Special/Eclipse/Gretsch project

Bloozguy

Bloozguy

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I recently bought a "beater" '92 Special from Hamerweizen (thanks Eric!) that's about to embark on a customizing journey. Someone routed the bridge pickup cavity pretty badly, smashed the tone pot hard enough to break through the mahogany, and stripped all the finish off the back of the neck. A perfect candidate for the project!

It's getting:

1. Forearm bevel and tummy cut like an Eclipse

2. Pickup cavities filled and re-routed for TV Jones TV Classic (neck) and TV Classic Plus (bridge)

3. A trip to Stikeland for some bling

Here's a couple "before" pics:

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And after stripping the hardware:

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I was originally planning to have Stike shoot silver flake with cherry transparent over it, but my girlfriend (who puts up with living in a used guitar and amp warehouse /emoticons/default_ph34r.png and has even bought me a couple Hamers /emoticons/default_laugh.png ) one day said "you don't have any white guitars...why don't you get one." I decided then that this one would be pure white /emoticons/default_laugh.png .

She also likes gold hardware on white guitars. I'm not a big gold hardware fan, but I'm tempted to go that way on this one. Any opinions?

 
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Bearing in mind that internet-nobody-opinions are worth exactly jack squat compared to live-in-girlfriend-opinions, I will share mine anyway.

I approve of white guitars. Almost all models look good in white to me (Strat, Tele, LP, Gretsch, Cali.....on and on - white guitars are excellent).

I disapprove of gold hardware. Almost all guitars look bad with gold hardware to me (same list - all encompassing).

In summary -> white - good; gold - bad.

My $0.00.

 
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Fill the neck pickup route, maybe veneer the top, and make it a single 'Tron in the bridge. Maybe even fill the TP studs and slap a Bigsby on 'er!

Of course, 3 'Trons also work really well...

Make it all White Falcon-y!!

 
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cmatthes said:
Fill the neck pickup route, maybe veneer the top, and make it a single 'Tron in the bridge. Maybe even fill the TP studs and slap a Bigsby on 'er!

Of course, 3 'Trons also work really well...

Make it all White Falcon-y!!
Click to expand...
I once played around with the idea of putting a lefty Bigsby B-5 (the short, screws down on the top one) on a righty Eclipse--so I wouldn't have to worry too much about having the pickup switch or knobs in the way of the trem handle, or vice versa. Just a thought.

 
Sounds like a sweet project. White with gold hardware works in a slightly girly showbiz kind of way:

jack_white_and_alicia_keys_another_way_to_die_so_25393_vimage2.jpg


If you want a trem, I'd recommend a Stetsbar over a Bigsby, having owned both.

 
I hate white guitars but I'm not the one that does naughty things to you so.....................

Maybe painting a gold sparkle faux binding on the body to mimic the White Falcon vibe could be cool?

 
I've wondered whether the faux "case hardened" look could be applied to guitar hardware. It would be a great look on a white guitar. I'm kinda with stike about white, though. If you're springing for a custom refin, why go vanilla? Had anyone ever done a Tron+single ala phantom? I think that would be interesting.

 
White metal flake, with chrome trons...... Stike could do that

What about the headstock are you going to refi that too?

 
Yikes! I didn't realize this thing had been sitting in the shop for a year already /emoticons/default_laugh.png That's what happens when you tell your luthier that you're in no hurry and interrupt the process with other guitars to work on /emoticons/default_tongue.png

But now we've got a forearm bevel:

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And the much-needed belly cut /emoticons/default_wink.png :

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He's got one of my Eclipses in there to match the contours and it's pretty darn accurate.

In the meantime I scored a NOS sustain block so the bridge and tailpiece holes got plugged along with the pickup cavities (with mahogany in the proper grain direction). Next up will be the TV Jones Filtertrons and then off to Stike /emoticons/default_laugh.png

And the girlfriend agreed to chrome hardware /emoticons/default_laugh.png

 
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Well, since you had the pickup holes filled and all...

Single TV Jones in the bridge. Total rock machine.

As Damone said in "Fast Times", "You won't regret it!"

 
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