The On going Project BLOG!!
6th April 2008-
I started to get the idea for this project one Sunday morning (6th April 2008). I decided to email some suppliers of guitar parts to see if I could get enough together to buil a guitar from the said parts. I have decided to build a Stratocaster type project as my first guitar build from ready made parts.
Within a couple of hours I had my first email back and a promise of a product- lots of we will get back to you but after an email chat with Tony from Axes R us ( www.axesrus.co.uk ) he promised a Strat assembly with pick ups (white pearloid) I am waiting for the post to come with my first parts!!!!
I will post pictures of the "device" when I receive it!!!
I still need the rest so if you want to get involved please get in touch by email or the contact us section of the site.
7th April 2008-
Second day of the blog I have been offered 50% off on some bodies and necks in return for links back- good offer but I still think some of these excellent suppliers will come up trumps with a guitar body. Hope so!
I am waiting for my pots, scratchplate and pickups to come though a HSS assembly ready made- saves time and burnt soldered fingers for me!!!
Have emailed some more suppliers and some luthiers today to try and muster interest. Only the second day of the blog!!!
7th April 2008-
I am jamming in my little studio and am in the mood to mod a guitar! I need this project to get off the ground- before I start taking apart my own geetars!
I must say a word about an email I have recieved back from John at Kavanagh Customs- www.kavanaghcustoms.co.uk. He wanted so must to help offered me a massive discount on part (neck and body) and replied so quickly to my emails- I am not even a customer!!! I am a freeloader looking for a freebie- however he was gracious and did all he could to help- Kavanagh Customs seem immensley proud of the work they do (shame I can't put it to the test yet!!) and if this is the customer serice for a none customer- I defo will be back for a real purchase later!! Thanks Kavanagh!!!
8th April 2008-
Still not heard back from most of the emails I have sent- getting worried it is 48 hours into the project- I am so impatient!! Although only had one NO!!
However................I get home and find my first package!!!
How good is this! A HSS (humbucker single coil single coil for the uneducated) with pots and 5 wat switch mounted on a white pearloid scratch plate.
This piece of kit is solid with Wilkinson branded tuners and solid pots perfectly wired up ready to be dropped ino a Stratocaster body!!
The suppliers www.axesrus.co.uk have supplied this wonderful piece of kit - the scratch plate has an un-noticable chip in the top- I did not even see it the wife pointed it out to me- axes-r us have supplied a replaceent pick guard anyway!! What an excellent service!!!! BRILLIANT!!
This is a picture of my excitment at recieving this gear!!
All I need now is the rest of the gear!!
I have had some repies- some thinking about it some no's and some no reply (ignoramus) but I am convinced I will complete this project for free!!
I am watching a couple of bodies on ebay and a couple of necks!! I hope that other suppliers are as excellent int their service and quality of their products as Axes R us and I hope they want to help out owd Andy with his guitar build blog!!!!!!
9th April 2008
Lots of offers for % off- but I want to do this build on a £0 budget. Still waiting for some suppliers to get back to me but I will do another email out next week with links to this page and my supplied so far!!! Surley some suppliers must have a few supplies knocking about for my project build!!!!!!!
10th April 2008
Yes we wake up happy yet again!! Check my emails this morning and the great folk at www.sinewavemusic.co.uk are going to send- Neckplate, Jack socket and strap buttons- ACE- The Project is back on track!! Can't wait for the rest!!! Soom have a screaming Stratocaster!!!!!
I must say I am very impressed with the service at Sinewave the staff have been gracious throughout our email negotiations and have supplied exactly the gear I need!!!!!!
12th April 2008
Sinewave music come through with Gotoh quality neckplate, strap butons and a jack socket!! Ace!! Funnily my five year old daughter came into my bedroom as it was a Saturday and said there was a parcel for Andy Mack all excited. I opened the package and said it was guitar stuff and she said "bah guitars rubbish!" blew a rasberry and ran off. I am her hero!!
