# The Creation of a Monster....The Frankenstrat..:)



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

*Building a Monster....The Frankenstrat. Updated on January 30th*

OK..starting this thread here since's it's building a guitar and the luthier section as no traffic and all comments will be welcome naturally..

I started a while back with the neck but received the KNE body last week and was waiting for my dad's heated garage to be free for a few weeks to set-up shop.

Saturday applied 2 coat of sealer and sanded between coats.added a third and i let cured the last coat overnight. While each coat would dry up, pretty fast realy, about 1.5hrs. i would work on the relic process on the body's hardware. Relicing a real floyd is quite long realy since the chrome is pretty tick compared to the cheap knock-off copies but it's well worth it.

This morning went back to the shop, sanded the last coat of sealer and preped for black paint. was there pretty early this morning so was able to do all the black coats today, the shop is well heated so dry time was about 30 minutes between first 4 coats, took a 2 hrs lunch break, then added 4 mores coats.

This evening i'll be preaping the decals for the tape work as guides. i'll go get the body tomorrow after noon to do the tape in the evening and start the offwhite paint on tuesday morning..Smile

A few picts of what's done so far.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Will be waiting for the next chapter. And would you tell us about the J.S,Moore pups?


----------



## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

Thats one of the great things about Strats, anyone with some gumption can make their own version. Its like the T Bucket cars..........


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> Will be waiting for the next chapter. And would you tell us about the J.S,Moore pups?


Yes..for sure, Jon's been very helpfull recreating the same pup EVH had on his Frankenstrat.....

Accept...what on earth is "gumption !?...kqoct


----------



## Accept2 (Jan 1, 2006)

Gumption is elbow grease, as opposed to sitting on yer ass waiting for someone to build you what you want.......


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Accept2 said:


> Gumption is elbow grease, as opposed to sitting on yer ass waiting for someone to build you what you want.......


Ah...ok..sorry, my English failes me sometimes..


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Google is our friend.

gump·tion:

1. Boldness of enterprise; initiative or aggressiveness.
2. Guts; spunk.
3. Common sense.

Peace, Mooh.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

OK...taping for the white coat took 4.5hrs, but was well worth it. With all the reference gathered and Coolez's pict, it went smoothly, but it's still a lot of work, so was able to paint this morning..Smile When i removed the tape to avoid the spill, the white paint felt a bit rubbery at places still, hopefully will get harder after a few days of curing. just hope the white paint does'nt rip off when i put the tape for the red coat.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)




----------



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Looks great so far. Cant wait to see the finished product. Wasn't EVHs original pickup just an older PAF from a Gibson? 

I'm hoping you'll make a pair of matching shoes:
http://alexplorer.net/guitar/projects/shoes.html


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> Looks great so far. Cant wait to see the finished product. Wasn't EVHs original pickup just an older PAF from a Gibson?
> 
> I'm hoping you'll make a pair of matching shoes:
> http://alexplorer.net/guitar/projects/shoes.html


yes..his original was an old PAF..so gettng JS Moore to replicate one..


----------



## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

Nice job al3d! I've been planning to build a Frankenstrat as well. What was the process of relicing the Floyd Rose? You know you can get a reliced EVH pickup signed by Eddie for only $400.00. :smile:


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

ne1roc said:


> Nice job al3d! I've been planning to build a Frankenstrat as well. What was the process of relicing the Floyd Rose? You know you can get a reliced EVH pickup signed by Eddie for only $400.00. :smile:


yeah..a 100$ pick-up sold at 400$ with a serigraphed name on it...huh..no thanks. i'm getting a better one....

to relic, first, use a 600 or 400 sand paper, depending on the tickness of the chrome, to rough the chrome, then i used a dremel with a soft pad to make it uneven. then with etching chrome acid, use a coton swap, and robe in specific places to make it look used. BE CAREFULL with the acid,, AND WARE glove, this stuff is acid, and will give you YELLOW hands for weeks..Smile. I go lightly when using acide..i let it sit for 15 minutes...wash it, dry it and see how it looks. if i needs more, i add more acide.

Not i deluted the acide, 1 part acide, for 2 part water, using acide pure will mess your hardware WAY to much.


