Steampunk Guitar Part 1

Hey all,

It's been a bit busy about the shop and studio lately and I've not been able to update as much as I'd like. However, here is the first installment of the Steampunk project.

The inspiration for this project is Jules Verne's 20000 Leagues Under the Sea. Or more specifically, the Nautilus. That fantastic Electric submarine that is at the core of the story. If you've not read this masterpiece, do so NOW!

Anyway, we're starting with a Dean EVO. Yep, cheap as dirt, and even cheaper because I picked it up scratch and dent. No electrical signal. Hmmmm, that's where that arrow went.



Tear down begins!



One of the first ideas that I had concerned the pickup selection. Yeah, sometimes I start in the middle and work out. I thought about how interesting it would be to route out the body and do a sliding pickup, with a lever system that would determine the pickup position. Alas, this idea was shattered by the poor quality of the guitar. How's that for an unstable neck joint?




Oooh, and lots of extra wiring. Maybe the signal just didn't have enough steam to get all the way through. : )



Alright, with tear down complete it's time to start with the rebuild. WWCND? What Would Captain Nemo Do?




Stay tuned to find out. The next installment is coming soon!

Later,

Tale of the SeaHag, part 2

Last time, I got a good start on the story of this old Hagstrom Super Swede project. I'd finished up with having done the new wiring in the same style as my SG Classic.

So, of course, no guitar is right without the knobs. I had bought a matched set of Vintage Les Paul replacement knobs for the Old B.O.B. project and didn't end up using them, but they were perfect for this guitar.



You can also see in the picture the useless hole left from the Hagstrom coil tap switch, which I didn't see the point in trying to replace. Here's another pic, just because I kinda like a useless hole in my guitar projects.



To be totally random, I went with goldtone for the strap buttons and jack plate.





Hmm. Pics didn't turn out too good. Sorry about that.

Anyway, new strings, a set up, and some other minor adjustments and we have the finished project. The SeaHag! So named because I'd chosen to "Scrimshaw" a treasure map onto the guitar face. It's lightly scratched into the finish and then the scratches are filled in with ink.





So, that's the tale of the mighty SeaHag. Next up, I'm going to tackle SteamPunk using a Dean EVO and a whole lot of ingenuity!

At last! The return of My Duct Tape Masterpieces, featuring the Tale of the SeaHag! Part 1

It has been way too long, and I do know that a few folks are following this, so please accept my apology for the long absence. My shop is now back up to speed and I've got some projects lined up, so there should be no end to up coming posts!

Now, for the Tale of the SeaHag!

When I bought my shop equipment, part of the package was some guitar parts, including almost everything needed to put a Hagstrom Super Swede back together.



Of course, not EVERYTHING, but most of it. This was a guitar that had had the neck joint seperated rather rudely, and the guy I bought all this stuff from had glued it all back together. It looked a little odd to me, but it all measures out right, so I guess that's all that counts.







I decided to leave the repair unfinished. I just have this thing about refinished repairs, it makes me think someone's trying to hide them. Just not my thing, I guess.

I had the original pickups and tailpiece, but the bridge, wiring, pots, toggle, and tuning machines were missing. Of course, this just means that I get to be creative with what I've got laying around! Which of course, makes me VERY happy!

First thing I tackeled was the tuning machines. I had an old 1960s Ventura semi-hollowbody, that is in many many pieces and it just happened that it had the only set of 3 and 3 tuners in the shop. The challenge was that they were a plate style set that had 3 machines on one base plate. No step for a stepper, right? A hacksaw and file took care of that issue.



Who needs pretty?

The same Ventura also donated this killer roller bridge!



The original pickups went back in, but I used new Gibson 500K pots, and a Gibson 3-way toggle, with the same wiring pattern from my Gibson SG Classic.

Next time I'll finish with the tour of the SeaHag and show off the full finished project! I'll also outline the next project coming up!