# The third one: Metal Superstrat



## crackout (Dec 29, 2018)

Hi,

I decided to build another Bl*ckmachine tribute. With the first twi being E and D standard, this one is tailed for lower tunings (C#, C or even B). For this, I added 1'' to the scale resulting in 26.50''. This meant creating new templates (the least favourable thing to do):





Specs:
The wood choices follow the 'rules' of the previous two guitars.

Body = Neck -> Wengé
Top = Neck-Stripes -> Tigerflame Maple
Fretboard -> Ebony
Headstock -> Ebony
Binding -> Ivoroid
Hardware -> Schaller (M6 Tuner & Hannes bridge)
Pickups -> BKP (Nailbombs)

Let's do this!

Neck and fretboard ready to get ruined. 





Headstock veneer glued.





Top glued to body blank.





Body with binding channel routed.





Sanded down headstock veneer.





Trussrod channel done.


----------



## crackout (Dec 31, 2018)

Some progress.


----------



## Steinmetzify (Jan 1, 2019)

Dude you’re killing me with this one; like we talked about, only change I’d wanna make to your builds would be the extended scale and the one pup config. 

Seriously can’t wait to see this done, subbed.


----------



## crackout (Jan 2, 2019)

Thanks!

Routed the headstock, put the binding on and glued the fretboard today.


----------



## Defyantly (Jan 2, 2019)

WOW! Such a clean looking build! The pic with the neck mocked-up onto the body makes the guitar look so looong....Great work and keep it up!


----------



## crackout (Jan 3, 2019)

Binding finished.


----------



## failsafe (Jan 4, 2019)

Such a clean looking build! Great job.


----------



## ThtOthrPrsn (Jan 4, 2019)

Flame maple, hannes bridge, BKPs, and a bound headstock? Yup, I'm all in for this! Looking forward to seeing how it goes, looks great so far!


----------



## Drew (Jan 4, 2019)

I expected this to be a superstrat made of metal. I am disappoint.


----------



## Soya (Jan 4, 2019)

You work way too fast, quit making everyone look bad.


----------



## Samark (Jan 5, 2019)

Beautiful job! The flame maple top looks superb, as does your workmanship

What are your plans regarding the colour scheme?


----------



## crackout (Jan 5, 2019)

I only do natural colors. No dyes.


----------



## ThtOthrPrsn (Jan 5, 2019)

What kind of finish are you going to do?


----------



## KR250 (Jan 5, 2019)

Clean and elegant, love it.


----------



## crackout (Jan 6, 2019)

ThtOthrPrsn said:


> What kind of finish are you going to do?


I sand the parts up to 600 grit and then apply a hard oil finish (Auro 121 & 123). This I polish up to 2000.


----------



## crackout (Jan 6, 2019)

Finished routings for the Hannes bridge.


----------



## ThtOthrPrsn (Jan 6, 2019)

Does Auro give it that same kinda tint that Tru-oil does? Not super familiar with it


----------



## crackout (Jan 6, 2019)

ThtOthrPrsn said:


> Does Auro give it that same kinda tint that Tru-oil does? Not super familiar with it


I haven't used TruOil before, so I cannot say.
Auro allows for a nice build up that can be polished to really shiny levels. Not what I do, but it's possible. I like the smooth matte look. It fires up the natural wood colors and adds a bit honey to the color tone.

Finished fretboard radius and nut slot.


----------



## ThtOthrPrsn (Jan 7, 2019)

crackout said:


> I haven't used TruOil before, so I cannot say.
> Auro allows for a nice build up that can be polished to really shiny levels. Not what I do, but it's possible. I like the smooth matte look. It fires up the natural wood colors and adds a bit honey to the color tone.



Ahhh ok ok. TruOil gives that same kinda warm color. Totally agree on the finish. It really makes the grain pop.


----------



## Lemonbaby (Jan 7, 2019)

Nice work, but what's the expected total weight?


----------



## crackout (Jan 7, 2019)

Lemonbaby said:


> Nice work, but what's the expected total weight?


