Why DIY guitar?

Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering when and why, some HC forum members started modding/building their own guitars.

My story is simple:

After 34 years of riding motorcycles, a 19 year old in a pickup truck, ran a STOP sign and T-boned me (what Stop sign officer?).

After I got out of the hospital (after almost losing my leg), my motorcycle riding days are sadly over.

But since guitars were my #2 addiction, I decided to try my hand at a DIY guitar.

My first DIY guitar: sounds very good, looks like my first blind date!

My 2nd DIY project; A strat , but three sliders and one tone volume & tone pot.

The three sliders allow me SEVEN different pickup combinations. Sounds wonderful, looks good but not great.

Am working on DIY #3 now; vintage humbucker in neck, dog-ear P-90 in bridge.

Jazz & blues from neck, hard rock (ala Leslie West) from bridge...or so I hope!?

Well folks, that's MY story....what's yours?? Steve

People have no respect for motorcycles. It's rediculous.

pickup trucks driven by people who dont actually need a pickup truck are far far more ridiculous (as is your spelling)

When in high school I got a strat clone. In college I went to one of those guitar store sales and bought some pickups and decided to put them in. Routed it out with a hammer and screwdriver. Had up to 5 pickups in it all switched with dip switches. Now I have it set with a special pickup to work with a Hammond/Innovex Condor guitar noise maker.

After pricing all the parts required to build one, I figured out a long time ago it is alot more economically feasible and justified to mod existing guitars rather than build from scratch. I've made a few guitar/bass bodies out of various leftovers/scraps from other projects, but that's about it.

I used to experiment alot with pickup/switch combinations, but I don't bother any more. Most of the weird in-between/out of phase/whatever pickup modes are rarely used therefore not worthy of my effort to do. I pretty well stick to using the neck or middle single coil pickups on my strat or tele, and the neck HB pickup on my Aslin Dane Blackwing (LP DC clone kind of).

I still buy inexpensive import tele copies and add a center pickup (and sometimes add a 5 way switch) cause I like to work on them.

Originally posted by percyexpat pickup trucks driven by people who dont actually need a pickup truck are far far more ridiculous (as is your spelling)

Hmm.. I never realized I was spelling that word wrong.

Thanks.

daveski:

You're right on the mark about building a guitar from scratch...expensive and time consuming. I use cheap e-bay project guitars. The first DIY was a Teisco Del Ray.

The second DIY was an old kay.

The one I'm rebuilding now, was bought for $20.50, on e-bay. It was a 1960's Norma body & neck, with original tuners, bridge, and tremalo included. I try to save the original equipment if I can. Not only for cost savings, but also for authenticity (they look cool also). For pickguars, I use clear acrylic panels (scrap pieces) i get from work. We use them for subway car windows, they are tough as nails to withstand stones, etc. You'll die of old age cutting them with even a hack saw.

I use a Dremel kit. Whats nice about them (other than almost unbrekable), is that being clear, you just place them over the guitar cavity. Then you use a washable magic marker, to trace your pickguard, and decide where your pickups are going (you can see where they are routed), along with your pots & output jack. You can also see where to drill your screw holes!! After everything is cut, files, and sanded, you can then paint (both sides) whatever color you please. Since the Norma body is a light natural colored wood, I just painted the pickguard a glossy black. With a new vintage-style Alcino (unknown make?) humbucker

(4-wire, 7.5K-$12.50) in the neck, and a new Artec P-90 dog-ear (8K-$9.99) at the bridge, this is a moders delight. I didn't skimp on the internal electronics though (Switchcraft jack & two CTS 250K pots; volume is audio, tone is taper, with a Sprague Orange Drop .022uf capacitor). I even found six feet of N.O.S. Fender vintage style wire ($5.00). I haven't had this much fun since Bike Week in Daytona!!

Steve