News From The Bench

[diablo175]

38 minutes ago, cmatthes said:

Yeah, but Jake…

[diablo175]

So, this is my other custom build in progress from another relatively unknown builder- Vince Michael Guitars in NJ. If his axes are as good as his crackles, then I'm in for a real treat. It better be- they ain't cheap!!! 😳

'Hog body, roasted maple neck with a raw maple fret board,  reversed Strat head, 24 jumbo stainless, Gravelin double slug Mongoose in the bridge, SC Sustainiac, 1 Vol, kill switch tone pot, 3 way toggle, Floyd (duh), and angled jack input on butt end ala Hamer Cali.

[Cboss]

Finished pictures please! that control cavity looks like a gateway to another dimension

[DaveH]

That is badass! I bet it would have Lynch drooling!

[scottcald]

Nice!  That’s some cool work. 

[diablo175]

On 11/26/2023 at 1:03 PM, Cboss said:

Finished pictures please! that control cavity looks like a gateway to another dimension

Yeah, he mentioned that he made his control cavities a little large but because the slab of 'hog is rather hefty, the weight relief it offers would be a plus. That, and it has to house a Sustainiac motherboard. A larger cavity makes things a little less cluttered and claustrophobic.

[Stike]

On 11/26/2023 at 10:25 AM, diablo175 said:

So, this is my other custom build in progress from another relatively unknown builder- Vince Michael Guitars in NJ. If his axes are as good as his crackles, then I'm in for a real treat. It better be- they ain't cheap!!! 😳

'Hog body, roasted maple neck with a raw maple fret board,  reversed Strat head, 24 jumbo stainless, Gravelin double slug Mongoose in the bridge, SC Sustainiac, 1 Vol, kill switch tone pot, 3 way toggle, Floyd (duh), and angled jack input on butt end ala Hamer Cali.

 

You had a guitar made out of pork?

[kizanski]

8 minutes ago, Stike said:

You had a guitar made out of pork?

It's how he practices his chops.

[cynic]

On 11/26/2023 at 12:03 PM, Cboss said:

Finished pictures please! that control cavity looks like a gateway to another dimension

It looks very Warmoth inspired

[alantig]

5 hours ago, kizanski said:

It's how he practices his chops.

Enough of the ribbing.

[diablo175]

18 hours ago, kizanski said:

It's how he practices his chops.

It also explains why I'm a hack 

 

[Stike]

21 hours ago, Stike said:

You had a guitar made out of pork?

 

21 hours ago, kizanski said:

It's how he practices his chops.

 

15 hours ago, alantig said:

Enough of the ribbing.

Ditch the Gravelin and go with this?

[kizanski]

12 minutes ago, Stike said:

Ditch the Gravelin and go with this?

With those pole pieces it would be a Filet-R-Tron.

[Cboss]

It's got a beefy low end..

[DaveH]

8 hours ago, Cboss said:

It's got a beefy low end..

Yes, very meaty.

[Dave Scepter]

22 hours ago, Stike said:

 

That's a "rare" pickup!.. and must smell wonderful when soloing 😋

[diablo175]

This one is on the way from Montreal! With a stop in customs, it likely won't make the cutoff for new gear purchased in '23 but that's alright;  great way to launch 2024!

 

 

[diablo175]

Time to put on the lab coat and play 'mad mod-er' again!

The factory white finish on the otherwise stellar Charvel So Cal was leaving me cold. So I contacted HFC's very own @Stike and have set a date for giving this a proper Diablo-esque finish.

I also took some advice from our resident 'experts' re: new custom pick guards and will be getting a couple of new ones for each of the 2 So Cal's I own.

Lastly, I ordered more kill pots for both the So Cals and the Jackson Dinkys.

Now I just need to order the Sustianiacs.

Hoo-ah! F*ck yeah!

 

 

 

[diablo175]

The Charvel So Cal mods proceed albeit, slowly. The one pick guard arrived weeks ago but the project ran into some set backs on the Shane front. Apparently, between a new-ish job and some problematic domestic issues, he was not going to be able to get to it anytime soon, if at all. Plan B- I turned to my local repair tech and he is up for the challenge.

Sustainiac ordered and in hand, all necessary new hardware procurred. Body will get routed and hardware/electronics will be pre-assembled and fit. Then, because Stike has his hands full with other issues, the body will be going to Brian Bock for a no-frills neon green refin.

Once complete, she'll come back to my local tech for final install of hardware and electronics!

 

[RobB]

5 hours ago, diablo175 said:

Why the transparent, red pickguard?

[diablo175]

15 minutes ago, RobB said:

Why the transparent, red pickguard?

1) because it's day glo magenta and it's really difficult to find one in that opaque color.

2) because, hopefully after another layer of shielding on the underside, it won't be transparent.

[RobB]

3 minutes ago, diablo175 said:

2) because, hopefully after another layer of shielding on the underside, it won't be transparent.

That makes sense. 

[burningyen]

If you want the guard opaque, I suggest painting the underside white before applying shielding. Shielding paint or adhesive tape/foil may not look so great.

[velorush]

I realize it isn't particularly visible in this photo, but this one had a piece of paper backing the clear pickguard.  AFAIK it was original (c.1956)

[cynic]

Contact paper would be relatively easy to apply smoothly across the back surface.