Embedded Files
This is a short description of my father's and I first attempt at making a Stratocaster type guitar.
This page also serves as a huge thank you to everyone who helped us finish this project:
George Stavrou for donating the wood and printing our schematics in 1:1 scale
Michalis Macridis for the initial wood preparation
Theodoros Nikiforou for lending us various tools and machinery
George Papazoglou (Dr. Fret) for spending countless hours giving us advice and guidance to achieve the following result
31/10/2016
The wood (courtesy of George Stavrou) was cut, planed, and the biscuit slots were cut. (Thanks to Michalis Makridis). The glue was applied, spread out, and the two pieces became one. Leave it to rest at room temperature for a few days so the glue sets in.
In the meantime, the plans were printed at a 1:1 scale (Thanks to George Stavrou).
Then, the plans were glued onto 8mm plywood and cut by hand using a coping saw. Christodoulos "had some fun" with various sandpapers until the template became smooth and dimensionally accurate.
....and all of this was completed by 5/11/2016.
After a multi-day search for a suitable router bit with a guide to follow the template that Christodoulos perfected above, the shaping and the first carving of the guitar took place on 18/11/2016.
Next, we shaped the belly and arm contours, and the sanding marathon began (by hand)... After all it's either hand-made and custom, or it isn't...
Rear view, showing the curve that accommodates the guitarist's belly. This one gave us a bit of a hard time. At the same time, the rounding of the edges was done, and the calendar was now up to 28/12/2016
The sanding process lasted days. In any case, we weren't in a hurry since we were waiting on a lot of parts that wouldn't arrive anytime soon. So we started sanding at 150 grit...
....200...
and 400, finishing by early January of 2017. Christodoulos particularly enjoyed the sanding and formed a special bond with the guitar (sanding was complete on 5/1/2017).
We are waiting for orders to arrive so we can proceed. We decided to go with a pre-built neck since its the most crucial and hardest part to make, and this was our first time. The neck arrived but needs quite a bit of work, starting with straightening and fret leveling.
Work resumes in early January 2017. The frets were leveled on sandpaper glued to granite.
And then work halted again until mid-February when the pickups and the pickguard arrived, and the engines warmed up again with the cutting of the pickguard and the wiring of the electronics.
At first glance, everything seems to fit well and fall into place. There are some cosmetic imperfections in the cutting of the plastic, which was done with primitive means, will be avoided in the next pickguard.
And since we had the neck, we cut the neck pocket and wedged it inside; after quite a bit of hassle, it seems to be just fine. The calendar reads 21/2/2017, and we are waiting for the tuners and the bridge that we were supposed to receive in mid-January. Until we receive them, we are slowly killing time...
The neck isn't bolted on yet, and we aren't risking holding it by the neck just in case something goes wrong. The guitar weighs the same as my Epiphone Les Paul (too heavy for a strat, but I'm used to it) due to the wood. They don't look too bad side-by-side on the wall...
Finally, on 28/4/2017, the last components arrived , and we resumed the project from where we left off.
Tuning keys secured in place
We bolt the neck and install the bridge, using the first and last strings as guides.
Strings and the tremolo are installed, and the first tests are conducted with great disappointment on 3/5/2017, because the pickups are short-circuiting and only the middle one works. The nut isn't cut, and the action is too high.
On 4-5/5/2017, the nut is cut using string cut-offs instead of files, the the pickup problem is fixed, more space is created so the bridge can move, and final adjustments and intonation are made.
We are almost ready for the paint job, but first, the guitar needs to be played a bit so the wood can settle in.
Painted and buffed, ready to wear it strings.
In January of 2020 we upgraded the pickguard with a ready, mother of pearl one, putting the final touch on an otherwise perfect Stratocaster clone.
The guitar turned out better than we could hope. I even used it in multiple live gigs and festivals. People who saw it couldn't tell the difference between this and a store bought one, which was really encouraging and rewarding to hear, after all the effort and time we put in.
Google Sites
Report abuse