----------



## db62 (Sep 18, 2007)

Great stuff! Looking forward to more pics.


----------



## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

al3d said:


> yes..his original was an old PAF..so gettng JS Moore to replicate one..


sdsresdsresdsre


----------



## JSD's Guitar Shack (Feb 24, 2006)

Looks good so far, can't wait to see more.....:rockon2:


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Ok..today's little update. after letting the white paint cure for 24hrs, it was time early this morning for stage 1 of the relic work. turned out pretty well. Steps are the following for those interested. First, rough up the area with a 50 grit sand paper, i do all the areas i'll need to get bare wood, Second, i use a 120 grit sand paper to smouth it out even more, third, i use a 400 grit sand paper to make it smooth to simulate the rubbing action that would have made it look that way over years of play... fourth, 600 grit sand paper all over the body to remove any SHINE that does'nt look to natural and blend the small edges of the 2 paint..

Next step, taping for the red paint...


----------



## Boyko (Dec 21, 2008)

Wow, that thing looks great! Great job on it.


----------



## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

Thats pretty cool looking... I like the familiarity to the EVH stripes but you made it your own... looks great so far.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

KHINGPYNN said:


> Thats pretty cool looking... I like the familiarity to the EVH stripes but you made it your own... looks great so far.


actually it's pretty dead on the replica....i did'nt imagine anything..


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

OK...nightmare is over..did'nt have any paint peeling off like i was afraid i would. only a small section lifted the size of a dime.

SO, turned out pretty nice for me. red is'nt that fluorescent, it's the flash that makes it look that way. So no worries, wont glow in the dark..

Next step...a light wetsand to remove some of the biger paint edges, dirtying it up, 2 coats of clear simply for protection..the the fun part starts....RELIC TIME..


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Well...had a nice time doing most of the relic today...pretty cool to do actually, time consuming, but worth the details..


----------



## martyb1 (Aug 5, 2007)

That is looking EXCELLENT!!!!kksjur


----------



## Guest (Jan 31, 2009)

Oh ya, well I know where I can get one just like that for a mere $25,000 

Way to go! What a cool project, nice job. Keep posting your progress. This will be an excellent reference for all of us who might want our own Frankenstrats.


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

konasexone said:


> Oh ya, well I know where I can get one just like that for a mere $25,000
> 
> Way to go! What a cool project, nice job. Keep posting your progress. This will be an excellent reference for all of us who might want our own Frankenstrats.


THanks mate. it's not a difficult project, but it's more research then the average build i would say. Taping is the hardest part, LOTS of cutting and rectutting. i did a good 3 months of research to get picts, templates, etc etc.

One thing i realised, is picts of Eddie's real frankenstrat are almost none existant in good form, always live of very small. So most builders use Fender's replica as a guide for the tape. and relic is done with the best reference you can find around real. even out of the 300 fender did, not two are alike realy relic wise.


----------



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Alain, you're not putting those reflectors on the back are you? I always thought those were kind of goofy looking. And uncomfortable!:


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> Alain, you're not putting those reflectors on the back are you? I always thought those were kind of goofy looking. And uncomfortable!:


Well...Goody..yes, uncomfortable, not to much..but since i wanna get as close to the real one as possible...i need the deflectors..LOL..


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

OK...Body is not finished. All relic is done, even the little blue strips on the side and the Pup cavity. Added 4 thin coats of clear for protection and rubbed it with "0000" steelwool to avoid a to glossy finish.

I should get my Paf replica this week from Jon, then relic it, and in a few weeks, should be able to get it all assembled..

Final Body


----------



## Hired Goon (Mar 4, 2008)

Wow this is such a cool project, I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Have you put together many guitars in the past?


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Hired Goon said:


> Wow this is such a cool project, I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Have you put together many guitars in the past?


With this one...1...LOL.....it's my first attempt at anything like that realy.


----------



## Roughshod (Sep 22, 2007)

Great job so far! How much time do you figure you have invested so far? I can't wait to see the finished product. You going to use an American or Canadian quarter!?!?!


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Roughshod said:


> Great job so far! How much time do you figure you have invested so far? I can't wait to see the finished product. You going to use an American or Canadian quarter!?!?!


With neck and body done, i'de say around 100 hrs on it. but there's a good 20hrs of research alone on it.

As for the Quarter..you know what!...that's a good idea....i'll put a 71 quarter..but a Canadian one..


----------



## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

al3d said:


> actually it's pretty dead on the replica....i did'nt imagine anything..





> As for the Quarter..you know what!...that's a good idea....i'll put a 71 quarter..but a Canadian one..


LOL... like I said I like how you are making it your own... I realize your going for the "as close as possible look" but obviously I was giving you some props for your work... 

Projects like this one are allways cool... especially when other replicas have sold for $25 G's... man thats so rediculous!


----------



## JSD's Guitar Shack (Feb 24, 2006)

Looking good.....:smilie_flagge17:


----------



## axestronomer (Mar 1, 2007)

Fantastic job! 
I can't wait to see a picture when it's completed!

:rockon:


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

axestronomer said:


> Fantastic job!
> I can't wait to see a picture when it's completed!
> 
> :rockon:


Thanks man. it should be fully assembled withing a month i would say. Should get the Pups in 10 days, waiting for the proper pickguard to arrive as well, relic those remaining part, and then assembly..


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

OK..just for the fun of it..a few parts on it, nothing realy installed, just was curious to see how it was all comming. i'm realy starting to itch to get it finished..


----------



## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

al3d said:


> OK..just for the fun of it..a few parts on it, nothing realy installed, just was curious to see how it was all comming. i'm realy starting to itch to get it finished..


I see you've got the cigarette burn on the headstock as well. :smile:


----------



## 4321 (Nov 25, 2008)

Dude !!!! Thats AMAZING!!! Keep the pics coming

Cheers!


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

What did you use for the dummy neck pickup?


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> What did you use for the dummy neck pickup?


i got an old Singlecoil, and i had a phenolic cap made for it, wich i should have this week. they stop making pups with that stuff a while back so it's not easy to track down.


----------



## jfk911 (May 23, 2008)

you did a really good job that guitar looks gorgeous


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

OK..finaly got ALL the freaking parts... So today reliced the pups,swtiched and installed it all. now just need to install the neck and floyd..


----------



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

Man, you did a great job on the relicing. That bottom pickup cavity pickup looks gross! I'd have to take the vacuum cleaner to it before I could play it! kjdr


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> Man, you did a great job on the relicing. That bottom pickup cavity pickup looks gross! I'd have to take the vacuum cleaner to it before I could play it! kjdr


LOL..thanks. it's a bit messy to make...but the tricks works very well....hope i get to make another one soon..


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

bagpipe said:


> Man, you did a great job on the relicing. That bottom pickup cavity pickup looks gross! I'd have to take the vacuum cleaner to it before I could play it! kjdr


+1! Alain, what did you use for the relic'd crud? Did you have some spare 30 year old crud lying around??


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Hey man! That is so good, you better on the lookout for Eddie's legal lurkers. They might hand you cease and desist order for infringement of copyright and/or demand a royalty. hwopv


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

@Robert..i REALY doubt i'll get a call from lawyers..see my post in Archer's thread regarding the subject.

@Hollobody, it's a mixture of mat clear laquer, with black and amber die to give a rusty look..then i grinded rusty metal parts i have lying around and with metal dust. i put a very light coat of clear on all the section i want to be dirty..then rub the metal dust and rust on it lightly. plus some sanding before, acide to remove the chrome..etc etc..Smile..works very well.


----------



## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Whoa....good job.

That is cool


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Archer said:


> Whoa....good job.
> 
> That is cool


thanks man..appriciate it..


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

al3d said:


> @Robert..i REALY doubt i'll get a call from lawyers..see my post in Archer's thread regarding the subject.


Well, that certainly kills the joke. But your work is certainly good enough to get their interest.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

LOL Al, I see your sig line changed - have a change of heart or get some nasty mail?


----------



## ne1roc (Mar 4, 2006)

Fantastic job al3d!! :bow:


----------



## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Just saw this. Great job Alain!


----------



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

thanks Guys. it should be completely done Sunday if all goes well. had so much work lately had to put it on standbuy.

ne1orc, replied to your PM


----------



## Rideski (Feb 25, 2009)

Man...you are doing one hell of a job! Looks awesome! :rockon2:


----------

