[scab]

Hey guys first post here,
I'm surprised I haven't found this site earlier.. I've had my Ibanez RG7420 for about 4 years and I've been playing it ever since.. Um, any ways getting to my title.. I'm building some custom designed guitars that I would like to start selling.. No, they're not going to be very expensive but they are going to be the best handbuilt guitars ever to come out of Nebraska.. I'm planning on building 2-4 prototypes, and all of them are the same design... I'm debating on doing some of these b/c they're really not needed.. These were my plans:
1) right handed 7 string
1) left handed 7 string
1) right handed 6 string
1) left handed 6 string
I'm thinking of leaving out the left handed ones until someone comes along and orders one.. Then I'll redesign the prototype and build it.. Here are some features I will be including on the prototypes:
-Floyd Rose® Licensed Tremolos
-exotic woods including A LOT of maple (flame, spalted, laced, bookmatched, etc.)
-neck through
-I'm debating on the necks.. I don't know if I'm going to go with more pieces on the neck (like the rat tale ibanez's) or try to get just a couple of pieces..
-I wanted to find some active EMG's for these.. But they're kinda hard to find so I think these might have to settle for some seymour duncan distortions or some dimarzio blazes (the guitars would be equipped with 2 humbuckers)
-24 frets
-most of the diminsions of the necks are going to be based on the ibanez's rg's
-floyd rose nut
-etc..

I'm basically posting this to see if anyone is interested.. Thanks
Scab

[JPMDan]

Do you have any experience in building? Certificates, training etc.

[nyck]

That's interesting, but some things that I would really like to see changed:
A licensed floyd is definitely NOT the right way to go for a custom built instrument. If you're dead set on a floyd, it should be an original floyd. The stability and everything else are very important. Who wants a guitar that refuses to stay in tune? Let alone a custom built guitar...
Second thing is the pickups. EMGs are pretty easy to find, you can get Guitar Center to order you some or guitarpartsdepot.com can get you some as well. Don't get dimarzio blazes because that's already been done. Try to be original and find a combination of good wood and good pickups. Blazes are good but there are much better pickups by Dimarzio and SD. The DSonic 7 is said to be an improved version of the blaze.

Do you have a price point yet?


I would be interested if the price is right and some things could be changed.

[scab]

Ha Ha
No certificates but just training.. let me build them first then you guys could judge.. I was wondering if anyone would be interested, but I guess I should build them first.. I wish I could throw up some pics of a remodel... Hold On..

Here's some pics... I brought this rg back to life as it was about to be garbaged...


I think it's pretty sweet.. Sorry its a 6 string on a 7 string board but this one is for sale too..

[JPMDan]

what did you do for this guitar as far as bring it to life? What kind of training have you taken? I don't mean to sound rude I'm just curious if you're a serious builder that went to luthier school and recieved training from experts.

[scab]

No schooling has been done, I've been working with wood all of my life and my grandfather has a descent sized workshop that I'll be building these out of.. Most of my woodworking skills have come from him.. I've worked with a lot of luthiers and had a lot of help from them... As to what I have done to that guitar is:
-stripped the paint
-improved imperfections
-put a dust coat of primer to help with high spots
-improved imperfections again
-painted (by an auto collision repair.. the color is called Grigio Avalon Met and its off of a 2003 Lamborghini) - not too many people can say that about their guitars
-lined electronics cavity with copper sheilding tape
-installed the new pickups and had the coils split
-replaced the origional 5-way (plastic crappy) switch with a new metal one
-made sure all of the electronics are grounded so you wont
get shocked
-cleaned all of the frets up and polished them
-cleaned and polished the tuning pegs and the nut
-restrung the guitar and balanced the tremelo parellel
to the body
-took the tremelo apart and polished everything
-their used to be a single coil in the middle of the humbuckers but I filled it with a piece of flame maple figuring that that would be the finish but it didn't work out that way..

What was wrong with it???
-the paint was horrible... Scratched, stickers all over..
-the neck was covered in gunk
-the trem looked like I had to go buy a new one but it cleaned up very nicely as you can see..
-the strings that were on it were also covered in gunk and it looked as though that they were rusting
-the electronics all needed to be redone
-most everything was loose

Thanks
Scab

P.S. as for specs on the guitars I'm building would be custom for the people being built for.. (hardware, pickups, etc., etc.

[JPMDan]

that's pretty kool learned from your family and school. How many guitars have you built so far? Also whats the price range of your custom guitars or atleast base prices?

[scab]

as for prices go.. right now I'm not really going for a profit (as of now).. I really don't know, but for now I'd say just to be safe anywhere between $250-$600.. but I don't know yet I haven't really started building yet.. I've started to invest into some wood but nothing that expensive yet..
I haven't built any guitars yet but I'm really looking forward to it and I've been planning and researching for a couple of months... As for the prototypes, will be built as prototypes and all expenses will be based off of those.. but I'm glad that some of you might be interested.. I think I have too many guitars and I want others to enjoy them as I have.. But it is very Very hard to part with them.. But yeah thats the scoop..

[JPMDan]

PM (Private Message) has been sent

[technomancer]

Ditto.