Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm a little new to the Luthier game, as I'm sure you get alot.


Anyways, I have this pretty old JB Player strat style guitar that was given to
me by a good friend of mine.






(Sorry for the horrid photos, taken with an iPhone)


I really don't like this guitar, being generic Stratocaster copy, and not a well
one at that. I'm wanting to fix it up and make it my own.
What I'm here for is for some simple suggestions for a beginner, as well as to
ask a few questions straight forward.
Before I start disassembling this guitar, I want to to be aware of some things
so I don't royally screw myself over.

-Are bolt on necks strictly bolt on? Or is there something else holding it in there?
-How do I go about removing the springs exposed when I remove the access panel
in the back?
-What are some of the tools I will need going about altering it? (Other then the-
basics like sandpaper, screwdriver, ect...)
-Is it possible to fix a warped neck? I'm a guitarist with a budget, and who once
to salvage as much of it as possible.
Replacing the cheap-oh stock hardware can come once I get the money.

I'm open to advice, And I hope to get more pictures once I get this project off the
ground.

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Edit:
On another note, I have an Epiphone SG Faded that had the neck snapped off. I took
it to the Guitar Center I bought it from to get it repaired. The repair was god awful.

Every time I look at that scar on the neck I die a little inside. Any ideas on how I can clean
it up a little?

Hey Britt,

Well, I geuss it all comes down to what modifications you want to make?

Typically bolt on necks are really on bolted on, and can be removed by removing the screws. Everything else hardware-wise can be removed with simply house tools...Mayeb you would consider giving it a really good set up before you start taking it apart though? As soon as you introduce a router or sandpaper to a guitar, especially as a beginner, you are opening up a hallway that sometimes takes a little longer to walk through than expected.

If the guitar has a truss rod, you could start there with addressing your warped neck. If it does not, then you might consider making a new neck because once that wood has moved, it is very hard if not impossible to correct that problem well.

On another note - which may deal with both of your guitars - Finishing or blending modifications into an original finsh - well , those things are hard to do really well. It is a lot of sanding, spraying, sanding, buffing...Adding color to the mix can make it more complex as well.

So, we will help you with whatever you need, but I would recommend some simpler things first - truss rod adjustment, fret level, nut dressing, action set up, and maybe a new electronics package...

Have a great one!
Stephen

_________________
www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Well I'm not new to wood work, just work with guitars.


So I'm not at least completely over my head.
I was planning on getting all my new/refurbished hardware and electronics before
I start my project officially. I see where you were going with that.

The guitar does have a Truss Rod. Thats a little bit less to worry about.
I have basically tried everything on this guitar, there is no way in bettering
it other then the path I'm on now, which is fixing it the hard way.

A few more details about this guitar:
-The Pickups are FRIED. My god they sound horrible, way to much feedback.
-It was and still is missing a few parts, such has a pickup selector, and one of
the strap buttons and tuning pegs were salvaged from a wal-mart guitar.
-The finish is starting to wear away.
-Lots of the screws are rusted, don't ask me how it happened, but its there.

Just trying to give you a view of what kind of shape this guitar is in.




Thanks for all the advice, I guess I will start looking into how to fix the neck
on my SG.

You could go ahead and finished the "relic" job that was started by someone else? I had no idea that people actually like guitars that are scarred by battle, dragged through the dirt and other good stuff like that. After I started spending time on the guitar forums, I discovered a whole new way to look at guitars!

Mike

I have no general problem with Battle scars, but theres got to be
a limit.

If it is to the point where its effecting the sound, I think thats far enough.

A few thoughts...take them with very little grains of salt.

-For repair on the one with the busted/fixed neck...if it is just a finish issue, and you are ok with changing the look a bit, you could do a fade from red (at the heel) to darker red/burgandy or black at the volute (headstock joint). That should camo the repair pretty well and not mess with the look too much. If you only do it on the back of the neck and headstock, it will only be visible from the back and will be even more hidden.

-Regarding the old 'junker' you are wanting to rebuild...have you thought about making a new body for the existing parts, and upgrade/replace stuff as needed? Or just replace the parts that are no good (those pickups sound like future fridge magnets) and start designing a new build based on those. Go ahead and put them into the old guitar for setup and testing, but use that as your spring board for making an all custom piece.

-If you are wanting to just mod the body you have, you can look at some options.
...paint and finish: a lot can be done with sand paper, paint and or a clear finish (if the wood is nice underneath)
...that neck: You may want to see if a replacement would be easier/cheaper than trying to fix a warped neck. I haven't done a warp repair yet myself, but wonder if pulling the fretboard, re-leveling the neck then re-gluing the fb would be enough? Probably want to mark a straight line on the neck while it is strung up...it may un-warp when not under tension.
...body tweaks/mods: You could change the basic shape of the body to make it more 'your own design'. Even something as simple as lopping off 1 inch of one of the horns can make a huge difference in the looks and feel (not to mention the weight!). A really quick and rough way to test this would be to take a pic of it against a flat background. Load the pic into an editor (even windows paint would work, if barely) and use black lines/boxes to 'cut' sections off.
...new top: A new top laminated on may really make a difference in the look. You could plane down the existing top, however far is needed for the new, and lam on some really hot figured wood veneer then hit it with a nice clear or golden finish. You could probably even leave the burst paintjob on the rest of the body, if it is in decent enough condition to bother.

Anyway...just rambling on now. Keep us posted!

-Matthew

I would asked whats your definition of warped? Is it truly warped or does it just need a truss rod adjustment. I'm asking because i have seen people claim a neck as warped when it just need some adjustment. To be honest i would just sell these and use the cash and either build one from the raw or parts. Then this way you'll truly be satisfied with what you end up. Well hopefully you will be if things go right. I'm just suggesting this cause i started modding junkers and was never really satisfied with the end product. You can put $200.00 dollar pickups on a junker and its still will sound like a junker with $200.00 pickups.http://www.warmoth.com/ and http://www.usacustomguitars.com/ and http://www.stewmac.com/ are great place to start with building a custom guitar....Mike

After nearly two months, i figured its time to pick back up what I forgot to start...






Once more, pictures regretfully taken with an iPhone.

Back again.


Ordered some parts a while back so I was able to move on. The main thing to order was
the Floyd Rose I ordered to replace the vintage tremolo that was on it.



Something seems off on the routed area for the Floyd Rose. Like I did it wrong...