from the 3-way switch and gold knobs):

I actually bid on that one for a backup and the guy who took this pic sniped me and won the auction.

JoEllis

Very nice, Alan! I've actually wondered about it since I checked out your website. Awesome work that you did on it. I quite like the body-style. It actually reminds me of something along the lines of the older BC Rich-designs. I love it great when a guitar starts to reflect the player's personality.

loewrida22

that guitar is real metal! if it was black it would be perfect for me haha, it reminds me of the marilyn a bit

AlanRatcliffe

that guitar is real metal!

Yeah, everybody thinks that. Fairly low power pickups though. The nice thing is I've managed to get the pickups well calibrated, so that if I set the amp right. I can get everything from clean Jazz and funk tones, gritty blues and all the way to classic '70s Rock tones - just by changing the pickup settings. More and more I use one simple amp tone and do everything else from the guitar.

it reminds me of the marilyn a bit

I see what you mean, but Jo is right that it owes a lot to the BC Rich Guitars like this Eagle:

In fact, the Marilyn is more than a nod of the head to the BC Rich Stealth: