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Post subject: Fender body replacement…. Almost
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:08 pm
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In October I added number 5 to my collection. It was the deluxe powerhouse Stratocaster bought second hand but in what look to be mint, un-played condition.
Image

After considerable adjustment I was able to make something quite playable out of it. However there was one really bad issue. That sorry looking jacked up body. I put up with the seams showing clearly threw the black paint for months until one day someone asked from 10 feet away, what happen to your guitar? Did it break? Did it break?!?!
I certainly did at that point. I had spent way too much money on a “deluxe” to end up with such a crappy looking Strat. We that cinched it, I was going to shop a replacement body for it. So I looked at Ebay, and quickly decided that everyone either was trying to get rich off of a piece of wood or push Strat “style” bodies. I started looking around at Fender replacement parts. So I went to Warmoth to get something better then my current doorstop and bought this beautiful Indian Rosewood body. Man it was really something to look at. I sat and dreamed about how great my baby was going to look when it got here. And what a great tone it would have. And OH JEEEZ I have a maple neck with a maple fretboard. That’s going to look like crap, what was I thinking. Man what an idiot. Now I guess I will get a neck too so it doesn’t look so out of place. Well a few more that doesn’t look right and a few more I guess I could replace that too and….

Image

Specs:
Technically its still a Stratocaster.
Fender license replacement Indian Rosewood body
Fender license replacement Indian Rosewood neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fret board
SCN pickup set with S-1 Switching and all fender electronics
Fender knobs
Wilkinson Bridge
Shaller locking tuners
Smoked pickguard



After all of that, wouldn’t you know it….. I still don’t have a body for that guitar! LOL


Mike


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:21 pm
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i think thats the most beutifull guitar i have ever seen.. i need to lay down, i feel light headed.. :? :(


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:21 pm
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that really is a beautiful guitar. quite dazzling. good job on that. its like one of those all rosewood tele's, that are so goddamn expensive nowadays.


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:55 pm
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I wouldnt like to play something looking like that, but Id feel pretty comfortable with it hanging on my wall.

So actually you bought a whole new guitar, and youre still not happy about the Deluxe one?
Anyway, you spend your money well.


How much did that see-through pickguard cost?
and does it come in 50s 8-hole version too?


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:14 pm
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Hello Bentfender,
That is fine looking guitar. Tell us, how much does it weigh?
Did you get a chambered body? 1,2, or 3 piece body?
All that rosewood did you pick up any treble in your tone?
Did you get standard sss routing?
Good luck and many thanks.


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:22 pm
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Is that a transparent pickguard?


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:36 pm
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I don't mean to be "johnny rain-cloud" here, but you still didn't get it finished, you forgot one thing, "STRINGS". Heheheh

It looks very...uh..."woody". Looks great.


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:03 pm
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It's pretty quiet without strings.

It looks great. I'd love to try it out.

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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:44 pm
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Thanks everyone. But no its not on a wall somewhere. When I have been able to, its been played. I went with 10-42 flatwound strings. The only reason I haven’t updated the shot is because of a bad back injury which has laid me up.

I really shouldn’t be messing with it at all because I still haven’t done the finish on it. In fact, that is part of the issues I am on here to ask about. That and believe it or not, I still want a body for my Powerhouse strat :)

I guess before I get into my issues, I will answer all these replies first.

Yup I built it for playing.
Yup, I had to save for quite a while. Rosewood hurts the wallet. Damn pretty tho.

The pickguard (yes its smoked) is a long story. I originally ordered one from a business. (whos name I wont mention)

The guy got his panties in a bunch when I confronted him about his sloppy non-fitting workmanship. I wasn’t evil about it but I did ask how if his one job is to put holes in plastic, why had it not dawned on him to maybe check his work. Especially when they way over charge in the first place. Pickups wouldn’t fit in the bridge or middle position. And all of the screw holes for the pickups were way too small. He had some kinda baby fit about it and refuse to repair what he screwed up. Offering a refund, only once I sent it back. Knowing this is one of those mommy’s basement businesses, I weighed my chances of seeing that refund, but being a bull headed individual myself. I made a Chinese throwing star out of it, and that was the end of that. I then proceeded to make my own. Ala Dremel plunge router. Moral of the story… I’m and idiot and some people should learn the term QC.