Sinewave delievered these within 24 hrs of saying they would too- thats the service you need when your guitar is bust up and you have a gig!! Got a free plectrum too!! Cheers Sinewave!!
Week 2
14th April 2008
I have to admit I have been trawling ebay looking at bodies- No emails this morning saying that I am getting the rest of my supplies- I want to put my guitar together but I dont have all the bits yet- Will continue with a few emails this week and then start the telephone calls-
I am waiting for a couple of emails back from suppliers who said that they liked the idea and were going to think about it over the weekend!! COME ON YOU GUYS- I am a guitar freak and I need my fix- first project !!
I have been looking at strats online trying to determine what direction to go in- do I settle for the colur I am given or if I need to paint what direction to go in- I want a Seafoam green or sonic - blue type I think just to keep up the excitement- I am still excited about the project so hopefully I will recive some more information today from the suppliers I have contacted and have yet to reply to the emails!!!!!
15th April 2008
YES!! The Music King- a great online store catering for all aspects of guitars and music supplies! They have advised they will be providing Neck, Tremolo and Tuners what an ace shop!!
Will post more when I have the details!!
16th April 2008
WOW!! The Music King have really come through!! A fantastic neck- Fantastic Tuners- Ace tremolo All round ace. I can see why they are called THE MUSIC KING!! 
The neck looks the DOGS- they have supplied everything I need to fit the equipment!!! I cannot wait to start putting things together!!! It is great quality and the tuners, tremolo and other "bits" are great!!!
Also included were the string trees (which I hadn't even thought about) and all the screw etc I that I need to finish the project when I finally get a body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on you suppliers get in touch!!!!!
I only confirmed with The Music King my address at 4pm yesterday!!! The gear was at my house the very next day- I cannot recommend these guys enough!!
19th April 2008
I have a body!! A guy has read the site and agrees to give me a body- if I pay the postage!!! YES!! I have all the parts needed!!!! Now I wait for it and just have to put it together- fix broken bits- sand it PAINT it ooooo I dunno!! Watch this space!!!
21st April 2008
This week I should have all the parts (including a load of screws and bits) to put together a guitar!! A Strat style guitar! I will see what condition the body is in before I decide to paint it- I do want it a bit "relic'd" though so I am not too fussed- and will not no a pristine job on the painting to my PARTSOCASTER!!
I am disapointed with some of the bigger companies I have sent emails to and tried to contact otherwise- Everyone who has responded (positively) has been mentioned on the site- those who haven't responded haven't and to be honest I only really had one outright NO in all the responses!!
However no complaints I have everything to make up a great guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will pos pictures of the unassembled parts and the whole process all the way through.
23rd April 2008
The final parts are here!! A secret donation from my sister site!!!!
Now I have all the parts- The body needs painting and a few more "bits" sorting but I reckon we will have a new strat style guitar in a couple of weeks!!!! Watch this space!!!!!
26th April 2008
Reet.. The guitar body has been sanded- Primed and a few coats of paint applied in my garage - not too bothered about a perfect finish as I am going to relic it later!!! ERE WE GO..
Its blue innit not Sea foam green but I love it!!!
This show the colour a little better. The guitar is an 8 hole pick guard body and my pick guard assembly (from www.axesrus.co.uk) is 11 hole so some holes will be drilled. The Body has dried and I am ready to relic!
I have checked the neck (from www.themusicking.co.uk) into the body and the neck nearly fit- a bit of sanding an it was perfect!!
The predrilled holes did not line up with the body- so I had the holes filled and plugged by a pro (the father-in-law) and drilled the holes to fit the body!
Now to relic and put it all togther!! I am so pleased I have all the parts I am sure it is going to be excellent!!
The paint is still tacky so I will leave it to relic- My wife cannot believe I have spent so long getting a perfect finish and then I am going to scratch it and basj it to bits .. but it is what I want.
