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!