We'll see, I haven't dared to weigh the parts yet, lol.


Finally finished all the routing work.


----------



## Soya (Jan 7, 2019)

Your work is ridiculously clean. Have you given thought to building guitars as a business?


----------



## MikeNeal (Jan 7, 2019)

I used wenge as a body wood on a previous build, and I love it. I wish more people tried unconventional body woods


----------



## ThtOthrPrsn (Jan 7, 2019)

What's that cavity next to to control route?


----------



## crackout (Jan 8, 2019)

MikeNeal said:


> I used wenge as a body wood on a previous build, and I love it. I wish more people tried unconventional body woods


The only grief I have with it: You have a hard time seeing your pencil marks. A yellow crayon is your best friend when working with Wengé.



Soya said:


> Your work is ridiculously clean. Have you given thought to building guitars as a business?


The thought inevitably crossed my mind at some point. As of today, I rely on too much legwork to even reach a break even point. This is because I don't have a planer/jointer.
Beside this, I fear that I lose interest and passion when building guitars with specs I wouldn't build for myself.



ThtOthrPrsn said:


> What's that cavity next to to control route?


That's where the jack goes. The cutout next to it is for the (angled) plug. I don't like protruding plugs.


----------



## Walshy (Jan 8, 2019)

I love your builds and general style direction. I daresay we have a fair bit in common in terms of what we think makes handmade guitars look good.

I'm also in the no jointer/planer camp, so I feel your pain regarding time taken to flatten your timber!


----------



## crackout (Jan 8, 2019)

Finished the inlays.


----------



## Defyantly (Jan 8, 2019)

That's super clean work dude!! quick question. Is the binding 'textured"? The pics make it look like it has ridges in it.


----------



## crackout (Jan 8, 2019)

Defyantly said:


> That's super clean work dude!! quick question. Is the binding 'textured"? The pics make it look like it has ridges in it.


This is an ivoroid binding. It's meant to look like this.


----------



## Defyantly (Jan 8, 2019)

So it is smooth it just looks like it has ridges


----------



## Soya (Jan 8, 2019)

Yes.


----------



## Acaciastrain360 (Jan 8, 2019)

What the actual fuck! I find this amazing! What’s the time period for a build of yours from start to finish?


----------



## crackout (Jan 8, 2019)

Acaciastrain360 said:


> What the actual fuck! I find this amazing! What’s the time period for a build of yours from start to finish?


It strongly depends on the time I have to focus on builds. If I'm not bothered with social life or work, it's a matter of days.


----------



## Acaciastrain360 (Jan 8, 2019)

crackout said:


> It strongly depends on the time I have to focus on builds. If I'm not bothered with social life or work, it's a matter of days.


Haha  there are so many questions I want to ask! I’d love to be able to build my dream guitars! What is your normal job? Is it wood related? As I work in the fibreglass industry, and I have basic wood skills... but yeah, there’s a lot I need to learn regarding luthery! Is there a 101 somewhere? :L


----------



## Soya (Jan 8, 2019)

Depending on where you live, there are lutherie colleges that have courses on the subject. Otherwise, youtube broh.


----------



## crackout (Jan 9, 2019)

Acaciastrain360 said:


> Haha  there are so many questions I want to ask! I’d love to be able to build my dream guitars! What is your normal job? Is it wood related? As I work in the fibreglass industry, and I have basic wood skills... but yeah, there’s a lot I need to learn regarding luthery! Is there a 101 somewhere? :L


I'm a Quality Manager for embedded computer systems, so no, not really wood-related.
Check YouTube for Flechter's Handcrafted Guitars, he has playlists for entire builds. I learned a lot from these videos.


----------



## Walshy (Jan 9, 2019)

Half my jigs are Fletcher ripoffs. Dude doesn't upload much now but he is an amazing teacher.


----------



## Albake21 (Jan 9, 2019)

Walshy said:


> Half my jigs are Fletcher ripoffs. Dude doesn't upload much now but he is an amazing teacher.


Just started watching this morning on his 10 part strat build. I really like his videos. They are straight to the point and easy to follow.


