My Latest Strat Copy Is Finished!

Compared to my other electric guitar builds, this one was a piece-o-cake. After adding a treble bleed circuit to the volume pot, I soldered the pickup's leads into place and bolted everything together. Check it out:

More Progress On My Tom Delonge Stratocaster Copy

Check out the Highline logo I "inlayed" on the headstock. First I transferred the design to the headstock. Next I used my flex shaft tool and a tiny engraving bit to carve out the logo. Then I filled the area with some slow setting epoxy mixed with the same Surf Green lacquer I used to paint the body. After the epoxy had dried, I sanded away the excess and outlined the letters with black paint. Now I have to wait for the Seymour Duncan Invader pickup to arrive so I can finish this baby off. Should make a nice graduation gift for my son!

It's Alive!

What started out as a block of Alder has turned magically into a custom Stratocaster copy. This project is a special request for a design similar to the Tom Delonge Strat, but with some slight alterations. For example, the routing is a bit different in that less wood has been removed. I also carved out less wood on the belly relief and the armrest to keep the body nice and fat. A fat body = fat tone. Later on she'll be wrapped up in some surf green lacquer.