I actually tried a relic sea foam green Strat in a music shop years ago- I fell in love with it but could not presuade the wife that we did not need a holiday that year and the £2300 was well worth it for a guitar thaty looked knackered!!!!
Watch this space!!!!
28th April 2008
As the Guitar was to be reliced- I was not too concerned with the finish. After a few coats and a thin coat of laquer had dried- I was at the Body with sandpaper, wire wool, keys, screws etc!!
NOW IT LOOKS ACE.
I have previously sorted the neck to fit and everything else it pretty standard- NOW THEN HERE WE GO!!
I have put the guitar together now- The neck needed sorting and new holes for the pickguard- soldering the jack etc-
Now to plug it in!
An unexpected hum. Too much for just single coil hum. A quick internet search of the symptoms and I discover I could well have wired the jack a little wrong- BISH BASH BOSS- try again NO HUM!!!!!!
I have strung it with my usual Ernie Balls NOT EVEN SLINKY 12 gauge strings. Bit of a set up- quite high action _ not a shredder me!! And now to test!! I have is plugged into my little valve amp and away we go!!
Three hours later of blues riff I decide I love it !!!!! Pics and a full review to follow-!!
I am taking it to Band Practice tomorrow to test it out and hopefully play a few songs at my next gig with it as a second guitar to my beloved Schecter Ultra III!!!!!
4th May 2008
Well I too the guitar to practice just to see!! I never put it down0 it can do anything- Eric Clapton, I believe once stated that once you go Strat you don't go back!!
He was right!! I do not believe how excellent this guitar is- I did not have my setting (pedal, amp etc) right but it truely was a grat sound-
By the end of the practice I realised I had not picked my other guitar up!!! I decided there and then I am now gonna use this at my next gig!! I will let you know how it goes!!
9th May 2008
Ere we go- playing a DIY project thrown together guitar all be it from quality parts (see the suppliers page) at a gig-
I spent a couple of hours (great fun) getting all my setting right on pedal and amp- and I was gonna risk it- It was truly feckin great- Stayed in tune with the Music King neck and tuners- no problem. The axes r us Scratchplate assembly is unbelievable- SSH set up the Humbucker at the bridge Screams when needed- the neck is smoother than mr Mc Smooth at a Smoothie convention and the middle gives the best rock and roll selection of any guitar I have!!
Needless to say I was very happy.
May 11th 2008
I had to try this- I was very pleased with my guitar- It is based on a 50's Strat in (supposed seafoam green ish- daphne blue type doings) as a heavy relic- I went to my local Fender dealer and tried the equivalent Fender- Exactly the same colour- relic - £2399. Ere we go.
Unplugged mine has nothing on the Fender really- I don't know it it is in my head but the Fender sounded great! However.....plugged in was a different story- My guitar keeps up with this anyday and it just gets better-
I believe with the parts all paid for and shipped the guitar comes in around £250- labour a few hours- but fun- then set up! A relic guitar is easy to do as there is no hassle with paint finishing etc- I think the guitar looks the business and I know it plays the business and I also know it sounds the business!!
Complete with my "Fecker Partsocaster" logo from ebay- This is my new favourite guitar!!!!!
May 30th 2008
I have had the guitar for nearly a month and I really cannot put it down. The Plugged in Sound is TREMENDOUS. I think it is down to the www.axesrus.com pre assembled pick guard assembly- you can see it here.
The guitar gets loads of comments to- "that has seen some action" "how much?" etc- I will not sell it is a Feckin classic!!! I cannot belive I have gone Strat by default- the free parts I have recieved mean I had to build a Strat. The fact I have fallen in love with the look, feel and sound of this guitar means I will probably look for a Strat in future.
I do recommend having a go atbuilding your own guitar from parts- It was a fun and rewarding experience to say the least and now I have an unusual Strat to boast about!!!!!!
Ongoing reports to follow!!!!!