----------



## crackout (Jan 9, 2019)

Drilled tuner holes (got to scrape the binding on the headstock...)





Amrest





Belly cut


----------



## crackout (Jan 10, 2019)

Jack and strap holes drilled.








Frets pressed in.


----------



## Steinmetzify (Jan 10, 2019)

Coming together nicely! Red side markers?


----------



## crackout (Jan 11, 2019)

Yes, looks more alive than plain black.


----------



## Bunkatronic (Jan 11, 2019)

Goddammit Crackout! I'd bound my neck but had taken a bit too much off the thickness scraping and left it a tad uneven. I was going to leave it until I saw how incredibly clean this is haha. Looks like I'm re-doing my binding tomorrow!


----------



## crackout (Jan 11, 2019)

Neck shaped (thin D).





First partly string-up to align the polepieces 100%.


----------



## ThtOthrPrsn (Jan 11, 2019)

That binding is gonna pop real nicely under that finish!


----------



## Steinmetzify (Jan 11, 2019)

Neck looks fantastic dude.


----------



## J_Mac (Jan 13, 2019)

Which tang nipper do you have dude?


----------



## crackout (Jan 14, 2019)

I used to the grind the tangs off with my bench grinder. Tedious work.
Nowadays, I buy my SS frets already cut and tang-removed at my guitar parts supplier (along with the TR, inlays, etc.) -> Rall Guitar Parts.


----------



## Soya (Jan 14, 2019)

Pre-removed tangs? Witchcraft!


----------



## Lax (Jan 14, 2019)

This is gorgeous beyond imagination, gratz


----------



## crackout (Jan 14, 2019)

That's how I order them.


----------



## Albake21 (Jan 14, 2019)

crackout said:


> That's how I order them.
> 
> View attachment 66261


Damn that's super nice and easy.


----------



## electriceye (Jan 14, 2019)

Looking awesome. Although, I'm curious about the inlays. Can you even see them when they're on the bottom like that?


----------



## crackout (Jan 14, 2019)

electriceye said:


> Looking awesome. Although, I'm curious about the inlays. Can you even see them when they're on the bottom like that?



Yes, I can. I can imagine it really depends on how you angle the neck while playing.
I can see the entire fretboard while playing, so a placement like this works fine for me.


Oiled neck and body today finally.


----------



## Defyantly (Jan 14, 2019)

Looks good! That flame is really gonna pop under finish!


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Jan 14, 2019)

crackout said:


> I used to the grind the tangs off with my bench grinder. Tedious work.
> Nowadays, I buy my SS frets already cut and tang-removed at my guitar parts supplier (along with the TR, inlays, etc.) -> Rall Guitar Parts.


Bench grinder is tedious? Damn. I was planning to do that next. Does it at least get the job done right?


----------



## littlebadboy (Jan 14, 2019)

I'm excited and following! I am not a guitar builder but I love following this build!


----------



## crackout (Jan 15, 2019)

LiveOVErdrive said:


> Bench grinder is tedious? Damn. I was planning to do that next. Does it at least get the job done right?


It does, but you have to be careful. Grinding off too much kills the fret basically. So you're better off leaving a small step and take this off with a file by hand. Doing this ~50 times is not pleasant at all, especially with stainless steel. Next comes discoloration. You must be careful the fret end does not become too hot during grinding or it will become golden in color and you even might reduce the hardness.


----------



## LiveOVErdrive (Jan 15, 2019)

crackout said:


> It does, but you have to be careful. Grinding off too much kills the fret basically. So you're better off leaving a small step and take this off with a file by hand. Doing this ~50 times is not pleasant at all, especially with stainless steel. Next comes discoloration. You must be careful the fret end does not become too hot during grinding or it will become golden in color and you even might reduce the hardness.



Man, steel is weird. Thanks for the pointers. Maybe I'll look into that one fret tang filing tool someone posted a while back.


----------



## Dust_to_Dust (Jan 16, 2019)

Your work is amazing dude, it's right up there!


----------



## crackout (Jan 17, 2019)

Frets and fretboard done.