As far as the weight,… Does the term metric $#!t ton mean anything to you? :)
Yeah, Weight. That is one of those things on my to do list. See I don’t own a scale. Post office does though  When I am able to, I will get a weight and post it. I am guessing the same as an LP.


Now I have a few questions that maybe someone can help out with.

As I said, I very much want a replacement body for it. I love the neck. I love the sound. And without a doubt, I have read it a million times, and I will add to it. The Deluxe Powerhouse Stratocaster is truly one of the best under the radar deals of the century.
I just got unlucky and got a really crappy body. The Trem hole is cut crooked. The back plate doesn’t even cover the hole, its that bad. And you can see three really obvious lines in the body where the wood seems to bulge at the joints. So here I am. Help!
Where can I find a Georgia Swamp ash body (one piece if I’m lucky) in black that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

The other question is, what is the clearest finish I can do on this guitar. I really don’t want to mess with the sound of it. It sounds like…. Well I really don’t want to sound blasphemous, but like the man above came down, and blessed it. It’s the sweetest sounding guitar I have ever heard and I am 39 and have been playing since I was 14.
Back to the finish. (sorry painkillers make me ramble) I want something that will either be really clear and show the definition well. Something that will look deep and shinny, but not kill the tone too much.

Thanks again for the compliments. I am a very proud father. I take great care when playing it. I don’t feel worthy of it so I treat it as such.

Mike


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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:12 pm
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Hey BentFender,

Perhaps you could change that black deluxe powerhouse Stratocaster into an Eric Clapton "Blackie" clone ... give it the relic treatment.

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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:26 am
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orvilleowner wrote:
Hey BentFender,

Perhaps you could change that black deluxe powerhouse Stratocaster into an Eric Clapton "Blackie" clone ... give it the relic treatment.


Ahh, Im too much of a Floyd fan. Sooo...
Image


I have been told that you can cut two resistors and it goes from 12 to 25db on that mid-boost pre-amp. If anyone could tell me which two, I would be really grateful

So I guess that is three questions I have now. :)


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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:51 am
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Bentfender,
You should consider Tung Oil to finish your new creation. I would go with semi gloss, but that's a matter of personal choice. I just built a Tele project with a WD bubinga neck that was sealed but not finished. I put about 10 coats of Tung Oil (hand-rubbed) on the neck and then buffed with steel wool between coats. If you use steel wool be sure to use a tack cloth between coats cus steel fibers can mess up your pickups if they get in. I used a cotton cloth to apply the oil. Turned out excellent and I think it allows the wood to resonate more tha polyurythene or lacquer.
Good luck.

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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 12:24 pm
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stratomite wrote:
Bentfender,
You should consider Tung Oil to finish your new creation. I would go with semi gloss, but that's a matter of personal choice. I just built a Tele project with a WD bubinga neck that was sealed but not finished. I put about 10 coats of Tung Oil (hand-rubbed) on the neck and then buffed with steel wool between coats. If you use steel wool be sure to use a tack cloth between coats cus steel fibers can mess up your pickups if they get in. I used a cotton cloth to apply the oil. Turned out excellent and I think it allows the wood to resonate more tha polyurythene or lacquer.
Good luck.


Do you have some finished shots of it I could look at? I would be really interested to see how well it looks. That was on the the finishes I was thinking about. However I heard it darkens the finish. As it stands, if it were any darker, light, time and space itself would fold into it. :)
The bigger problem is I have no scraps to test on so I have to get this right on try one.

Thanks,
.»º©º« Bent »º©º«.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:01 pm
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Bent,
I have some pics but don't have anyplace to upload them. The Tung Oil did not darken the bubinga neck, but that is already dark and extremely hard wood. But it did make the grain pop! I know what youre saying about testing first and that would make me nervous too... I am just trying to describe what the Tung Oil did on my project and I am very pleased with it.

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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:32 pm
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Hey Bent, I'm sorry I don't have any answers for you but I just wanted to say I agree with kja- That guitar is one of the prettiest guitars I've seen. The neck is unbelievable... And I know it's none of my business- but I have to ask- what did that whole project set you back? Even a ballpark figure would be fine-and I ask because I'm having GAS pains and if it's a figure that would have my wife divorce me, then I can calm down and not start to plan a trip to Brazil to start hacking down trees. :lol:

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