Assembly time!








First impressions: Wow, those Nailbombs pack some punch. Weight came to 3.6kg, yes it's by any means not light, but it's unchambered solid Wengé, so it was to be expected.

I'm off to work now. Shredding later. :/


----------



## cult (Jan 17, 2019)

This looks so tasty! Congrats on a beautiful build.


----------



## Albake21 (Jan 17, 2019)

crackout said:


> Frets and fretboard done.
> 
> View attachment 66289
> 
> ...


That's actually pretty light for being a full guitar made of wenge. I was expecting more than that. This came out amazing as always! Your build are so inspiring and are what made me invest in building my own. Wood and tools are ordered as of yesterday!


----------



## crackout (Jan 17, 2019)

Albake21 said:


> That's actually pretty light for being a full guitar made of wenge. I was expecting more than that. This came out amazing as always! Your build are so inspiring and are what made me invest in building my own. Wood and tools are ordered as of yesterday!


It's a fascinating hobby. Unfortunately, also very addictive.


----------



## Defyantly (Jan 17, 2019)

That looks amazing congrats on the finished build! How do you like the Hannes bridge? They have been tempting me for a while!


----------



## crackout (Jan 17, 2019)

Defyantly said:


> That looks amazing congrats on the finished build! How do you like the Hannes bridge? They have been tempting me for a while!


I have never played a more comfortable bridge. Intonation setting is easy and you have a massive range, saddle height setting is simple as well. 
Installation is also fairly easy, but the old version needs routing.


----------



## mguilherme87 (Jan 17, 2019)

This guitar is truly amazing!


----------



## Omzig (Jan 17, 2019)

Dam sexy,Very nice work sooooo clean!


----------



## Steinmetzify (Jan 17, 2019)

Came out super sick man, board looks black as sin. 

Digging the extended scale for downtuning?


----------



## Spaced Out Ace (Jan 18, 2019)

Christ. That neck looks about 500 miles long. Looks cool though.


----------



## crackout (Jan 18, 2019)

steinmetzify said:


> Came out super sick man, board looks black as sin.
> 
> Digging the extended scale for downtuning?


Yes, it's currently in C# with a hybrid set 10-52, but I replaced the 52 with a 56, so Drop B is an option and it works fine.



Spaced Out Ace said:


> Christ. That neck looks about 500 miles long. Looks cool though.


Yes, the neck is quite a bit longer. The 24th fret is at the same position as on the 25.50'' ones, which means the nut is if I recall correctly about 19mm further 'out'.
You can see it in the comparion shot.


----------



## Defyantly (Jan 18, 2019)

That is one sexy trio!!!


----------



## Bunkatronic (Jan 18, 2019)

wow what a collection! New build look so beautiful dude congrats


----------



## Rattlehead83 (Feb 10, 2019)

crackout said:


> View attachment 66177



Well, at this point I still don't know how those buttons are called.  I'd like to try them tough. Very nice and clean progess!


----------



## crackout (Feb 11, 2019)

Rattlehead83 said:


> Well, at this point I still don't know how those buttons are called.


Dunlop Straploks (flush mount variant).


Here are some better photos in the NGD thread: http://sevenstring.org/threads/the-third-one-metal-superstrat.333600/


----------



## Pikka Bird (Feb 12, 2019)

crackout said:


> Dunlop Straploks (flush mount variant).
> 
> 
> Here are some better photos in the NGD thread: http://sevenstring.org/threads/the-third-one-metal-superstrat.333600/


Naw man, HERE is your NGD thread... 

This is looking fantastic all over!


----------



## crackout (Feb 13, 2019)

Pikka Bird said:


> Naw man, HERE is your NGD thread...



Ha, you're right.


----------



## Miek (Feb 18, 2019)

holy shiiiit

if you were ever to open up to a comission... let me know


----------



## Drew (Feb 22, 2019)

I'm not a big a fan of the Blackmachine aesthetic, and I'm STILL bummed that this wasn't an actual metal guitar... 

...but that looks _very_ well made. Great job!


----------

